Controller suggestions around driving

[thedoh]

I really don't have a better subject here, but here are some alternative subjects (presented in user story format for a laugh), none of which really capture what I'm suggesting because the topic is a bit more broad than these individually:

* As a keyboard-using, PC-using, Factorio player, I want to have more intuitive controls for cars and tanks so that I can have greater enjoyment while playing Factorio
* As a PC Factorio player, I want to use my PS3 controller to drive around my car/tank so that I can have a more intuitive driving experience compared to the keyboard
* As Factorio player that primarily uses a keyboard, I want to have a way to quickly swap to use a PS3 controller to drive around my car/tank while still keeping keyboard bindings so that I can have a more intuitive driving experience compared to driving with keyboard alone and not waste time using the settings menu every time I swap between driving and "normal" mode

And so on.

As you can see, the general focus is on driving the cars and tanks in the game. I personally feel that the keyboard controls are wildly unintuitive. On a lark, I plugged in my PS3 controller to my PC and set it up and found that driving with the analog stick is bliss. I wish I had this control surface when I first started playing the game! One key problem is that swapping between the controller and keyboard is a painful process. I have many years of experience with the keyboard and do not have any desire to change my primary control surface to the controller. This means that every time I want to do some driving and get out to build or fight, I need to go into the settings menu. If I'm playing multiplayer and need to fight biters when I get to where I'm going, there can be some critical time lost. It would be much better if I could simply get into the car, pick up my controller, zoom over to where I want to go, set my controller down, get out and carry on.

What is the best solution here? A keyboard/controller keybinding to swap between control surfaces? Supporting the controller while in "keyboard" mode? Just for driving? Fixing the base keyboard driving inputs to be more intuitive (just for me? lol). (Game mods are not an option.) I do not have a strong opinion on what the best solution could be, though I think the seamless option is to support picking up the controller to drive, and then put it down without needing any kind of settings menu interaction. Again, the main goal here is to enable driving with the controller with an improved player experience.

[Illiander42]

Honestly curious: Why do people hate "micro machines" controls so much?

Is this just the difference between UT and Halo vehicle controls?

[Twinsen]

Would having an option in the settings to drive the car in relative mode on keyboard work for you? Meaning that pressing W will turn and drive north(up on the screen), pressing S and D will drive South-East, etc.
It would mean only 8 possible directions, which might not be enough.

Another option would be to allow using the controller stick in keyboard and mouse mode to drive. This feature would be quite obscure and weird.

[thedoh]

Would having an option in the settings to drive the car in relative mode on keyboard work for you? Meaning that pressing W will turn and drive north(up on the screen), pressing S and D will drive South-East, etc.
It would mean only 8 possible directions, which might not be enough.

Another option would be to allow using the controller stick in keyboard and mouse mode to drive. This feature would be quite obscure and weird.

Both of these would be good in increasing levels of goodness (with the controller being the "best"). And besides, weird features are fun features, amirite?? The analog stick just provides for more inputs and is easier to drive in my opinion.

Honestly curious: Why do people hate "micro machines" controls so much?

Is this just the difference between UT and Halo vehicle controls?

I don't know what any of those things are, but by context: We spend the entire game using WASD to move in the normal, traditional way, but the second we hop into a car, that all changes for no good reason (that I can see, in my opinion; I'm sure there were/are valid choices for that design pattern).

[thuejk]

We spend the entire game using WASD to move in the normal, traditional way, but the second we hop into a car, that all changes for no good reason (that I can see

The car needs to be able to drive at any angle. That is not possible with the WASD-style movement used for walking. As Twinsen also said. It works with controller analogue stick because you can specify all angles.

[Nidan]

[...] but the second we hop into a car, that all changes for no good reason (that I can see, in my opinion; I'm sure there were/are valid choices for that design pattern).

For me, the controls being car relative matches what I'm used to from e.g. any 2D / top down racing game. For anything that can't instantly turn inplace I'd find absolute controls weird, even on a controller. Basically, this boils down to what you're used to / grew up with.

[FuryoftheStars]

but the second we hop into a car, that all changes for no good reason (that I can see, in my opinion; I'm sure there were/are valid choices for that design pattern).

Because it's a car and cars don't drive that way? Same reason why we even have a player character and not just in God mode by default like many factory games seem to do it.