Driving backwards inverted controls

Ideas that are too old (too many things have changed since) and ones which won't be implemented for certain reasons or if there are obviously better suggestions.

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GeneralSphinx
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Driving backwards inverted controls

Post by GeneralSphinx »

Hi.

Please add a way to invert left/right when driving backwards. Current way doesn't feel right.

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Re: Driving backwards inverted controls

Post by Tekky »

This has already been suggested in the following threads:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=57984 Invert car backup keys
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=30942 Vehicle Controls (reversing)

GeneralSphinx
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Re: Driving backwards inverted controls

Post by GeneralSphinx »

I see... Since 2016 already and not added yet.

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Re: Driving backwards inverted controls

Post by Tekky »

I think it is good the way it is currently implemented, for the reasons stated in the first thread linked above.

In my opinion, the main confusion arises from the fact that cars and tanks behave differently. But, as I have also stated in said thread, this has a valid reason.

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Re: Driving backwards inverted controls

Post by GeneralSphinx »

Yet an option would still be nice. As soon as the speed is <0, the settings go in effect

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Re: Driving backwards inverted controls

Post by Tekky »

GeneralSphinx wrote:Yet an option would still be nice. As soon as the speed is <0, the settings go in effect
In my opinion, such an option would make the controls even more confusing, since your suggestion does not address the issue of cars and tanks having different controls when reversing.

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dog80
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Re: Driving backwards inverted controls

Post by dog80 »

Such a weird behaviour: sometimes it feels right sometimes wrong...

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Re: Driving backwards inverted controls

Post by GeneralSphinx »

I verified and the car is indeed correct and only the tank is wrong.
A little checkbox. "Invert tank left/right controls when driving backwards".
Those who like the current system keep it unchecked. If its too confusing, don't use it. But the option to use it would be greatly appreciated.
Right now switching from the car to the tank and trying to reverse is way more confusing.

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Re: Driving backwards inverted controls

Post by Tekky »

GeneralSphinx wrote:I verified and the car is indeed correct and only the tank is wrong.
The tank controls are not "wrong", they are just fundamentally different. A tank can turn independantly of its forward/reverse motion, which means that it can also turn when it is standing still (which is realistic). In contrast to that, a car's turning rate is based on its speed, which means it can't turn when standing still and also has a negative turning rate when driving backwards. Due to this, you must steer the car in the opposite direction when driving backwards.
GeneralSphinx wrote:A little checkbox. "Invert tank left/right controls when driving backwards".
Those who like the current system keep it unchecked. If its too confusing, don't use it. But the option to use it would be greatly appreciated.
Right now switching from the car to the tank and trying to reverse is way more confusing.
I agree that the current system is confusing. However, I am against an option "Invert tank left/right controls when driving backwards". Activating such an option would mean that a tank that is standing still would turn full speed in the direction you press, but as soon as it changes speed even very slightly to reverse, it will turn full speed in the opposite direction. This is not intuitive and would increase confusion instead of decreasing it.

This problem does not exist with cars, because cars do not turn at all when not moving.

The only meaningful option I can think of would be an option named "tank steers like a car", so that also the tank steers based on its forward/reverse speed. However, this would mean that tanks would lose the ability to turn while standing still.

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Re: Driving backwards inverted controls

Post by Rseding91 »

I think the problem is you're trying to drive a tank like a car.

The tank operates exactly as it should and exactly as someone who understands they're driving a tank expects it to drive.
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Re: Driving backwards inverted controls

Post by GeneralSphinx »

I understand all that, but this is a game, that could have a simple addition of reverting controls when reversing to make driving backwards with a tank feel more intuitive. Whoever likes "realism" with the tank, can leave the setting off. I'm not the first one to find the tank handling awkward and suggest this.

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Re: Driving backwards inverted controls

Post by Rseding91 »

GeneralSphinx wrote:I understand all that, but this is a game, that could have a simple addition of reverting controls when reversing to make driving backwards with a tank feel more intuitive. Whoever likes "realism" with the tank, can leave the setting off. I'm not the first one to find the tank handling awkward and suggest this.
The current tank controls feel intuitive to me. Having them inverted would not.
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Re: Driving backwards inverted controls

Post by bobucles »

Modern tanks actually have steering wheels and all sort of fancy internals so that they can behave similarly to cars, so that tank drivers didn't have to learn how to handle real life QWOP tread controls. The fact that this thread pops up every week shows it is a common UI request. It does make sense as a game option.

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Re: Driving backwards inverted controls

Post by Rseding91 »

bobucles wrote:The fact that this thread pops up every week shows it is a common UI request. It does make sense as a game option.
The fact this is the first time I've ever seen this thread says that's not true.

Anyway; it's not changing.
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Re: Driving backwards inverted controls

Post by Tekky »

I think it would be best if the tutorial mentioned that the steering of a tank is very different to that of a car. When I first noticed the reversing behavior of a tank, it felt like a bug to me. Only after comparing it to that of a car and after noticing that a tank can also turn while not moving, did everything make sense to me.

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Re: Driving backwards inverted controls

Post by dog80 »

fun fact: when you are in car and are facing upwards you get the backwards driving right... when you face downwards you will make it wrong...

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Re: Driving backwards inverted controls

Post by markzl »

EDIT:

Posted this in 'Ideas and Suggestions'. I didn't realise this was 'Outdated/Not implemented' last night when using my mobile browser.

Sorry.

Also,
dog80 wrote:
Mon May 28, 2018 1:18 pm
fun fact: when you are in car and are facing upwards you get the backwards driving right... when you face downwards you will make it wrong...
Thanks, now that I've tested this I'm driving both the tank & the car wrong!!

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