Hey there 
This is a rather long post, sorry for that… basically it’s just a game-change proposal for adding a new mechanic that I’d like to have. If you just want a quick summary, see the TL/DR section at the end 
Disclaimer
I wanted to write this as a proposal, even fully knowing that it almost certainly impossible to be introduced to the game at this point (I’d give it about 0.01% chance of something like this ever getting introduced lol), at least in a way that’s usable by everyone… but still, here it is, because I think it would be fun to have… and also, one never knows what sort of brainstorming process a proposal can start
In any case, if we don’t post stuff, nothing ever changes, right?
And even if Funcom doesn’t implement something like this to the game, at the very least, they might add the framework needed to add it via a mod in the future… Who knows?
(And yes, I’m assuming here that some master modder ultra knowledgeable of UE4 can’t already add something like this by him/herself due to engine limitations. If that’s not true… then yay! I hope that master modder exists then 
)
What do I propose?
- A free flying camera mode not tied to the character and freely usable by everyone (under some restrictions, ofc. see below) that can be used to take aerial screenshots/action shots.
Why ADMIN mode FLY command is not enough?
- Two reasons:
- Because it requires admin mode… and even if I can use it in my private server/solo player mode, if I ever decide to play on an official server or player driven community server, I won’t be able to.
Also, I’m thinking of all the players that DO play on those conditions, and atm. they aren’t able to take awesome screenies (see appendix below :P) - Because even in ADMIN FLY mode the camera is STILL attached to your character and he/she moves with it… (basically what I would want is something akin to the TOGGLE FLYING CAMERA from Elder Scrolls Games, aka
TFC, that leaves your character in-place in the pose he/she’s currently in, but allows you to move your camera and select a vantage viewpoint for screenshotting. The timestop part of it is not required.)
- Because it requires admin mode… and even if I can use it in my private server/solo player mode, if I ever decide to play on an official server or player driven community server, I won’t be able to.
So, WHY this can’t be added to the game and not tie it to another game mechanic?
-
Because this is not a single player game, if they don’t put some restrictions on it, it would imbalance the game from a PVP standpoint (you could use it to spy/look at things you shouldn’t be able to, from a safe location to boot, or scout the way ahead without taking any risks.)
And if they DO put restrictions on it, it’d probably still be useless for some of the cases in which I’d want to use it
So, what is the proposal?
In the simplest terms, add a tammable type of bird that you can catch and raise/feed to be your own pet (think kinda like Hawks, not sure if they’re lore friendly though, in terms of Conan stories) and use it for “scout missions” (in game mechanics terms) or aerial views (in screenshotting terms).
How would it work?
Well, at least mechanically, I thought it could be an item you could equip to your character (on your off-hand, for example) and have it be perched on your left arm.
By doing that, you have to sacrifice off-hand use for weapons (thus making it a trade off to bring one to a battle,) though you’d probably still should be able to use a torch… but this is totally optional… in fact, I’d be totally OK to no having access to torch access while in that mode myself.
This would also slightly alter the walking/running/sprinting animations… perhaps releasing the bird and keep it hovering over your character while you sprint, if it looks too dumb to have it perched on you… but this shouldn’t be too difficult technically, as UE4 supports animation blending and only the skeleton bones of the character’s left arm would be required to animate different… but I’m no expert, so not sure.
Once equipped, you cannot unequip it without losing it… you can only remove it while your at your base over a type of perch, a placeable structure, with a similar mechanics to a wheel of pain that accepts the thrall that you’re carrying, but in this case it’d just transfer the bird from your arm to the standing perch. It’d act as a station in which you have to keep food and be sure there’s enough supply of it or else the bird will die/fly off.
While you have it attached to your arm you can set it free/into fly mode, and by doing that you lose control of your character while that mode is active, and the camera transfers to the bird and you can control it normally (think of the standard Fly command controls here just with a bird attached to the camera instead of your character.)
You character would remain in its current position and would be vulnerable to attacks by anything and you won’t be able to do much to help him if that happens (counter balance of bird use… the owner is vulnerable.)
You could probably attach a simple figther thrall AI to the character model while the player is in control of the bird, to help him at least be able to fight back… but this is totally optional IMO.
The bird would also be vulnerable and you’d should be able to target it by archery and kill it, as you would be able to do with any normal vulture already in the game… and if you do so, the owner would lose the pet and have to raise a new one from scratch. Of course, killing the bird will end the flying camera mode and the control would return to your character.
