An observer camera is a vehicle that requires special permissions to use, and is used to cast most of Planetside’s events

How do I get an Observer Camera?

There are two main ways to obtain an observer camera for Planetside:

  1. You can obtain a temporary camera through the Jaeger Events Discord
  2. You can obtain a permanent camera through the Planetside Team*
    *The PlanetSide 2 development team allows content creators to apply for observer camera access. The details for how to apply are available here, on the PlanetSide 2 website.

How do I use an Observer Camera?

Make sure to read and follow the observer camera rules
To enter the observer cam, type /observer

Remember: The observer camera is a vehicle, and as such, you can accidentally eject from it. We highly recommend that:

– Binding your vehicle-eject to a key you won’t accidentally click, such as [~], as you don’t want to accidentally eject during casting
– Aliasing /observer to a shorter command, such as /ob (Ex. /alias ob:observer to use /ob)

To zoom: Use the mouse scroll by itself to zoom in on targets. This will help highlight an area or aspect.
Note: If you have rebound your scroll wheel to zoom the mini map, none of these scroll functions will work. The scroll wheel must be on its default settings (next/previous weapon).

To slow-down: Hold Right Click & Scroll Backwards
To speed-up: Hold Right Click & Scroll Forwards
To go super fast: Shift Sprint (Use sparingly indoors, you can easily clip through walls and become trapped.)
To hide UI: Press [CTRL] + [F10]
To ascend: Press [Spacebar]
To descend: Press [CTRL]

Additional Tips

  • Learning to use the Right Click Hold + Scroll Forward and Right Click Hold + Scroll Backward to slow down and speed up fluidly makes a big difference.
  • Sometimes, all you need is a little notch forward in speed or backward, depending on what vehicle you’re following, etc.
  • SLOW DOWN!! Always slow your movement for more cinematic shots. You’ll notice this more as you play with the camera and create more videos.
  • When you’re inside of a building, try keeping the camera on the roof pointing down at players for a better angle.
  • If you’re following a vehicle of any sort, utilize that Right Click Hold + Scroll Forward and Right Click Hold + Scroll Backward to slow down and speed up fluidly with the vehicle. Once you learn the speed of each vehicle, it’ll become easier.
  • You can also use the zoom in or out whenever you’re in the transition phases of finding the right speed.
  • For streaming and recording purposes, avoid moving the camera when you can. If you have to move, try to make slow camera movements. You’ll have less pixelation.
  • For the best cinematic shots, avoid moving your mouse. Use [W]-[A]-[S]-[D], [CTRL] and [Spacebar] to move around. 
  • If you are spending a lot of time in a small enclosed space, set your speed to a crawl, and then occasionally use shift to get somewhere quick. This allows you to get to the action quickly, then stay smooth once you are there.

Adapted from Luperza’s Observer Cam Tips