Patent ID: 7470195

Claim:
In a third-person shooter video game, a method comprising: presenting a scene from a first camera viewpoint remote from a character being controlled, wherein the character being controlled is one of a squad of characters participating in the game and individually selectable for control, and wherein at least one of the squad of characters not being directly controlled by a player performs one or more player-issued commands by way of an artificial intelligence of the video game, wherein the one or more player-issued commands are determined from a range of possible player-issued commands, and wherein one or more player-issued commands are depicted on a squad status display; in response to occurrence of a predefined event, smoothly transitioning to present the scene from a second camera viewpoint closer to the character being controlled; and smoothly transitioning back to the first camera viewpoint after i) the predefined event ceases to exist and ii) a predefined time delay lapses, wherein the predefined event comprises: (i) player-actuation of a controller that directs the character to fire a weapon; (ii) placement of an aiming reticle over a target; or (iii) movement of the character into a specified combat region.