What is "consolisation" and why does it exist? Or Simulated Skill v Player Skill - by SubJeff
Renzatic on 4/2/2011 at 18:51
It does require a different control scheme, but I wouldn't say it sucks compared to the 1:1 movement you get with the mouse. I'm pretty picky about my FPS shootery shit, and after playing MP3, I found having to move the reticle to the far edge of the screen for quick 180s then snapping back near the center didn't bother me in the least once I got used to it.
Opinions will vary on this, of course. But I think it works perfectly. Sure, you can't do super quick spins like you can with the mouse, because you have to have some time to compensate and readjust without overshooting your intended position. But...eh...it works, and works well.
Koki on 4/2/2011 at 19:17
Quote Posted by Renzatic
So just because most companies half-assed the Wiimote, doesn't mean the potential isn't there.
Just because the potential is there, doesn't mean anyone's gonna use it.
hur
Renzatic on 4/2/2011 at 19:19
If it's the default controller of the next generation of consoles, then they kinda have to.
dur
ZylonBane on 4/2/2011 at 19:57
Quote Posted by Renzatic
If it's the default controller of the next generation of consoles, then they kinda have to.
Which it won't be.
qed
Sulphur on 4/2/2011 at 20:21
Why not? Move's certainly backwards compatible with a patch. The Wii has proven that motion control is a viable and profitable mechanic, and so have Move and Kinect. They're working on bringing them to the PC. It's being pushed forward as we speak.
ZylonBane on 4/2/2011 at 20:57
Because the arm-flailing body-tracking input method works best for primarily casual games. There's certainly a market for that, but it simply doesn't work for everything. It's inherently imprecise, physically tiring, logistically demanding (gotta clear out that space in front of the couch!), and severely limits the number of "verbs" that can be expressed to the game.
Console gaming started with this:
Inline Image:
http://www.trs-80.org/images/USBAtariJoystick_1280C/usb_joystick.jpgAnd seems to have stabilized around this:
Inline Image:
http://www.ps3controller.org/ps3controller.jpgCurrent game controllers have so many buttons because current games
need so many buttons. Game complexity certainly isn't going to start backsliding.
I blame this entire motion control fad on Minority Report. It's one of those things that seems infinitely more cool in concept than in actual practice.
lost_soul on 4/2/2011 at 21:28
Consolization:
*round down textures and make them nice and blurry
*split the maps up into chunks smaller than the block of studio apartments in which I live
*remove any kind of customization from the game, besides control scheme selection
*make sure the fans can't modify or expand the PC game, by having everything stored in one big data file
*Make sure multiplayer is reliant on one central server, which the publisher will turn off in two years to get us to buy their next game
Anything I missed? Oh yeah!
*make sure you leave out some levels to sell them to the gamer later
Renzatic on 4/2/2011 at 22:42
Quote Posted by ZylonBane
Because the arm-flailing body-tracking input method works best for primarily casual games. There's certainly a market for that, but it simply doesn't work for everything. It's inherently imprecise, physically tiring, logistically demanding (gotta clear out that space in front of the couch!), and severely limits the number of "verbs" that can be expressed to the game.
As far as aiming goes, you don't have to wave your whole arm around. All I had to do was prop my elbow up on the arm of my chair, point the Wiimote at the screen, and move my wrist around to aim. Wasn't tiring in the least. I could play for a couple of hours easily like that.
Malf on 4/2/2011 at 22:44
Quote Posted by ZylonBane
It sucks for FPS control because in FPS games, aiming and looking are the same activity, whereas with a Wiimote the developers are forced to cook up some alternate method for turning your head.
THIS, a thousand times this.
The best experience I've had with motion controls in a FPS is with the 3rd in the Metroid Prime Trilogy, and even that felt half-assed.
As for the move being just as good as the Wiimote, I'm not sure.
Ergonomically, the move is a clusterfuck, with the Start and Select buttons being the prime offenders, with the shape of the thing itself following a close second. It's VERY easy to lose orientation on the Move.
Then there's the Move's nunchuk equivalent, which again is an ergonomic nightmare, but at the same time lacks the motion sensor present in the Wii nunchuk.
The absolute best Wiimote game I played was Resident Evil 4. Resi 5 on the PS3 uses the same kind of scheme, but is unfortunately a completely uninspired, slightly offensive game, nowhere near the same quality as Resi 4.
As for the game I thought would rock with Move, MAG, well, within 10 minutes I was back using the SixAxis, it was that bad. Flail the main controller for a knife attack? Fuck off. And pushing to the edge of the screen to turn was just tedious.
My conclusion is that while motion controls may rock for on-rails shooters such as House of the Dead, they're even worse than standard controllers for FPS games. The Killzone 3 Move test I watched recently was interesting, but again, seemed more of a pain in the ass than using the SixAxis. (
http://www.iwaggle3d.com/2011/01/video-iwatch-killzone-3-preview-demo.html) Here's the in-depth test footage from iWaggle.
