Camera Zooming, Scaling, And Easable Fixes For Beatblock

The Frustration with Current Zoom Methods

Have you ever felt frustrated trying to zoom in and out of your gameplay canvas within the Beatblock editor? It can be quite a headache! Currently, the primary method for zooming relies on adjusting vfx.canvPos.sx and .sy. While this works perfectly fine for zooming in, it leads to a cropping effect when you try to zoom out. This means you lose sight of crucial elements, hindering your ability to fine-tune your level design. As a level designer, having a smooth, unobstructed view of your gameplay is paramount, and the current limitations can be a real creative roadblock. This is the primary issue that needs addressing, as it directly impacts the user experience when creating levels.

Current Limitations and Workarounds

The existing system forces you to choose between a zoomed-in perspective and a cropped, zoomed-out one. This severely limits your control over the visual presentation of your level. While the p.x and p.y easables hint at the potential for a more flexible solution, the current implementation falls short. You end up trying to find workarounds, and often the solutions feel clunky and inefficient. Level properties, like spawn offset, can help, but they don't fully solve the issue of a seamless zoom that preserves the entire gameplay area. This is a common pain point for creators who want to experiment with different perspectives and visual styles within their levels.

The Importance of a Smooth Zoom

A proper zoom function is not just a convenience; it's a fundamental tool for effective level design. It allows you to:**

• Inspect Details: Zoom in to meticulously examine specific elements, ensuring precision in your placement and timing.
• Assess Overall Flow: Zoom out to get a holistic view of your level's layout, identifying potential issues with pacing or visual balance.
• Experiment with Perspective: Control the player's view to create dynamic and engaging gameplay experiences.

Without a robust zoom, you're forced to work in a restricted environment, which can stifle creativity and slow down the design process. The aim is for the player and designer to have the best experience.

A Proposed Solution: Camera Events and Enhanced Easables

To address the current limitations, the ideal solution would be a camera event system. Imagine a feature that lets you freely zoom in and out of the gameplay canvas without any cropping, providing complete control over the viewable area. This would allow for seamless transitions and dynamic perspectives, creating a much more intuitive and user-friendly design experience. This is what's truly needed to fix the limitations.

The Power of Camera Control

A well-implemented camera system could transform the way levels are created. It opens up exciting possibilities, such as:

• Cinematic Effects: Zooming and panning to highlight key moments or create dramatic reveals.
• Dynamic Difficulty: Automatically adjusting the zoom based on gameplay intensity.
• Custom Perspectives: Allowing players to choose their preferred view.

The possibilities are vast, and the impact on level design would be profound. For the designer, it would be a huge time saver.

Alternative Solutions: Refining Existing Easables

If a full-fledged camera event proves difficult to implement, there are alternative solutions that can provide some relief. One approach involves enhancing existing easables like noteRadius, drawScale, and p.extend. These features offer ways to manipulate the assets in the game, but they are not the perfect answer and have their own set of limitations. By refining these, we can provide a smoother and more versatile experience. This means the designer can do more from within the editor.

Addressing the Issues with Existing Scaling Tools

While alternative scaling methods exist, each comes with its own drawbacks. Addressing these will be key to a viable workaround. If the ultimate goal is to allow for scaling of the gameplay, we must look at each of the existing methods and solve their problems.

noteRadius Limitations

Using noteRadius to shrink the gameplay only affects the beginning and end of hold notes, which is not ideal. To overcome this limitation, the entire note and detection system should be scaled proportionally. This would ensure that the notes are always correctly detected, regardless of the zoom level. The user should not have to manually compensate for this issue.

drawScale Inconsistencies

drawScale doesn't update the note detection radius. This leads to situations where holds are registered incorrectly, breaking the gameplay. Fixing this requires ensuring that the note detection area scales proportionally with the drawn assets. This is essential for maintaining accurate gameplay. The solution is also critical to the user's experience.

p.extend Imperfections

p.extend doesn't scale all aspects of the assets. For example, Cranky's eyes and the paddle thickness aren't scaled along with his body. This creates a visual inconsistency that can detract from the overall aesthetic. The user needs to see a consistent visual style, which maintains the look and feel of the game.

Conclusion: Seeking a Smoother, More Flexible Design Experience

The ultimate goal is to create a more intuitive and flexible level design experience. Whether through a camera event or improvements to existing scaling tools, the focus should be on empowering creators with the tools they need to bring their visions to life. The current limitations are holding back creativity, and addressing these issues will have a significant positive impact on the Beatblock community.

By implementing these suggestions, Beatblock can evolve into an even more powerful and user-friendly platform. It's about empowering level designers and giving them the freedom to create amazing and immersive gameplay experiences. A camera event is the ideal solution, but even the alternative of fixing the scaling options will be a huge step in the right direction.

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