Rubber-banding camera

[IIIByoIII]

Hi!

I would love to see a mod that lags the camera a little behind the player movement, sometimes I get a headache/migraine (I think) from the constant stopping of camera when you pick up some belts or walls in a straight line or cutting trees without moving the mouse. The character, and so the camera, stops and starts moving instantly. I hope it's clear what I'm trying to describe.

I don't know if it's even possible to give them a small acceleration and deceleration, or how it would feel playing the game this way. But I think it would be cool, and even better if the amount of rubber-banding is customizable.

Thanks for reading and looking forward to any feedback!
IIIByoIII

[Tertius]

This request is interesting, because it shows how different people get/perceive motion sickness in a game. I also suffer severely from motion sickness in games, but Factorio isn't getting me any - not the slightest. For me the solid, linear, predictable, stable camera movement is the most comfortable. Instead, rubber banding, smooth camera acceleration/deceleration, and (in other games) tilting the camera with 3d movement is what makes me nausea and severe migraine.

What gives me motion sickness is a non-immediate, non-linear and non-predictable response to my movement commands (and in other games, camera bobbing and automated animations that move the camera without me initiating that movement).

@IIIByoIII not that I distrust your judgement, but I investigated very long and very thoroughly what exactly is giving me sickness, and what does not. I recommend you do the same for you. Don't just think you found something - try to find out what exactly is your issue. Usually, it's the same in every game. Only this way you can work out workarounds for games and find games/genres to avoid.

For example, higher fps decrease motion sickness for me (actually: lags and screen tearing are giving me sickness), larger field of view decrease motion sickness (real 1st person perspective is not playable for me). Very important is the mouse sensitivity setting (for non-Factorio games): Every game has its own sweet point that is no too fast and not too slow, because both extremes are perceived as "unexpected" movement.

[IIIByoIII]

@Tertius
Thanks for the reply, I agree with you, I'm not 100% sure, had some mild motion sickness in some games. Usually (as you pointed out) it's the head bobbing, field of view, lag & screen tearing what causes it. However, I think, the hard stop in Factorio when you pick up something fits this criteria because you continue to press the movement keys which move the screen and character most of the time, with the exception of picking up things. My guess is it's this input-output expectation that causes the issue for me. But then again, it's pretty hard to pinpoint the problem, however I find this stops the most distracting to me, I think I perceive it as some kind o lag, mostly when I'm zoomed in, the stopping get's more comforting if I zoom out (probably because the movement speed of items on screen is reduced).

[Qon]

A mod that gives you instant handmining speed for entities would solve your motion sickness then, guaranteed. And it would be like an order of magnitude easier to implement. And the smushy camera implementation might not fix your problem and might even start other new issues.

[IIIByoIII]

@Qon
Good idea! It may solve my issue, although, I can see another problem arising such as accidental right clicks which will pick up buildings instantly, in the best case, you would hear the sound and stop to search for what did you mess up. It wouldn't be my first time accidentally right clicking something, the time it takes now to pick up stuff saved me a couple of times already.

I'm glad my motion sickness is not that severe so I pretty easily solve the problem by moving the mouse instead even when picking things up in a straight line. It may be slower, more inaccurate and tedious, but hey, it won't give me headaches (at least from the testing I've done so far, it seems to be working).

[Tertius]

If your issue is connected with picking up things, may be a mod that increases the reach to always get things picked up (or placed) could help somehow. Far reach is such a mod.

[ptx0]

have you tried deconstruction planners with construction robots before?

[IIIByoIII]

@Tertius
Thanks, didn't think about the far reach mod, it sure is easier than running around. I may give it a go.

@ptx0
Thanks for the tip, that definitely solves the issue, but takes out a big chunk of early gameplay progression. I will think about it though.