Support different input devices / controllers

[stephen]

Support different input devices (joysticks etc). Also consider a mouse control mode.

[stephen]

Also consider variations on the keyboard controls, e.g. separate keys for different actions like attacking, throwing daggers and so on.

See also suggestion #9 from Asmageddon here: http://www.knightsgame.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=59.msg177#msg177

[stephen]

The controls thread has now been moved here: http://www.knightsgame.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=63.0

[stephen]

One simple suggestion is to split the 'action' button into separate 'attack' and 'menu' buttons.

[stephen]

Further suggestions have been made on the Knights moddb page.

[stephen]

See also #102, #103

[stephen]

Perhaps I should add that there was a request for joystick controls here: http://www.knightsgame.org.uk/blog/2011/01/16/controls-again/comment-page-1/#comment-4321

[stephen]

To summarize all of the above: I think the main improvement that could still be made to controls is to support Xbox 360 controllers and the like.

A simple solution would be for players to choose the old-style controls (arrow keys + action + suicide) and then use a keyboard mapping program to map those six keys to their controller. This would need no further work on my part (except maybe explaining to people how to do it).

A more sophisticated solution would be to provide a special "controller mode" which allowed all the buttons on the controller to be used for different functions (like set traps, throw daggers, use lockpicks etc). Then they wouldn't need the fiddly "menu" system.

Other controls ideas that have been suggested in the past:

1) Separate action and menu keys, as in #103
2) Keyboard shortcuts for the action bar (in new-style controls), e.g. 1 could activate the first icon, 2 the second icon, and so on. (Or allow users to set their own keyboard shortcuts, e.g. by hovering over one of the icons and then pressing a key that they want bound to that icon.)

Overall, however, I am generally quite happy with the controls at the moment. So, dropping the priority on this ticket.