control-schemes
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The Nexus Telegraph: Preparing for WildStar's launch
When you read this, dear reader, you will be less than two weeks away from early access to WildStar. Unless you've come here just to let everyone know you don't want to play the game, in which case you might want to find slightly more joyous hobbies? Just a thought. The obvious thing to do pre-launch, of course, is to reserve your name, but that didn't work out for everyone so well, and I'm betting that if you were going to do that by now, you would have done it. (Still have a little time if you haven't, though.) What else can you do? Open beta is over. It's just getting into the meat of the game and maybe taking a day or two off of work first, right? Obviously not; there's more stuff you can do to prep yourself for the launch psychologically and otherwise. So step into my metaphorical office, and I'll give you some suggestions about things to do before the game starts and once early access kicks off.
World of Warplanes devs working on expert mode, control schemes
Part four of Wargaming.net's ongoing World of Warplanes-focused dev diary series is here. The new video touches on the game's control schemes, and like previous installments, this episode features a number of WoWP developers talking about their baby. The game differs from World of Tanks, and from most of its MMO contemporaries, by virtue of its z-axis and the challenges inherent in aerial combat. Wargaming.net is providing a variety of control options for players ranging from flight sim enthusiasts to newbs who have no idea which end of joystick is up. Keyboards, gamepads, mice, and joysticks are all fair game. That said, not all input devices are ideally suited to fast-paced combat. "Keys operate on a dual-mode on/off principle that makes smooth movement incredibly difficult to manage," explains producer Anton Sitnikau. Interestingly, Sitnikau also reveals that the devs are working on an "expert mode" that will grant players full control over their aircraft. World of Warplanes has heretofore been marketed as more of a casually accessible arcade battler than a flight sim. Check out the full dev diary after the break. [Source: Wargaming.net press release]
TERA producer talks console controllers
Love them or loathe them, it seems console controllers and MMORPGs are a match increasingly made in developer heaven. DC Universe Online was designed from the ground up to allow players to toss their keyboards, and now En Masse Entertainment's TERA is looking to join the party, according to a new dev diary by producer Stefan Ramirez. Ramirez details the genesis of the TERA controller experiment, outlining its tentative beginnings through a successful demo at last year's Game Developer Conference. "We were very excited to see that people wanted this. TERA's combat is something that can be played on both the keyboard and mouse, and controller, equally. It's fun, fast, and just plain feels right," he recently told GameZone. Ramirez acknowledges that some testers (and En Masse devs) still prefer the traditional mouse/keyboard combo, but he also hints at something of a minor revolution in MMO control schemes, thanks to the pairing of TERA's action combat with the player's choice of controller. "This could help blur that [PC vs. console] line a little more," he says.
The Daily Grind: Preferred control scheme?
A very large amount of MMO players use the tried-and-true WASD keyboard configuration to play their game of choice. However, we know that there are people out there who shun tradition, and have taken another option. Perhaps you use the typically-neglected arrow keys for movement, or the point-and-click style movement that some MMOs offer? Maybe you've shuffled to the right, along to the ESDF setup, to take advantage of some extra hotkeys? Or are you using something so crazy we may not have even heard of it?Then there's the possibility that you've left the keyboard behind altogether. In games where you have a choice between versions (like FFXI and Phantasy Star Universe), do you prefer the console or PC controls? Have you found yourself looking up applications like Switchblade for use with your favorite MMO, to get that familiar controller back in your grasp? Tell us about any other ways that you like to take control of your MMO.
MMOGology: Control yourself!
Another day, another MMOG canceled. In case you missed the news, Microsoft recently announced their abandonment of the Marvel-based superhero MMOG under development by Cryptic Studios. Gamespy recently posted a roundtable discussion that speculated on the reasons for the cancellation of this once highly anticipated game. During the discussion, Gamespy staffers cited possible cancellation reasons such as Microsoft's unrealistic monetary expectations (based on the high bar set by World of Warcraft), an unwillingness on Microsoft's part to develop and innovative within the genre, and an inability to implement a successful product on both the PC and Xbox 360. The element of the discussion that intrigued me most dealt with the difficulties encountered when MMOGs try crossing the console barrier. One of the prohibitive elements to a successful console implementation is the incompatibility between PC and console controls.Most major, mainstream MMOGs like Lord of the Rings Online, World of Warcarft, and Everquest have complex interfaces organized in a very flat, context-free structure. Movement, combat and non-combat functions are accomplished via the classic mouse and keyboard control combination. Most functions, especially in regard to combat, are accessed via a string of action functions located on "hot bars" or "skill bars". These functions can either be clicked upon directly with the mouse or bound to specific keyboard keys. Although there are occasional exceptions, each key has only one particular function, regardless of the player's situation within the game. Compare the large number of actions located on skill bars to the number of buttons available on a standard PS3 or Xbox 360 controller and you can easily see where basic interface design decisions just don't correlate well between consoles and PCs. It's not that one interface is better than another; they're just inherently different. In attempting to build a game that works on both PCs and consoles you've got to design to the least common denominator. If the console's controller can't support 50 buttons for different actions or can't accommodate quickly selecting actions via a heads-up-display, then you've got to streamline the experience or make it more context sensitive and intuitive. This act of streamlining an interface can only serve to benefit both console and PC gamers in the long haul.
