Camera and clicking¶
Slipstream has extra camera modes and a few options that stop the camera or your avatar from doing things you didn't ask for. Most are in Me → Preferences → Move & View.
Third-person shooter camera¶
Third-person shooter camera (Move & View) works like the camera in many third-person games: the mouse steers the camera around your avatar, with the pointer hidden, and the movement keys move you relative to where the camera looks.
- Click your avatar to start steering with the mouse.
- Right-click or press Esc to get the mouse pointer back. A short hint reminds you.
- Avatar faces camera direction: your avatar always turns to face where the camera looks, even when standing still, and the movement keys strafe sideways and walk backwards. Off: your avatar turns toward the way it walks.
Orbit with the right mouse button¶
Right-click drag orbits camera (Move & View): hold the right mouse button and drag to swing the camera around the spot you clicked. A right-click without dragging still opens the menu, when you let go.
Orbit follows avatar (on by default) keeps that orbit point attached to your avatar, so the camera moves with you while you walk, fly, ride or get pushed. Off: the point stays where you clicked in the world.
Walk with the mouse¶
Both mouse buttons walk (on by default): while you hold the left mouse button on your avatar to steer, also hold the right button to walk forward (or run or fly, depending on what you're doing). Let go of either button to stop. Not used with the third-person shooter camera.
Cinematic camera¶
- Cinematic head tracking: in third person, the camera follows your head's movement and tilts with it, for a hand-held film look. Roll damping sets how strongly the tilt is pulled back to level (1 = the camera never tilts).
- Camera follows bone: pins the camera to a part of your avatar's skeleton (for example the head or a hand). This overrides head tracking.
More camera tools for photographers (camera recorder, depth of field focus) are in Photo Studio (Me → Photo Studio…, Cam section) and Me → Camera Recorder….
Stop things happening by accident¶
| Option | Where | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Clicking my avatar keeps camera | Move & View (also Photo Studio → Cam) | Normally clicking your own avatar snaps the camera back behind you. With this on, the camera stays where it is, so a carefully framed shot survives a stray click. |
| Left-click never sits me | Move & View | Some objects sit you down as soon as you left-click them. With this on, left-clicking only touches them. To sit, right-click and choose Sit here. |
| Turn to face what I select | Privacy → General | On (default): your avatar turns toward an object when you select it for editing. Untick it to stay facing the way you were. |
| Enable Selection Hints | Privacy → General | On (default): while you edit or touch something, your avatar points at it and a selection beam is drawn. Off: no pointing and no beam. |
| Skip the pre-jump crouch (jump instantly) | Move & View | Jumps straight away, without the short crouch first. |
The selection beam itself is in Me → Preferences → Colors: Show selection beams (off by default) shows the beams, and Let others see my selection beam controls whether other people get to see yours.
Hiding system bodies¶
Show system avatar bodies (Move & View, on by default) draws the classic built-in body (skin, eyes, eyelashes, hair) of every avatar, yours included. If everyone around you wears a mesh body you can turn it off to save a little work; avatars without a mesh body will then show only what they're wearing.