Comments on: First-person game controls on consoles and computers http://killspeak.lucasrizoli.com/2009/01/08/first-person-game-controls-on-consoles-and-computers/ Tue, 05 Jul 2011 08:47:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Lucas http://killspeak.lucasrizoli.com/2009/01/08/first-person-game-controls-on-consoles-and-computers/comment-page-1/#comment-4776 Lucas Thu, 26 Feb 2009 23:31:21 +0000 http://killspeak.lucasrizoli.com/?p=83#comment-4776 Bruce Tognazzini argues that coordinating multiple button presses at a single time is so expensive that it hobbles our ability to self-monitor. So while you may think that keyboard accelerators (like Shift + Command + P) are faster, they're actually slower—you just have trouble telling time because they require so much effort to coordinate. You're right about the lack of buttons. I can't imagine trying to play games like <cite>Tie Fighter</cite> without a keyboard. That said, I can think of a few ways of multiplying the functions available to a small set of buttons: combos (like all the fancy moves you can do in <cite>Soul Calibur</cite>) and gestures (like painting grafitti in <cite>Jet Grind Radio</cite>), not to mention pressing multiple buttons at once. Yeah, I grew up with a computer, not a console. I'm just now getting to the point where I'm comfortable playing a first-person game using an Xbox controller. Bruce Tognazzini argues that coordinating multiple button presses at a single time is so expensive that it hobbles our ability to self-monitor. So while you may think that keyboard accelerators (like Shift + Command + P) are faster, they’re actually slower—you just have trouble telling time because they require so much effort to coordinate.

You’re right about the lack of buttons. I can’t imagine trying to play games like Tie Fighter without a keyboard. That said, I can think of a few ways of multiplying the functions available to a small set of buttons: combos (like all the fancy moves you can do in Soul Calibur) and gestures (like painting grafitti in Jet Grind Radio), not to mention pressing multiple buttons at once.

Yeah, I grew up with a computer, not a console. I’m just now getting to the point where I’m comfortable playing a first-person game using an Xbox controller.

]]> By: Uwe http://killspeak.lucasrizoli.com/2009/01/08/first-person-game-controls-on-consoles-and-computers/comment-page-1/#comment-4769 Uwe Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:37:46 +0000 http://killspeak.lucasrizoli.com/?p=83#comment-4769 I agree with you that analog sticks have advantages for things like controlling walking speed. But coordination of multiple fingers on a keyboard shouldn't be much of a problem for anyone. And how can you play games like the Star Wars Jedi Knight series where you need to use more than half a dozen force powers? A gamepad is simply running out of buttons. I happily accept all the disadvantages of the keyboard if I can only use a mouse, especially for aiming at FPS games. Using a gamepad is much harder for me. I might be biased though because I grew up playing with keyboard and mouse. But I suspect you did too... I agree with you that analog sticks have advantages for things like controlling walking speed. But coordination of multiple fingers on a keyboard shouldn’t be much of a problem for anyone.
And how can you play games like the Star Wars Jedi Knight series where you need to use more than half a dozen force powers? A gamepad is simply running out of buttons.

I happily accept all the disadvantages of the keyboard if I can only use a mouse, especially for aiming at FPS games. Using a gamepad is much harder for me. I might be biased though because I grew up playing with keyboard and mouse. But I suspect you did too…

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