Interview - Ensemble on Halo Wars "Controller > KB/M"

[QUOTE="II-FBIsniper-II"][QUOTE="samusarmada"]

[QUOTE="darklord888"]No. Simple as that, no.anshul89

well...yeah pretty much.

[QUOTE="anshul89"][QUOTE="II-FBIsniper-II"][QUOTE="samusarmada"]

[QUOTE="darklord888"]No. Simple as that, no.II-FBIsniper-II

well...yeah pretty much.

who are owned by MS.......

coincidently, EA still says that PC RTS's are far ahead of their console counterparts.

Well, technically if they made it especially for a controller...

Yeah I'm still not seeing it.

[QUOTE="Vandalvideo"]In other words, they oversimplified the interface, so you can't micro manage like you can in most PC rts games?Pro_wrestler

Why would simplification turn out to be a negative suddenly? 'Micromanagement' worked well in Tiberium Wars.

The way I see it with Keyboard is you have 88-105 keys, which in my mind posses too many oppertunitys for redundant keystrokes, which if you configure the layout yourself or simplify to your liking you could eliminate those mistakes.

The point with the 88-105 keys is they give you massive options for customizability. You don't use all of them. It is utterly ludicrous to think a gamepad would even come close to kb/m in an RTS when a mouse is much faster and more accurate than an analog stick AND there are almost an unlimited number of hotkeys, bindings and other shortcuts available on a keyboard.

Not to mention things people take for granted like the fact that a mouse by itself usually has at least three buttons plus a scroll wheel, making it incredibly easy and intuitive to do things like zoom in and out while panning.

[QUOTE="Vandalvideo"]In other words, they oversimplified the interface, so you can't micro manage like you can in most PC rts games?Pro_wrestler

Why would simplification turn out to be a negative suddenly? 'Micromanagement' worked well in Tiberium Wars.

The way I see it with Keyboard is you have 88-105 keys, which in my mind posses too many oppertunitys for redundant keystrokes, which if you configure the layout yourself or simplify to your liking you could eliminate those mistakes.

The point with the 88-105 keys is they give you massive options for customizability. You don't use all of them. It is utterly ludicrous to think a gamepad would even come close to kb/m in an RTS when a mouse is much faster and more accurate than an analog stick AND there are almost an unlimited number of hotkeys, bindings and other shortcuts available on a keyboard.

Not to mention things people take for granted like the fact that a mouse by itself usually has at least three buttons plus a scroll wheel, making it incredibly easy and intuitive to do things like zoom in and out while panning or drag and select specific or all units/buildings/etc.

http://forums.halo.fr/viewtopic.php?p=315181

Many people are balk to play an RTS with a game-pad. How did you do to make the game playable with a game-pad ? And what do you want to say to people who didn't want buy the game because it is on Xbox and not on computer?

We spent the first six months of the project looking at the controller and it could work with an RTS game. I think our control scheme actually works better than the keyboard/mouse combo and that we have really gotten past that barrier. I can't wait for everyone to pick up the controller and try the game, I don't think it will be possible to convince some people until after they try it.

Thoughts?

II-FBIsniper-II

It's funny because Halo Wars isn't even coming to PC. So, why do they even bother putting on front that gamepad > kb/mouse? Who cares? You're gonna play it only with gamepad anyway.

I'm probably going to receive a lot of flak from RTS players for this, but I think it would be great if halo wars would do without all the micromanagement and having to issue some hundreds of commands per minute to be successful. That's usually been the reason for me for not liking RTS in the first place. If I'm playing a strategy game, I want to think about strategy, not about controlling every one of my units simultaneously. It could work great with an improved AI of your units too, as you wouldn't need to select targets for them, as they can understand what's most effective themselves.

Earth 2150 also had a great way of dealing with too much micromanagement (that you don't want to get into for the sheer reason of being boring), which is letting the AI take over an aspect of your tasks. For example, you could have the AI move around your defensive units, so you can keep your focus at your attacking units, or your research or whatever you're doing at the moment, at the cost of maybe having a little less effective defense. If halo wars has a better AI to make sure you have to do less, I don't think a controller is so much worse than Kb/m. Actually, the two thumbsticks could be used in some really cool way.

http://forums.halo.fr/viewtopic.php?p=315181

Many people are balk to play an RTS with a game-pad. How did you do to make the game playable with a game-pad ? And what do you want to say to people who didn't want buy the game because it is on Xbox and not on computer?

We spent the first six months of the project looking at the controller and it could work with an RTS game. I think our control scheme actually works better than the keyboard/mouse combo and that we have really gotten past that barrier. I can't wait for everyone to pick up the controller and try the game, I don't think it will be possible to convince some people until after they try it.

Thoughts?

II-FBIsniper-II

Very awesome. But we all know the hardcore hermit would never admit it was better. If it turns out to be better. With that said, I'm still very hyped about this game!

[QUOTE="II-FBIsniper-II"]

http://forums.halo.fr/viewtopic.php?p=315181

Many people are balk to play an RTS with a game-pad. How did you do to make the game playable with a game-pad ? And what do you want to say to people who didn't want buy the game because it is on Xbox and not on computer?

We spent the first six months of the project looking at the controller and it could work with an RTS game. I think our control scheme actually works better than the keyboard/mouse combo and that we have really gotten past that barrier. I can't wait for everyone to pick up the controller and try the game, I don't think it will be possible to convince some people until after they try it.

