Many people on the Star Trek Online forums and all over the gaming universe have been debating this question: Can an MMO work on both PCs and consoles? With most multiplatform games one of the versions usually gets screwed up and a huge chunk of the player base gets upset. This problem usually boils down to the difference of controls. MrJuliano, host of STOZone, had this to say about the topic of having to “dumb down” controls for a console version of STO:
If you lay your hand on your keyboard, you have, in easy reach, the following controls:
A-S-D-W (usually the basic movement controls.)
Q-E (Lots of times used for strafing)
R-T (Reload and Use)
1-2-3-4-5-6 (basic powers)
Tab-Caps-Shift-Ctrl-Alt (Can be hotkeyed for things like Auto-run, Pet Attack, or Macros)If we count those up, we have: 19 buttons. Add on the two mouse buttons for a total of 21
Your basic Xbox360 controller has:
Two analog controllers for movement. Already we’re four buttons ahead.
X-Y-A-B Can be used for four “Basic” powers. By holding down the Right trigger or left trigger, you can switch modes, making those four buttons do different things. Suddenly you have 12 instead of four.
Beyond that, the right and left shoulder buttons can also switch modes, giving you 8 additional buttons to use. This brings our total up to 20.
Now if you add the 8-way directional pad on top of that, you get 8×4 which is an additional 32 buttons for powers.
So, the grand total is 52 buttons on the Xbox 360 controller.
This doesn’t add in the two analog controllers themselves, which can be pressed down upon for further menus.
So, when you subscribe to this line of thinking, I would have to argue that the Xbox 360 and PS3 controllers actually have many more buttons, within a much easier reach, than a standard mouse and keyboard setup.
Edit: If you still need a keyboard to chat with, there is this peripheral which allows you to do just that: http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/09/x…d-is-official/
No external keyboard required, it snaps directly onto the controller.
Here’s my rebuttle: This argument is valid. There’s no real reason why it can’t work. I would, however, like to add that the Z, X, C, V, F and Spacebar keys are also within easy reach on a keyboard with your left hand.
FFXI has had success on PCs and consoles.
Final Fantasy XI is a perfect example of how an MMO can have solid controls on both PC and a console. Keep in mind that FFXI basically required you have a keyboard to play on the PS2, but I wouldn’t mind that with STO on a console (USB keyboard, anyone?). The second biggest thing that keeps the game equal from PC to console in FFXI is the inability to have add-ons. Most PC MMOs let users create add-ons that tweak the UI or add new features, but SquareEnix doesn’t let anyone do that on FFXI. It may seem like a bad idea, but FFXI was designed well enough to where add-ons were never really needed. If STO can do the same it shouldn’t be a problem.
On paper any game seems to be able to be ported from keyboard+mouse to 360/PS3 controller (with optional keyboard attachment for the 360 controller) like you described, MrJuliano. However, many game developers have shown us that they can’t get the job done. The console version of a PC game ends up ”dumbed down” for reasons of laziness or lack of production time.
This doesn’t mean I expect or want a dumbed down version of Star Trek Online on a console, it’s much the opposite. If I could choose between the two and there were no differences I would take the console *cough*XBox 360*cough* version hands down. I’m just a bit jaded and cynical because of the failures of the past. I’d love nothing more than to see STO perfectly playable on both platforms.
This is only one part of the argument, as there are many facets to this topic, and I guarantee you I will be coming back to it. If you have any suggestions on what you think Cryptic should do to make sure STO is successful on both PCs and consoles, or just have an opinion you want to share, leave a comment!
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The issue is with usability, practicality, and how a user interfaces with his controls and the GUI. It needs to be intuitive. A keyboard is very easy because of its layout. Everything is in pre-defined sets and areas. With a controller, It is designed so that the user can reach all the buttons, it could be just as good, but it is a much steeper learning curve. The critical point is the mouse. You need the joystick on a controller for movement, or you can use the dpad… But the moment you use the dpad for anything other than spells/skills (1-8) the controller becomes difficult to use. With a mouse you have analogue (it’s really digital as you cant set motion to 1.5 pixels but I digress) control over your interface. In conjunction with the keyboard you can simultaneously move, cast spells and look around or interface with the UI. That’s something that is really difficult to do with a controller. There are just too many sacrifices and trade-offs with a controller. It would be awesome to have it working effectively on all platforms, but really, short of adding a pressure sensitive trackball to emulate the mouse, it would be very difficult to have an effective and on par setup.