Hytale Camera Controls

Use this skill when customizing the player camera in Hytale plugins. The camera is controlled server-side by sending a SetServerCamera packet with ServerCameraSettings to configure distance, rotation, input mode, movement alignment, and more.

Source: https://hytalemodding.dev/en/docs/guides/plugin/customizing-camera-controls

Quick Reference

Task	How
Set custom camera	Send `SetServerCamera(ClientCameraView.Custom, true, settings)`
Reset to default	Send `SetServerCamera(ClientCameraView.Custom, false, null)`
Lock camera	Set `isLocked = true` in the packet
Top-down view	See Top-Down preset below
Side-scroller view	See Side-Scroller preset below
Isometric view	See Isometric preset below
Prevent wall clipping	Use `PositionDistanceOffsetType.DistanceOffsetRaycast`

Required Imports

java

import com.hypixel.hytale.protocol.ApplyLookType;
import com.hypixel.hytale.protocol.ClientCameraView;
import com.hypixel.hytale.protocol.Direction;
import com.hypixel.hytale.protocol.MouseInputType;
import com.hypixel.hytale.protocol.MovementForceRotationType;
import com.hypixel.hytale.protocol.PositionDistanceOffsetType;
import com.hypixel.hytale.protocol.RotationType;
import com.hypixel.hytale.protocol.ServerCameraSettings;
import com.hypixel.hytale.protocol.Vector3f;
import com.hypixel.hytale.protocol.packets.camera.SetServerCamera;

The Basics

Applying Custom Camera Settings

Create a ServerCameraSettings object, configure its fields, and send it to the player via a SetServerCamera packet:

java

ServerCameraSettings settings = new ServerCameraSettings();
settings.distance = 10.0f;            // Zoom distance from player
settings.isFirstPerson = false;       // Third-person mode
settings.positionLerpSpeed = 0.2f;    // Smooth camera follow

playerRef.getPacketHandler().writeNoCache(
    new SetServerCamera(ClientCameraView.Custom, true, settings)
);

Resetting to Default Camera

Pass false and null to restore the default camera:

java

playerRef.getPacketHandler().writeNoCache(
    new SetServerCamera(ClientCameraView.Custom, false, null)
);

Camera Presets

Top-Down (RTS / ARPG Style)

Source: com.hypixel.hytale.server.core.command.commands.player.camera.PlayerCameraTopdownCommand

java

ServerCameraSettings settings = new ServerCameraSettings();
settings.positionLerpSpeed = 0.2f;
settings.rotationLerpSpeed = 0.2f;
settings.distance = 20.0f;
settings.displayCursor = true;
settings.isFirstPerson = false;
settings.movementForceRotationType = MovementForceRotationType.Custom;
// Align movement with camera yaw (horizontal rotation only)
settings.movementForceRotation = new Direction(-0.7853981634f, 0.0f, 0.0f); // 45° right
settings.eyeOffset = true;
settings.positionDistanceOffsetType = PositionDistanceOffsetType.DistanceOffset;
settings.rotationType = RotationType.Custom;
settings.rotation = new Direction(0.0f, -1.5707964f, 0.0f); // Look straight down
settings.mouseInputType = MouseInputType.LookAtPlane;
settings.planeNormal = new Vector3f(0.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f); // Ground plane

playerRef.getPacketHandler().writeNoCache(
    new SetServerCamera(ClientCameraView.Custom, true, settings)
);

Side-Scroller (2D Platformer Style)

Source: com.hypixel.hytale.server.core.command.commands.player.camera.PlayerCameraSideScrollerCommand

java

ServerCameraSettings settings = new ServerCameraSettings();
settings.positionLerpSpeed = 0.2f;
settings.rotationLerpSpeed = 0.2f;
settings.distance = 15.0f;
settings.displayCursor = true;
settings.isFirstPerson = false;
settings.movementForceRotationType = MovementForceRotationType.Custom;
settings.movementMultiplier = new Vector3f(1.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f); // Lock Z-axis
settings.eyeOffset = true;
settings.positionDistanceOffsetType = PositionDistanceOffsetType.DistanceOffset;
settings.rotationType = RotationType.Custom;
settings.mouseInputType = MouseInputType.LookAtPlane;
settings.planeNormal = new Vector3f(0.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f); // Side plane

playerRef.getPacketHandler().writeNoCache(
    new SetServerCamera(ClientCameraView.Custom, true, settings)
);

