Since the launch of Once Human, we have consistently received a lot of feedback and anticipation regarding the "First Person Mode." As developers and also as players, we deeply understand everyone's desire for this perspective.
For a survival shooter game, the first-person perspective often means more direct operational feedback and can bring a stronger sense of immersion. The vibration from the muzzle, the force of melee swings, the sudden danger around corners, the oppression from abnormal environments—these experiences become more intimate and realistic in first person view.
After the version update on July 9(PT), first person mode will be officially added to the basic controls. Metas can continue to use the first person perspective in more core gameplay modes, experiencing Nalcott adventures that feel closer and more immersive.
After the July 10 version update, first person mode will support the following core gameplay scenes:
Basic movement, jumping, and climbing
Weapon handling and firing
Melee attack
Use of items such as throwables, medicine, and food
Resource gathering with bare hands or with pickaxe, electric chainsaw, electric drill, etc.
Collecting supplies in the wilderness
We hope that First Person Mode is not just a perspective you can only "look at," but a complete operational experience that can truly participate in the exploration, combat, and survival loop.
The melee experience will differ from the existing third person perspective.
During the adaptation process, we found that directly applying the original combo design from third person view would cause two significant issues:
On one hand, continuous multi-hit attacks cause significant shaking of the camera and actions, which can easily lead to discomfort. On the other hand, in first person view, players are more accustomed to attacking while moving. The original attack method with fixed movement displacement can disrupt the combat rhythm.
Therefore, we have redesigned the first person operation experience and attack animations for all melee-capable weapons:
All melee weapons support slashing while moving.
Melee light attacks will retain an experience close to the original continuous attacks.
Melee heavy strikes have been adjusted to charge by holding and release by letting go.
You can still directly trigger a heavy strike slash by quickly clicking the heavy strike button.
It should be noted that the original third person melee experience will remain fully intact. If you prefer the current rhythm, you can continue to fight in the original way, unaffected by this first person adaptation.
In first Person mode, the inspection animations for firearms and melee weapons have also been updated.
At the same time, we have consistently received feedback from many Metas hoping to "inspect while moving." This is now supported in the new first person mode. After this goes live, Metas will be able to inspect weapons while moving, making showcasing and operation feel more natural.
To accommodate different platforms and operating habits, we provide multiple ways to switch the camera view, allowing Metas to choose according to their preference.
Metas can adjust the default camera view in the Settings. After setting, the character will use the corresponding view upon entering the game according to this setting.
Additionally, you can also adjust the first person camera field of view and the distance between the model and the camera in the Settings.
PC:
Mobile:
On PC, you can quickly switch between first-person and third-person views using the shortcut key Alt+C.
On mobile, you can find the view switch button in custom layout. This button is hidden by default; Metas need to manually add it to the interface layout to use it.
PC:
Mobile:
The PC Function Wheel will add a [Switch Camera] function, allowing Metas to quickly toggle between first person and third person via the wheel.
Currently, the first person mode still has some character status and actions that are not fully adapted, such as certain story performances, specific Deviation skills, expressions, and interactions.
In these scenes, the lenses and character actions will temporarily switch back to the corresponding third person performance; when that status ends, the system will automatically switch back to the first person perspective.
We understand that temporary camera switching may cause some sense of disconnection. We will continue to advance the adaptation of these scenes. If you encounter situations in the game that you believe should not switch back to third person perspective, you are also welcome to continue providing us with feedback.
In this Update, we have also optimized the default camera when entering a vehicle in first person mode.
When a Meta is in first person mode, the default camera upon first entering a vehicle will also be adjusted to first person mode. At the same time, the system will record the vehicle camera you selected before exiting the vehicle and will automatically apply that choice the next time you use a vehicle.
We hope to minimize the need for everyone to repeatedly adjust the camera when getting in and out of vehicles, letting camera switching better align with personal habits.
After the launch of this mode, there are still some scenes that temporarily cannot fully support first person performance. The following content is expected to be supplemented in the September version:
Underwater exploration
Climbing Ladder
Zipline
Deviation Skills
Other special Status performances
The first person mode involves the adaptation of a vast number of scenes, actions, interactions, and combat performances, which also requires significant development effort. To truly integrate this camera into the daily experience of Once Human, the dev team has invested considerable effort in feature refinement, control adaptation, and performance optimization. We know this is only the first step. After the update goes live, we welcome Metas to experience it and submit suggestions and feedback to us through the Feedback Platform (Once Human Feedback Platform) or the official community. We will continue to pay attention to everyone's feelings and keep optimizing the performance and user experience of the first person mode.
Once Human Development Team