Thoughts?

xsubtownerx

Very awesome. But we all know the hardcore hermit would never admit it was better. If it turns out to be better. With that said, I'm still very hyped about this game!

Command and Conquer worked great on the N64 controller IMO. Not as good as Keyboard and Mouse, but it was definately acceptable. On the other hand, maybe they've figured out a way to do something we haven't even thought of.Tylendal

thats the only explanation i can find, i think people should wait a little before jumping the gun, after all these are creators of the age of empires series we are talking about

Command and Conquer worked great on the N64 controller IMO. Not as good as Keyboard and Mouse, but it was definately acceptable. On the other hand, maybe they've figured out a way to do something we haven't even thought of.Tylendal

thats the only explanation i can find, i think people should wait a little before jumping the gun, after all these are creators of the age of empires series we are talking about, they are not exactly newbies in the RTS genre

[QUOTE="Tylendal"]Command and Conquer worked great on the N64 controller IMO. Not as good as Keyboard and Mouse, but it was definately acceptable. On the other hand, maybe they've figured out a way to do something we haven't even thought of.st1ka

thats the only explanation i can find, i think people should wait a little before jumping the gun, after all these are creators of the age of empires series we are talking about, they are not exactly newbies in the RTS genre

We're not argueing it won't work, as this is built ground up for the console.

But Mouse and Keyboard is more accurate and faster, and a larger variety of hotkeys.

[QUOTE="st1ka"]

[QUOTE="Tylendal"]Command and Conquer worked great on the N64 controller IMO. Not as good as Keyboard and Mouse, but it was definately acceptable. On the other hand, maybe they've figured out a way to do something we haven't even thought of.thrones

thats the only explanation i can find, i think people should wait a little before jumping the gun, after all these are creators of the age of empires series we are talking about, they are not exactly newbies in the RTS genre

We're not argueing it won't work, as this is built ground up for the console.

But Mouse and Keyboard is more accurate and faster, and a larger variety of hotkeys.

is it possible that they are not changing the control scheme, but maybe changing the formula of the game so you wont need it ? like squad base, no resource gathering, etc.

[QUOTE="thrones"][QUOTE="st1ka"]

[QUOTE="Tylendal"]Command and Conquer worked great on the N64 controller IMO. Not as good as Keyboard and Mouse, but it was definately acceptable. On the other hand, maybe they've figured out a way to do something we haven't even thought of.st1ka

thats the only explanation i can find, i think people should wait a little before jumping the gun, after all these are creators of the age of empires series we are talking about, they are not exactly newbies in the RTS genre

We're not argueing it won't work, as this is built ground up for the console.

But Mouse and Keyboard is more accurate and faster, and a larger variety of hotkeys.

is it possible that they are not changing the control scheme, but maybe changing the formula of the game so you wont need it ? like squad base, no resource gathering, etc.

Would still be faster and more accurate with a mouse. And how many hotkeyed groups can you have with the 360 controller? Just support M/KB combo and let RTS gamers have a console :|

Would still be faster and more accurate with a mouse. And how many hotkeyed groups can you have with the 360 controller? Just support M/KB combo and let RTS gamers have a console :|

thrones

yeah whats up with that?

[QUOTE="thrones"]

Would still be faster and more accurate with a mouse. And how many hotkeyed groups can you have with the 360 controller? Just support M/KB combo and let RTS gamers have a console :|

st1ka

yeah whats up with that?

There's M/KB with PS3, but no RTS games. That calls for a 'WTF' from my direction. They could really try and push that genre :|

I going to say this.

Only time a controller will beat out a PC version of the same is when that control scheme was specifically designed mainly for it and that scheme was dropped onto a PC version. Other then that, its hard to say on equal grounds, that a controller would beat out a mouse and keyboard. I am not saying you can't have a great controller-used RTS, if your focus is directly that, but to say that.

Controller is great, but its weaks in the areas where a mouse and keyboard excel at in RTS games and such that work well with. same can be said about types of games using controller better.

I perfer my mouse & keyboard RTS, but I am certian there will be great RTSs designed solo around controller setup. But verus, thats a bit hard to say on equals grounds that "Controller. KB/M".

[QUOTE="st1ka"][QUOTE="thrones"]

Would still be faster and more accurate with a mouse. And how many hotkeyed groups can you have with the 360 controller? Just support M/KB combo and let RTS gamers have a console :|

thrones

yeah whats up with that?

There's M/KB with PS3, but no RTS games. That calls for a 'WTF' from my direction. They could really try and push that genre :|

PS3 should look into more exclusive RTSs on their turf of the field, being able to use keyboard and mouse.

[QUOTE="Tylendal"]Command and Conquer worked great on the N64 controller IMO. Not as good as Keyboard and Mouse, but it was definately acceptable. On the other hand, maybe they've figured out a way to do something we haven't even thought of.st1ka

thats the only explanation i can find, i think people should wait a little before jumping the gun, after all these are creators of the age of empires series we are talking about, they are not exactly newbies in the RTS genre

It feels like they have not really grown up

i would like to point out that Halo Wars was originally a Command and Conquer Generals mod... then bungie looked at it and said "hey let's steal this" so when you really think about it... even Halo Wars was -made- for KB/M... bungie just decided to profit off itGleem11

MS not Bungei