Here’s a somewhat interesting conundrum I’ve encountered regarding controls.\u00a0 I’m hyperaware of what is intuitive to the end user (not to mention the fact\u00a0there’s already\u00a0the Options menu\u00a0letting the player assign their own controls).<\/p>\n
This may actually be a moot point when the game gets closer to finished and I see more of these design “problems” in action only to realize I don’t actually need their implementation.\u00a0 But the main issue is the console game design principle that the “A Button” is the default action in any situation.\u00a0 But what is the default action for an item that can be collected, but can also be used (for example, a lantern or trap?)<\/p>\n
Right now Shadowdawn Genesis<\/em> is programmed to support both actions in two different buttons, but assigning one as the default is still tricky.\u00a0 Not many games allow too much interactivity so it’s hard to find a reference point.\u00a0 The most interactive game I know, Ultima VII: The Black Gate<\/em>, has an entirely mouse driven interface, but it has the advantage of mouse-dragging to take items\u00a0or move them and double-clicking to use them, where a controller needs to have each action broken up into seperate button presses.\u00a0 But double-click in PC terms means “default action”, so in this case, the default action is to use<\/strong> the item.\u00a0 That fits in with slightly less interactive games like Deus Ex<\/em> where a single left-click uses items… but it also prioritizes taking collectible items.\u00a0 The difference in Deus Ex<\/em> is the player can’t use<\/strong> a collectible item until it is equipped, which makes a degree of sense on one hand and not so much sense for other items,\u00a0but so far Shadowdawn<\/em> has this design implemented as well.\u00a0 I’m just giving the player the additional\u00a0ability to use an item that is lying around rather than go through the interface of equipping it and then using it…<\/p>\n So I ask you, the game players, what do you think is most intuitive?<\/p>\n In other news, I’m simply working on Arashi’s many elaborate animations, chugging right along.\u00a0 As they get closer and closer to done, I get more and more\u00a0motivated seeing her actually move around the screen… rather than sliding in place.\u00a0 This definitely should have been a 3D game though, drawing so many actions in 4 directions is\u00a0far more complex than\u00a0even the best indie 2D animated games simply because those games rely on side-scrolling to cut down the directions of movement and thus amount of work needed.\u00a0 They can get away with more interesting looking moves at the cost of freedom of movement and exploration… and they call themselves RPGs, pshaw!<\/p>\n