FF8/Engine/WorldMapCamera

By MaKiPL. :*

Camera detail

Camera on world map is set to look-at target. Look at target is Squall, that is read from chara.one in world.fs file.

As the camera is look-at, then it works and moves on "logic" sphere. Memory in FF8 is static. Camera memory starts soon after last face indice layout is hold. Is after 3-4 unknown NULL bytes.

Camera build

Remember! Values are little-endian!

Physical camera location/translation:

Offset	Static memory address	Default or medium value	Type of value	Description
0	0x0203ECF8	0	short (2 bytes signed)	Camera Y axis translation. Camera.Location.Y = (Squall.Location + THIS);
2	0x0203ECFA	AB FE	short (2 bytes signed)	Camera X axis translation. Camera.Location.X = (Squall.Location.X + THIS);
4	0x0203ECFC	00 E4 / 00 E0	short (2 bytes signed)	Distance between camera and look-at-target (physical)
8	0x0203ED00	~FF 92	uint16	Operates camera tangent Y axis position. This is: hacking this to bird-fly view or like in RPG
10	0x0203ED02	ranges from 00 00 to 0F FF	12 bit	Operates camera tangent Z axis position. This is: the same as rotating camera in-game
12	0x0203ED04	00 00 (FF 0F max)	12 bit	Camera root rotation. For up-side down example. 9-12th bit is irrelevant. (1111 1111 xxxx 1111)
40	0x0203ED2C	0	bool	RESET CAMERA

Others:

Static memory address	Default or medium value	Type of value	Description
0x01CA92E4	1024/640	uint16	Logical camera zoom - Takes physical camera and applies logical zoom*

Logical zoom, for FF8 they're fixed values:

• 640 - when camera mode is set to far
• 1024 - when camera mode is set to near

These zoom is operated, when you in-game set the camera near-far preferences. (F default in Steam release)

Camera OPCODE

PRESENTED OPCODE'S ARE FOR STEAM RELEASE! If no opcode for variable above, then this variable is mostly fixed and is not changed on world map itself. (This is for example static vars).

Camera logical zoom

FF8_EN.exe+5D7FA - mov [eax*4+FF8_EN.exe+18A927C],ecx

Tangent Y

FF8_EN.exe+15901F - add word ptr [FF8_EN.exe+1C3ED00],-10
FF8_EN.exe+15900F - add word ptr [FF8_EN.exe+1C3ED00],10
FF8_EN.exe+1584EA - add word ptr [FF8_EN.exe+1C3ED00],04
FF8_EN.exe+15902C - mov [FF8_EN.exe+1C3ED00],ax
FF8_EN.exe+15848D - mov [FF8_EN.exe+1C3ED00],ax
FF8_EN.exe+1584C4 - mov [FF8_EN.exe+1C3ED00],dx

• ADD applies tick to smooth camera going down logic
• MOV applies camera going up and additional operations

Tangent X

FF8_EN.exe+158676 - add [FF8_EN.exe+1C3ED02],ax
FF8_EN.exe+15873E - add [FF8_EN.exe+1C3ED02],ax
FF8_EN.exe+15871A - add [FF8_EN.exe+1C3ED02],ax
FF8_EN.exe+158936 - mov [ecx+0A],ax

• First ADD is applied on regular translation. The one that user can rotate in-game mainly
• Second ADD is applied on translations when character is going eg. right, and camera is set to front
• Third ADD is applied when Squall has moved enough in one direction, so the camera is rotated hardly
• Additional MOV is to finally check and correct camera rotation