Relative control scheme super annoying, should have option for absolute control scheme.

[gnat]

I would much rather control direction absolutely as if I'm overhead.

Relative controls, as if you're the pilot, are very confusing.

[MagneticJerk]

See this thread:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/274500/discussions/0/483367798508522683/

tl;dr: You'll have to get used to it, since tank controls are a lot more versatile than absolute controls. You might want to start with hovercraft, some people find those easier to control.

[NPC_CO8ALT]

Just because the devs think its a good idea, doesn't mean they can't put a control option before the game starts. There is no excuse not to.

[MagneticJerk]

Originally posted by NPC 888:

Just because the devs think its a good idea, doesn't mean they can't put a control option before the game starts. There is no excuse not to.

Considering that the game is isometric, and therefore the map is diagonal, I really don't think absolute controls work well with this game. You'd also have 8-way movement only, everything between that would get lost. On top of that, tanks and mechs have fixed turn rates, how would those work with absolute controls? How would you move backwards, which is a pretty important thing to do with directional armour?

It's not just a simple choice of input method, it's a very core aspect of how movement in the game works.

[Aradia Megido]

It hasn't taken me to long, and I have gotten used to it, the unprecidented control when your know what you are doing is amazing. Absolute would help with getting in initially, but the current scheme is best for the long run.

[ImHelping]

Other threads have mentioned the mechanical reasons like directional damage too.

If you had Robotron controls, then if you wanted to move away from an enemy while shooting you'd have to turn your more vulnerable back to them in most of the vehichles. Even if facing changes were instant.

Then there are the vehichles with firing arcs reliant on which way they are facing. The Vex Hover Tank's guns pretty much are only able to point where the hover tank itself is pointing. So with robotron controls, that's a big problem. Though it already controls much closer to a twin stick shoooter, it needs those forward and reverse buttons just as much as it's strafe buttons.

I can admit it takes some gettting used to, I was an embarrasment to mech pilots at first. Though now I can curve around corners and run people over before they realize it's DRAGON WAGON TIME without clipping into every explosive container and corner in the area first.

But yeah, the game is designed around tank controls or other "I'm steering a vehichle" style controls.

[Boss Tweed]

This has already more or less been addressed by the other posts above, but we did at one time have an absolute control scheme in the game and while it's easier to adapt to at the beginning it completely hamstrings the player and sets you up for failure as you sacrifice nuanced control over a lot of very important elements in the game. Because of this we removed it from the game entirely rather than set players up for failure.

We know tank controls in an isometric perspective are unusual especially with the current environment of games coming out but it's a very conscious decision and it unquestionably is the best way to play the game-- it just takes a bit of getting used to.

[gnat]

Understandable but I would have refunded for this reason if it wasn't a gift. Just warning: that the devs might burn a lot of sales because of the control scheme.

Rest of the game seems awesome.

[Boss Tweed]

I'd rather have people refund the game than let people trap themselves with a bad control scheme.

[Senanima]

Start with the tank to learn how things behave. Also one of the devs told me on Twitter your craft is damaged in the same way that you damage enemies (ie if your treads are facing the shots you'll take less damage). Relative makes way more sense for this. The flip side is that people are going to enjoy this control scheme because it's not the same cookie cutter dual stick shooter control that's done as your first game project in Unity.

[Yosunai]

I don't think the controls need to be changed. I needed 1 minute in the tutorial to get used to it.

[Morty2989]

I agree. Most people complaining have like 0.3 hours played. Give it a proper chance before you demand change.

[hostile]

Yeah, you just need to learn the different ways of moving your vehicles. For me controls are great.

[Max Headroom]

I think that what people who don't feel comfortable with the current control scheme are REALLY asking for is not to just completely replace relative with absolute, but to have the ability to choose between the two. Would that really be so horrible? Especially if choosing absolute comes with a warning that the player's overall experience may be compromised. I myself would be far far happier with the current relative scheme if I could use my 360 controller instead of the keyboard and mouse. We all have our preferences, and one individual's personal experience does not speak for all. The controls are the most personal part of any game, being the direct interface between the player and the gameworld, right? If the player isn't comfortable, the game becomes awkward and playing it becomes frustrating and unpleasant! That said, this is generally a fantastic game and as soon as I've finished the game I'm playing now it's next on the list.

[Chef]

As has been described before, an absolute control scheme is a massive gimp to the player. The game is very deliberately balanced around tank controls, allowing the player to control their facing (and thus the armor they show to the enemy) and their speed (moving forward is generally much faster than strafing or reversing, hence the tradeoff.) In this way moving itself is a tactical decision, and an absolute control scheme would rob the game of this aspect.

Imagine for a second that Company of Heroes controlled like Command and Conquer. You order your vehicles to move somewhere, and they could simply pivot in place and go there. You can't order them to face their frontal armor to the enemy. It's marginally simpler to control, but your options would be so limited that you'd be royally screwed.

It's hard to get used to, believe me I know. But mastering the system is immensely rewarding, and games that respect their players enough to expect them to master their systems are an increasingly rare breed.

[Boss Tweed]

Originally posted by Xipe Totec:

I think that what people who don't feel comfortable with the current control scheme are REALLY asking for is not to just completely replace relative with absolute, but to have the ability to choose between the two. Would that really be so horrible? Especially if choosing absolute comes with a warning that the player's overall experience may be compromised. I myself would be far far happier with the current relative scheme if I could use my 360 controller instead of the keyboard and mouse. We all have our preferences, and one individual's personal experience does not speak for all. The controls are the most personal part of any game, being the direct interface between the player and the gameworld, right? If the player isn't comfortable, the game becomes awkward and playing it becomes frustrating and unpleasant! That said, this is generally a fantastic game and as soon as I've finished the game I'm playing now it's next on the list. :Born:

I had the pleasure of talking with some of the developers from 17bit who made Galak-Z and they've had a similar experience of people having some trouble adjusting to the unusual control scheme, but they came to the same conclusion which was to not allow for different movement systems. While yes there is a degree of personal taste and comfort when it comes to controls, in some cases there are objectively better and worse control schemes. Absolute/relative controls for Brigador is one of those cases, and we think it's better to have people adapt to a more unusual control scheme rather than provide a false alternative that just sets them up for failure. Not trying to be spiteful here, rather because as mentioned above the game was designed around this particular control scheme.

As for controllers, that's something we're figuring out.

Hope you like the game!