fix(view): Adjust default camera height to compensate for screen aspect ratio by Mauller · Pull Request #1711 · TheSuperHackers/GeneralsGameCode

Mauller · 2025-10-18T16:39:45Z

Merge with Rebase

Merge after: bugfix(view): Fix and improve map border camera constraints behavior to allow see all areas of the map comfortably #1752
Fixes: Camera height does not scale properly along with aspect ratio of game resolution #78
Closes: [ZH] Adjust field of view based on aspect ratio #518

This PR adjusts the default max camera height to compensate for different screen aspect ratios.

Previous work fixed the vertical field of view to match retail and adjusted the horizontal fields of view.
But this resulted in significant distortion being observed in the periphery of the view and lower corners.
This distortion was also observed at the 16:9 aspect ratio and became significantly worse as the aspect ratio increased.

By maintaining the original 60 degrees horizontal field of view, while allowing the game to narrow the vertical field of view, increasing the camera height results in minimal to no distortion being observed.

~~This PR does not fix any other known camera issues and focuses on giving a playable default view.~~

TODO

Implement in generals

ElTioRata · 2025-10-18T18:34:46Z

Comparison

GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameLogic/System/GameLogic.cpp

xezon · 2025-10-19T11:08:18Z

At 4:3 "This Change" gives identical view to "Original Game + GenTool" ✅

At 16:9 "This Change" gives a bit more view than "Original Game + GenTool" ❓

Is this correct? I do not recall if GenTool view is correct.

Mauller · 2025-10-19T11:16:50Z

At 4:3 "This Change" gives identical view to "Original Game + GenTool" ✅

At 16:9 "This Change" gives a bit more view than "Original Game + GenTool" ❓

Is this correct? I do not recall if GenTool view is correct.

My goal was to try match the vertical view as close as possible to retail, I think it's slightly less than compared to 4:3 but slightly more than 16:9 gentool + retail.

I think it has a reasonable tradeoff considering the extended horizontal view.

It also gives a reasonable view for aspect ratios between 4:3 and 1:1 as well. Giving a little more vertical view.

Under 1:1 things are still quite broken but a lot needs changing in the view handling to properly support portrait mode.

xezon · 2025-10-19T11:21:40Z

Yes GenTool did take some vertical view away to compensate for the wider view, perhaps in an attempt to keep conditions fair. Additional camera height does give a competitive advantage. Are we ok with giving advantages to Wide Screen?

Mauller · 2025-10-19T11:31:30Z

I wouldn't consider it an issue since most screens have been wide aspect For the past decade. If anything widescreen is the standard now.

Ultrawide is where it becomes more of an issue. But we could look at implementing a locked aspect mode for the tactical view in future.
This could give a standardised view to all players in a competition etc.

Or another option could be implementing tactical zoom to let people zoom out to view the entire map etc.

xezon

Simple implementation, but man the EA code is confusing.

GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DView.cpp

Mauller · 2025-10-19T19:11:49Z

Tweaked the code so setDefaultView is now setDefaultCameraHeight with a default argument of 1.0f for the heightScale.

Still need to look at the zoom default handling.

Mauller · 2025-10-19T19:38:17Z

Updated with tweaked max and default zoom handling code.

Mauller · 2025-10-19T19:56:57Z

Small tweak to comments

Mauller · 2025-11-01T14:16:43Z

Reverted this to just have the camera height adjustments and nothing else.

xezon · 2025-11-15T15:01:30Z

Note for future:

When raising up the camera, the following things need to be scaled as well:

farZ in W3DView::setCameraTransform

m_x, m_y in HeightMapRenderObjClass

greptile-apps · 2026-01-16T16:54:34Z

Greptile Summary

This PR introduces aspect-ratio-aware camera height scaling by adding setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault() and setZoomToMax(), replacing the old setDefaultView() at initialization sites. GameLogic::startNewGame() and OptionsMenu::saveOptions() are updated correctly, but several previously flagged issues remain open across View.cpp, InGameUI.cpp, W3DView.cpp, and ScriptActions.cpp.

Confidence Score: 4/5

Not yet safe to merge — multiple previously flagged P1 issues (missing setZoomToMax in InGameUI, setZoomToDefault no longer setting zoom, scripted-camera side effects in script actions) remain unresolved.

The core aspect-ratio scaling logic in W3DView::setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault and the correct W3DView::setZoomToMax override are sound, and GameLogic::startNewGame / OptionsMenu::saveOptions are properly updated. However, InGameUI::init() and InGameUI::reset() still omit setZoomToMax(), setZoomToDefault() no longer establishes zoom height, the heighScale typo persists in both the header and source, and doCameraSetDefault still carries unintended stopDoingScriptedCamera() side effects. These are carry-over P1 concerns from previous review rounds.

GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/InGameUI.cpp (missing setZoomToMax), Core/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/View.cpp (base setZoomToMax logic), GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameLogic/ScriptEngine/ScriptActions.cpp (typo + scripted-camera side effects)

Important Files Changed

Filename	Overview
Core/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DView.cpp	Adds `setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault` (aspect-ratio-aware height scaling) and `setZoomToMax` (correct W3DView override); `setZoomToDefault` now only stops scripted cameras without setting zoom height — correct only when every call site also calls `setZoomToMax()`; redundant if/else in aspect ratio calculation
GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/InGameUI.cpp	Both `init()` and `reset()` replace `setDefaultView` with `setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault()` but omit the required `setZoomToMax()` call, leaving zoom/height uninitialised at those sites
Core/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/View.cpp	Adds `setZoomToMax()` base implementation that incorrectly adds `m_maxHeightAboveGround` to current height rather than setting it; the W3DView override is correct so game impact is limited to non-W3DView subclasses
GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameLogic/ScriptEngine/ScriptActions.cpp	Replaces `setDefaultView` with separate calls in `doCameraSetDefault`; retains the `heighScale` typo; `setPitch`/`setAngle` calls carry the `stopDoingScriptedCamera()` side effect and do not update the default-pitch field
GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameLogic/System/GameLogic.cpp	Adds `setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault()` before the existing reset sequence and appends `setZoomToMax()` after `setZoomToDefault()` — call ordering is correct
GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/GUI/GUICallbacks/Menus/OptionsMenu.cpp	Correctly calls both `setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault()` and `setZoomToMax()` after a resolution change on the shell map
Core/GameEngine/Include/GameClient/View.h	Adds `setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault` virtual and `setZoomToMax` virtual declarations; interface is clean
Core/GameEngineDevice/Include/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DView.h	Declares `setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault` and `setZoomToMax` overrides; adds informational comment on `setZoomToDefault` about scripted-camera halt side effect
GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Include/Common/GlobalData.h	Adds clarifying comment that `m_maxCameraHeight`/`m_minCameraHeight` represent the 4:3 base values; no functional changes
GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Include/GameLogic/ScriptActions.h	Renames `maxHeight` parameter to `heighScale` (typo for `heightScale`) in `doCameraSetDefault` declaration

Sequence Diagram

sequenceDiagram
    participant GL as GameLogic::startNewGame
    participant OM as OptionsMenu::saveOptions
    participant UI as InGameUI::init / reset
    participant TV as TheTacticalView (W3DView)

    GL->>TV: setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault()
    Note over TV: Computes aspectRatioScale,<br/>sets m_max/minHeightAboveGround
    GL->>TV: setAngleToDefault()
    GL->>TV: setPitchToDefault()
    GL->>TV: setZoomToDefault()
    Note over TV: stopDoingScriptedCamera()<br/>(does NOT set zoom height)
    GL->>TV: setZoomToMax()
    Note over TV: m_heightAboveGround = m_maxHeightAboveGround ✓

    OM->>TV: setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault()
    OM->>TV: setZoomToMax() ✓

    UI->>TV: setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault()
    Note over TV: ⚠️ setZoomToMax() NOT called<br/>zoom/height left uninitialised

Prompt To Fix All With AI

This is a comment left during a code review.
Path: Core/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DView.cpp
Line: 2096-2103

Comment:
**Redundant if/else branches compute identical formula**

Both branches simplify to `fabs(1.0f + currentAspectRatio - baseAspectRatio)`. The conditional is unnecessary — the subtraction is commutative so splitting on whether `currentAspectRatio > baseAspectRatio` produces the same arithmetic expression in both arms.

```suggestion
	aspectRatioScale = fabs(1.0f + currentAspectRatio - baseAspectRatio);
```

How can I resolve this? If you propose a fix, please make it concise.

