What happened to custom controls?

[Shifty Geezer]

I think that games' control methods should enable and emphasize the actions in the game. If the actions or the relations between actions (for example, the importance of melee combat in a FPS) differ, the control system and layout should reflect that.

But in most cases the differences between gameplay are immaterial such that they need specific mappings. Whether R1 or R3 is knife isn't going to change the feel of the game. And even if it does, if the person playing finds it so hard to adapt, why force them on it? I know a friend had to use south-paw controls on one of the shooters (Uncharted or MAG or somesuch) because he couldn't adjust to the default control scheme. If the developers vision is "we want knifing on the right trigger because it's more visceral," I think they're overthinking their gameplay experience.

And the 2D Mario games (that I have played) and LBP have very different controls. You can not say that they have different control MAPPINGS because they have different controls and control very differently (within their genre).

I wasn't saying they were the same. I'm saying the similarity of controls doesn't make them similar games. Just because both use left/right + jump, doesn't make them the same, and wanting every platformer to have left/right +jump on a button isn't the same as wanting the same game. That is, if LBP was announced and jump was on L1, if players wanted to be able to switch to jump on X because that's what they are used to on other platformers, that doesn't mean they want the same game. Likewise someone wanting the same FPS actions on the same buttons between games doesn't mean they want every game the same. You could have a high-paced run-and-gun shooter, and a slow, tactical cover shooter, and want to switch between them as different games. Having the same control layout would facilitate that and wouldn't enforce one style of game. Even if a particular mapping was a better fit for the designers' vision, there's no harm in letting players change it. In fact quite the converse - if the mapping is enforced and it's just one the player can't get comfy with, then not allowing a change is only going to annoy a customer.

 

[fearsomepirate]

What is the point of making new games if they all have the same mechanics?

Putting the same mechanic on a different button is not a new mechanic. Battlefield would not suddenly become Call of Duty if I could map mechanics common to the two games to the same buttons...which you can on PC. Are all PC FPSes the same because the user can map the functions to whatever keys he likes?

If the developers vision is "we want knifing on the right trigger because it's more visceral," I think they're overthinking their gameplay experience.

This.

 

[tuna]

Putting the same mechanic on a different button is not a new mechanic. Battlefield would not suddenly become Call of Duty if I could map mechanics common to the two games to the same buttons...which you can on PC. Are all PC FPSes the same because the user can map the functions to whatever keys he likes?

This.

If you remove all the things that control differently in PC BF3 (the vehicles), does it not play very similar to COD? What are the differences in game interactions?

 

[fearsomepirate]

So a friend and I played a little co-op Resistance last night. That game hasn't held up well, but you can indeed map any function to any button. So it can be done with less than a $100m budget.

If you remove all the things that control differently in PC BF3 (the vehicles), does it not play very similar to COD?

Yeah. Most PC gamers felt really ripped off by BF3, since the vast majority of them mapped the core functions to the same keys they've been using since they started gaming. Once you do that, there's basically no difference between it and Quake II, really. But on the other hand, the PC version of MW3 isn't nearly as stale as the console version once you remap all the core functions to different keys than you used in MW2.

 

[tuna]

Yeah. Most PC gamers felt really ripped off by BF3, since the vast majority of them mapped the core functions to the same keys they've been using since they started gaming. Once you do that, there's basically no difference between it and Quake II, really. But on the other hand, the PC version of MW3 isn't nearly as stale as the console version once you remap all the core functions to different keys than you used in MW2.

I do not really get your point here. But I think BF3 and Quake (1) feel very different when you play them.

 

[orangpelupa]

I think pirate is posting in sarcasm mode?

btw about game designer want the player to get specific experience they designed, maybe that is really the real reason?

just like all the weird things in bf3 if you have played bfbc2 and bf2 before.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Classic example last night. I fired up Borderlands just to remind myself. Buy default the aim and shoot are on the triggers. I'm universally accustomed to them being L1 and R1. Having them on triggers adds nothing to the game experience, but thankfully the devs had the sense to include alternative options so I could switch to the controls that are a better fit.

What is the argument for not allowing that change and requiring Borderlands to be use L2 and R2 for aim+trigger over L1 and R1? How does that singular change in control layout make for a better experience? They're just buttons and surely the idea is to make the controls as transparent and natural as possible, except in a few rare case where you want the play to have to think about the controls, such as an Everyman having to use weapons for the first time.

 

[orangpelupa]

btw Nintendo games usually not allow customizable controls but have common designed. like 'B' is always jump.

why those fps games can't be like that? even a game from the same dev with similar fps gameplay is using different controls. example bfbc2 and bf3

 

[tuna]

btw Nintendo games usually not allow customizable controls but have common designed. like 'B' is always jump.

Actually, they changed it with the NES -> SNES platform change. I still remember trying to play SMW but it was impossible since the A-button did the spin-jump instead of a normal jump like all other platformers before it. I so wish I could have enjoyed that game


(BTW, the above is an actual example of sarcasm. You take something another person has actually stated and then proceed to ridicule it.)

 

[tuna]

What is the argument for not allowing that change and requiring Borderlands to be use L2 and R2 for aim+trigger over L1 and R1?

Where was that argument made here?