Sunday, July 16, 2017

Controller setup.

I'm currently working on doing some of the core aspects of all my games, in GM2. First up is gamepad support with adjustable buttons.

Since this is not an afterthought, but an actual attempt to do it as well as possible, I thought I'd ask you guys about some stuff before I start.

1. What are some common complaints you have about controller setup options in games? (can be visuals/aesthetics)
2. What do you see as essential features?
3. Are there any features that seem obvious to you, but are absent in everything?

So far my initial thoughts are
- There should be options inside and outside of the game.
- The screen should be traversable with keyboard, gamepad, or mouse.
- Adjust or disable rumble entirely
- Include visual representation of controller that clearly indicates if a controller is detected and what buttons are being pressed.
- Game must be able to detect controllers being plugged in at any time after the game has started.
- Don't skimp on presentation. Even an option menu should be satisfying. Might have some kind of character dedicated to options.

For now, I'll be doing a couple quick sketches deciding on layout fir the actual screen. Even though I'm doing it first, I assume it will be a tab of a larger options menu.