thoughts on wasd

[BaldEagl]

If you had not played a flight sim previously , did you have a joystick?

HiTech

Yes, I did.  I needed one to play some Star Wars game I had.

I don't think I can turn as fast without joystick control and manual control over throttle and gearing.  The new system isn't far off but it's enough to be noticable.  I was having a difficult time navigating a town tonight compared to the old way.

I'd like to see the old system coexist with the new one.

[Crash Orange]

Do you guys realize what % of people try AH that do not have a joystick? If you had not played a flight sim previously , did you have a joystick?

Actually, I'm curious about that first question. I played lots of flight games before discovering online flight sims in the form of Air Warrior, but maybe I'm not typical. I had my first joystick and was playing Their Finest Hour and Wing Commander within weeks of getting my first PC in 1991. (Before that point the computers I'd owned weren't capable of playing games more advanced than ASCII-art "Star Trek"!) I would guess that most people who try AH would likewise have played offline flight sims of some sort before, but maybe not.

Anyway, I think what a lot of folks are asking isn't why you should be able to do things without a joystick, but rather why you can't have the option of doing them with the joystick if you have one. I would assume 95%+ of paid subscribers have joysticks. I like the new system, but it would be nice to be able to steer with the rudder, etc.

[Lusche]

I would guess that most people who try AH would likewise have played offline flight sims of some sort before, but maybe not.

I for one would guess that was true 10 or 20 years ago... but today?  I doubt it.
When I was 19/20, combat flight sims were the epitome of gaming and having a high public profile (just remember the number of sims coming out every year). And a joystick was standard equipment of every but the most casual gamer. Years later flight sims were among the first and most popular onlne games.
But the gaming world has changed a lot since then and when I go shopping I have trouble to find any joysticks in the stores at all...

[RTHolmes]

Yes I understand fully why the WASD was implemented, and I have no problem with it existing, but I still see no need why controlling the steering with an analog axis had to be eliminated.  Can't both exist at the same time?

+1

[waystin2]

  You should try a big tank fight where everyone is moving and see how you like it.

I previously GV'd alot and this is gonna set me back until I get this mastered.  Was frustrating last night without the finer turn control of the rudder on my stick.  Love the auto transmission by the way and the new sighting/driving system.  Please on the use of rudders on joystick?

[flatiron1]

I don't like it, but I'm mapping those functions to joystick buttons anyway. What I wish they'd do is make everything mappable to either analog controls or controller buttons. For example, as far as I can tell there's no way to map the new c and v key functions to anything. Also, it would be nice to be able to map multiple functions and even nicer if AH recognized the extra hat switches on the Saitek as 8-way, so I could, for example, map up-right on the hat swith to accelerate AND turn right, as if I were pressing the w and s keys at the same time.

actually you can. go to modify , gunner , gunsight range increase/decrease.


also you can select accelerate in vehicle modify and still change gears. Or you can select full speed for auto function. I have both mapped. Given this it would be nice if HT would add a visual so you can see what gear you are in.

[M1A1]

Just a thought.

Would/could these new commands be mappable to a console style gamepad?

Might be a thought. Then again. Make it too easy and it may also make it too automated like and M1 abrams

Just how automated do you think an M1 is????lol

[RTHolmes]

um ... very?

[pappy08]

WASD is a commonly used method of control for many games. World of Tank uses it. I only hope that HiTech will not go to an "out of tank" view like WOT because of this. That will turn this sim into an arcade game. Just imagine flying a P51 from a "chase" view rather than a realistic cockpit view. Ugh!

Pappy08
C.O.
The Old Breed

[Max]

Do you guys realize what % of people try AH that do not have a joystick? If you had not played a flight sim previously , did you have a joystick?

HiTech

A week after running across Air Warrior/Mac on AOHell I had a $20 Gravix joystick...and have spent thousands on 'em since then. I bow to your logic, in any case.

[Hoff]

WASD is a compromise between realism and gameplay in the same way that having two drones when flying bomber missions is a compromise. In reality, a tank is a multicrew vehicle where the driver drives, the commander scans for targets, and the gunner shoots. The new system feels much better in this regard because you don't have to switch between driver and commander as much. You could do the same thing before anyways, just without the automatic transmission. You could set it up to use rudder or whatever you wanted to turn the vehicle while in other positions. WASD feels right for the game and is much less foreign to younger players who grew up on WASD controls in every game out there.

[bj229r]

I never had to switch between driver and commander, unless to start or stop. It would always accelerate by itself to maximum speed

(accelerating, whilst I was in commander spot)

[Shuffler]

Do you guys realize what % of people try AH that do not have a joystick? If you had not played a flight sim previously , did you have a joystick?

HiTech

I imagine most trying AH have tried or used other flight games. I'd venture to guess that most have a JS. There are some completely new folks who do not have any controller but a mouse and KB. I think most of the folks posting on the KB only setup are just surprised that the control system was stepped down and forced everyone to use what a new person, who has never played a game, would use.

It's a matter of choice or no choice.

While they can map the keys to a controller, it is not near the same as using a JS.

Another reason, I imagine, is the fact that anyone who has played this game for any length of time is used to the setup. To make such a drastic change causes them to break habits developed from game play. Then.... learn the new setup.

[WWhiskey]

Do you guys realize what % of people try AH that do not have a joystick? If you had not played a flight sim previously , did you have a joystick?

HiTech

Bought my
First stick the day I started
Playing this game!
I have never played it any other way
And like many others has spent thousands of dollars to continue to play, IMO a good investment thanks for a great game!!!
I have as of yet, not tried the new stuff, I'm out on a harvest run and won't be home for awhile  but have not figured out why a PT boat style throttle and forward / reverse drive couldn't have been done? It could still be an automatic tranny with those keys

[Soulyss]

the wasd is my only gripe with the patch auto tranny drives me nuts been haveing trouble with getting tank to stop without reverseing.

Shift+S is full stop.