How do you like your controls?

  • Controls are immensely important to a game. Loads of otherwise fantastic games have been brought down by their bad controls. Same goes for simple games being heightened by great controls.   

    So I'm wondering what are your favorite control Layouts? Specifically layouts for browser games? Seeing as that's what we are all making with Construct 2. I'll go first , these are my general opinions and I know they will differ from others. But hey that's a good reason to ask right?

    <font color=brown>Generic guidelines I tend to like</font>

    1.Movement Keys on the left side of the keyboard Action keys on the Right side.   with space in between "think NES controller D-pad on the left hand side.   B, A on right hand side"

    2.Not a Fan of Jump on a D-pad layout being UP.

    3.Pause Key better then on screen pause button. And Pause should always be an option.

    4.Aiming Should be done with a Mouse, not keys. guns track the mouse. I cry a little when I have to slowly rotate my aim with keys.

    5.Multiple controls layouts, or the ability to change controls if possible. Because everyone likes it a bit different. It's also the a good way to solve many control issues players have.

    2. Keyboard and Mouse layouts I tend to like for some classic styles of play.

    <font color=brown>Mario "generic platformer"</font>

    "WASD"/"ZQSD" for movement.     " Arrow keys" or any group of keys on the right hand side for action. Maybe mouse keys

    <font color=brown>Contra "platform shooter"</font>

    "WASD / ZQSD / Arrow keys" movement and   Mouse for Aiming and Action keys.

    <font color=brown>Asteroids style shooter</font>

    "WASD / ZQSD / Arrow keys" for movement and Mouse for Aiming and Action keys.


    All Keyboard with   Arrow keys for movement and Space to shoot.   Yeah this breaks my Left to right guideline, but my brain can handle it in an Asteroids game. :)

    <font color=brown>Gradius style shooter</font>


    <font color=brown>Any click heavy game "board game / match 3 / Tower defence"</font>

    Mouse, for all actions and movement. All that's needed along with great onscreen menus. Most of these game are not twitch games so they feel better when they keep it simple and keep it on the mouse.

    I'm very curious as to how others like to control a game. And any control conventions they really like or really hate. Thanks for reading.

  • Mouse, most definitely. Axis pad (USB controller) second. Keyboard - only if I have to.

  • Being a left hander (and therefore using the mouse in the left hand) I use the arrow keys for movement.

  • I find that some people on the internet often tend to feel rather strongly about the types of control layouts they like. In particular, using up or space for jump. For that reason, I hope customizable controls are on the to do list for construct two!

  • Wouldn't mind joypad at some point.

  • I'm pretty flexible and can adapt to just about any control scheme you throw at me, so long as it doesn't break my fingers trying to hit all the buttons. <img src="smileys/smiley17.gif" border="0" align="middle" />

    Even the strangest control schemes won't bother me after playing with it for half an hour or so.

  • onzephyr I like your attention on the "zqsd" for the azerty keyboards.

    I've seen a lot of examples where dev just propose "wasd" controls, which is a pain and shows they don't care or know about internationalization. Imo, that's a huge mistake.

    tewn for C2, it will depend, in the future, if browsers take joypads into account or not.

    For the time being there's no way to use them for C2 games (which is a shame, I agree).

    Anyway, like Arima, I'm all for custom controls that players set by themselves. This is the best way to make everybody happy.

  • OK everyone likes custom controls, check.

    Kyatric I'd make a control layout for dvorak or the Power glove if I thought it would let players enjoy the game better.<img src="smileys/smiley1.gif" border="0" align="middle">

    For anyone who wants to use their controller in a browser or their C2 game you can try JoyToKey.exe It's a utility to map keyboard keys to any controller you have. I love it and use it to great effect.   

    joytokey download

    in Addition if you use a keyboard layout that's not supported, or simply wish to quickly remap your keys to other keys , then just as fast back again. I'd suggest SharpKeys. wonderful little utility.

    sharpkeys download

    Neither will help with development but both are great from a player perspective in helping overcome control layouts.

  • How i like mine:

    First of all, SNES is king.


    Second, customizable controls, i think all games should let you choose which key/button does what.

    Third, preferably on a gamepad, if so D-pad just for movement, with the four diamond-arranged buttons, down = jump, left = run, right = attack, up = whatever else. obviously i prefer platformers <img src="smileys/smiley17.gif" border="0" align="middle" />

    Fourth, if on a keyboard, unless the keys can be customized, then arrows for movement [we're not playing with our thumbs like on a gamepad so let's stop pretending so], and Z X and the such [ASD] for actions.

    NEVER should jump be UP

    NEVER should jump be SPACE

    NEVER should keys such as Shift, Control, Alt and etc be used in these games.

    just my 2 cents


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  • Different games require different layouts. For example Demons/Dark Souls has a pretty unusual way of handling what weapon you use and how, but once you learn it (not that hard) it really makes sense.

    In general I can adapt to mostly anything (except playing Soul Calibur with a stick, I just can't do it...)

    I too am not a big fan about up being used for jumping. I feel it should be reserved for fighter games where it actually makes more sense.

    WASD + Mouse for aiming in a sidescroller is something I'm not a too big fan of as well. I find it better to aim like in Contra, where you aim with the movement buttons, than aiming with the mouse. Mostly because in almost every wasd sidescroller, it doesn't seem necessary. Most of the time it feels like the dev actually wanted to make an fps, but couldn't, so he just made it 2D and kept the layout.

    As a thought experiment, take one such game and think about how it works, then replace the mouse aiming with Contra style aiming. The game should work just as well, probably better for some. I currently can't think of a game mechanic that requires mouse aiming.

  • Make keys optional. Where I live we don't HAVE arrow keys. I can't play those games.


    There's a place where arrow keys are nonexistent? <img src="smileys/smiley3.gif" border="0" align="middle" />

    Actually, if there is no gamepad support, I tend to prefer simply arrow keys for movement, and some easily accessible keys like X and C for actions. WASD only when there's mouse control required at the same time.

    I know that's the other way round from the layout of a gamepad, but it has never bothered me. Feels natural.

  • No. The school has removed them because we shouldn't play games on the computer.

  • I am also a lefthanded person, but I prefer using ASDF for moving, Shift for walking slow or sprinting, STRG for ducking, SPACE for jumping E for USE, R for reload and maybe Q for Toggle last weapon ... =)

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