Sun Jan 26, 2003 2:41 pm
No Censorship - Joystick Discussion
Okay, I'm a moderator at www.lucasforums.com website, and I must start by saying that I'm disturbed at how any discussion or dissent about the lack of joystick support is immediately squashed by the moderators in these forums. Is the intent of these discussion boards to actually discuss, share, and debate ideas, or is it to be the toadies of Microsoft and Digital Anvil, where the only allowable speech is that praising the virtues of Freelancer, regardless of any truth? Censorship is a bad thing - unless my speech personally attacks or potentially brings harm to another, I urge the moderators to live up to their namesake and moderate, not direct or censor, the discussion in these forums.
Having said that, I would like to begin my actual post by saying that I am a huge fan of the Privateer series, the purported ancestor of Freelancer. Those games were true space-combat sims, with the RPG element once your ship landed. For those of you familiar with those games, many will agree that the result was classic.
Back to the present day, I must say that what I've read of Freelancer's RPG element sounds amazing, and should surpass its predecessors, providing a rich, captivating universe.
However, while the decision to include a mouse/keyboard capable flight-control system makes sense from a financial viewpoint, what does not is the exclusion of the traditional joystick-controller option for this genre - especially considering that the predecessors of this game provided full joystick support. To address those who will say, "Yes, but they've made the mouse/keyboard interface so good that you don't NEED a joystick". Sure, perhaps I don't NEED a joystick support to play this game. Perhaps I don't NEED to purchase this game either. A game needs to be fun, and for me, a fun space-combat sim includes joystick support for that extra level of emersion.
And just to clarify, I'm not saying that there shouldn't be this new mouse/keyboard controller scheme - it sounds like a perfectly fine idea. But it should not be the only way to fly.
Excluding joystick support for a space-combat sim, is analogous to producing a real-time-strategy (RTS) game without mouse-support. Sure, maybe you came up with some other nifty control scheme, and maybe it will work exactly as you imagined. But you'd be wise to include mouse-support as well, not because players will NEED it, but because some may WANT it to have FUN.
I don't think this is asking too much - I don't think this is technologically infeasible. What appears to be the case is a bout of over-confidence about what the consumer "needs", with a dash of joystick-phobic bigotry.
I'll get the demo and try to keep an open mind, but I won't be holding my breath.
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players...
Having said that, I would like to begin my actual post by saying that I am a huge fan of the Privateer series, the purported ancestor of Freelancer. Those games were true space-combat sims, with the RPG element once your ship landed. For those of you familiar with those games, many will agree that the result was classic.
Back to the present day, I must say that what I've read of Freelancer's RPG element sounds amazing, and should surpass its predecessors, providing a rich, captivating universe.
However, while the decision to include a mouse/keyboard capable flight-control system makes sense from a financial viewpoint, what does not is the exclusion of the traditional joystick-controller option for this genre - especially considering that the predecessors of this game provided full joystick support. To address those who will say, "Yes, but they've made the mouse/keyboard interface so good that you don't NEED a joystick". Sure, perhaps I don't NEED a joystick support to play this game. Perhaps I don't NEED to purchase this game either. A game needs to be fun, and for me, a fun space-combat sim includes joystick support for that extra level of emersion.
And just to clarify, I'm not saying that there shouldn't be this new mouse/keyboard controller scheme - it sounds like a perfectly fine idea. But it should not be the only way to fly.
Excluding joystick support for a space-combat sim, is analogous to producing a real-time-strategy (RTS) game without mouse-support. Sure, maybe you came up with some other nifty control scheme, and maybe it will work exactly as you imagined. But you'd be wise to include mouse-support as well, not because players will NEED it, but because some may WANT it to have FUN.
I don't think this is asking too much - I don't think this is technologically infeasible. What appears to be the case is a bout of over-confidence about what the consumer "needs", with a dash of joystick-phobic bigotry.
I'll get the demo and try to keep an open mind, but I won't be holding my breath.
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players...