Isometric Character Camera (Diablo Style)

java

ServerCameraSettings settings = new ServerCameraSettings();
settings.positionLerpSpeed = 0.2f;
settings.rotationLerpSpeed = 0.2f;
settings.isFirstPerson = false;
settings.distance = 6f;
settings.allowPitchControls = false;
settings.displayCursor = true;

// Force the camera's rotation to be set by the server
settings.applyLookType = ApplyLookType.Rotation;

// Notify that we provide a custom rotation
settings.rotationType = RotationType.Custom;

// Set the typical isometric rotation
Direction rotation = new Direction(
    (float) Math.toRadians(45f),   // yaw
    (float) Math.toRadians(-35f),  // pitch
    0f                             // roll
);
settings.rotation = rotation;
settings.movementForceRotation = rotation;

playerRef.getPacketHandler().writeNoCache(
    new SetServerCamera(ClientCameraView.Custom, true, settings)
);

Common Settings Explained

Position & Rotation

Setting	Type	Description
`positionLerpSpeed`	`float` (0.0–1.0)	How smoothly the camera follows the player. Lower = smoother but slower.
`rotationLerpSpeed`	`float` (0.0–1.0)	How smoothly the camera rotates. Lower = smoother but slower.
`distance`	`float`	Camera distance from the player. Higher = more zoomed out.
`rotation`	`Direction(yaw, pitch, roll)`	Camera angle in radians.
`rotationType`	`RotationType`	How rotation is calculated. Use `RotationType.Custom` for your own `rotation` value.

Movement Alignment

Setting	Type	Description
`movementForceRotationType`	`MovementForceRotationType`	`AttachedToHead` = movement follows where player looks; `Custom` = use `movementForceRotation`.
`movementForceRotation`	`Direction`	When using `Custom`, sets the direction for W/S movement. Match yaw with camera but keep pitch at 0.
`movementMultiplier`	`Vector3f`	Scale movement on each axis. E.g., `(1,1,0)` locks Z-axis for 2D movement.

Input & Display

Setting	Type	Description
`displayCursor`	`boolean`	Show or hide the mouse cursor.
`mouseInputType`	`MouseInputType`	`LookAtPlane` = mouse moves cursor on a plane (top-down); `LookAtTarget` = mouse rotates camera.
`planeNormal`	`Vector3f`	For `LookAtPlane`, defines which plane the mouse moves on. `(0,1,0)` = ground plane.

Advanced

Setting	Type	Description
`positionDistanceOffsetType`	`PositionDistanceOffsetType`	`DistanceOffset` = simple offset; `DistanceOffsetRaycast` = prevents camera clipping through walls.
`eyeOffset`	`boolean`	Offset camera from the player's eye position.
`isFirstPerson`	`boolean`	`true` for first-person, `false` for third-person.
`allowPitchControls`	`boolean`	Allow player to adjust pitch. Set `false` to lock vertical angle.
`applyLookType`	`ApplyLookType`	`ApplyLookType.Rotation` forces the camera rotation to be server-controlled.

Tips

•Zoom: Adjust distance (higher = further out).
•Smoothness: positionLerpSpeed and rotationLerpSpeed control how quickly the camera catches up to its target.
•Wall clipping: Use PositionDistanceOffsetType.DistanceOffsetRaycast to prevent the camera from going through walls.
•Lock camera: Set isLocked = true in the packet to prevent player changes.
•2D movement: Set movementMultiplier to zero out an axis (e.g., new Vector3f(1, 1, 0) for side-scroller).
•Isometric cameras: Always set movementForceRotation to match camera yaw for proper movement alignment.
•Angle calculations: Use Math.toRadians(degrees) to convert degrees to radians. All rotation values use radians.
•Movement alignment: When using MovementForceRotationType.Custom, match the yaw from your camera rotation but keep pitch at 0 so movement stays on the horizontal plane.

Enums Reference

ClientCameraView

•ClientCameraView.Custom — Required view type for applying custom camera settings.

RotationType

•RotationType.Custom — Use the rotation value from settings.

MovementForceRotationType

•MovementForceRotationType.AttachedToHead — Movement follows where the player looks.
•MovementForceRotationType.Custom — Use movementForceRotation to define movement direction.

MouseInputType

•MouseInputType.LookAtPlane — Mouse moves cursor on a defined plane (good for top-down/isometric).
•MouseInputType.LookAtTarget — Mouse rotates the camera around the player.

PositionDistanceOffsetType

•PositionDistanceOffsetType.DistanceOffset — Simple distance offset from player.
•PositionDistanceOffsetType.DistanceOffsetRaycast — Distance offset with raycast to prevent wall clipping.

ApplyLookType

•ApplyLookType.Rotation — Server controls the camera rotation.