code:

class Camera inherit BaseObject
{
    float m_zoomLevel;
    Quaternion m_orientation;
    Vector3 m_position;
    BaseObject *m_attached;
}

class Player inherit BaseObject
{
    Quaternion m_orientation;
    Vector3 m_position;
    BaseObject *m_attached_to;
}

// in init function

void init()
{
    camera->attach(player);
}

// in renderscene (again not actually within renderscene but an example without functions so it's centralised)

void renderScene()
{
    //opengl clearcolor etc, already set to modelview
    glLoadIdentity();

    // set the camera's orientation to the same as the attached object
    // i figured this should be ok, as the camera will always be set to be directly
    // behind the attached object
    camera->m_orientation = Quaternion(camera->m_attached->m_orientation); 
    
    // i would think that this should set the camera's position to m_zoomlevel units directly behind
    // the object
    camera->m_position = camera->m_attached->m_position + (camera->m_attached->m_orientation.getFront() * -camera->m_zoomLevel);

    Matrix4 transform(camera->m_orientation.toMatrix());
    
    // add translations to the transformation matrix
    transform[12] = camera->m_position[0];
    transform[13] = camera->m_position[1];
    transform[14] = camera->m_position[2];

    glMultMatrixf(transform.getMatrix());

    glPushMatrix();
        Matrix4 objtransform(player->m_orientation.toMatrix());
        objtransform[12... set positions etc

        glMultMatrixf(objtransform.toMatrix());

        // draw stuff

    glPopMatrix();

// rest of stuff
}