Breakroom
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Getting around
With Breakroom, you can soar to new heights—literally. Learn how to move your avatar (yes, that includes flying!), control your camera, and communicate with other users.
Overview
There's plenty to do and see in your virtual world—so how do you take it all in? The information in this section will help you master the art of avatar and camera movement. We'll also review the different ways you can communicate with other users.
Controlling your avatar
Walking: You can walk around the virtual world using the arrow keys on your keyboard. If you're familiar with playing video games on a PC, you can also use the WASD keys.
Running: To run, hold down the Shift key while walking.
Jumping: To jump, press the space bar.
Crouching: To crouch down, press the C key while your avatar is standing on the ground.
Flying: To start flying, first press the F key. This will lift your avatar into the air, where it will hover. You can then use the arrow keys or WASD keys to soar about. Press the E key (or Pg Up key) to fly higher, and the C key (or Pg Down key) to fly lower. Press the F key again to land.
Optional mouse control: You can also move around by pointing your mouse cursor at a spot on the ground and clicking the left mouse button. Your avatar will then walk to the specified point and stop. This is called the "click to walk" setting, and you can turn it off in the Settings panel if you like.
The Settings panel contains additional options related to avatar movement—you can change the default speed of your avatar, enable "always run" mode, and more. Please see this page for more information.
Controlling your camera
Adjusting the camera angle: When you first log in, your camera will be positioned behind your avatar in third-person view. You can control your camera with the following key and mouse button combinations.
Command
Result
Mouse scroll wheel
The camera will zoom in and out on the current focus point.
Hold down RMB (right mouse button) and move the mouse
The camera will orbit around the current focus point if you move the mouse from side to side. It will zoom in if you move the mouse forward and back.
Hold Ctrl + RMB and move the mouse
The camera will pan and tilt around the current focus point.
Hold Shift + Ctrl + RMB and move the mouse
The camera will pan side to side or up and down while maintaining the current focus point.
Esc key
The camera will return to its third-person starting point.
Sometimes when you use the Esc key to return the camera to its default position, you'll find that you're zoomed out from your avatar. You can use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom in on your avatar again.
Fly cam: Fly cam is another useful way to explore your surroundings. To enable it, hold down your right mouse button (RMB). You can then use the A and D keys to pan from side, the R and C keys to pan up and down, and the W and S keys to zoom in and out. You can also orbit items in this mode by moving your mouse.
Latch cam: Latch cam allows you to choose a specific object as your current focus point. You can then move the camera around it using the commands detailed above. To "latch" your camera onto an object, hold down the Alt key and click on the object with your right mouse button (RMB).
Mouselook: By activating mouselook, you can "lock" your camera to your mouse and take on a first-person perspective. This may be helpful during games, quests, or other in-world activities. There are two ways to turn mouselook on:
- Press the M button on your keyboard. You can then use your mouse to direct your camera. Press the M button again to exit mouselook.
- Use your scroll wheel to zoom in as tightly as you can on the scene in front of you. A dialog box will appear, asking whether you wish to enter mouselook. If you confirm your choice, you will enter mouselook at that time. Press the M button when you want to return your camera to third-person view.
Communicating with users
Voice chat: Voice chat is available on a by-zone basis. If you're in a zone that permits voice chat, you will see a button that says Microphone Off at the top of your screen. Click on it, and its appearance will change to indicate that your microphone is now active. You can learn more about voice chat by reviewing our conferencing system documentation.
Public text chat: To access text chat, click the Show Chat button in the bottom toolbar. This will launch the text chat window. If there are multiple chat channels available to you, you will see these listed as tabs across the top of the window. Once you've selected the channel you want to use, click on the text field at the bottom and type out your message. You can then hit the Enter key on your keyboard or click the Send button to submit it.
Direct message: To speak directly to another user in the same region as you, click on their avatar and select Instant Message in the action menu that appears. A new tab will open in the chat window labeled with that user's name. After typing out your message in the text field, you can hit the Enter key on your keyboard or click the Send button to submit it.
If you've added other users to your People list, you can talk to them directly at any time by clicking the People button and then clicking on their name. Select Chat in the action menu that appears, and a direct chat tab will open as described above.
You can also search for a user, open their user profile, and click the Chat button in their profile to start a direct conversation.
In-world email: If you receive an email from another user, the envelope icon in the top toolbar will light up to alert you. To send email to someone within the Breakroom platform, click on their avatar and then click Send Mail in the action menu that appears. You can also send email by searching for a user's profile, or by clicking on the name of a user in your People list. You can use the in-world email system to share virtual items by clicking the Open Inventory button in the mail composition window, and then selecting the item you want to send.
Breakroom account Owners can use the Dashboard to enable or disable text chat and in-world email. If these features are disabled, users will only be able to communicate using voice chat.
Last modified 12d ago