Of course, then we'll have to get into accuracy of the user's character and so on (maybe some sort of accuracy skill)...
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Has any1 tried making a 3d game with mouse aiming?
What about doing things slightly different. Use the mouse to target the "enemy" and then when the mouse button is clicked on it, the system will auto target the enemy as you pursue it. Now you can use the arrow keys to navigate the environment and use another keyboard key for firing. This will allow you to use both hands comfortably
It would be cool if you had an auto-targeting as Pete suggested but it would create the disorientation problem though.
If the machine's doing the 'looking' for you, you're bound to get mixed up with your current orientation (meaning, if you go forward, you won't necessarily move toward where you're looking but where your body is oriented). So if you're locked on a target and the target moves 90 degr. to your left, pressing forward will give the feeling of strafing right (from your perspective) etc.
Kinda confusing in my view.
If the machine's doing the 'looking' for you, you're bound to get mixed up with your current orientation (meaning, if you go forward, you won't necessarily move toward where you're looking but where your body is oriented). So if you're locked on a target and the target moves 90 degr. to your left, pressing forward will give the feeling of strafing right (from your perspective) etc.
Kinda confusing in my view.
A psuedo example is like the Mechwarrior game. Torso twisting and moving forward backwards and maintaing proper (mental) orientation of where you're facing relative to the rest of your chassis can be quite a task (especially during close combat where I twist A LOT lt/rt and I forget which way the turning/moving-forward is going to take me relative to my view).
In a FPS, the speed of combat is much much faster and instinctive so this disorientation will probably manifest itself several fold, in my opinion.
My $0.02...
Here's my opinion on why the control scheme Guru101 mentioned wouldn't work:
First person shooters are basically games of reflex, instict, and thinking quickly. The current Quake-like control scheme found in many games is good in that it doesn't get in your way -- yet it still allows nice control where your aiming and moving. (BTW, the quake-like control scheme i'm talking about is the one where you use the mouse to look around and the AWSD keys to move forward/backwards and strafe left/right). Anyway, the problem with the control scheme Guru101 mentioned is that it doesn't give you a lot more control, and it's much more difficult to use. Besides that, it basically dictates that you have to stand still while aiming since it's so hard to shoot something while moving in that control scheme.
That's not to say that I think it doesn't have a place in some games. It wouldn't work well in an action game, but in something where you wanted more realism and with a bit less action that control scheme might work very well.
Just my 2 cents
--TheGoop
A game called Recoil uses this method of aiming,And it still allows you to navigate with the mouse. When you get near the edge of the screen the tank turns. It works supprisingly well.
You should still be able to download a demo of it at ZDNET.
You should still be able to download a demo of it at ZDNET.
Wait a sec, if you're just referring to mouse for firing and aiming and keys as navigation, then Rainbow 6 and Half-life are both like that. I didn't read all the previous posts so I don't know if we're still talking about this, but I am just answering the top post.
I think two really good examples to look at are Battlezone and Trespasser. Both of these used the mouse to look around and aim your weapon, but the WASD keys to actually move your character. I've always liked the idea of switching between modes, like pressing a key to go in and out of attack mode. That way, if you wanted to stand and aim (and maybe use some special ability of your weapon) you could, or you could just shoot from the hip while running.
Good luck!
Hi,
There's a game called Abuse which used a system that you speak of, although it was 2D.
However, thinking about the turning problem, my keys would be
WASD for movement
Mouse moves a crosshair, but if the crosshair moves too far left or right, then the player turns. (you could also have q and e for quickmove, or a 180 degree spin button, etc, etc).
Personally, I feel this would only work in a 3rd person view like Tomb Raider. Then if you used the lock on feature discussed above, you could see that your character is actually twisting their torso all the time to look at the target, but would still walk forwards, not towards the target.
Anyway, that's all for the moment...
ps.
there's also a nintendo 64 game called Jet Force Gemini which uses the switching you were talking about, and the crosshair aiming.
Basically I think it is what you're after. Check it out
If you are going to do this the make the mouse for steering as well and make the default movement keys w for forward s for backward and a and d for straffing. This is the set up in half life and everyone I know sets their controls to this in all of their action games so your on the right track.
Keep up the good work and all the best.
CoOlGuY
Keep up the good work and all the best.
CoOlGuY
P.S JMHO
I was wondering if anyone has made a game, like quake, but with the mouse pointer for aiming. So instead of shooting straightforward, and having to play around with like the a and z keys, you could just point and shoot at an enemy. The keys are still used for movement however, but the mouse button is used for firing. Has any1 ever made a game like this? If so please tell me about it, or tell me what you think about this idea. The major draw backs to this (that I have thought of are not having full use of the keyboard, and you might be looking straight forward at your enemy, but'll shoot into a corner because your pointer is there. Also it might strain the wrist, and because most people are used to using their right hand for the arrow keys and for the mosue they might have trouble adjusting to this. But I believe it would make the game more fun to play, because you would be in more control of your aim, so some one can't just shoot, and hit anything in their view field.
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