Malstrom comments on Conduit and Gamepro review

[MaxwellGT2000]

Gnizmo said:

WereKitten said:

A slider in SMG to select the inertia of Mario and another for his running speed? That might make the game more "comfortable" but it would not be the same game. Remapping buttons is one thing, but allowing changing the way the game controls entirely is just throwing arms up and saying "I won't bother defining the way this game plays, I'll let the players decide, so that if anyone complains I can always point to the customization". I work in user interfaces for a living, and in my field letting the user choose too much is a hint of a sloppy design phase. I think the same applies to games.

As to the quirky games, you missed the point. HVS standing out only because there are so few FPS games on the Wii is hardly rewarding "new ideas" as the article put it - and by saying "just another FPS" you're validating my opinion. Every small company can make themselves a name in a void, but that's not meritocracy, that's just scarcity of content.

Oh please. Giving the ability to control Mario's running speed or inertia is in no way equivalent to changing turning speed or re-mapping buttons in a FPS. The equivalent to what you suggest would be the ability to refine a guns damage, and rate of fire to whatever you please. The equivalent of completely customizable controls for a FPS in a 3D platformer would be the ability to control the camera freely. You might note that camera controls are an oft criticized portion of 3D platformers as well as the camera has not been refined very well.

I can't see how anyone could possibly hate control custimization though. Sometimes the default control scheme feels weird, or unnatural to a person. You can still design a game around a certain "feel" as you put it for the default controls. Most player won't ever touch the customizable control options if you do your job right on it as well. This isn't a matter of being "spoiled" as you put it, but rather a matter of wanting to enjoy a game. I can name a few games that were ruined by shitty control schemes. A better way to make your game unique, and have a better feel is through art style and story telling. With a good atmosphere, and engaging characters no two games would ever feel the same even if they controlled identically.

I am MaxwellGT2000 and I approve of this message