Viewing Thread:
"Control it your way"

How can you maximize a player’s enjoyment out of a game? Great Gameplay isn’t a single element like sounds is, good gameplay composes of a developer succeeding in many areas. The storyline needs to be compelling, the character needs to move at the correct speeds, and each genre has their individual requirements, an RPG for example really needs good interaction, a racer needs to have good handling, a first person shooter needs to run fast and never get dull, a puzzle game needs a good learning curve, good Gameplay is never a simple thing but a major contribution to gameplay comes in the form of controls. A major problem with the X-box is in the form of the controller, many people dislike it and for that fact every game won’t be as fun as it could be. But big or small if the buttons are nicely situated and easily reached for particular games then that game will be a hit. And that is a number one problem with 3rd party developers; they base their games around another company’s controller. Nintendo are experts at using their controllers, Goldeneye moved perfectly but Turok did not, it was because Acclaim was unsure of how to get the best out of the controller meanwhile Nintendo made it for games such as Goldeneye and Mario.

Now developers don’t HAVE to use the standard issue controller made by Sony, Nintendo or Microsoft they could design their own (I’ll come onto that later) or use a peripheral that has been made specifically for that genre. Now I should note that not using the standard controller would seriously damage sales so it is wise to make sure that the duel shock pad and the other standard devices works with the game. But as more and more games make use of the various peripherals on the market (or ones soon to be released), in fact you say it they’ve probably already released it, prior to writing this post I planned to write that soon they may be a board for snowboard and skateboarding games only to learn their already is one called the thrustmaster Freestyler Board (avalible from special reserve for the wallet friendly price of just £54.99). From the very early days, console games have used this peripherals in particular the light gun (such as the awesome Duck Hunt) and the steering wheel that every realistic arcade racer appearing on any format should have the option to use! There are of course variations on the steering wheel such as the smaller handheld version.

Now at present day as we see more and more arcade games hit our favourite console we start seeing more and more weird and wonderful add ons. The maracas used in the excellent game Samba De Amigo by SEGA is an add on avalible for the Dreamcast. Fans of Beatmania might have experienced the delights of that guitar. I’m interested to see if anyone tried that beat ‘em up device with the pole but then again beat ‘em up fans are more likely to stick with the arcade boards designed specifically for that genre. The Maracas and the Guitar meanwhile stick to one particular game, most are made for specific genres. Light Guns are with first person shooters, steering wheels for arcade racers, Dance mats for the relatively new genre dancing and Arcade boards for beat ‘em ups. And these leads me onto what prompted the post in the first place, Football/soccer games are a genre within a genre, James Bond is a genre within action, football is a genre within sport and that’s right there is a new peripheral for it.

It is a football pitch style mat (although obviously not a real sized football pitch), it is a non slip mat so no falling over (not very realistic then J). Basically sensors on the mat recreate what you are doing on the pitch for attacking, pass and lob or in defense, tackle. There is (thank god) no need to mindlessly jog up and down on the mat, as you will still use the standard controller to move. This mat will work with the up coming FIFA world Cup game. Like the skate/snow board mentioned above this item is made by Thrustmaster. Now this item seems novelty to say the least but if further football games follow such as Pro Evolution, ISS and Virtual Striker then it could take off. Now does peripherals really add to individual games gameplay? Can this mat really improve the fun that can be had in a football game or will it just cause you to pull out the controller by mistake, get tangled in the wires, fall and bang your head on the table? Will we be seeing infrared beams where we must jump to decide how high we jump in platformers (or frankly any game) or how about a Pokéball you have to throw at the screen to catch a Pokémon? But are these simply gimmicks, a waste of money? Well maybe and maybe not.

One thing I have often wondered is why doesn’t Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft develop more than one controller? The buttons would be the same but it would be nice to see the buttons reconfigured, so the A and B buttons go here, the Z button here, lets move the Analogue with the D-pad and there we go. Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 on the Gamecube has a few slight upgrades over its PS2 version (although no internet option) but sadly the control system isn’t quite as easy and the position of the buttons is the reason for this, if there was another controller on the market that could be used by major fans of the franchise, it is simply one example though as that reconfigured Controller may be easier to use on a wide variety of games. There is no need for dance mats or interactive football pitches, just a developer that knows how to use a controller and to make their jobs easier seeing more than one on the market might be useful. Of course they could always do one of their own…

Here’s to the future

Dringo.

I think the Z button is as beefy as it should be... but they could always re-configure it.

Good post, and I like the idea that 3rd Party Developers should design their own pads for their own games, if they don't know how to adapt their games' style to the existing pads. This could've saved loads of problems - with games of the likes of South Park, and yes, Turok also.

I wonder what a Nintendo/Rare pad would be like.... probably the best of the lot from looking at their games!

And yeah, I also reckon the GameCube's pad is the best, and it's also apparently the most comfortable one ever! I love using the N64's pad for FPS's and RPG's, but do you think the Cube's pad will be that good for 007 games, Die Hard, and other FPS's???
Because of the Z-button's new position, many people are quite concerned about how this will work. Maybe the developers or even Ninty should come up with a special First Person Shooter GameCube pad??

Gamecube's controller is ace why not develop different controllers with more configurations though?

Turok's controls were good. They did need a bit of getting used to, but after you'd mastered them, manouverability was never a question.

I'm not sure how Acclaim Texas will use the GC pad. My initial thought was that you'd move forward and backward, strafe left and right with the control stick and turn left and right and look up and down with the C Stick... this would leave A and B to change Weapons, Z for the Map, and L and/or R to shoot.

