Controllers and Controls
My research here will be looking into different types of controls, including accessible controllers, and determine what is best for our games. As I talked about it in Phase 4, the reason for looking into controllers and controls is because it is important to our game. We think that it is one of the key reasons for the player to have the intended experience from the game. So, I laid out sections that I want to look into to determine our controller.
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Topics I will be looking at:
- Different types of controllers
- Accessibilities (Personal Controller, Options)
- Controls from other games
- Conclude - determine a suitable controller
Controllers
I wanted to know how we got the controllers that we know today. So, I looked into the history of game controllers to identify the changes from one game controller to another. I listed down the key controllers which brought something new to the table
The first controller was Magnavox Odyssey (1972)
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Designed by Ralph Baer, this controller has 2 dials: one for horizontal movement and the other for vertical (Reset button to reset the game). An extra dial on top the left dial is added for the game pong, to swerve the ball when returning. The games during this time didn't need that many controls, hence the lack of buttons. Since then, a lot of in this generation are knobs and dials
The first controller that moved out from dials and knobs was Fairchild Channel F (1976)
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On top are the 8-directional Joystick in which the player could push in any direction. It can also be rotated and be pushed on top to serve additional controls. For its time, it was more sophisticated than other controllers.
However, due to its timing, it was not as popular as the other console was released at the same time - Atari 2600.
Atari 2600 (1977)
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This is much simpler with just a joystick and an introduction to button controls.
This was one of the most popular consoles during its time. Though not the first to have joystick controls, it did better than the Fairchild with more and better games, around the same cost, with also better graphics and sounds.
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RCA Studio II (1977)
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Using numpads as controls. It served different functions for its small range of games, such as a directional pad.
Game and Watch - Donkey Kong (1982)
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The first controller to introduce D-Pad. It was then later used for NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) and became a big hit for its 2 buttons and the D-Pad, and more consoles started implementing the D-Pad as well
Sega Activator (1993)
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First Controller which used Motion Sensors. It is placed on the floor, and players can make different motions to perform different actions (I.e. Move arms to punch, hover left feet over the left of controller to move left). However, the ceiling effected the controls as well (Ceiling fans, vaulted ceilings, etc.) since it used infrared beams.
It was discontinued for: its high Cost, lack of support, and restrictive gameplay.
Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback (1997)
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One of the earliest controllers to have driving wheel as a controller. Mainly used for racing games/ driving simulators. Comes with pedals (accelerator, brake, clutch) and transmission controls. It enhances the experience to the player, as if they were driving a car.
Sony PlayStation DualShock (1997)
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Introduces vibration-feedback, as well as the button layout with 2 analogue sticks, d-pad on the left, buttons on the right, and 2 button triggers on each side. Due to how good it was, it kept the same format through out the controls that we have today.
Nintendo Wii and Nunchuck (2006)
Went out of bounds of what a controller should be. Has all the buttons, but added with motion control. Was easily picked up by everyone, and the range of game you can play with this is very large.
Xbox Kinect (2010)
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Motion controller for Xbox, in success to Nintendo's Wii. Uses cameras, infrared projectors and detectors, which is used to perform gestures and body. Doesn't need any other physical controllers.
It wasn't a success, but lead crucial pathways into VR.
Nintendo Switch (2017)
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Similar to the Wii Controls. Smaller and more compact; handheld when attached to screen, Couch experience when removed from screen - able to bring that wherever you go.
We can see how the controllers evolved: becoming more handheld rather playing on top of a surface, and motion controls being more prevalent nowadays; Motion control is being easy to grasp, using parts/ the entire body as part of the control. There is still the continuation with button and joysticks, but they become smaller to be compact and not too big and clunky to move with a hand.
https://www.shortlist.com/lists/history-of-the-video-game-controller : "The fascinating history of the video game controller: 50 years of innovation"
Accessible Controls
We are starting to see more accessible options for those with disabilities, meaning more inclusiveness. This means that more people of different mobilities are able to play the game without being restricted to the regular controls that we have. There are different ways to achieve this: Changing the settings within the game, or change the controller. There are more ways to achieve accessibility, but to our abilities, this is what we are working with now.
For our game, we want everyone to experience the game the way that we intended, but this is challenging if we thought about the accessibility. This is why I will look at examples of what games/ companies did to achieve this.
Recently (January 4th 2023), PlayStation released an accessible controller:
Buttons are much larger, making them easier to press. They can all be rearranged to suit someone's need. It can be connected with another same controller to provide larger assistance, or an option to connect with additional accessories for further inputs.
Xbox has one as well:
People are able to link each button to an accessory with 3.5mm jacks and USB ports. This means that people can customise the way they want to suit their needs.
For those who are visually impaired, a lot of it comes from the game settings itself.
In Last of Us 2, with high contrast mode, characters changes colour to be entirely a different colour so that it is much easier to discern who is what. There are also many options depending on each individual person. Although not a controller, it is good to think about the ways to be more accessible to others.
In Game Controls - Octodad
Gameplay is important for the player's experience, and that includes controls as well. If the controls are bad, then the player will not have a good experience, and vice versa. However, in some cases, there are some games in which they make the controls purposefully awkward, such as 'Octodad'.
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You control Octodad, and you complete certain tasks with him. Whilst completing them, you try to avoid suspicion from peers around him by avoiding knocking thing over or cause destruction around them.
Image taken from: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/octodad-dadliest-catch-post-mortem-pt-3-design
As we see from the cheat sheet, players can only move certain limbs at a time, rather than controlling the whole body. It makes normal tasks, such as walking from place to place, a lot harder to complete because of this.
Gif taken from:
Controls are just as hard on a regular controller:
Left Joystick - Move around arm
Right Joystick - Move arm up or down
Left Trigger - Raise left leg
Right Trigger - Raise right leg
A - Grab an object with arm
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Even though the controller is different, the way you control Octodad is the same - moving each limb with separate buttons. It can be said though that some may prefer playing with this controller over the other, but the gameplay experience is kept the same with its mechanics.
As we can see from Octodad, controls does not always need to be good in order to play a game. Although it is more preferred, the control scheme is what makes the experience from playing the game.
Octodad is a comedic game where movement is abnormal because he is an octopus, and I think that its controls is best suited for this game. Although the controls are different on each platform, the experience is kept the same. It is difficult to control Octodad, but it makes mundane tasks more fun to complete.
What to take from this:
At first, my team considered getting a custom made controller. The custom controller was going to be 2 sticks, which imitates a pair of chopsticks. It would make the game more challenging to play if they haven't used chopsticks before; which makes picking up objects less mundane to do. Also, the game would stand out more because of its custom controller.
However, there are problems which arose with this:
- How would it work? Would there be buttons on it so that you pick objects up, or does it work entirely by motion control?
- Coding the custom control will be difficult and would be out of our abilities to do so
- Time. There may not be enough time for us to think about making it/ getting it
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So for now, we thought of settling of using a controller and mouse since it is what we have now, and we can prototype/ playtest with the controls to get the right feeling. Just like Octodad, they didn't need to have different controllers but to readjust the controls to suit their game.
However, we kept the idea of custom controller in case we get an opportunity to get one.
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