Do We Need Camera Locking?

[Elmetiacos]

Got to agree with your ghosting observations. You can barely backstab clannies on teamspeak since someone will be ghosting you out on their voice chat. This is not mentioning other fun stuff such as ghosting out your location behind walls etc. A large part of many clans prowess comes from the ghosting, which is not supposed to happen (else we should be able to type chat when dead in-game). Many would like to say it iss not ghosting, but superior skill (maybe) or even superior tactics (far fetched for large majority) that makes up the abilities of a clan. but just hop on to one of the clan servers to hear the ghosting. It gets a lot worse when something is at stake ie strategus or a x5.

I know it's a minor annoyance not being able to flit about when you're dead or a spectator and it can interfere with admins spotting leeches, but there are so many people on TS now effectively cheating that I wonder if it isn't time to lock the camera?

[MrExxc]

Obviously me need this, although we might have to cope with more round delayers.

[Vibe]

When we play as a team theres usually so many of us that about 2-3 are certainly assigned as spies each map. Wouldn't really affect the Fallen

[Torp]

perhaps you should only be able to follow teammates with the death cam?

[Dravic]

perhaps you should only be able to follow teammates with the death cam?

+1

As spectator (in spectator "team")... Only free cam.

[IG_Saint]

I don't think it's needed. It would also make admining impossible. The lock to team view in warband is actually locked, you can only see whatever the guy you're spectating sees, can't move the camera at all. The spectator camera (as in the spectator "faction") is locked to a single central high point on the map, so you can't really see anything other than right below you.

[Elmetiacos]

Yes, it's not much fun and it would make it tougher on admins to kick people hiding in hay and such, but it's a matter of whether we think this is worth it to stop all the ghosting that's currently going on.

Vibe, I'm not quite sure what you mean by "spies" - that 2 or 3 people load up alts and deliberately try and make their team lose the round? Huh?

[RamsesXXIIX]

Yes, it's not much fun and it would make it tougher on admins to kick people hiding in hay and such, but it's a matter of whether we think this is worth it to stop all the ghosting that's currently going on.

Vibe, I'm not quite sure what you mean by "spies" - that 2 or 3 people load up alts and deliberately try and make their team lose the round? Huh?

I think you should stop your theories without knowing shit.

Have you ever been in a big clans TS? Your words make one think you believe we all sit stickied to the screen screaming to our teammates "GO THAT WAY, DO THAT" etc.

Really, we don't.

[Elmetiacos]

Vested interests getting upset. Must be doing something right.

[Zisa]

I don't think it's needed. It would also make admining impossible. The lock to team view in warband is actually locked, you can only see whatever the guy you're spectating sees, can't move the camera at all. The spectator camera (as in the spectator "faction") is locked to a single central high point on the map, so you can't really see anything other than right below you.

You do not want to be locked to cam when someone is jittering around.. you'll barf.

[Diomedes]

Lock the cam for tournaments and on weekends.  I don't know about other folks but when I'm dead I either chat or read, losing free spec occasionally isn't much of a loss to me, though it may be to others.  Put up a poll once this thread gets to the third page and people have had a chance to do some homework 

[Cyclopsided]

One of the best things in this is the ability to spectate how awesome players can be.
That would take so much fun out of being dead in this game.
Yes ghosting is a problem, but do not turn it into a case of the speed bump effect.

"One guy abuses something mildly, so we take fun away from everybody"
Speed bump effect is not how you balance things. I'd say this in more eloquent words a lot more convincingly, but ah well.

[Diomedes]

I don't think ghosting is an issue generally.  Most battles don't rely on tactics that could be seriously compromised by ghosting.  Though, considering it now, that could be precisely because there's so much ghosting that's assumed to be going on.  Perhaps we could test this on a server for a day or two?

[EliteDragon]

I'm thinking you join TS servers at the wrong times. Sure, sometimes there's ghosting but most of the time nobody really cares to say the least. I don't think any of the bigger clans in cRPG use this as a main tactic to win so there isn't really a problem here.

[Stokes]

This is a bad idea. In competitive play, fine, take away the spectator camera, but for regular pub play there is no reason to take away the free spectator camera. It's already sucks enough dying within the first few minutes on a crowded server, but not being able to fly around and watch other players fight just plain sucks.

Warband has such a good combat system that it is probably one of the few online games that is actually FUN to watch. Two good duelists fighting is a pretty awesome thing to see.

Also, locking spectator camera sucks for new players, since the ability to watch better players when you are dead is a great tool for people who are just learning.

The spectator camera also allows you to see the dominating players and builds are on the server and adapt accordingly. I also think it reinforces community on the server: When everyone is dead and the last two or three people are hunting each other, it's a bit of a rush knowing that everyone is watching and it gives players something to talk about.

Finally, free cam is just MORE FUN.

I think the ramifications and negatives far outweigh the positives in this case. Still, I agree that free-spectator mode should not be allowed in competitive tournaments: That's just silly. That should be a server option, however, and not a cRPG mandate.