General

Post by **ElvenProgrammer** » 28 May 2004, 16:16

Project developing

Post by **ElvenProgrammer** » 28 May 2004, 17:38

Mouse vs. Keyboard

As in SNES rpgs I'd like to use keyboard but I think this causes many problems.
Keyboard for movement it's useful because the map doesn't turn as in RO so you can't point with the mouse behind a building.
But mouse is useful for interacting with gui (or maybe we can use key combos es: alt+i for inventory), to interact with other players(just think prontera at some hours). And what about the archer, how does he select his enemy: with mouse click or by a keyboard based system(think at zelda the ocarina of time for n64)

Post what you think about that...

natsuki · Post by **natsuki** » 28 May 2004, 20:47

maybe keyboard for movement and main actions

and somehow mouse for cursor/selection^^

RRC · Post by **RRC** » 28 May 2004, 22:19

yea i think it should be keyboard for main actions and movements, and there should be a customizable hotkeys option?

Post by **ElvenProgrammer** » 28 May 2004, 22:41

Yes surely.

natsuki · Post by **natsuki** » 28 May 2004, 22:45

it also good those hotkeys and shorcut keys^^

Ardaen · Post by **Ardaen** » 01 Jul 2004, 18:57

Why nost just support both mouse and keyboard.

Mouse can be like in ragnarok, easy enough.

Keyboard, have a cursor/crosshairs slightly ahead of the character in the direction they are facing.

For archers it would autoaim a bit when they fired.

As for talking to npcs, have basic tab, up/down and enter controls.

maci · Post by **maci** » 29 Nov 2004, 08:38

maybe you can make it possible to play with an gamepad

and the thing with alt+i :

you don?t need this just remember Secret of Mana...
clone the menu

Post by **ElvenProgrammer** » 03 Dec 2004, 15:10

Maci: adding gamepad is already planned, but will be added later, anyway it's not possible to clone the SoM menu, because it requires to stop the time and that's not possible for a MMORPG

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 03 Dec 2004, 15:55

Can an action key be used on the keyboard that would allow players to talk to NPCs, open doors, and other actions?

It would be nice to have a choice between playing with the keyboard, mouse, or both.

Post by **ElvenProgrammer** » 03 Dec 2004, 20:01

Well my idea was to use the left ctrl also to talk to npcs since you cant attack them. It's not hard to add and even more precise than mouse. It's on my todo list

Anyway I don't think it will be possible to use only keyboard

Rock-On-Dude · Post by **Rock-On-Dude** » 05 Dec 2004, 22:52

For archers, you could have them press the attack key or whatevah then you use like directional keys to toggle which enemy to attack...

krismichael · Post by **krismichael** » 07 Dec 2004, 02:46

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Originally I had a crazy idea of "action icons" setting the player into specific "modes" so that they are limited to only be able to fight or talk or buy/sell depending on the mode they where in.

http://themanaworld.sourceforge.net/php ... .php?t=223 (an example of my current design and you can see at the top the "action icons")

But the other day I started playing Zelda again (yes I still have my old NES system with 200+ games).

It got me thinking. The Zelda interface is so simple and it's easy to adapt it to either Keyboard, Mouse, or Game Pad, or a combo of all two/three.

So I was thinking what about a system like this:

1. Arrow Keys for movement (later we can adapt Game Pad).

2. Primary Action Button (this can be user assigned for example "CTRL" button or "A" button on the keyboard. Later this can also be a Game Pad button). The player can choose in the menu option what Action is assigned to Primary action in some "modes" of gameplay. For example the Pimary Action Button can use the players "Sword" or cast a specific spell or use a specific item (think Diablo). When the user is engaged in a specific mode of game play such as Buy/Sell/Trade then the primary and secondary can act as an "Enter" or "Cancel" button in the menu interfaces.

3. Secondary Action Button (same as primary button and again can be user assigned).

4. Mouse is limited to ONLY window, dialog, menu use. When the user pulls up a menu by pushing either a "HotKey" on the keyboard (default would be number keys 0 -9) or when they select an "enter" key on the Game Pad the Cursor appears for them to use (either using the mouse or the game pad) in the Menu mode only. During game play they wouldn't have a cursor or mouse input, etc.

SimEdw and I have been working on the new GUI and part of what is holding us up is trying to figure out some of the basic gameplay/input. I think the simple NES style of 2 buttons and joystick/key-arrows would be a very clean, simple, and nice way of playing the game. What do you guys think?

Post by **ElvenProgrammer** » 07 Dec 2004, 07:08

I agree with the most part of it

Anyway just think that the 'A' button can't be used since it's already used to write text in the chatbox.

And I think at least we need 2 buttons, for example left right to quickly change target, if we want to use autoaiming for long range weapons or magic attacks.

mandrake1983 · Post by **mandrake1983** » 09 Jul 2005, 12:44

What about the gamepad support? Is this something you're still thinking about / working on?

I personally feel that it would be nice to do, say, the "main action" via gamepad, because it gives this feeling like in the old snes days... just like SoM... i love this game... *dreaming*

best regards,
mandrake