How to start game from a camera, then switch to a playable character?

So I want to have the game start on a camera way up high looking down on a 3D environment,

Then with an interaction of a menu, I want the camera to switch to a playable FPS character where they can explore that 3D environment.

But I guess I’m an idiot, I cant seem to figure it out. Can anyone help me please?

You could try to set the default pawn class of your game mode to NULL, and then manually spawn your player pawn via the menu and let the player controller possess it.

You are looking for the Spectator Pawn I believe.

Here is the doc link, scroll down a bit:

spectator pawn link

You can make your own version of it if the defaults don’t work for you. Set the GameMode to use the Spectator Pawn and you’ll spawn in as that, then you kick in to spawn your regular pawn when you want to.

Im still kinda new to blueprints… Could you give an example?

I’m not really connecting the dots on this one mate.

SpecatatorPawn. That is what you want to launch into a level as. It doesn’t have a mesh, lets you fly around like a camera. You make your own Blueprint extending SpectatorPawn. You set that to be the default pawn for your map. Then spawn your regular pawn when your menu is clicked and posses it with your controller.

Oh ok. So When the game starts I dont want the character to be able to move. I want to Begin game:

Be looking through a camera way up high with an interactive menu giving you information, and then be able to switch to the fps character on the ground. And hopefully be able to switch back to the floating menu.

How do you make pawns, sorry noob here.

Yes, spawn in at the location you want as a SpectatorPawn. You will need to override the controls so instead of flying about you’ll have your menu interaction. The link I gave has documentation for the pawn. The menu is a separate step, there are plenty of tutorials on menu’s. UMG is easy. If you don’t have a background you can just mouse interact with it on the screen and see through the camera.

Rightclick in the content browser to make a new Blueprint, choose SpectatorPawn as the parent.

Please accept this answer. This is for specific questions, and yours has been answered. For a discussion, create a thread on the forum that people can chime in on with tutorial suggestions etc.

Did something similar a while back. I have attached my setup as a BP. When you want to get back to the player use the Set View Target with Blend node again on the player camera.

Here’s the simplest way. From the placement tab, search for camera, drag and drop the camera into the spot you like, then open your level blueprint, after you open your level blueprint you right click and get the following: (Get player controller, event begin play) then, go to your level, click on the camera you set up and go back to the level blueprint, right click, and there should be an option that says “Add reference to camera” or something, you do that.

now you start connecting, drag a wire from “get player controller” from the return value and place it into nothingness, after that you type “set view target with blend”, then you connect your camera reference to the “new view target slot”. then just hook up “event begin play” to “set view target with blend” Done!, If you wanted to set a specific life span for your camera, then drag a wire from your camera reference and type set life span, and just put in the time you like in seconds, after that, hook up the play button symbol from the “set view target with blend” to “Set life span”.

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Thanks mate, that really got me on the right track, so based off your picture, I have this blueprint set up…

It works nicely except when it goes into the the player character, it seems to not use the player character camera, instead it seems like the view its using is the center of the player character.

Nevermind I fixed it.