motion control

posts about #motioncontrol more →
A Reason To Exclude Motion Controls From Your Flying Game
How Do You Want Your RE5? Tell Capcom
Approval Ratings: No Motivation for Motion Control
Kotaku Approval Ratings: Issues of the Day
How Sony Motion Control Figures into LittleBigPlanet
Video of Resident Evil 5 Using PS3 Motion Controls
Putting Up Airballs — and Making Them — in NBA 2K10
RedOctane Chief Says Natal 'Likely' for Guitar Hero
Producer: Halo Natal will be Done 'When It Makes Sense'
Sony's Motion Controller Explained — The Sequel

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Matt doesn't have a witty tagline
10/20/09

In reply to A Reason To Exclude Motion Controls From Your Flying Game
There's a lot of hate out there for Sixaxis. I generally understand this hatred: the grenade aiming in Uncharted, the motorcycle and helicopter controls in GTA4, and pretty much anything that requires you to shake your controller on command are all abuses of the system and the authors of these "features" will be first up against the wall when the revolution comes.

However, somehow the geniuses at Insomniac managed to use Sixaxis in very reasonable ways in Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. Play the demo if you don't believe me -- the demo sold me on the game, and one part of that was a Sixaxis sequence that didn't suck. More like that, please. #darkvoid
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Chalkdust
10/20/09

In reply to A Reason To Exclude Motion Controls From Your Flying Game
Sixaxis can be pretty cool when used right, but this makes total sense to me. As soon as I saw the headline I was hoping someone didn't add motion control to a flying game, because those two things just shouldn't be combined. #darkvoid
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(Starman) Starman
10/20/09

In reply to A Reason To Exclude Motion Controls From Your Flying Game
"Players tend to move their bodies a little when they're making tight turns in flying games — or even a racing games"

ಠ_ಠ Damn shaky hands of mine over the left analog stick… #darkvoid
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MrBionic
10/20/09

In reply to A Reason To Exclude Motion Controls From Your Flying Game
I despise sixaxis and disable it whenever I can. #darkvoid
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Nothing
10/20/09

@MrBionic: even for super rub-a-dub? #darkvoid
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KazeEternal
10/20/09

@MrBionic: that's ok Sixaxis despises you too and would do what it could to disable you too. #darkvoid
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funcmode
10/20/09

@KazeEternal: I just pictured a bionic man fighting with a PS3 controller. Awesome. #darkvoid
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Taggart6: I don't always drink beer, but when I do...
10/20/09

In reply to A Reason To Exclude Motion Controls From Your Flying Game
There are 3 things required for the ultimate flying experience:

1) A flight joystick.
2) rumble chair
3) and "danger Zone' playing in the background.

an optional 4th is a friend sitting behind you yelling "Maverick, they're on our 6!" every once in a while.
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Edited by Taggart6: I don't always drink beer, but when I do... at 10/20/09 5:49 PM

Ad-hominem
10/20/09

@Taggart6 once shot a man just to watch him die.:
To get the full experience- after you're done playing the game, you go and play some beach volleyball with latent homosexual undertones.
Then, you go and take a shower with the aforementioned buddy. Top Gun Experience Complete! #darkvoid
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Weirdwolf Is Restared To Glory!
10/20/09

@#c16157995:

Ever seen Tarantino's view of top gun? This is, of course, Not safe for work.
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Edited by Weirdwolf Is Restared To Glory! at 10/20/09 5:59 PM

Veltis
10/20/09

@Weirdwolf Is Restared To Glory!: Go the gay way! ^^ #darkvoid
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Weirdwolf Is Restared To Glory!
10/20/09

@Veltis:

Well if you insist sweetie. #darkvoid
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mwoody
10/20/09

In reply to A Reason To Exclude Motion Controls From Your Flying Game
I love Flower, but at best I could say it worked despite its motion controls rather than because of them. #darkvoid
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MrBionic
10/20/09

@mwoody: I concur. #darkvoid
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Jean-François L'Her
10/20/09