I wouldn't mind that setup, I could get used to it soon enough.

The one thing I miss on the GC pad, is the PS2 face buttons. Not where they are, but the pressure sensitivity... Playing PES and being able to weight your shots perfectly is very good... ISS 2 for Cube will be more of an arcade Konami game, where you can score 10 in a match without even trying!

I dont, in all honesty, think that the GC pad has a bad layout... in most games, you'll only use A and B anyway! Fighting games can be done with L and R (triggers - so you can weight your kicks and punches!) It's perfect for RPG's, Adventure games and action games. What you also have to remember is that the C-Stick has more than 1 degree of sensitivity... meaning you dont' just press it... it's a gradual movement, and if done in the right way, this could be used for some great gameplay.

I've read quite a few 'controller' posts, and they all seem to outline the same thing.

All controllers have flaws in them, to do one thing perfectly, you have to slack in another area... sod's law, I guess!

I can't wait to get a GC pad of my own... they're so comfy, although they actually FEEL smaller than the PS2 pad, which is in fact smaller itself!

I've got a Black Cube, and a Purple pad on order... i'll importa Spice and a Wavebird when I can, and then i'll have quite a dandy collection!

Purple/Clear my a**e!

How can you maximize a player’s enjoyment out of a game? Great Gameplay isn’t a single element like sounds is, good gameplay composes of a developer succeeding in many areas. The storyline needs to be compelling, the character needs to move at the correct speeds, and each genre has their individual requirements, an RPG for example really needs good interaction, a racer needs to have good handling, a first person shooter needs to run fast and never get dull, a puzzle game needs a good learning curve, good Gameplay is never a simple thing but a major contribution to gameplay comes in the form of controls. A major problem with the X-box is in the form of the controller, many people dislike it and for that fact every game won’t be as fun as it could be. But big or small if the buttons are nicely situated and easily reached for particular games then that game will be a hit. And that is a number one problem with 3rd party developers; they base their games around another company’s controller. Nintendo are experts at using their controllers, Goldeneye moved perfectly but Turok did not, it was because Acclaim was unsure of how to get the best out of the controller meanwhile Nintendo made it for games such as Goldeneye and Mario.

Now developers don’t HAVE to use the standard issue controller made by Sony, Nintendo or Microsoft they could design their own (I’ll come onto that later) or use a peripheral that has been made specifically for that genre. Now I should note that not using the standard controller would seriously damage sales so it is wise to make sure that the duel shock pad and the other standard devices works with the game. But as more and more games make use of the various peripherals on the market (or ones soon to be released), in fact you say it they’ve probably already released it, prior to writing this post I planned to write that soon they may be a board for snowboard and skateboarding games only to learn their already is one called the thrustmaster Freestyler Board (avalible from special reserve for the wallet friendly price of just £54.99). From the very early days, console games have used this peripherals in particular the light gun (such as the awesome Duck Hunt) and the steering wheel that every realistic arcade racer appearing on any format should have the option to use! There are of course variations on the steering wheel such as the smaller handheld version.

Now at present day as we see more and more arcade games hit our favourite console we start seeing more and more weird and wonderful add ons. The maracas used in the excellent game Samba De Amigo by SEGA is an add on avalible for the Dreamcast. Fans of Beatmania might have experienced the delights of that guitar. I’m interested to see if anyone tried that beat ‘em up device with the pole but then again beat ‘em up fans are more likely to stick with the arcade boards designed specifically for that genre. The Maracas and the Guitar meanwhile stick to one particular game, most are made for specific genres. Light Guns are with first person shooters, steering wheels for arcade racers, Dance mats for the relatively new genre dancing and Arcade boards for beat ‘em ups. And these leads me onto what prompted the post in the first place, Football/soccer games are a genre within a genre, James Bond is a genre within action, football is a genre within sport and that’s right there is a new peripheral for it.

It is a football pitch style mat (although obviously not a real sized football pitch), it is a non slip mat so no falling over (not very realistic then J). Basically sensors on the mat recreate what you are doing on the pitch for attacking, pass and lob or in defense, tackle. There is (thank god) no need to mindlessly jog up and down on the mat, as you will still use the standard controller to move. This mat will work with the up coming FIFA world Cup game. Like the skate/snow board mentioned above this item is made by Thrustmaster. Now this item seems novelty to say the least but if further football games follow such as Pro Evolution, ISS and Virtual Striker then it could take off. Now does peripherals really add to individual games gameplay? Can this mat really improve the fun that can be had in a football game or will it just cause you to pull out the controller by mistake, get tangled in the wires, fall and bang your head on the table? Will we be seeing infrared beams where we must jump to decide how high we jump in platformers (or frankly any game) or how about a Pokéball you have to throw at the screen to catch a Pokémon? But are these simply gimmicks, a waste of money? Well maybe and maybe not.

One thing I have often wondered is why doesn’t Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft develop more than one controller? The buttons would be the same but it would be nice to see the buttons reconfigured, so the A and B buttons go here, the Z button here, lets move the Analogue with the D-pad and there we go. Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 on the Gamecube has a few slight upgrades over its PS2 version (although no internet option) but sadly the control system isn’t quite as easy and the position of the buttons is the reason for this, if there was another controller on the market that could be used by major fans of the franchise, it is simply one example though as that reconfigured Controller may be easier to use on a wide variety of games. There is no need for dance mats or interactive football pitches, just a developer that knows how to use a controller and to make their jobs easier seeing more than one on the market might be useful. Of course they could always do one of their own…

Here’s to the future

Dringo.