_{Reviews (12): Last reviewed commit: "fix(view): Adjust default camera height ..." | Re-trigger Greptile}

greptile-apps

_{10 files reviewed, 4 comments}

_{Edit Code Review Agent Settings | Greptile}

Core/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/View.cpp

Core/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DView.cpp

greptile-apps · 2026-01-16T16:54:33Z

GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameLogic/ScriptEngine/ScriptActions.cpp

 /** doCameraSetDefault */
 //-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-void ScriptActions::doCameraSetDefault(Real pitch, Real angle, Real maxHeight)
+void ScriptActions::doCameraSetDefault(Real pitch, Real angle, Real heighScale)


syntax: typo: heighScale should be heightScale

Suggested change

void ScriptActions::doCameraSetDefault(Real pitch, Real angle, Real heighScale)

void ScriptActions::doCameraSetDefault(Real pitch, Real angle, Real heightScale)

Prompt To Fix With AI

This is a comment left during a code review. Path: GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameLogic/ScriptEngine/ScriptActions.cpp Line: 4611:4611 Comment: **syntax:** typo: `heighScale` should be `heightScale` ```suggestion void ScriptActions::doCameraSetDefault(Real pitch, Real angle, Real heightScale) ``` How can I resolve this? If you propose a fix, please make it concise.

greptile-apps · 2026-01-16T16:54:34Z

GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Include/GameLogic/ScriptActions.h

 	void doCameraTetherNamed(const AsciiString& unit, Bool snapToUnit, Real play);
 	void doCameraStopTetherNamed(void);
-	void doCameraSetDefault(Real pitch, Real angle, Real maxHeight);
+	void doCameraSetDefault(Real pitch, Real angle, Real heighScale);


syntax: typo: heighScale should be heightScale

Suggested change

void doCameraSetDefault(Real pitch, Real angle, Real heighScale);

void doCameraSetDefault(Real pitch, Real angle, Real heightScale);

Prompt To Fix With AI

This is a comment left during a code review. Path: GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Include/GameLogic/ScriptActions.h Line: 114:114 Comment: **syntax:** typo: `heighScale` should be `heightScale` ```suggestion void doCameraSetDefault(Real pitch, Real angle, Real heightScale); ``` How can I resolve this? If you propose a fix, please make it concise.

greptile-apps

_{10 files reviewed, 1 comment}

_{Edit Code Review Agent Settings | Greptile}

Core/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DView.cpp

greptile-apps

_{10 files reviewed, 2 comments}

_{Edit Code Review Agent Settings | Greptile}

greptile-apps · 2026-02-12T18:01:39Z

GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/InGameUI.cpp

 		TheTacticalView->setHeight( TheDisplay->getHeight() );
 	}
-	TheTacticalView->setDefaultView(0.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f);
+	TheTacticalView->setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault();


Missing setZoomToMax() call after setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault(). Similar to GameLogic::startNewGame() and OptionsMenu::saveOptions(), this should call setZoomToMax() to actually set the camera height.

Suggested change

TheTacticalView->setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault();

TheTacticalView->setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault();

TheTacticalView->setZoomToMax();

Prompt To Fix With AI

This is a comment left during a code review. Path: GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/InGameUI.cpp Line: 1380:1380 Comment: Missing `setZoomToMax()` call after `setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault()`. Similar to `GameLogic::startNewGame()` and `OptionsMenu::saveOptions()`, this should call `setZoomToMax()` to actually set the camera height. ```suggestion TheTacticalView->setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault(); TheTacticalView->setZoomToMax(); ``` How can I resolve this? If you propose a fix, please make it concise.

greptile-apps · 2026-02-12T18:01:40Z

GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/InGameUI.cpp

 	TheControlBar->reset();

-	TheTacticalView->setDefaultView(0.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f);
+	TheTacticalView->setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault();


Missing setZoomToMax() call after setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault(). Without this, the camera zoom won't be properly initialized during reset.

Suggested change

TheTacticalView->setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault();

TheTacticalView->setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault();

TheTacticalView->setZoomToMax();

Prompt To Fix With AI

This is a comment left during a code review. Path: GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/InGameUI.cpp Line: 2150:2150 Comment: Missing `setZoomToMax()` call after `setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault()`. Without this, the camera zoom won't be properly initialized during reset. ```suggestion TheTacticalView->setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault(); TheTacticalView->setZoomToMax(); ``` How can I resolve this? If you propose a fix, please make it concise.

greptile-apps · 2026-03-06T17:07:47Z

GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameLogic/ScriptEngine/ScriptActions.cpp

+	TheTacticalView->setPitch(pitch);
+	TheTacticalView->setAngle(angle);


setPitch/setAngle unexpectedly stop scripted cameras

Both W3DView::setPitch and W3DView::setAngle call stopDoingScriptedCamera() as a side effect. The original setDefaultView only updated m_defaultPitch and m_maxHeightAboveGround without touching scripted camera state at all.

This means that any call to doCameraSetDefault from a script while a scripted camera animation is running will silently terminate that animation — a behavioural change not present before this PR. The function name implies updating defaults, not interrupting live camera paths.

Additionally, the old code stored the pitch in m_defaultPitch, so a later setPitchToDefault() would correctly restore it. The new setPitch() call only writes to m_pitch (the current pitch), leaving m_defaultPitch unchanged. If the engine resets to default pitch elsewhere, the value set by this script action will be lost.

