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Fixed Camera Appreciation Society FiCaApSo

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Fixed Camera Appreciation Society FiCaApSo

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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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RECENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

Fixed Multicam Games on Itch that You Should Play

28 July - Reverend Speed | 2 Comments

Hey folks! For the last few days I've been playing all the fixed multicam games I could find on Itch.io and instead of asking what have I done with my life, oh god, what have I done - instead, I've compiled a list of the best and most interesting (gameplay, presentation) of those games I played!

Fair warning - many of the following games have been built in game jams (so with limited time), many of them are first games (so you're going to find jank) and quite a few of 'em have been abandoned (so they end with a shrug and an apologetic smile). Still - any game that follows has something interesting to offer, and often much more besides!

CLASSIC/STATIC CAMERA HORROR JAM

So, first off and in alphabetical order, here's my list of the five best games that came out of the recent Classic/Static Camera Horror Jam[itch.io]:

Empty Soil[itch.io] - ATMOSPHERE. A great vocal performance. Strong colour choices.
Fault Line[itch.io] - Dramatic cam angles. Fun character design. Great audio. A horrifying reveal.
Jackanope[itch.io] - Nice cinematography. Innovative play. Intriguing setting and scenario. JANK.
The Calm[itch.io] - Short. Straightforward. Visually effective. Nice setting. Meat and potatoes.
Weavers of the Night[itch.io] - PAINTED 2D ART AND SPRITES! Unusual approach, but incomplete.

WEB-PLAYERS

Dead Hardware[finnjc.itch.io] - A charming, quirky survival 'horror' for gamers of a Certain Age.
Crusty Proto[3di70r.itch.io] - Brief but packed horror adventure! Tip: when outnumbered, don't give up.
Lim Industrial[charlie-batten.itch.io] - Brain bending puzzler - use lights to change scale.
Sinister Sauce Sippers[sinclairgames.itch.io] - A sprite-based puzzler!
Alone in Pico[nusan.itch.io] - 1992's AITD DEMAKE in PICO8! Approved by Frederik Raynal!

EXECUTABLES

Aviary[cybikitty.itch.io] - Interesting setting with some lovely character design and trippy visuals.
Talk About It[ayedema.itch.io] - A mundane experience, yet oppressive and unnerving.
Dismember Mind[revevoodoo.itch.io] - MATURE CONTENT Read the warnings on the Itch page.
Arcanist's Towers[comma4.itch.io] - Pretty, but requires French language AND French keyboard!
Guardian of December[vidas-salavejus.itch.io] - Camp, goofy, turn-based horror battler! Also made:
Munitum[vidas-salavejus.itch.io] - Clocktower survival horror with bizarre bleeding mechanic!
Resident Evil Point & Click[mph64.itch.io] - RE Survivor remade w/mouse controls in fixed multicam!
U-1536[dl43.itch.io] - FMV intros? Time travelling Nazi submarines? Scale issues? YES.
Udom Nebdon[plaw.itch.io] - Strong visuals, one-hit-kills and a fun and unusual combat mechanic.
Endless Blue[mrdiv.itch.io] - Only played the first demo, but a very polished survival horror adventure!
The Glass Staircase[puppetcombo.itch.io] - Puppet Combo's most interesting game! Giallo horror!
CODE:Dino-H[jmgennisson.itch.io] - Straightforward short horror with great visuals and DINOSAURS!
Paracusia[darknetfoxes.itch.io] - An old cinema - a great setting for survival horror!
Biocrisis[krzysztoftracz.itch.io] - A pitch perfect Resi clone with delightful pre-rendered backgrounds!
Faith64[thebonsaitreehouse.itch.io] - The incredible FAITH horror game transferred to fixed multicam!

...

So, I've probably missed a ton (Itch appears to be infinite) and I haven't even touched Game Jolt, but if you're looking for some interesting fixed multicam (and even the introductions to some series!), this list should have you covered.

Until the next time that I'm an idiot and decide to do this (probably after the upcoming Retro Horror Jam 2025[itch.io]) - stay FIXED!

...Or DUTCHED or something, we need a slogan to close this stuff out, really.

--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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37 Comments

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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.

The Teratoma

9 Jul @ 1:27pm

Now, I'm not totally sure if this is fixed cam or not, but the trailer certainly makes it look like that might be the case.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2282920/Catagaia/

The Teratoma

1 Jul @ 4:13pm

My pleasure.

Reverend Speed

1 Jul @ 10:49am

Holy cow, Parasensor looks fantastic - that's a heckuva trailer and I love to see painted backgrounds. Much obliged, The Teratoma. =)

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