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Fixed Camera Appreciation Society FiCaApSo

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STEAM GROUP

Fixed Camera Appreciation Society FiCaApSo

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27 August, 2021

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ABOUT Fixed Camera Appreciation Society

Let us fix that (camera) for you.

Check our Curator and the most extensive list of Fixed Multicam games on every platform!

Follow us on Twttr!

Heartworm is OUT!

We appreciate games with direct character control and multiple predefined third person views per room! (Eg. Alone in the Dark, Resident Evil 0, Dino Crisis...)

Fixed multicam is a niche, but a healthy one - the Resident Evil Remake sold 1m copies in three months, which made it Capcom's "fastest selling digital title in history"[www.pcgamesn.com]. Detroit sold 8m copies[www.psu.com] and Telltale's multicam 'Walking Dead' was met with critical and commercial success.

With a wave of new fixed multicam titles like Tormented Souls, The Medium, and Alisa, it's never been more exciting for this cinematic form of gaming!

When fixed multicam pays off, the visuals speak for themselves - while handing the designer a unique level of authorial control over player pacing and situational awareness. It's nothing less than the ability to directly frame the player's visual understanding of the game world, forging and relying upon a bond of trust between player and developer.

There's an untapped vein of criticism on this approach and the analysis of games that employ it. In a medium that values smooth controls and user comfort, fixed multicams can disorient the player... But is that a fatal flaw, or an unsolved and an interesting design problem? One that could be solved with cinematographic consideration or a pure input approach, or...!

Games covered by this Steam Group should feature multiple third-person 'fixed' cameras per-room that frame a character controlled directly by the player (usually no point-and-click).

Positioning and orientation of cameras cannot be directly controlled by the player (eg. as with 'chase' or 'orbit' cams). As players move in and out of 'shot', the game will 'cut' between cameras (ala filmic editing). Tracking and pivot movements of the camera are rare in comparison to 'cuts'.

The Associated Games section on the right of this page only covers titles on Steam, but I'll try to add some relevant links for notable games or moments... Please check our Fixed Multicam Resources for lists of related PC & console games!

Let us know your thoughts & comments in the discussions! Here's to an intentional view!

--Rev

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POPULAR DISCUSSIONS

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RECENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Raw Inclinations - FEAR EFFECT launches & some games to look out for...!

30 August - Reverend Speed | 1 Comments

Hey folks! Not a huge amount of time right now, so sorry I missed the last few Fresh Angles. However, there's recently been some interesting releases and deals, so I thought I might quickly highlight some for y'all...

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3504570/Fear_Effect/
Holy cow! Fear Effect just shadow-dropped! A tip of the hat to observant community member Stratzilla, without whom I probably would have missed this!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3935330/Curse_of_Argentum/
A mystical twist on fixed multicam at a nice price! I have no idea if this is any good (will be trying it soon), but remember that the first week of sale is vitally important for any game on Steam - if they don't get 10+ reviews, the game is basically discarded from the internal promotion system. Again, no idea what the game is like, but worth thinking about.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1367590/Tormented_Souls/
HOLY COW! One of the very BEST fixed multicam games ever produced at a VERY tempting price! Well worth a look, folks!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/781280/Time_Gate_Knights_Chase/
The last game made with the original Alone in the Dark engine!

Actually, there's some real fixed multicam bangers on sale at the moment - navigate to our Curator Page and click on the Discounts tab to see what's available!

Only a few days of summer remain! Quick! Stay indoors and play more fixed multicam!
--Rev

FRESH ANGLES #13: Everybody Stay Kuleshov!

1 August - Reverend Speed | 0 Comments

An occasional newsletter highlighting fixed camera games!

Hey gang!

HEARTWORM IS OUT!

After eleventy billion years and change, Heartworm has hit the stores! Go grab it and if you enjoy it be sure and leave a positive review - early reviews are essential for indie games to succeed on Steam! Congratulations to Vincent!

A quick reminder to tag games as Fixed Camera on Steam[imgur.com] - atm it’s way too hard to find fixed camera games on Steam! Let’s hit that critical mass of games tagged ‘Fixed Camera’ so we can find more of them by searching with that tag! Only YOU can change Valve’s view!

(Disclaimer: Unless stated otherwise, these are not reviews or recommendations!)