Consider using a method that updates the defaults without calling stopDoingScriptedCamera(), or explicitly documenting the intended behavioural change if stopping the scripted camera is desired.

Prompt To Fix With AI

This is a comment left during a code review. Path: GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameLogic/ScriptEngine/ScriptActions.cpp Line: 4607-4608 Comment: **`setPitch`/`setAngle` unexpectedly stop scripted cameras** Both `W3DView::setPitch` and `W3DView::setAngle` call `stopDoingScriptedCamera()` as a side effect. The original `setDefaultView` only updated `m_defaultPitch` and `m_maxHeightAboveGround` without touching scripted camera state at all. This means that any call to `doCameraSetDefault` from a script while a scripted camera animation is running will silently terminate that animation — a behavioural change not present before this PR. The function name implies updating defaults, not interrupting live camera paths. Additionally, the old code stored the pitch in `m_defaultPitch`, so a later `setPitchToDefault()` would correctly restore it. The new `setPitch()` call only writes to `m_pitch` (the *current* pitch), leaving `m_defaultPitch` unchanged. If the engine resets to default pitch elsewhere, the value set by this script action will be lost. Consider using a method that updates the defaults without calling `stopDoingScriptedCamera()`, or explicitly documenting the intended behavioural change if stopping the scripted camera is desired. How can I resolve this? If you propose a fix, please make it concise.

Mauller · 2026-03-10T13:29:42Z

This is only updating at times since i use this PR for the Legi build

seacat17 · 2026-04-07T19:02:00Z

How far are we from having this in the main build? I want to try all the new things...

…ct ratio

Mauller self-assigned this Oct 18, 2025

Mauller added Bug Something is not working right, typically is user facing GUI For graphical user interface Major Severity: Minor < Major < Critical < Blocker Gen Relates to Generals ZH Relates to Zero Hour labels Oct 18, 2025

Mauller added this to the Major bug fixes milestone Oct 18, 2025

Skyaero42 reviewed Oct 18, 2025

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GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameLogic/System/GameLogic.cpp Outdated Show resolved Hide resolved

xezon added Enhancement Is new feature or request and removed GUI For graphical user interface labels Oct 19, 2025

Mauller force-pushed the fix-default-camera-height branch from 02a64e0 to 57fe78d Compare October 19, 2025 15:37

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Mauller force-pushed the fix-default-camera-height branch from 57fe78d to 271ca5b Compare October 19, 2025 19:09

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Mauller force-pushed the fix-default-camera-height branch from f6c96d8 to c3c7b85 Compare October 19, 2025 19:56

L3-M modified the milestones: Major bug fixes, GenTool features replication, Important features Oct 20, 2025

Mauller force-pushed the fix-default-camera-height branch from 52f7de7 to ab0b316 Compare November 1, 2025 14:15

Mauller changed the title ~~fix(view): Adjust default camera height to compensate for screen aspect ratio, reduce camera map limits and increase terrain render distance.~~ fix(view): Adjust default camera height to compensate for screen aspect ratio Nov 1, 2025

Mauller force-pushed the fix-default-camera-height branch 3 times, most recently from 968ad71 to e497ba8 Compare November 7, 2025 16:15

Skyaero42 mentioned this pull request Nov 7, 2025

[ZH] Adjust field of view based on aspect ratio #518

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ElTioRata mentioned this pull request Feb 21, 2026

Camera height does not scale properly along with aspect ratio of game resolution #78

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fbraz3 mentioned this pull request Mar 24, 2026

fix(view): integrate PR1711 camera defaults and backport to Generals fbraz3/GeneralsX#47

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fix(view): Adjust default camera height to compensate for screen aspe…

a076193

…ct ratio

Mauller force-pushed the fix-default-camera-height branch from 5617740 to a076193 Compare April 11, 2026 19:00

	void ScriptActions::doCameraSetDefault(Real pitch, Real angle, Real heighScale)
	void ScriptActions::doCameraSetDefault(Real pitch, Real angle, Real heightScale)

	void doCameraSetDefault(Real pitch, Real angle, Real heighScale);
	void doCameraSetDefault(Real pitch, Real angle, Real heightScale);

	TheTacticalView->setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault();
	TheTacticalView->setCameraHeightAboveGroundLimitsToDefault();
	TheTacticalView->setZoomToMax();

		TheTacticalView->setPitch(pitch);
		TheTacticalView->setAngle(angle);

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Greptile Summary

Confidence Score: 4/5

Important Files Changed

Sequence Diagram

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