I have always wondered on peoples opinions on some of the popular android games. Mainly the ones with horrible controls. I have bought Dungeon Defenders and Zenonia and thought them to be frustratingly difficult not because of any inherent challenge in gameplay, but in the lack of control the virtual dpad and buttons give me.
Take Spectral Souls for example. I thought this game looks better than the PSP version and is like $25 cheaper! What could be worse? Well please correct me if I'm wrong but all the screenshots show virtual dpads and buttons. Why? A tactical RPG is the PERFECT type of game for a touchscreen. For instance, the battle menu. It looks like you have to press down 4 times and then press the a button to check your character status. Why can't you just click on the status button? Since this is whats holding me back from purchasing this game for my phone please tell me that I am wrong here.
The virtual buttons to me is a sign of either people not innovating in their control schemes, or that they are lazy. For instance, in dungeon defenders I frequently have to reset my thumb because it got too far away from the dpad. Why are the controls not more like an RTS? Click where you want to move?
This is why about the only games so far that I played at all that didn't annoy me because of the control scheme were Need for Speed shift and Angry Birds.
Also one other thing on the virtual Dpad. Would it be possible to make it so that when you first press down with you left thumb, it sets where you pressed as the neutral position. When you move your thumb in a direction relative to where you pressed it your character moves. The neutral position resets when you lift your thumb off the touchscreen. I think this would solve the "oops I missed the dpad" problem.
So what are peoples' opinions on these control schemes? Am I a minority of hoping for innovation in touchscreen controls?
Take Spectral Souls for example. I thought this game looks better than the PSP version and is like $25 cheaper! What could be worse? Well please correct me if I'm wrong but all the screenshots show virtual dpads and buttons. Why? A tactical RPG is the PERFECT type of game for a touchscreen. For instance, the battle menu. It looks like you have to press down 4 times and then press the a button to check your character status. Why can't you just click on the status button? Since this is whats holding me back from purchasing this game for my phone please tell me that I am wrong here.
The virtual buttons to me is a sign of either people not innovating in their control schemes, or that they are lazy. For instance, in dungeon defenders I frequently have to reset my thumb because it got too far away from the dpad. Why are the controls not more like an RTS? Click where you want to move?
This is why about the only games so far that I played at all that didn't annoy me because of the control scheme were Need for Speed shift and Angry Birds.
Also one other thing on the virtual Dpad. Would it be possible to make it so that when you first press down with you left thumb, it sets where you pressed as the neutral position. When you move your thumb in a direction relative to where you pressed it your character moves. The neutral position resets when you lift your thumb off the touchscreen. I think this would solve the "oops I missed the dpad" problem.
So what are peoples' opinions on these control schemes? Am I a minority of hoping for innovation in touchscreen controls?
