Not to pull you off your high horse, but I think what AJ is implying is that WASD+mouse makes it hard to WATCH, not hard to play.
The problem is that the FPS control scheme really is the best control scheme for the game in all modes. It's not the best control scheme for watching a video, and I agree with you there, but it's by far the most effective control scheme for playing the game. Directing players to a less effective control scheme at the start is a bad idea. I think we should be doing more to direct players towards the FPS controls, with or without the mouse, and do a better job teaching players how to use them so they can get the hang of them quicker.All I'm advocating for is some kind of solution to this. Maybe when a user boots the game for the very first time, ask them what control scheme they would prefer -- 'Classic', or 'FPS' with an explanation of something along the lines of 'Classic -- good for traditional single player gaming', and 'FPS -- good for multiplayer deathmatches' and something about 'this can be changed at anytime in the control options'.
While we haven't tried it yet, one of the things we've been planning to try out is making the character sprite face the control direction instead of the facing direction for all non-FPS modes. This would help players grasp what strafe is doing better while also using all of those sprites in normal operation.I know that if I had NEVER seen or heard of SRB2 before, and I watched this video, I probably would not even consider downloading the game. The strict and jittery movement of the camera also deprives you of seeing the other angles of the player sprite animation, and it feels a lot like playing with 4-frame Doomguy or Duke3D as opposed to a character with a lot more animation frames and angles. The physics also come off as looking extra weird when the player is strafing.
WASD+mouse makes it hard to WATCH,
I think we should be doing more to direct players towards the FPS controls, with or without the mouse, and do a better job teaching players how to use them so they can get the hang of them quicker.
Arrow keys for turning. Personally I just have strafe keys on the left hand and use the arrow keys for forward/backward movement as well, rather than WASD+left/right arrows....Sorry, huh? FPS controls without a mouse? How does that work?
Arrow keys for turning. Personally I just have strafe keys on the left hand and use the arrow keys for forward/backward movement as well, rather than WASD+left/right arrows.
The problem is that the FPS control scheme really is the best control scheme for the game in all modes. It's not the best control scheme for watching a video, and I agree with you there, but it's by far the most effective control scheme for playing the game. Directing players to a less effective control scheme at the start is a bad idea. I think we should be doing more to direct players towards the FPS controls, with or without the mouse, and do a better job teaching players how to use them so they can get the hang of them quicker.
While you see a video that's jittery, I actually look at this video as a great example of a guy figuring out how SRB2 works on his own quite effectively. He visibly improves his skill and understanding just in the 15 minutes he played, and that's a sign that for this guy at least, the FPS controls are quite effective.
While we haven't tried it yet, one of the things we've been planning to try out is making the character sprite face the control direction instead of the facing direction for all non-FPS modes. This would help players grasp what strafe is doing better while also using all of those sprites in normal operation.
While we haven't tried it yet, one of the things we've been planning to try out is making the character sprite face the control direction instead of the facing direction for all non-FPS modes. This would help players grasp what strafe is doing better while also using all of those sprites in normal operation.
Git Gudtelling a first time Melee player "You gotta learn how to wavedash and shffl if you want to get good at the game"
I agree with this since the mouselook doesnt work well in analog mode, but there should be a notice before you start the game asking for keyboard or WASD + Mouse controls so new comers knowI think you can implement this easier than you think -- just allow mouselook camera control in analog mode. Doing this will probably cause fewer unintended issues than having the character sprite face a strafe in 'analog off' mode.
I agree with this since the mouselook doesnt work well in analog mode, but there should be a notice before you start the game asking for keyboard or WASD + Mouse controls so new comers know
The main goal here actually isn't making sure players use WASD and the mouse. The main goal here is to make sure players have and use strafe keys. To use the Smash Brothers analogy, if mastering mouselook is like using wavedashing, figuring out how to use strafe is like figuring out how to use a smash attack. You can technically play SRB2 without strafe, but you're severely handicapping yourself and you'll find the game far more frustrating