Okay, it's that time again. I have another poll for everyone, and this time it's a two-fer. Currently, my game uses 4 keys ([a][s][d][f]) and the arrow keys for movement. While standing; [a] is jump. [s] is melee attack. [d] is shoot. [f] is swap character. Pressing [f] while ducking reloads the gun, no matter how many bullets you had remaining.
Now I thought this was a groovy set up. However, I wanted to have the hero be able to swap out differnt guns as well.
From a programming stand point, it's easy just to code a 5th key to swap guns. However, from a game play stand point, maybe a 5th key isn't so good.
So then I thought about reducing the starting about of keys used already so the end result is only 3 or 4 keys. One way is to remove tactical reloading and replace it with reloading with the shoot key only when your gun is dry. (Remember that reloading is done during ducking animation). Another idea is only do melee attacks when you are standing or jumping and your gun is dry. (Again, done with the shoot key.)
So I guess the real question is, should the player have a lot of control/actions with more keys to be used? Or less actions with less keys used?
what about: down+melee=reload. You're probably not going to swap characters every ten seconds, so pu it on one of the lower keys: (c?). Jump should be s and melee should be a. f to swap guns.
Also, don't reduce buttons if you're just going to require stuff life button presses.
Edited by Watermelon876
Awesomeness is Watermelon.
*／l、
ﾞ（ﾟ､ ｡ ７
l、ﾞ ~ヽ
じしf_, )ノ
This is Koji. Copy and paste Koji to your sig so he can acheive world domination.
What's wrong with a 5th key? With that setup, the thumb would be on the Spacebar, and that's great for reloading or jumping.. anything you need careful timing. I'd avoid 'a', though, because a lot of people don't like using the pinky for stuff. That's one of the control complaints on the PC version of Guitar Hero.
It depends on how your game is played and who it's aimed at. A more hardcore base would love more complicated controls with more details. But casual or new players would prefer less action and less keys.
A nice rule of thumb would be to keep it below 10 minutes for casual gamers. Just see how long it takes a beta tester (not you!) to control the character comfortably. Make like an "obstacle course" with typical moves - jumping over spikes, dodging bullets, whatever, and ask how the player feels after 10 minutes. If he's frustrated, consider changing the controls.
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
i wouldn't be too stingy with key usage since QWERTASDFG alone are quite easy to access, plus there's still space, enter, rshift, and rctrl for your right had
as long as they're relatively close to where your hands normally rest with the main functions it doesn't really matter if you're using 6 or 7 non-arrow keys
I use a laptop too. Like I said, use a fifth button of [c] but allow them to swap characters while ducking. Also, you don't reach over with your pinky: You keep the index on [d] and reach for [f] and/or [c]
Awesomeness is Watermelon.
*／l、
ﾞ（ﾟ､ ｡ ７
l、ﾞ ~ヽ
じしf_, )ノ
This is Koji. Copy and paste Koji to your sig so he can acheive world domination.
Hm i beg to differ. Using simply one button for several actions is pretty important to accessibility. Regardless of whether you are a hardcore player or not, having too many buttons to press results in a pretty steep learning curve.
I mean, there should be nothing wrong with Down+Change = Reload. But remember that unless you're a really good player, the more combos you have, the longer it takes. Down+change is like two button presses. You can do them at like 1.5 times the normal speed safely, but less skilled players might press Change+Down instead. If the game rushes the reloading enough for that to happen, that's when people say the controls suck.
Moving your fingers around to press too many buttons is a bit harder, though some can be safely done, like how the pinky is fine with pressing A, Shift, and Ctrl, but any combination of pressing the three at once is bad. Also there's S/W, D/E, F/R/G, and Space.
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
Hmm... see, I personally don't have a problem is [a][s][d][f], because you can rest a finger each on them no problem... hmm, well I'll keep toying with it...
Ducking + attack already does something, so I can't use that for reloading. I could however have a command to swap characters while jumping...
Advertisement
Post Reply
Edited by Watermelon876