In reply to A Reason To Exclude Motion Controls From Your Flying Game
Flower had the false positive input too. flOw has it too. They ALL have it. SIXAXIS should never have existed, it's just crap. The initial, stable position of the controller cannot be virtually tweaked as the game sees fit either, which would work but for the fact that SIXAXIS actually uses gravity. Plus there's a limit to one's wrist writhing skills AND using face (back/side/other side?) buttons meanwhile. #darkvoid
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Treponema_Pallidum
10/20/09

In reply to A Reason To Exclude Motion Controls From Your Flying Game
Sony should thrown in the towel when it comes to sixaxis. I never played flower but virtually every other game has implemented it poorly, minimally, or not at all. I would rather they design a more ergonomic controller. #darkvoid
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funcmode
10/20/09

In reply to A Reason To Exclude Motion Controls From Your Flying Game
Chatting with the producer of Capcom's jet-pack shooter Dark Void today, I learned that Sixaxis was not a control option for the game. Why not? "It's crap."

That's my take on it. Sixaxis was/is a total gimmick. The fact that Sony are now releasing "proper" motion controls for their console is a testament to how much of an afterthought the Sixaxis was in the first place. #darkvoid
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ankhenaten
10/20/09

@funcmode: have you played a game that only has six axis as it's method of control? It is a bit gimmicky when it is tacked on and I don't want it as my primary control method for most games, but flower and rub a dub are very good examples of how well six axis can work. Of course they aren't any different than mario kart wii controls really. #darkvoid
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XODIS
10/20/09

@funcmode: I think it's perceived as a gimmick because no one fully implements it. There was Warhawk and then everything went downhill from there. The sixaxis is a sweet feature for the PS3 but is just underused. I haven't played a flying game with it to be honest, but the sixaxis in other games has been awesome (even if just for one thing). Some of my favorites are shaking enemies off of you (because I tend to do that anyway when something attacks me in a game) and planting the charges in Killzone 2. I know it's all what floats your boat but I like the sixaxis and wish they would implement it more.
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funcmode promoted this comment Edited by XODIS at 10/20/09 5:29 PM XODIS was starred XODIS was unstarred

Spoony
10/20/09

@funcmode: Sure it was an after thought. But as the article pointed out one that works well when used properly. I Enjoyed playing flower like that, and if it worked well in a flying game it'd be kinda fun to use as well.

But it's not anything major and i'd rather them not include it then release it as badly as it was done in lair.

And i bet had lair nailed the controls as well as flower it wouldn't have been labeled as a stupid flop of a gimmick and more games would have used it.

But after so much backlash was thrown at lair for using them it's no wonder other companies won't waste development time on utilizing them. #darkvoid
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ankhenaten
10/20/09

@ankhenaten: and actually, i sort of like it when a game has me hold the two triggers and then turn the controller counter clockwise to open a bulkhead or something. But I don't really enjoy it when a game wants me to flick the controller to do something while i'm in the heat of battle, especially with shooter games.

I think this was a wise decision on their part, but I also don't think the six axis is "crap." #darkvoid
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funcmode promoted this comment ankhenaten was starred ankhenaten was unstarred

funcmode
10/20/09

@ankhenaten: Sorry my first post came off a bit harsher than I really intended.

It definitely can be used effectively, Flower I guess proved that, but I think even in that particular case it only worked because the game itself was so simple and obviously lended it self well to the kind of control Sixaxis could offer. That game to me came off as the kind of thing Sony would develop themselves to promote the Sixaxis rather than a third-party title in and of itself.

The reason I said it was crap was primarily because when used in the "tacked on" fashion you mention yourself, it seems to detract from the game more than it does improve.

The opening bulkhead mechanic in KZ2 was easily the best of the "tacked on" uses for the Sixaxis to date - and I think it worked OK because it was quite precise and simple, and after you do it a few times it becomes almost as second nature as just pressing a button. I however, would still have preferred to just press a button.

