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Best First Person Shooter Controller

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AtomSmasher:

I agree that currently the mouse and keyboard work best for FPS games, but slapping a mouse and keyboard into a cockpit just wouldn't make sense to me.  It wouldn't feel like an arcade game, it would feel like sitting down to play on my computer.  If you use joysticks, then you'll definately need to have buttons on the joystick, otherwise you couldn't fire and move at the same time.  They probably did their homework when they built the HL2 cabs, so you should take a close look and see exactly how they did it.

tetsu96:

I suppose it's what you're used to and such...  but I bet a dual analog flight sticks would work well if the game can be configured as such.  The 2 joystick playstyle of most console FPS titles is something that you get used to after a while, and if the sticks had a HUD control each, that's 8 potential "buttons" not withstanding the trigger / missle buttons.  I bet the analog joysticks would be good once you get used to them, something like people who swear by trackballs instead of mouse(s).

jelwell:

Maybe too obvious. But try playing a FPS on your PC with various PC controls before you decide.

It helps if the FPS allows auto-aiming. I play Unreal Tournament with Auto Aim turned on and I can just use 2 joysticks and few buttons. The trackball doesn't hurt when Autoaim is off but my trackball is so big that it makes it difficult to use that hand for anything else.

It doesn't help that most arcade joysticks don't have buttons on them.
Joseph Elwell.

NoOne=NBA=:

The trick is not so much in making it playable, as in being able to play it at a competitive level.
Atari's War used very simple controls (analog triggerstick, movement/jump buttons), but all the players were similarly handicapped.
In the FPS world, you will be playing against people that are using a mouse/keyboard combo.
Limiting your controls, or using something less than optimal, will give them a great advantage over you.

If I had to design an FPS controller, my start would be a PC trackball, and an add-on style 10-key controller.
If the design was a cockpit style, as mentioned earlier, a Nostromo controller might not be a bad start either.
True arcade controls just aren't designed to play FPS games at any serious level of competition.

StormGiant:

Interesting topic.  I know hardware controller designers have been trying to come up with something that works better than M+K since FPS became true 3D.  PS and Xbox controllers just aren't the same, and auto-aiming is considered by many if not most to be cheating.

The Space Orb is no longer made but was a good try.  When I tested it the shortcoming seemed to be aiming speed, which I believe would be the problem with using an analog joystick or trackball to aim as well.  www.planethardware.com/spaceorb/

MS Dual Strike also tried to be a 3D FPS controller with mixed results.

One key design component must be that the player's hands never have to move from the controller, which is an advantage with PS/Xbox thumbstick.

I would love to see FPS games come to cabs with a decent setup.  Perhaps the 2 analog joystick setup like they showed for Half-Life 2 arcade would work if the aiming joystick was hypersensitive.



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