Dev-Console calls.

[Zyxpsilon]

Has anyone ever been able to make the "HQFreeCam" option to work?

If the name means what i think it does that specific command-line CALL would let us "navigate" without restrictions on the Ant-Farm with a sticky-free camera.

 

I'm currently trying to design extensive custom Textures for a bunch of various objects that can be found in many places and having such a powerfull camera straight on the HUD would allow for much better workflow in some cases. Aside from opening a vast array of editable (and precious) other locations since people would also have to obtain and use that gimmick in order to enjoy whatever custom stuff should eventually be added to the Ant-Farm itself.

__________________________________

PS; Here's a quicky snapshot of a temporary version to expose the kind of things i'm planning to achieve...

 

http://s8.postimg.org/48wsygzs5/Bradford_Chair_Snapshot.png

 

This special chair is displayed in a tiny room to the right of the Command-Center Hologlobe area. I have to assume this is exclusive to our dear Officer Bradford's work space... sooo, it made sense to "Customize IT" a bit further. :D

__________________________________

 

Basicly, it's a process that could offer direct controls over features that we can all already witness when we select menu-options to go -for example- in the Research Labs where DR Vahlen gets zoomed-in while the perspective of the entire scenery behind her is slowly changed & re-oriented automatically. The code (probably by script instructions) must be using this rare but still important (creatively wise) function, somehow... during any of these UI calls.

 

Thus - please help! :smile:

Edited January 24, 2015 by Zyxpsilon

[Daemonjax]

I remember that it worked properly when the game was initially released... Also, the very first patch (IIRC) fixed zooming in on the antfarm with the mousewheel.

 

Might be able to look at how the code worked in that version. Dunno where it is in the UPKs, though... or whether it was in the exe.

Edited January 25, 2015 by Daemonjax

[Zyxpsilon]

Please do!

 

I'd have to guess that it's a clear executable routine since the engine must gain valid parameters on the cursor exact location in order to attach a relative "Spinner" to the FOV currently in focus.

 

Can't recall how EU behaved (while navigating the Ant-Farm) but i remember a Firaxis patch repaired the mouse-wheel stepping process.

 

As i hinted about... the Menu-Animations would be a good place to start detecting what if anything can "replace" or properly "activate" the precious HQFreeCam option from DevConsole for anybody to use.

 

Good luck.

Edited January 26, 2015 by Zyxpsilon

[Zyxpsilon]

Daemonjax,

 

Been sweeping through a few Classes into XComStrategyGame.UPK with UEExplorer and i've found this interesting "XcomHeadquartersCamera" code section...

 

state FreeMovementView
{
function LookRelative(Vector vRelativeLoc, optional float fZoomPercent)
{
local CameraStateOrientation CurrentOrientation, NewOrientation;
local bool bFreeCam;

fZoomPercent = 1.0;
GetCameraStateView(CameraState, 0.0, CurrentOrientation);
NewOrientation = CurrentOrientation;
NewOrientation.Focus.X += vRelativeLoc.X;
NewOrientation.Focus.Y += vRelativeLoc.Y;
NewOrientation.Focus.Z += vRelativeLoc.Z;
bFreeCam = false;
// End:0x1A7

-------------------

 

Not sure that if we were to set bFreeCam as TRUE instead could just activate what this function is intended to do??

Thoughts?

[XMarksTheSpot]

Not sure that if we were to set bFreeCam as TRUE instead could just activate what this function is intended to do??

Thoughts?

Why don't you simply try and see for yourself? That's literally a single byte you need to change, you can even do that from within UE Explorer's buffer view.

[Zyxpsilon]

Bof - TRUE it will become... just as a simple test! :wink:

 

PS; Game goes kaboom! Soooo, no effect... don't try this at home folks.

Edited January 29, 2015 by Zyxpsilon

[Daemonjax]

Bof - TRUE it will become... just as a simple test! :wink:

 

PS; Game goes kaboom! Soooo, no effect... don't try this at home folks.

 

Flipping it to true did the trick for me.

 

Nice find! Took me longer to figure out how to pan the camera than doing the edit. :wink:

 

I'll throw the code edit up in patchergui format...

 

DESCRIPTION=Enables freecam zoom for latest EW version as of today. Pan the camera by edgescrolling, and zoom using mousewheel.

/*

Changes

bFreeCam = false

to

bFreeCam = true

*/

 

UPK_FILE=XComStrategyGame.upk

Object=XComHeadquartersCamera.FreeMovementView.LookRelative

 

[bEFORE_CODE]

14 2D 00 C8 21 00 00 28

[AFTER_CODE]

14 2D 00 C8 21 00 00 27

 

EDIT: LOL you're right! Zooming in on the antfarm already worked without the above code edit... I guess I just assumed it wasn't working, and didn't actually try until I saw you're post. Oops. :wink:

Edited February 1, 2015 by Daemonjax

[Zyxpsilon]

Be darned... i must have somehow screwed up the proper 28_byteset switch from 27 location with my attempt since any of the Ant-Farm_Basic-Screen(s) kept being frozen as soon as i tried to "wheel-in" to test a theoric valid FreeCamera. Many thanks for the PatcherGUI mini-code, i'll be sure to apply it ASAP!

 

EdgeScrolling and MouseWheel need to be used? Gotcha. Great work! :)

[Zyxpsilon]

Hold on, i don't think we can call it a fixed HQFreeCam (if done via DevConsole or not) yet.

 

Even after applying this "correction", it looks to me like the Ant-Farm navigation controls aren't behaving any differently than what the defaults allowed to do already.

 

Then, it might just be a matter of *ME* explaining what i'd wish for in a very bad way as to confuse everyone.

 

Soooooo... two things;

 

1) Pitch-Yaw-Roll theories... you can go up-down, left-right, forward-backward and ultimately -- ROTATE the camera-eyesight in a spherical fashion from any given point-of-view.

 

2) Two obvious ways to realize what i really mean is to activate the "View Memorial" or "Access Research Archives" processes from the menu options. You'll witness a tricky Zoom-Into while the Camera direction also "spins" from its newly modified location **inside** the Ant_Farm to either face (@90o) the Memorial Wall or the table (@45o) with the microscope while HUD screens display the Infos as overlays to the scenes behind.

 

Knowing these precisions -- then, to me a true HQ_Free_Camera would also be able to Rotate freely even after zooming in or out (mousewheel), and/or going sideways (edgescrolling), etc.

 

I guess what i'm asking for is some indirect way(s) to have the whole set of similar controls as what we get during tactical battles... but straight into the Strategic layer while we navigate through the Ant-Farm - as a result, freely!

 

Back to the task, it seems! :wink:

Edited February 1, 2015 by Zyxpsilon