fix(view): Change setup of default camera pitch and angle

[xezon]

This change decouples the default camera pitch and angle from the camera origin point. The default pitch can be changed with a debug key mapping.

Previously, the user pitch started at 0 which actually refers to a real pitch of 37.5 because that is what TheGlobalData->m_cameraPitch is set to.

TODO

• Replicate in Generals

[xezon]

-pitch because we changed the axis direction of pitch in a earlier change.

I did not get to test this function however, because I did not find a cutscene where this is called.

[greptile-apps]

Greptile Summary

This PR decouples the default camera pitch and angle from the hardcoded origin constants in buildCameraPosition. View::init() now seeds m_defaultPitch/m_defaultAngle from TheGlobalData instead of zero, so the user's pitch value is now an absolute angle rather than a delta from the global default. A debug key binding (Ctrl+Comma) is added to interactively adjust the default pitch at runtime, and a PRESERVE_RETAIL_SCRIPTED_CAMERA guard in doCameraSetDefault back-computes the legacy script pitch convention for compatibility.

Confidence Score: 5/5

Safe to merge; only P2 style findings remain

The logic of decoupling default pitch/angle from the hardcoded camera-origin constants is sound. The buildCameraPosition math is internally consistent (base at 37.5°, rotation applied as delta). The debug-only key binding is properly guarded by RTS_DEBUG. The PRESERVE_RETAIL_SCRIPTED_CAMERA compatibility path is correct. Remaining findings are dead-code style issues that do not affect runtime behaviour.

Core/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/View.cpp — #if 1 dead-code guards in setPitch / setDefaultPitch

Important Files Changed

Filename	Overview
Core/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/View.cpp	Initializes m_defaultAngle/m_defaultPitch from GlobalData instead of 0; adds setDefaultPitch with #if 1 dead-code guard that should be cleaned up
Core/GameEngine/Include/GameClient/View.h	Adds getDefaultAngle, setDefaultPitch, getDefaultPitch virtuals and userSetDefaultPitch helper; straightforward interface additions
Core/GameEngineDevice/Source/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DView.cpp	buildCameraPosition now uses local constexpr DefaultPitch/DefaultAngle (37.5°/0°) instead of TheGlobalData values; adds W3DView::setDefaultPitch with proper constraint invalidation
GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameLogic/ScriptEngine/ScriptActions.cpp	Adds PRESERVE_RETAIL_SCRIPTED_CAMERA guard that back-computes pitch offset; angle adjustment is a no-op (DefaultAngle = 0)
GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/MessageStream/LookAtXlat.cpp	Adds debug-only MSG_META_DEMO_BEGIN/END_ADJUST_DEFAULTPITCH handling; adjusts default pitch + syncs current pitch to default on each mouse move frame
GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Include/GameClient/LookAtXlat.h	Adds m_isDefaultPitching bool member; clean addition
GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Include/Common/MessageStream.h	Adds MSG_META_DEMO_BEGIN/END_ADJUST_DEFAULTPITCH enum values; straightforward addition
GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/Common/MessageStream.cpp	Adds string-to-enum mapping entries for the two new meta messages; no issues
GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/MessageStream/MetaEvent.cpp	Registers Ctrl+Comma key binding for default-pitch adjustment in debug builds; bindings are guarded by RTS_DEBUG
GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/InGameUI.cpp	Propagates m_isDefaultPitching initialization; minor addition
Core/GameEngineDevice/Include/W3DDevice/GameClient/W3DView.h	Declares W3DView::setDefaultPitch override; clean addition

Flowchart

%%{init: {'theme': 'neutral'}}%%
flowchart TD
    A["View::init()"] -->|"m_defaultPitch = DEG_TO_RADF(GlobalData.cameraPitch)"| B["m_defaultPitch set"]
    B --> C["W3DView::reset()"]
    C -->|"setPitchToDefault()"| D["m_pitch = m_defaultPitch"]

    E["Debug: Ctrl+Comma held\n(MSG_META_DEMO_BEGIN_ADJUST_DEFAULTPITCH)"] --> F["LookAtTranslator:\nm_isDefaultPitching = true"]
    F --> G["Mouse Y delta x 0.01\n-> userSetDefaultPitch()"]
    G --> H["setDefaultPitch()\n-> m_defaultPitch clamped 0.1 to 89.9 deg"]
    H --> I["userSetPitchToDefault()\n-> m_pitch = m_defaultPitch"]

    J["W3DView::buildCameraPosition()"] -->|"const DefaultPitch = 37.5 deg"| K["Compute sourcePos base\n@ fixed 37.5 deg"]
    K --> L["pitchTransform = m_pitch - 37.5 deg\nangleTransform = m_angle - 0 deg"]
    L --> M["Rotate sourcePos\n-> final camera position"]

    N["ScriptActions::doCameraSetDefault(pitch, angle)"] -->|"PRESERVE_RETAIL_SCRIPTED_CAMERA"| O["pitch = -pitch + 37.5 deg\nangle = angle + 0 deg"]
    O --> P["TheTacticalView->setDefaultView(pitch, angle, maxHeight)"]

Loading

Prompt To Fix All With AI

This is a comment left during a code review.
Path: Core/GameEngine/Source/GameClient/View.cpp
Line: 168-181

Comment:
**Dead code left by `#if 1` guard**

Both `setPitch` and `setDefaultPitch` use an `#if 1 / #else / #endif` toggle, making the `#else` branch (`WWMath::Normalize_Angle`) permanently unreachable dead code. This pattern is typically a temporary WIP device; the disabled branch should be removed before merging to keep the codebase clean.

```suggestion
	m_pitch = clamp(DEG_TO_RADF(0.1f), radians, DEG_TO_RADF(89.9f));
```

And similarly for `setDefaultPitch`:
```cpp
void View::setDefaultPitch( Real radians )
{
	m_defaultPitch = clamp(DEG_TO_RADF(0.1f), radians, DEG_TO_RADF(89.9f));
}
```

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

---

This is a comment left during a code review.
Path: GeneralsMD/Code/GameEngine/Source/GameLogic/ScriptEngine/ScriptActions.cpp
Line: 4611

Comment:
**No-op `angle` adjustment**

`DefaultAngle = DEG_TO_RADF(0.0f)`, so `angle = angle + DefaultAngle` is always `angle = angle + 0`, making this line a no-op. If the intent is symmetric with the pitch offset (to show that angle could also be shifted by a default), that should be commented explicitly; otherwise the line can be removed.

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

_{Reviews (2): Last reviewed commit: "Revert init" | Re-trigger Greptile}

[xezon]

This does not work reliably. When releasing CTRL before Comma, then this action will not trigger. Maybe can be fixed.