Ken Kutaragi replaced as president of Sony's gaming unit

[Kuciwalker]

Plus with the nunchuck you have two motion sensors and one pointer - so you could control the angle of the fighter with the nunchuck and aim with the remote.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Elok
Beats me; I don't have $800 to find out. But I imagine it'd be a good deal more awkward to control a plane in the same fashion with a PS3 controller. I know they ripped off the Wiimote's motion-sensors for the PS3, but a PS3 controller requires two hands to handle comfortably. With the Wii controls it'd be a dream; tilt your hand and the plane tilts. Keep it tilted and it starts to roll. Tilt while pointing up and you get a climbing barrel roll. Tilt while pointing up and pressing the trigger and you get a mad spray of gunfire. Doing the same things two-handed would be much more cumbersome.

Plus, as we've already noted, the PS3 isn't going anywhere at that price. At any rate, the X360 certainly can't do it.

I don't see how holding a controller with two hands is "awkward" or anything of the sort.

That said, this kind of behaviour is "novel" or perhaps "neat" but, again, doesn't change the gameplay. It's not even optimal, as the people who played with the Warhawk controls can testify.

In real life, airplanes are controlled with analog sticks...fyi.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker
Plus with the nunchuck you have two motion sensors and one pointer - so you could control the angle of the fighter with the nunchuck and aim with the remote.

That would be bizarre. So in the new Starfox, you would move away from a WW2-style flight model (where you aim your plane at the target to fire) to a Star Wars-style flight model (where your gun turrets and plane direction are independent)? That's quite a departure from Starfox.

[Asher]

Here's a question...how would you implement an NHL game with the Wiimote?

[Verto]

Originally posted by Asher
Here's a question...how would you implement an NHL game with the Wiimote?

If we're lucky, no one will bother to.

[Asher]

Yeah, it's always a good idea to ignore the perennial best selling games in various markets.

[Elok]

You don't see how having the plane's attitude precisely mimic the attitude of the controller could lead to ease of control, as opposed to combining two analog sticks? Or how having a controller that needs two hands to turn is more awkward for that sort of task than just swivelling one wrist like a fencer?

And IIRC, the original Starfox didn't include sections where you pilot a tank or run around on foot or whatever. I hear those sections of the N64 version sucked anyway (never played it), but the point is, they're not afraid to alter the gameplay considerably. They could call it "the Arwing Mark II with independent targeting systems" or some such BS.

[Verto]

Originally posted by Asher

That would be bizarre. So in the new Starfox, you would move away from a WW2-style flight model (where you aim your plane at the target to fire) to a Star Wars-style flight model (where your gun turrets and plane direction are independent)? That's quite a departure from Starfox.

Or perhaps a coop mode, where one person flies, another person aims: multi-crew aircraft. Or some missions would involve flying, others more heavily focused on targeting. (Note, these are not necessarily just for Starfox. Just ideas.)

Other things I was thinking of:

It would be heard to implement a freestyle lightsaber game, where you battle it out with another lightsaber-wielding foe, since nothing would stop your Wiimote in the air when your onsreen lightsaber hit something/stopped it...at least, not that I know of. Maybe a solution could be find, I dunno. But the game could still feature you blocking blaster-fire, for example. Other ideas: Wiimote controls lightsaber, Nunchuk could be your "Force-wielding hand", allowing you to Force-Push enemies, levitate objects, etc. I see lots of potential for the system, moving far beyond the "gimmick" level that Asher wants to relegate it to.

[asleepathewheel]

Originally posted by Asher
Here's a question...how would you implement an NHL game with the Wiimote?

movement is with the chuk analog pad, shaking the chuck would cause player to deke with puck or check on defense. Z for speed

puck control with the mote-A passes, B shoots (hold for power), then a movement of the mote in the direction you want the puck to go.

Line changes with the motes directional pad.

That leaves a few buttons leftover, C, +, -, 1, 2 for more options.

I'm sure there are better options, but looking at my wiimote for a second, it makes sense to me.

[Verto]

Originally posted by Asher
Yeah, it's always a good idea to ignore the perennial best selling games in various markets.

No, just expressing my personal distate for those idiotic games. I'd rather developers focus on something other than some rehashed sports game.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Asher
Here's a question...how would you implement an NHL game with the Wiimote?

Presumably with something similar to what they did with Madden NFL 07.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Elok
You don't see how having the plane's attitude precisely mimic the attitude of the controller could lead to ease of control, as opposed to combining two analog sticks?

No, because you can precisely control the attitude of the plane with control sticks as well.

All you're doing is taking two analog movements (pitch/yaw in one hand, aiming in the other) and mapping them to a different medium: from a control stick to motion sensors. You are not changing anything in any real terms, aside from trading one analog control to the other.

Or how having a controller that needs two hands to turn is more awkward for that sort of task than just swivelling one wrist like a fencer?

Actually I find my range of tilt with a single rist is far less than with two hands on a controller.

Or perhaps a coop mode, where one person flies, another person aims: multi-crew aircraft. Or some missions would involve flying, others more heavily focused on targeting. (Note, these are not necessarily just for Starfox. Just ideas.)

Cool idea. Just like Halo!

[Asher]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
Presumably with something similar to what they did with Madden NFL 07.

That would be a bad idea considering how much the control scheme for Madden 07 is loathed.

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/10/wii-impressions-madden-nfl-07/

Wii impressions: Madden NFL 07

This doesn't work. In Madden's case, and likely most mainstream sports titles, motion-controlled functions can't compete with good looks (e.g. fluid animations, realistic physics, etc.). This is the risk Nintendo took. And this is an instance where that risk has put Nintendo at a disadvantage versus its competitors.

Madden NFL 07 is fugly, and if the tech demo of EA's next generation of sports titles we saw at Sony's media briefing is any indication, PS3, and Xbox 360 for that matter, will see some incredibly enhanced animation and physics upgrades over the coming years. Nintendo will trade these improvements for the ability to hike the ball with a wrist snap or attempt a pass with a wrist flick -- heck, Sony's PS3 controller can do that. There are other motions for jukes, straight arms, and kickoffs. But these motions don't make us feel any closer to the real sport, if anything, they're just tedious. First we have to select a receiver using the appropriate button, and then we have to flick the wrist. Why can't we just press A?

NHL would be far harder than Madden (much faster, not as QB-centric) as well.

[Elok]

Originally posted by Asher
Here's a question...how would you implement an NHL game with the Wiimote?

Lessee: I don't know hockey too well (and I never play sports games), but there are five players on the ice at a time, right? Well then, A is move to point, B is shoot. The D-pad lets you switch to any of the other four players with one touch. Move the 'mote to the point on the screen where you want the guy to go and press the button corresponding to the desired action. Or just have the guy follow where you're pointing as long as you hold the "move" button down, so you can designate a specific path. Something like that? Like I said, I don't play sports games, but I'm not sure why the Wii would be worse at it. If you need a special button for "insult his mother and start a fight" or something, you could also employ the "1" or "2" buttons.

[asleepathewheel]

Originally posted by Verto


It would be heard to implement a freestyle lightsaber game, where you battle it out with another lightsaber-wielding foe, since nothing would stop your Wiimote in the air when your onsreen lightsaber hit something/stopped it...

True, it won't stop, but you will feel the controller rumble/hear the sound. So you can't do the epic lightsaber on lightsaber power struggle stalemate, but you will be able to know if you've made contact and should swing again.