Improvement: Better control options for PS2

Traak · 2011-09-19, 01:08 PM

In PS1, using my mouse, I had to continuously slide it across the mouse pad to steer my vehicle.

Fine. INCOMPREHENSIBLY, when in flight, one small movement of the mouse resulted in a locked-in death spiral that I had to find some way to get out of.

Idiotic.

When I move my mouse, the vehicle should go where it's pointed. I shouldn't need to keep sliding it over to steer on the ground, but one small movement in the air LOCKS the air vehicle in that rate of turn, and you have to somehow divine where exactly center is to get it back. No. Bad.

Make it so we can have completely, 100% divorced sets of controls for the various movements, ground, air, water, whatever.

I tried every combination possible, still flight sucked. And/or I had to completely revamp it all to drive a vehicle.

And, have the capability to use a stick for flight with its controls completely locked out when on the ground or in a vehicle, or be able to use whatever controller you want for whatever vehicle. A stick with the ability to rotate it around its vertical axis would be great if tanks can be driven while the turret is moved around to look and aim, though I am against driver/gunners.

I avoided planes for eight years because of the horrific, terrible, idiotic flight mechanics.

FIREk · 2011-09-19, 04:14 PM

You should probably check how it's done in Battlefield 2, since there are planes there. I used a joystick so I don't recall how aircraft steering via mouse was implemented in that game. I know someone who claims to have done mad tricks with planes, and he's got no joystick, so I'm sure BF2 did it right. Therefore PS2 will likely use that system as a basis for its own, probably merged with BFBC2's chopper flight model for hovering and VTOL flight.

PS2 will feature a full 360-degree vertical flight model, so it shouldn't have anything in common with PS1's "flying camera" scheme. Therefore there's no need to fear the return of this system, nor to worry about PS2's system being derived from the PS1 one.

NapalmEnima · 2011-09-19, 08:15 PM

I'm thinking PS2 will inspire me to buy a new joystick. I get one every 5-10 years for one game or another, and when I stop playing that game it sits and collects dust.

My current joystick is VERY dusty.

And broken, methinks.

Talek Krell · 2011-09-20, 07:29 PM

I'm hoping that PS2 will be my excuse to finally purchase a joystick/throttle setup.

Raymac · 2011-09-21, 12:29 AM

Originally Posted by Talek Krell

I'm hoping that PS2 will be my excuse to finally purchase a joystick/throttle setup.

Ditto

FastAndFree · 2011-09-21, 07:00 AM

Originally Posted by Talek Krell

I'm hoping that PS2 will be my excuse to finally purchase a joystick/throttle setup.

Same. Also rudder pedals.
And I alredy made a Freetrack head tracking rig for PS2 that I have yet to use...

Trolltaxi · 2011-09-21, 12:03 PM

Did you know that ALT+R leveled and centered your plane? Ideal for gals (others didn't get seasick), for Libs (so your gunner could drop the bombs), mossies for long straight line personal transport...

In combat situations the constant turn must have helped you (flying in a straight line for more than 20 seconds meant almost certain death in WWII too).

But again: ALT+R is your friend!

**Malorn** · 2011-09-21, 01:12 PM

I hate joysticks, I like how PS simulated it with a mouse so anyone could fly without requiring them to go buy a joystick.

It makes transitions between infantry and aircraft that much nicer as well.

Joysticks might still be a better way to fly for some people, great. That doesn't mean the mouse shouldn't simulate it.

And the reason they simulated it was to prevent you from having to constantly lift up your mouse and replace it on the pad as you were navigating. It literally simulated a joystick - move it left, you kept moving left as if the mouse was banking the joystick left. Move it right and it counteracted that. Move it more right and it started banking right. In that respect your mouse stayed centered.

Its awkward at first but makes sense if you hink of it as a joystick simulation as opposed to a typical mouse operation.

Wahooo · 2011-09-21, 03:08 PM

Mouse movement in vehicles just feels like it dumbs it down a little... maybe a lot. Granted i haven't owned a joystick for a very long time, and the reason is because the mouse simulation ability became so easy.
The last game I exclusively used a joystick? I think was Wing Comander. Wing Commander II the mouse controls were so easy to use I never picked up another joystick. But the whole time I felt a little dirty, like it was almost an exploit using the mouse rather than a joystick. I'd LOVE if the vehicles or at least the air units in PS2 casued me to go buy a joystick/throttle.