If the best use of the sixaxis (disregarding games that are developed entirely based around the control scheme) is the equivalent of just pressing a button as far as the overall experience goes - then as far as I'm concerned it's a total gimmick. If you like it, that's cool.

Regarding Dark Void, I'm glad they decided to leave Sixaxis out of the equation. Development time spent on (optional) Sixaxis controls is development time better spent elsewhere. #darkvoid
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Izod517
10/20/09

In reply to A Reason To Exclude Motion Controls From Your Flying Game
See also Lair. I don't know if it gets any worse than that. What a paradox of a pretty game yet annoying as hell. Even with the Analog patch it's pretty bad.

Edit: OMGORSH I'ma star now! Only took a couple of months, thanks Kotaku!
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Edited by Izod517 at 10/20/09 5:21 PM Izod517 was starred Izod517 was unstarred

buddhathing
10/20/09

@Izod517: Congrats! Time to settle in and choose an avatar so people remember you more readily. You've been knighted, now you need your coat of arms. #darkvoid
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Izod517
10/20/09

@(zombie) buddhathing: I'm all over it. I like puppies. Steve... she touched my puppy. Back on topic - I even found flOw and Flower a bit annoying in regards to controls. FUN and great games, but annoying. It didn't take much away, unlike in Lair... which it just stripped an otherwise potentially good game of anything worthwhile. #darkvoid
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(Starman) Starman
10/20/09

@Izod517: *golfclap* ^_^ #darkvoid
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Dangeresque (Kojima-san doesn't have to make Metal Gear any more)
10/20/09

@(zombie) buddhathing: ...Come to think of it, most of us stars don't change our avatars much, do we? #darkvoid
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Dr Durdon
10/20/09

In reply to A Reason To Exclude Motion Controls From Your Flying Game
Jesus Christ, enough with the waggle. Sounds like this guy has at least figured out how much of a novelty it is. It belongs in some games -- like Wii Sports, Wario, Metroid Prime 3. It does not belong in most games.

Motion controls are (I hope) the current fad in gaming. As others have said a thousand times before me, I don't want to be physical when playing my games. I take that time to be a lazy ass and put a permanent asscheek mark on my couch. #darkvoid
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BtownDesignGuy
10/20/09

@Dr Durdon: Honestly? I enjoyed games like Excite Truck when they came out. I enjoyed the added challenge of balancing my hands instead of using just my thumbs. That said, I also enjoyed the fact that Excite Truck didn't require a lot of precision to play reasonably well. Motion controls in Mario Kart? No thanks. Ditto for anything with shooting. #darkvoid
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Dr Durdon
10/20/09

@GnatB: Oh I remember Lawnmower Man, that movie was the shit.

@BtownDesignGuy: and yeah, Excite Truck actually worked with the waggle. #darkvoid
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Tevor_the_Third
10/20/09

In reply to A Reason To Exclude Motion Controls From Your Flying Game
Shouldn't that just force the player to, you know, adapt and control their movements so as too not twitch and spasm and wind up missing?

I mean they're motion controls, expecting the player to control their body movement seems like a given. You might as well not include a jump button because if players accidentally hit it when they're not supposed to it might mess up their aim.

Maybe it's just me but that just seems silly. I mean wasn't the concept of incorporating that unintentional movement, the way people would always jerk of lean when playing racing games, into games one of the things companies used to sell the concept of motion controls with back when it was still a new unreleased technology?