You could probably add some way to toggling the control mode back and forth between the flying bird and your original character, but again, this is optional IMO. if you do, the bird will remain flying and follow your character as he/she moves just hovering around above him… mostly like the birds that are already present in-game do. You could still target it and kill it even when it’s in this passive mode.
How do you end the flying camera mode for good?
Simply by flying the bird INTO your character and at the moment of collision, the player controls transfer from the bird to the character and the bird is back to be perched at his/her left arm.
So, how do you get such a pet?
It shouldn’t be easy… first you’d need to track a nest and rob one of the nestlings from it or it could be an almost-ready-to-hatch-egg, no matter
The you’d need to take it to a special “incubator” station (new placeable) within some time limit (i.e. the hatchling/egg should have a life-time/decay-time) and place it there. Then keep it fed and warm while he grows (requiring some type of fuel, like feral flesh and bark, or something similar), which should take some time in game… several days at least.
While you’re in this mode you shouldn’t be able to capture and raise a new bird IMO… and what I mean by that is, that any player should be able to have at most ONE single bird pet active at any moment, and not have several ready to use in case one of them dies. If the one you have now using dies, you NEED to start all this process from scratch again, no shortcuts
A logical/common sense justification/rationale for this could be: once an bird hatches or it’s an adult, he will kill any other younglings that you could possible have at the same time, thus leaving only one at a time, the stronger one, etc. you get the point.
This is to make sure that having a bird pet is an investmen and you wouldn’t use it carelessly/bring it to battles when it’s not needed etc., because if you lose it… you’d lose much more than an item.
Also, that will mean that it would be risky to use as a spy for a raid or in the field, because if it’s targetted and killed, you’ll lose all that investment in time/materials.
Once it hatches and has grown up a bit, the last step would be, you have to bring it with you a few times while still you can’t use it for its function… that means, training it basically. The bird has to learn it’s new role for some time…
How much time? I don’t know… maybe one or two in game days… basically, the way I see it in terms of gameplay is this: you have a young unexperienced bird with you, and it has a time to grow yet, but that time only passes while the bird it’s in your inventory attached to your left arm. So you have to take it with you and risk it for a bit with no rewards.
Once that time expires, you get the fully grown real bird item, and that’s the one you can finally use in full.
Caveats/Additions/Changes/etc.
I’d make it possible to have the bird accompany you as a simple pet, flying around and coming and going but not requiring equipping it on your character… as a counter, you won’t be able to use the flying mode while the bird it’s in this free mode.
That’s for the people who could want it just as a pet, and not for it’s function so they can maybe enjoy it without the drawbacks
While in this mode, you could maybe call to it and the bird will perch on your arm (taking the left-hand spot) and from that moment on, you can use it for its function, but you can’t set it free again until you get to your base (this is for balance purposes, as I explained above.)
Basically the way I see it, if you press interact of the standing perch you’d get two options, Follow (same as thralls) and this is the free flying mode just as a pet, and Carry (which is the restrictive mode in which the bird is perched in your arm.)
If you interact with the standing perch while having the bird in follow mode or carry mode with you, the bird would just transfer to the perch.
What kind of screenshot requires this type of support anyway?
Well… any screenshot in which you want to take a view of an area from the air, and still have your character show up while in the ground is a good example. Also, any screenshot in which the focus of the shot in not your character or the scenery, but a composition of both, maybe with the character in background, or not centered in the shot.
Also, if you lack admin mode access… you simply can’t take aerial screenshots atm.
Also, without TFC support (and arguably maybe some other stuff…) the awesome artists that made them wouldn’t have been able to take these awesome screens
Screenshot examples
There are countless of examples outthere, I’ve just picked two of the ones I liked the most, from authors I enjoy their content and I respect:
https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/images/25990
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/images/16785
And some very old of mine (circa ~2010) I couldn’t have done without TFC.
They aren’t as good as the above ones, because I’m not good at creating them and my computer was a potato at that time too 
https://i.imgur.com/Zt0v0mM.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Fl3UYvm.jpg
TL/DR Section:
What I really want ->
- A flying camera mode NOT attached to character control for taking screenshots, that ideally doesn’t depend on admin mode to use.
Why not admin fly mode? ->
- Because it requires admin mode and still keeps the camera attached to your character.
Why not simply add it?
- Without putting some restrictions on it, I think it would bring some imbalance to the game from a PvP standpoint.
Well… all’s done. Now I should be thinking of getting back to work… my real work 
Best regards!