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Need help with smooth camera follow in rotation matrix game

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GE

GameDev_Explorer

Posted on January 18, 2025 • Advanced

🎮 Need help with smooth camera follow in rotation matrix game

Hey everyone! I’m working on an advanced 3D-style game using rotation matrices and I’m struggling with implementing a smooth camera follow system. The camera should glide smoothly to follow the player instead of snapping instantly.

Here’s my current project: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1137985632/

The main issues I’m facing:

  • Camera movement is too jerky and instant
  • Need smooth interpolation between camera positions
  • Maintaining proper rotation matrix calculations during camera movement
  • Performance optimization for smooth 60fps camera following

Any help would be greatly appreciated! This is for an advanced 3D-style project and I’m willing to share/follow if someone can help me get this working smoothly! 🙏

3D

Matrix3D_Master

Replied 3 hours later • ⭐ Best Answer

Excellent question @GameDev_Explorer! Smooth camera following in rotation matrix games is definitely challenging. Here’s a comprehensive solution that should work perfectly with your setup:

🎯 Camera Smoothing Flow

Here’s how the smooth camera system works:

flowchart TD A[🎮 Player Movement] --> B[Calculate Target Camera Position] B --> C[Get Current Camera Position] C --> D[Calculate Distance to Target] D --> E{Distance > Threshold?} E -->|Yes| F[Apply Lerp Interpolation] E -->|No| G[Snap to Target] F --> H[Update Camera X/Y with Smoothing] G --> H H --> I[Apply Rotation Matrix Transform] I --> J[Update All Sprite Positions] J --> K[Check Performance] K --> L{Frame Rate OK?} L -->|Yes| M[Continue Smooth Follow] L -->|No| N[Reduce Smoothing Factor] M --> A N --> A style A fill:#e1f5fe style F fill:#e8f5e8 style I fill:#fff3e0 style J fill:#fce4ec

🔧 Step 1: Create Camera Variables

First, set up the necessary variables for smooth camera following:

    when flag clicked
set [Camera X v] to [0]
set [Camera Y v] to [0]
set [Target Camera X v] to [0]
set [Target Camera Y v] to [0]
set [Camera Smooth Factor v] to [0.1]
set [Camera Threshold v] to [5]

📹 Step 2: Camera Target Calculation

Calculate where the camera should be based on player position:

    // In your main game loop
set [Target Camera X v] to ((x position of [Player v]) * [-1])
set [Target Camera Y v] to ((y position of [Player v]) * [-1])

// Add offset if needed (for better view)
change [Target Camera X v] by [0]
change [Target Camera Y v] by [-50]

🌊 Step 3: Smooth Interpolation System

Implement the smooth camera movement using linear interpolation:

    // Camera smoothing calculation
set [Distance to Target v] to ([sqrt v] of (((Target Camera X) - (Camera X)) * ((Target Camera X) - (Camera X))) + (((Target Camera Y) - (Camera Y)) * ((Target Camera Y) - (Camera Y))))

if <(Distance to Target) > (Camera Threshold)> then
// Smooth interpolation
set [Camera X v] to ((Camera X) + (((Target Camera X) - (Camera X)) * (Camera Smooth Factor)))
set [Camera Y v] to ((Camera Y) + (((Target Camera Y) - (Camera Y)) * (Camera Smooth Factor)))
else
// Snap to target when close enough
set [Camera X v] to (Target Camera X)
set [Camera Y v] to (Target Camera Y)
end

🔄 Step 4: Apply to Rotation Matrix

Integrate the smooth camera with your existing rotation matrix system:

    // For each sprite that needs to be transformed
set [Temp X v] to ((x position) + (Camera X))
set [Temp Y v] to ((y position) + (Camera Y))

// Apply your rotation matrix calculations here
set [Rotated X v] to (((Temp X) * ([cos v] of (rotation angle))) - ((Temp Y) * ([sin v] of (rotation angle))))
set [Rotated Y v] to (((Temp X) * ([sin v] of (rotation angle))) + ((Temp Y) * ([cos v] of (rotation angle))))

// Set final position
go to x: (Rotated X) y: (Rotated Y)

⚡ Step 5: Performance Optimization

To maintain smooth 60fps performance:

    // Adaptive smoothing based on distance
if <(Distance to Target) > [100]> then
set [Camera Smooth Factor v] to [0.15]  // Faster when far
else
if <(Distance to Target) > [50]> then
set [Camera Smooth Factor v] to [0.1]   // Normal speed
else
set [Camera Smooth Factor v] to [0.05]  // Slower when close
end
end

🎮 Step 6: Advanced Features

Add these enhancements for professional camera behavior:

  • Camera Deadzone: Create a zone where camera doesn’t move
  • Look-ahead: Camera anticipates player movement direction
  • Shake Effects: Add camera shake for impacts
  • Zoom Control: Dynamic zoom based on player speed
    // Camera deadzone implementation
if <([abs v] of ((Target Camera X) - (Camera X))) > [30]> then
// Apply smooth movement only outside deadzone
set [Camera X v] to ((Camera X) + (((Target Camera X) - (Camera X)) * (Camera Smooth Factor)))
end

🔍 Troubleshooting Tips

  • If camera is too slow: increase Camera Smooth Factor (try 0.15-0.2)
  • If camera is jittery: decrease Camera Smooth Factor (try 0.05-0.08)
  • If performance drops: reduce the number of sprites being transformed
  • For instant snap: set Camera Threshold to a higher value (10-20)

This system should give you buttery-smooth camera following that works perfectly with rotation matrices! The key is the interpolation combined with distance-based thresholds.

VB

Vibelf_Community

Pinned Message • Moderator

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