An interesting Wiimote fighting control-scheme? • Gaming • Wii • Eurogamer.net

T.G. 5 Aug 2006 01:57:59 5,989 posts
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*RUMOR* Mortal Kombat: Armageddon Controls
(August 4th, 2006)

Since the announcement of MK:A for the Wii (2 days ago), we have been wondering how exactly the Wiimote will be used in the game, and how basic controls will work out. A rumor has popped up via Kotaku, and even for a rumor it has some interesting ideas.
MKDL

The basic “concept” is that the Wiimote will control arm actions, while the Nunchaku will take on leg actions.

Light and heavy kicks, for example, will be done with the C and Z triggers on the Nunchaku. The analog stick lets you run (free roaming stages, similar to last two games). Finally, jumping is done by nudging the Nunchaku upwards.

On the other hand (ba-dum-tsh), you have light and heavy punches done with A and B. Blocking is done with the d-pad, and yes, it blocks in the direction you press.

Now, remember how in past fighting games moves were executed with a roll across the d-pad and a button press or two? Now, instead of the d-df-f style thumbrolls, you actually just point the Wiimote down and swing up to the forward position and then hit your button. This has two interesting side effects: 1) you can much more easily perform moves while running, as the controls are independent; 2) button mashers around the office are easily outed and christened with the new ‘flailer’ nomenclature. If you know what you’re doing it apparently looks pretty cool.

Deleted user 5 August 2006 01:59:35

That makes my head hurt just reading about it!

Edit: I've now read it about 5 times and it's either brilliant or awful! I'm actually sitting here waving my arms about trying to see whether I can run, then jump before punching/kicking in the air and blocking when I land.

Part of me sees it as a cool immersive feature, another part thinks I'll look like an idiot, a third thinks that it might actually bring some skill into beat-em-ups and a final bit thinks that I might as well just start learning a martial art for real.

So all in all it's another nice wait for some previews.

Edited by disussedgenius at 02:06:50 05-08-2006

NBZ 5 Aug 2006 04:26:50 2,425 posts
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ecureuil wrote:
Two drums and a cymbal fell off a cliff.

Ba-dum-tsh

Is is sad that I found that funny?

gamewise, it'll be interesting. may work, or it may not. But I am sure just the experimenting will be interesting.

Ofcourse I also expect they will have a 'classic' control style for button bashers with the classic controller, so the game will be playable no matter how good or bad the wiimote control is.

Edited by NBZ at 04:27:20 05-08-2006

T.G. 5 Aug 2006 04:34:48 5,989 posts
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Hmmm... Would be interesting if the wiimote style gave one an advantage over the classic controller style. Hmmm...

BartonFink 5 Aug 2006 08:46:59 35,268 posts
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As disussedgenius said my head hurts even thinking about that.
This is one of the things I am most worried about with Wii and the Wiimote. Shoehorning Wiimote control schemes into games where they probably don't belong. Who knows it might work sounds pretty convoluted on paper though.

Deleted user 5 August 2006 08:53:27

I've not been paying much attention to the Wii so far. Will it come with a conventional joypad or just the other thingy?

BartonFink 5 Aug 2006 09:00:39 35,268 posts
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Yea it will have a conventional controller, looks very naff though.

Edited by BartonFink at 09:03:51 05-08-2006

Deleted user 5 August 2006 11:23:02

MoonShine wrote:
Well the d-pads in the right place but the analogue stick isn't...I suppose you can only have one or the other, and I wonder whether they had specific games in mind when designing it?

Isn't it meant to be the 'virtual console' controller (where most of the games would be using the d-pad) rather than the main one?

Seems a bit silly not to have what could be a needed controller boxed with the console. Something like the lightgun I can understand because you could easily use the Wiimote on it's own, but having a needed thing for a game sold seperatly seems a bit odd (but seems to be the mantra of this generation).

Deleted user 5 August 2006 11:29:45

Seperating linked actions onto different controllers like that is...awkward. An equivalent would be changing an FPS so that the mouse only looks left-to-right, to look up and down you use the pageup/down keys on the keyboard, and the fire key is actually numlock instead of LMB. Oh, and the RMB makes you move left. Yeah, not a total comparison, but an example as to why dependant actions need to be on the same controller, otherwise the brain just goes to shit trying to keep up.

I'm possibly reading it wrong though, as it's awfully written. Sounds more like "Shoehorning Wii controls into a game that doesn't really need them" than anything.

Deleted user 5 August 2006 11:32:21

Actually, has anyone mentioned the 'rubbing your stomach and patting your head' thing yet?

/checks thread

Nope, just me then!

ekko 5 Aug 2006 12:05:06 904 posts
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Sounds like it would be better for a Power Stone type game.

T.G. 5 Aug 2006 13:48:18 5,989 posts
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Come on guys, where's the imagination? When I first picked up an axe and a copy of Guitar Hero, I was shite, but now I can comfortably play 'No-One Knows' on Medium, and some day on hard if I get just a little bit less busy.

The control scheme could be a hell of a lot of fun, trying to jump and kick somebody in the face while charging a sonic boom or something... Ya know? I'll be the first to admit that it could be shit. Having Snake break a guy's neck with the tilt sensing PS3 pad could be shit too, but then again, they might both be legend.

The fact is, I've never liked Mortal Kombat games (with the possible exception of the first one in the arcades), but if the control scheme worked, it'd be sweet as a nut.

Deleted user 5 August 2006 13:54:45

Well, considering this entire thing is based entirely on rumour, I wouldn't write it off as anything yet, really. But the scheme as (badly) described there is awful, very shoehorned, and seriously would not work very well. Like disussedgenius said, it'd be like patting your head whilst rubbing your stomach.

