ParallaxBackground 2d needs manual offset adjustment when Camera2D is present

[ThePenguinInquisition]

The Parallax Background 2D node provides an odd limitation that is preventing me from creating the effects that I want in my game. In the documentation, it is noted that all manual offset control is lost in the presence of a Camera 2d. While this makes sense in many cases, there are others, such as my current one, where manual control is still needed even with the presence of a camera 2d. In my case, I’m in the process of creating an auto scrolling shmup. Much like an infinite runner, the background for this game moves instead of the player character, allowing for greater control over the level. However, in order to improve the action on screen, I also use a fair amount of screen shake to give shots a chunkier feel. Because of the way the parallax 2d node works, it’s impossible to both have a scrolling background and use a camera to create shake effects at the same time.

Beyond a shmup like mine though, there are other cases I can think of where having this would be useful. Take Cave Story as an example. When on the outside of the islands you see clouds scrolling past infinitely, showing the player they are super high up. That effect cannot be achieved in a similar way with the current parallax setup.

I would request a Boolean value that dictates if the camera can take control of the offset. That way, a mix of these cases can be applied throughout games through the use of multiple parallax background nodes