I have always wanted to make a side-scroller game for the PC, but I still haven’t decided what a good system of core game mechanics (i.e., controls) would be.
I have prototyped in game maker with three kinds. I’m wondering which if any of them I should use for a Unity game.
Keyboard and mouse:
The dominant standard for all PC games. I’d use the A+D keys for moving and the mouse to aim. The player would shoot at where ever the crosshairs are. Could be done without crosshairs also, and just use tracer fire.
Keyboard only:
This would be clunky, but I don’t really want to make my game free-look/mouse-target. The player ends up focusing on the crosshairs and what is being shot and doesn’t see the character or environment. If you look at the 2D Metroid games, there are no crosshairs (I’m hoping they haven’t made an abomination where there is now). With keyboard only, everyone who has a computer can play, they don’t need a controller and the game mechanics are classic, but it’s clunky an jaunty and awkward and yeah, nobody would like it I guess.
Controller:
This option would require players to plug a controller of so many buttons into their computer. The game-play with a controller would be great and it seems indie games are starting to go this direction with Ouya. For PC gamers who don’t have a controller, my game wouldn’t be that great for them. It seems I would be limiting my audience. If I develop for the PC, then a controller might be a bad idea.
I agree, if the game mechanic is very intuitively integrated with the control system and they’re a perfect match, then adding on other control options that might not work as well is not a good idea and just complicates things.
keyboard and mouse + controller options. Keyboard alone is clunky as you said. Plus, I like playing me games with a controller, like I’ve always done and I’m willing to play a game more if there is an option.
If you don’t want your game to have mouse targeting, design it appropriately. Lots of platform games get by just fine that way by compensating for it in the design of their combat scenarios (don’t make enemy AI routines frustrating by virtue of the lack of precision aiming). Metroid, Metal Slug, Contra, Caslevania, Bionic Commando: Rearmed, all did just fine. If your players find themselves wishing they had free aim, its probably because your combat scenarios are inappropriately designed for the control scheme. Free aim obviously allows more freedom for designing more complex combat scenarios and AI routines, though, so that’s a tradeoff you’re going to have to take into consideration.
I was thinking about a non mouse based control system that everyone could use who has a PC.
Yeah, those games did fine, but they weren’t for the PC. I have played Super Metroid via an emulator on my PC and I tried it with a keyboard only, it was very clunky. I tried with my PS2 controller and it was great. I really wish USB controllers for PC were the norm. I don’t really care about my games being on a TV, so the only thing something like OUYA offers is that a controller is the default. I know steam mentions if a game is controller compatible now. Hopefully thats a sign of things to coem in PC gaming.
Sure the mouse and keyboard offer extreme accuracy and efficiency, but personally I’m sick of keyboard and mouse. I miss playing games with controllers. And… yeah, my AI wouldn’t be anything that requires free look to fight anyway. What I have in mind is pretty much a Super Metroid rip-off.
The mouse thing, I think depends on how important it is in the game to do accurate jumping and moving using the cursor keys. Having a mouse pretty much means most people will use their right hand to control it and then you’re left with cumbersome left-handedness to control the cursor keys, so you better be sure that the kind of movements that the player makes via keys is not essential to preserving life or executing difficult maneuvers, otherwise it will be frustrating. Most arena style games and many platform shootemups add the mouse and then the player movement via keyboard is usually fairly simple and forgiving… but if you want more of an articular skill-based movement system of accurate jumps, split-second sudden keyboard inputs etc… then the mouse thing is probably a bad idea.
If the player is just occasionally moving around and you’re using the mouse as the first line of defense I think the mouse will work. But when the player’s body itself is its line of defense (e.g needing to jump on heads or do beat-em-up style interactions) then you need right-handed keyboard controls.
I’m really thinking, I’ll make it for a controller and I’ll have keyboard buttons as a backup for people who don’t have controllers, but the game will say somewhere that a controller is recommended. I won’t use the mouse. Take a hike mouse!