Edited by Gremmi at 13:55:15 05-08-2006

T.G. 5 Aug 2006 13:55:53 5,989 posts
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disc wrote: Your third party developers are trying to shoehorn the controller into their old games. The thing you didn't want to happen, developers being too lazy to develop new games with new unproven game mechanics.

I think it's a little soon to be saying that now, in fairness. I heard that Fight Night 3 will be coming to wii using the wiimote as right hand, and nun-chuk as left. Is that shoe-horning as well? Because it seems like a bloody great idea.

gerg 5 Aug 2006 13:58:18 880 posts
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Gremmi wrote:
Like disussedgenius said, it'd be like patting your head whilst rubbing your stomach.

Perhaps, but some people can do that naturally and very easily.

T.G. 5 Aug 2006 13:59:01 5,989 posts
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Gremmi wrote: Well, considering this entire thing is based entirely on rumour, I wouldn't write it off as anything yet, really. But the scheme as (badly) described there is awful, very shoehorned, and seriously would not work very well. Like disussedgenius said, it'd be like patting your head whilst rubbing your stomach.

When 3D games first came out, everything was like patting your head and rubbing your belly. But I'll not debate this point any further, I guess it's a matter of personal opinion.

GrayFox 5 Aug 2006 14:19:41 1,698 posts
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Mortal Kombat 5-7 already has very shit and clumsy controls. This new idea to make them even worse is... well if I knew a word in english that combines sad, laughable and insane, I would wrote it here.

MrSensible 5 Aug 2006 16:34:45 26,517 posts
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VinculumGate wrote:
only patting your head and rubbing your belly is like patting your head and rubbing your belly

Which is easy to do anyway.

T.G. 5 Aug 2006 17:33:33 5,989 posts
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I don't get how people are so convinced that it will be shit. It's not like I'm convinced it will be great! I'm only convinced that it could be good (and, that it has the potential to flop too).

T.G. 5 Aug 2006 17:43:22 5,989 posts
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Furbs wrote: I think that'll be down to there not being a decent MK game in about 10 years. The Wii isn't going to magically make crap good.

I don't agree with your logic. I think when it comes to fighting games, it's 80% about the controls. If the controls worked (and I accept that that may well be a big 'if'), it could be a great game.

MrSensible 5 Aug 2006 17:43:55 26,517 posts
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Furbs wrote:
I think that'll be down to there not being a decent MK game in about 10 years.

The Wii isnt going to magically make crap good.

I liked the latest two

No I don't mean that Shoalin Monks one, I mean the actual fighting one. Sure they weren't the most in-depth fighting games ever but they were still fun.

Only to me though I guess

BartonFink 5 Aug 2006 17:45:07 35,268 posts
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T.G. wrote:

disc wrote: Your third party developers are trying to shoehorn the controller into their old games. The thing you didn't want to happen, developers being too lazy to develop new games with new unproven game mechanics.
I think it's a little soon to be saying that now, in fairness. I heard that Fight Night 3 will be coming to wii using the wiimote as right hand, and nun-chuk as left. Is that shoe-horning as well? Because it seems like a bloody great idea.

yup that's shoehorning. Not saying it won't work maybe it might but until I have it in my hands on paper it just sounds daft.

MrSensible 5 Aug 2006 17:45:42 26,517 posts
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ecureuil wrote:

Furbs wrote:
I think that'll be down to there not being a decent MK game in about 10 years.

The Wii isnt going to magically make crap good.

I thought the more recent MK games had been quite well received?

So did I!

T.G. 5 Aug 2006 17:46:04 5,989 posts
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Furbs wrote: Hey, if you like mediocrity then great, but I think some people need to remember the phrase "you can't polish a turd!".

T.G. 5 Aug 2006 17:49:04 5,989 posts
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Barton, Metroid Prime was 'shoe-horned' into a 3D FP game. And it was fuckin' sound. I think that the use of phrases like 'shoe-horning' which have negative connotations, is not conducive to the argument. So fuckin' stop your poncey nancy-talk, and get your hurley out ya basturd. D:< /Battle-readiness

T.G. 5 Aug 2006 17:49:35 5,989 posts
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Furbs wrote: Where did that exclamation mark come from?

Same place the apostrophe came from. Ever heard of punctuation? ;P

BartonFink 5 Aug 2006 17:59:01 35,268 posts
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T.G. wrote:
Barton, Metroid Prime was 'shoe-horned' into a 3D FP game. And it was fuckin' sound. I think that the use of phrases like 'shoe-horning' which have negative connotations, is not conducive to the argument. So fuckin' stop your poncey nancy-talk, and get your hurley out ya basturd. D:< /Battle-readiness

Right ye bast.
/left nut
/right nut
/smack to the head

Do that with yer fookin nunchuck!!!
Ye fucker yer head broke me hurley.

Edited by BartonFink at 17:59:29 05-08-2006

T.G. 5 Aug 2006 18:05:37 5,989 posts
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T.G. wrote: Barton, Metroid Prime was 'shoe-horned' into a 3D FP game. And it was fuckin' sound. I think that the use of phrases like 'shoe-horning' which have negative connotations, is not conducive to the argument. So fuckin' stop your poncey nancy-talk, and get your hurley out ya basturd. D:< /Battle-readiness

BartonFink wrote: Right ye bast.
/left nut
/right nut
/smack to the head

Do that with yer fookin' nunchuck!!! Ye fucker yer head broke me hurley.

/Butts Barton in the nuts (a time-honoured Carlow tradition)
/Stamps on thorax when he's down (a greeting ritual amongst Carlow knackers)
/Tenderises vigorously with special G.A.A. compliant adamantium hurley

Good thing for you I'm a man of peace. :-|
/Awaits the arrival of nun-chuks with a hurl-like piece of wood.