Star shooter

A game for the "Viewpoints" assignment Texture mapping code from http://pepijn.fab4.be/software/nehe-java-ports GluTess code from www.java-tips.org/other-api-tips/jogl/polygon-tesselation-in-jogl.html

Goal

To create a game where manipulation of viewpoints is of primary importance. To achieve this goal I felt that I had to make the viewpoint extremely important, and that multiple viewpoints should be implemented so that the player can experience the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Method

I used a 3d rendered "City" world with lots of buildings in various shapes. These were added to mainly obstruct the view of the player, and make varying viewpoints important.
The player's objective is to follow an actor as he walks about the city. For this he is given 3 viewpoints:

Ground: The user has complete freedom of motion (except through walls). However, his view is limited and easily obstructed.
Air: The user has a panoramic view over the city. However, the camera's position rotates about the city (as if in a helicopter), and the view angle is very limited.
Fixed point: The user's position is completely fixed, but this camera has the widest amount of zoom levels. Only parts of the city can be seen from this position, although most rooftops can be seen.

To make the game harder, the actor can walk into buildings, appear on the roof, and then exit the building in a different direction. The ground camera may not follow the actor into a building, so the other two cameras must be utilized.
The player scores points based on how much footage of the actor is captured. Points are subtracted if parts of the body are not in the view. Also, the air cameras are worth more than the ground one, to encourage their use.

Novelty

This game explores the coordination of multiple cameras, each of which has very different properties. This is in contrast to most first person games where there is at most two viewpoints (first and third-person behind the player). Also, the idea of capturing footage of an actor for TV ratings is relatively novel.

Results

I was very satisfied with the game after creation. There were a couple of bugs with intersection testing (the player can get stuck in a wall permanently if trying to walk in a narrow passage), but on the whole the game had a rather challenging pace to it, as if the player is constantly trying to track down the actor's position.
Also, the variety of the different cameras means that no camera can be used in isolation, and players who try to achieve the best ratings will use the air cameras which accumulate points at a faster rate.