Author Topic: Controls  (Read 7797 times)

Offline mrhanman

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Re: Controls
« Reply #15 on: March 09, 2013, 11:59:18 am »
We could get 360 icons, but not everyone has a 360 controller.
For example, I have everything but a 360 controller. (logitech controller, ps3 controller, ps2/gcn-to-usb adapter, keyboard, laptop keyboard, mouse with finicky middle mouse click)

Yes, but if there were some kind of graphic there, the community could make texture packs for other types of controllers.  Not that it matters since it's not technically feasible.

It should be showing Xbox A and so forth with that kind of controller connected, though

Really?  That would be good enough for me, but it's never been that way.  Not even in Valley 2 (assuming it was supposed to be that way as well).

Offline x4000

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Re: Controls
« Reply #16 on: March 09, 2013, 12:15:22 pm »
It works in valley 2 as well, yes. However it's looking at the name windows has assigned to your controller and looking for the string "Xbox." I guess yours doesn't have that string in there for some reason. I'll have to look at that and maybe put together something that lets you test it.
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Offline x4000

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Re: Controls
« Reply #17 on: March 09, 2013, 12:53:30 pm »
I have been trying to write a suggestion about "preserving" your inventory between levels. But, I can't figure it out!

Picking up a brand new item in a puzzle and always having it go to the first slot breaks the "muscle memory."  I have no idea what would work better, though!  ;)

Just remembering where items were previously breaks many more things, I don't know.... This is pretty minor though, I think.

I've thought about some sort of system like that, too -- basically, like how Zelda 3 handles it, with fixed locations for everything.  Or actually most of the Zelda games (some handheld ones aside).  One problem is that -- currently -- there are 41 unique items that you can find in the game.  There's a handful more that we already have art for, but which aren't in the game.  And if we do expansions for the game, we'll add more still.

Right now the inventory supports 25 items and that's it, so you can't have everything all at once (which is okay, because you never remotely do).  The nice thing about this sort of inventory is that it's really compact.  But as you say, it messes with muscle memory, which has been bugging me for a while, too.  If I went to a fixed-position grid, the smallest I could do would be 7x7 instead of the current 5x5.  That would give us 49 total slots, but that's only 8 slots for growth.  If I went to 8x8 that's instead 64 slots.  With that I could give some nice spacing to get the weapons, tools, and keys/maps/papers/etc separated out so that they don't get confusing too much.

The other thing I've been thinking is that with some of the non-usable items (things that you pick up and then you just have them), those could be moved into a separate section that is out of the main inventory.  That would be the 9 papers, the golden book, the mirror, and the map.  That would be 12 items we could reduce from the main inventory, which means that we'd only need 29 slots in the main inventory.  If that was the case, then I could go with a 7x7 grid and 49 slots would give me as much expansion room as the 8x8 would have in the other model.


So, what do people think?  Basically what this would mean is more moving around in the inventory to actually select things, but it would be something you could do from muscle memory.  And the stuff you're likely to use most would be nice and compact at the top, anyhow.  I think this is probably the way to go.
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Offline nas1m

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Re: Controls
« Reply #18 on: March 09, 2013, 12:55:26 pm »
Might this be related to using a wireless 360 controller? I am using one and i don't see the button labels as well...

PS: both 8x8 and 7x7 and an extra section for passive items sounds good to me. I would prefer a muscle memory friendly solution as well!
« Last Edit: March 09, 2013, 01:00:11 pm by nas1m »
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Offline FroBodine

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Re: Controls
« Reply #19 on: March 09, 2013, 12:56:50 pm »

So, what do people think?  Basically what this would mean is more moving around in the inventory to actually select things, but it would be something you could do from muscle memory.  And the stuff you're likely to use most would be nice and compact at the top, anyhow.  I think this is probably the way to go.

I like it!  At least I think I do.   :)

Offline Penumbra

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Re: Controls
« Reply #20 on: March 09, 2013, 01:09:55 pm »
So, what do people think?  Basically what this would mean is more moving around in the inventory to actually select things, but it would be something you could do from muscle memory.  And the stuff you're likely to use most would be nice and compact at the top, anyhow.  I think this is probably the way to go.

I would love this! I am big on just letting my fingers know where tings are, and at the moment, they keep asking my brain.....

Offline mrhanman

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Re: Controls
« Reply #21 on: March 09, 2013, 01:25:03 pm »
It works in valley 2 as well, yes. However it's looking at the name windows has assigned to your controller and looking for the string "Xbox." I guess yours doesn't have that string in there for some reason. I'll have to look at that and maybe put together something that lets you test it.

In device manager, the wireless receiver is listed as "Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows" and in Devices and Printers it shows up as "XBOX 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows."  I guess if it's case sensitive and pulls from the name in Devices and Printers, that might explain things.

As for the inventory changes, I think the two separate sections for consumable and non-consumable items sounds great.

Offline Greywolf22

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Re: Controls
« Reply #22 on: March 09, 2013, 01:46:04 pm »
Personally I think the keyboard control works great!  And I was super happy to see that the item keys (Q/W) are now listed on the buttons themselves.  I know that may seem like a trivial thing to most, but for some reason seeing the keys listed on the items just made it easier to remember what was what.


Offline x4000

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Re: Controls
« Reply #23 on: March 09, 2013, 01:48:05 pm »
Thanks!

* Fixed an issue where XBox wireless controllers were not being detected as xbox controllers and thus used generic button names.
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Offline LaughingThesaurus

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Re: Controls
« Reply #24 on: March 09, 2013, 01:52:30 pm »
If you are going with the fixed item locations, you could also do the Zelda 3 thing where when you scroll to an empty slot, the cursor skips to the next valid item.

Offline x4000

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Re: Controls
« Reply #25 on: March 09, 2013, 01:53:40 pm »
If you are going with the fixed item locations, you could also do the Zelda 3 thing where when you scroll to an empty slot, the cursor skips to the next valid item.

Possibly, though that gets tricky when there is not something in every row.  Honestly I think that would take more time than it's worth at this late hour, but the fixed locations themselves sound like something I'll take on since a lot of people seem interested in it.
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Offline madcow

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Re: Controls
« Reply #26 on: March 09, 2013, 02:05:40 pm »
Just going to chime in that 4 active items has been a great improvement! I went in just to see it and didn't even really mean to but ended up doing a couple levels.

Offline x4000

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Re: Controls
« Reply #27 on: March 09, 2013, 02:33:27 pm »
Awesome!
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Offline Greywolf22

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Re: Controls
« Reply #28 on: March 09, 2013, 03:04:51 pm »
Agreed, the 4 active items is much better  :)

Offline Winge

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Re: Controls
« Reply #29 on: March 09, 2013, 05:33:21 pm »
If you are going with the fixed item locations, you could also do the Zelda 3 thing where when you scroll to an empty slot, the cursor skips to the next valid item.

I kind of like being able to 'turn off' item slots.  That way, if I get trigger happy, I don't accidentally use an item I don't want to.
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