Monday, June 4, 2007

Shadowrun's answer to the mouse and board vs gamepad problem.

http://shadowrun.com/backstage/controller_balancing.htm

I'm a fan of Fasa Studios and all, since their legacy of bringing the Mechwarrior/Battletech franchise to life on PC, despite their assimilation into the lineup of Microsoft games. Shadowrun was greatly anticipated for it's potential to finally give PC users that chance to slam a 14-0 KD ratio into a console gamer's face and make those annoying Halo braggers go away. For the console fans, it might have been the reverse, but surely, this game was the same arena to settle a matter with duel to the death.

However, it seems that Shadowrun does implement auto-aiming to assist console players after all. Although it's been labeled as only a slight-auto aim, the idea of a truly 'fair' battleground has started to crumble. I shed no tears, however. Some truths should never be found and it might be best to avoid an epic struggle ala San vs Lunar that would tear the gaming world in two.

What seems to bug me, are Merill's final lines. "So, in the end the mouse is better at aiming and the controller is better at gaming." Hrm. Said with such self-justification, he just has to be right! What a genius! Just a tip from experience, Merill. Use a rhyme next time. Can't get more convincing than that.
Mice are better at aiming... Okay, I understand that much. We can click a precise target with more consistent accuracy than a gamepad joystick.
But the controller is better at... Gaming? What? So... Do console players have faster reaction times because they use a gamepad and not a mouse/keyboard? Not really. Do console players move faster or play with more agility? No. Are console players blessed with more dexterity and intelligence, throw grenades around corners while flying through the air and blasting people with a sidearm at the same time? No.
So what part of "gaming" exactly, does the controller do better than the mouse/keyboard interface? Merill's left us hanging with a flimsy argument and a vague answer. Ceteris paribus, the mice's ability to aim more accurately should give it the overall edge in matches. So much for wanting to
"level the playing field between PC and console." Well, I guess that's why they turned out to have auto aim after all for the console players.

What's more hilarious is that Merill makes it sound as if (console) gamers really have a huge choice of what interface they utilize in blowing others up. It's not as simple as leaving it up to preference. Unless someone has both a PC and a 360 (or the controller interfaces of the other) they're gonna get stuck with using what they already have.

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