This just smacks of "We don't want players to get frustrated by having to do something hard." #darkvoid
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Hamsfork promoted this comment Tevor_the_Third was starred Tevor_the_Third was unstarred

Hamsfork
10/20/09

@Tevor_the_Third: The problem is that moving from side to side is unconscious. People don't even realize they're doing it. On top of that, some people lean when turning right, and some people don't. When one person presses a button, it's exactly the same as when another person presses it. In motion control like this, there are too many variables involved. Some people twitch more when the game gets tougher, and some people concentrate more and twitch less. People would either need to pay close attention to every single movement of their bodies when playing this game with motion control (not fun), or the controls would have to intelligently adapt to the twitchiness of the player and recalibrate if the player sits in another chair or is less stressed out during another play session (inconvenient and difficult).
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Edited by Hamsfork at 10/20/09 5:24 PM Hamsfork was starred Hamsfork was unstarred

BtownDesignGuy
10/20/09

@Hamsfork: Well, I think if the game is sensing motion 100% of the time, it forces the gamer to shift into a specific posture where they twitch less. They need to focus on the game more.

The challenge for the developer becomes, are we having the gamer focus on something that's actually fun? And if the answer is "no," which it probably is nine times out of ten, they should permit joystick controls. #darkvoid
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Foxstar is in love with Kotaku's two Brians.
10/20/09

In reply to A Reason To Exclude Motion Controls From Your Flying Game
I thought Lair was the reason above all reasons. #darkvoid
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Archaotic
10/20/09

@Foxstar is in love with Kotaku's two Brians.: This. #darkvoid
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Foxstar is in love with Kotaku's two Brians.
10/20/09

@Archaotic: They never did recover from that game. What a way to go. #darkvoid
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Gildon
10/20/09

@Foxstar is in love with Kotaku's two Brians.: Honestly, I never really had problems with Lair's controls.

And yes, I am talking pre-patch controls. #darkvoid
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Foxstar is in love with Kotaku's two Brians. promoted this comment Gildon was starred Gildon was unstarred

Foxstar is in love with Kotaku's two Brians.
10/20/09

@Gildon: There were a few people like you, so your not alone. But the other side outnumbered the side who liked the controls. I've never seen a game drop in trade in value to the point where they would not take it at Gamestop at the rate it did like Lair. After two weeks, the shelves were flooded at my local 3 Gamestops and people were refusing to pick up their preorders. #darkvoid
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heybtbm
10/20/09

@Foxstar is in love with Kotaku's two Brians.: Exactly what I came here to say.

Although, the "we should've had this as an option at launch" normal control patch did help. The game isn't a total wash after the update. #darkvoid
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Foxstar is in love with Kotaku's two Brians. promoted this comment heybtbm was starred heybtbm was unstarred

Foxstar is in love with Kotaku's two Brians.
10/20/09

@heybtbm: True, if people weren't forced to use the Sixaxis at the start, it would have likely escaped the savaging. But by the time the patch finally hit, the damage was done, it was a joke among hardcores and causals, fustrated as hell over the controls, traded it in/avoided it. #darkvoid
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Weirdwolf Is Restared To Glory!
10/20/09

@Foxstar is in love with Kotaku's two Brians.:

While the rushed six axis controls were a big problem in Lair, I've always felt that they were basically repeating the same mistakes they made in the third Rogue Squadron game, difficult to make out targets coupled with a poor targeting system, badly set out mission objectives and most of all absolutely risible ground based sections.
You could have slapped a coat of Star wars paint on Lair and called it Rogue Squadron 4, it was as if they were totally ignoring what the reviews for their last game pointed out and blithly went on their merry way thinking that if they could just make something look prettier people wouldn't notice.
I'm sorry that the people who worked there lost their jobs but I'm not really sorry to see Factor 5 go. #darkvoid
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Foxstar is in love with Kotaku's two Brians.
10/20/09

@Weirdwolf Is Restared To Glory!: That also. Lair was Rouge Squadron without a Death Star level. #darkvoid
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pandafresh
10/06/09

In reply to How Do You Want Your RE5? Tell Capcom
BURGER KING COUPONS! it should come with a free whopper! YEA!
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Snappywave: Subtitle option for the Deaf please
10/06/09

In reply to How Do You Want Your RE5? Tell Capcom
RE 5: AE physical copy for PS3 with motion controls as optional.

- I don't want to fill up my hard drive.
- I would like to be able to play it on another PS3 system.
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