UPCOMING

Save the girl, save humanity!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3880170/Hope__The_Game/

From the developers of RENTAL, capture bugs before they capture you!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3252240/Mircea/

Sprite-based cyberpunk psychological horror!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3053520/Neo_HaBits/

Hack minds and bodies in this sinister Lovecraftian cyberfuture!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2720000/Neon_Goddess/

A twisting spiral of futuristic horror and unfolding mystery...
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3552780/NEUROMIRA_First_Death/

AVAILABLE NOW

Enter a world of memories where your only defence... is your camera?
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1257030/Heartworm/

Uncomfortable, mature content as you attempt to escape a stalker...!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2539440/Stay/#app_reviews_hash

Desolate landscapes. Mutagenic anomalies! A prime holiday location!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2494730/The_Prospector_Odyssey/

This is what happens if you don't get your eight hours of sleep...!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3800670/Waking_Dreams/

CLASSICS

Obscure? Not any more, bayyybee!
OBSCURE (2004)
You know, it's a great compliment to say that a game looks nearly as good as its nearest Capcom competitor, and Obscure truly looks and sounds stunning when sat next to the PS2 Bioshock Outbreak games, and it's flabbergasting how good it even looks today! Some really great art direction there. But the big selling point of Obscure will always be that it's one of the few fixed multicam games out there that can be played cooperatively (or, really, in multiplayer at all) - with one player in the driving seat and another player playing one of the supporting cast.

Unfortunately, the coop implementation is a little awkward, as the developer has decided not to use split-screen or anything similar, instead forcing the second player to play in relation to the first player's camera angle, be they on-screen or offscreen. This can lead to some irritating moments in exploration and battle where the second player has to basically guess where they are within the 3D world and fight and traverse through good fortune alone.

Still! If you can play with a considerate teammate, then it's a really good time. The narrative is nonsense, but it's reasonably original nonsense with a non-traditional source of shambling monsters and ghouls and an interesting setting. There's also some really fun light-based combat mechanics, preceding Alan Wake by about five years.

Grab a friend! Fire up the Steam Remote Play! And venture into the depths of Robert Rodriguez and Kevin Williamson's THE FACULTY - I mean, OBSCURE!

NON-STEAM

So - gonna save myself some work here. We recently published a list of the Fixed Multicam Games on Itch that You Need To Play - go check it out!

MORTIS
Have you played FAITH? An incredible work of atmosphere, innovation and minimalism but it's a bit slow and you know what? It needs to be fixed multicam. And now it is! (a bit) The first chapter of FAITH has been converted to N64-style fixed multicam and IT'S GREAT![thebonsaitreehouse.itch.io] If you've played FAITH, you need to download this - if you haven't played FAITH, GO PLAY FAITH and then download this...!
_________________

Wow - it's not exactly Duke Nukem or anything, but Heartworm has finally arrived! Congrats to Vincent and his team for all their hard work! ...Now I've gotta move it around our Curator lists...!

What're you playing, folks? Any fixed multicam games you're looking forward to?

See you next week! --Rev

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STEAM CURATOR

Fixed Camera Appreciation Society reviews

"3d games with direct character play from dev-authored fixed third person views! (Eg. Alone in the Dark, Resident Evil 0, Dino Crisis...)"

Here are a few recent reviews by Fixed Camera Appreciation Society

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40 Comments

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Reverend Speed

12 Sep @ 7:26am

Ayy, welcome! Hope this is useful to you. =)

Stoibs

12 Sep @ 12:34am

Welcome aboard DarkLloyd!

DarkLloyd 11 Sep @ 11:46pm

glad i discovered this group

The Teratoma

10 Jul @ 10:48am

You are most welcome, I agree it's too hard to tell at this point of it's truly fixed cam or not, one to watch regardless though, looks pretty cool.

Reverend Speed

10 Jul @ 4:41am

Hmm. Yeah, I like the setting and the aesthetic, really compelling. I think I need to see a little more before adding it to our SACRED AND MOST HOLY LISTS, WE MUSSSSSST PROTECT THE LISSSSSTS but I'll keep an eye on it... =) Thanks The Teratoma!

Stoibs

9 Jul @ 1:49pm

Ooh if nothing else I love the PS1 aesthetic!
Neat, I'll be following that one, cheers.