Setting up side scroller games is now a breeze thanks to the Side Scrolling Controls and Fixed Angle Camera devices. This page will review how these devices work in the TMNT Arcade experience so you can design your very own arcade game!
For more tips on using different camera devices, see Designing with Camera and Controls.
Devices used:
Once the players are teleported to the start of the game, they are assigned the Fixed Angle Camera device and a Controls: Side Scroller device. The camera is locked into the desired position and moves with the player, while the side scroller control locks the player movement onto two axes, preventing them from moving toward or away from the camera.
When building a 2D side scroller in a 3D environment, it can be useful to set up a simple shape that stretches the entire length of the level. This allows you to place enemies, obstacles and supply drops correctly along the player’s path. In this case, a simple cube static mesh was stretched.
Click image to expand.
Camera Transitions
When a player encounters a group of enemies, the camera transitions from a fixed angle to a Fixed Point Camera device. As the name suggests, this camera is static, and only focuses on the combat arena.
As soon as a player steps on a Trigger device, they are assigned to the fixed point camera:
The cameras in this template are all set to the Ease-In-Out type of transition, and the transition-out times are adjusted to ensure that gameplay is seamless.
Each time a player completes an enemy encounter, they are assigned to the next Fixed Angle Camera to continue playing through the level.
New Area
When the player arrives in the sewers, he is assigned a new Fixed Angle Camera. The reason for this change is that the sewer level requires the camera to be at a different angle than the outdoor camera.
To ensure that there was no faulty behavior upon the player exiting the sewer exit, a second Control:Side Scroller device is added to the player through an Add to Player function when they exit the TMNT Sewer Tunnel:
Up Next
Next, you will learn more about transitioning between regular traversal and enemy encounters, and setting up environment hazards:
