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[mrkgoo]

I remember when the GC controller was still being developed, and IGN told us about a cool feature -nothing big, but cool nevertheless, which turned out to be the digital clicks on the analogue triggers.

Now, I thought they were a great idea, kind of like two buttons in one, especially neat if the secondary function was related to the primary anyway. Two games I recall using them well were Luigi's Mansion (can't exactly remember what for , though) and Rogue Leader (TO close S-foils on X-wing for super speed, click again to open, while analogue controlled acceleration while open). I love analogue triggers - racing games were so much more natural on a controller (first taste = Dreamcast). I would've thought the GC controller to be great for racing games using the triggers for accelerate and brake...too bad it's not really the system for those types of games.

Thing is, most games, including the big name exclusives for Nintendo, never really used the the digital clicks to any great effect. I know, just because a feature is there, doesn't mean you have to use it, but so many games just use them as L and R buttons. Games Like Metroid Prime could've used it for changing the lock-on (wait, now that I think about it, I think maybe it did...)...Which games used the digital click well...or at all?

 

[Gahiggidy]

I totally agree with you. The digital clicks were criminally underused. Could'a been used to enhance/simplify control in many big Cube games.

i.e. - RE4, use the click to reload instead of reaching for 'b'. Or be the fire button itself.

 

[Kobun Heat]

Just off the top of my head, I believe Super Mario Sunshine used them. If you held the button down a little you'd spray water while walking; if you clicked it in you'd stay still.

 

[Odnetnin]

Just off the top of my head, I believe Super Mario Sunshine used them. If you held the button down a little you'd spray water while walking; if you clicked it in you'd stay still.

yup.

 

[Cold-Steel]

I personally thought they were shitty.

Too sensitive to make any sort of real-gaming application.

Same goes for the Dual Shock 2's supposed "pressure sensitive buttons".

The Microsoft Controller-S triggers were close - but still off.

 

[MattCoz]

In Metroid it was used to bring up the targetting reticule.

 

[Pedigree Chum]

Just off the top of my head, I believe Super Mario Sunshine used them. If you held the button down a little you'd spray water while walking; if you clicked it in you'd stay still.

Yeah, that was pretty cool. The game is underrated, it wasn't that bad.

 

[snaildog]

Same goes for the Dual Shock 2's supposed "pressure sensitive buttons".

I'm not joking, which buttons are supposed to be pressure sensitive? I read that when the PS2 came out I think and just assumed that I'd read wrong.

 

[Cold-Steel]

I'm not joking, which buttons are supposed to be pressure sensitive? I read that when the PS2 came out I think and just assumed that I'd read wrong.

Face buttons: Square, Triangle, Circle, X.

 

[Wario64]

I'm not joking, which buttons are supposed to be pressure sensitive? I read that when the PS2 came out I think and just assumed that I'd read wrong.

All buttons are pressure sensitive, except the the d-pad and start/select buttons

at least the pressure sensititve buttons were used in more than a couple games, and they worked pretty well (e.g. Metal Gear Solid 2/3)

 

[TheDuce22]

I cant remember which game but the best use was holding it to target something then clicking it to switch targets. That and the super mario sunshine thing.

i.e. - RE4, use the click to reload instead of reaching for 'b'. Or be the fire button itself.

The b button works just as well but there are other games where it should have been used.

 

[Guy LeDouche]

I'm not joking, which buttons are supposed to be pressure sensitive? I read that when the PS2 came out I think and just assumed that I'd read wrong.

every button except start and select features 256 levels of sensativity.

Christ people, play a little GTA or MGS. It works quite well.

 

[Pedigree Chum]

All buttons are pressure sensitive, except the the d-pad and start/select buttons

at least the pressure sensititve buttons were used in more than a couple games, and they worked pretty well (e.g. Metal Gear Solid 2/3)

d-pad too I believe

 

[StarscreamLSU]

I believe that Eternal Darkness used them to switch targets.

I remember getting an ugly email from Nyko PR about my PlayCube review. For those who don't know, that was the GC adapter that let you use a PS2 controller. I happened to mention that using the PS2 controller took away the "digital click" and noted how it was used in some games I was playing at the moment and how it affected the gameplay. After posting the review the Nyko guy emailed me bashing me for rating the thing an 8.5 while others gave it a 9 or 10. Went on to tell me that I shouldn't take points off when it didn't give a "stupid click".

I printed the email and hung it on my wall. It brought me such joy -- especially when I emailed him back with the Nintendo PR stuff about the "click" and that I refused to change the score.

 

[jett]

The digital clicks were a great idea...seems like no one's going to rip them off, though, sadly.

 

[cubicle47b]

All the Xbox buttons are pressure sensitive too. Something I only learned by playing around with the XDK.

I thought the buttons at the bottom of the analog triggers were pointless and the trigger would have been perfect without them for racing games. All the racing games I played on the Cube used them for steering or powersliding, though. *shrugs*

 

[Gahiggidy]

If memory serves, F-Zero used them to "check" the other racers. Or, at least they could be configured that way.

 

[Setanta]

SMS's use of the Analogue R wasn't too bad with FLUDD. I can't remember too well if the clicks were put to good use enough though.

 

[BuckRobotron]

I haven't played it in a bit, but doesn't MGS:TTS have some function attached to the full click?

 

[mrkgoo]

Yea,h I remember the clicks in Sunshine...it was actually a feature I used. Most of the features were minor (not a bad thing - they shouldn't be something really obivous), but there must've been some potentially great uses for it. One of the best remains Rogue Leaders S-foils- it was already on the accelerate, so it made a lot of sense.

Not sure about Prime's use, though I think it was used for something. And I do remember ETernal darkneses switch target. Sometimes I'm not sure if it was actually the clik that did it though.

Surely Zelda used it for something?


I had no problem witht he sensitivity of teh triggers -they were nearly perfect, IMO - smooth, enough give for quick fire (something I was concerned about for FPS triggers), yet enough resistance to trust the analogue.

And yes, the D-pad on the DualShock2 is pressure sensitive. I believeit works as walk and hard push to run in both MGS and GTA.
Teh accelerate works for GT aswell. And in SIlent Hill2, teh analgoue attack changed your type of attack - which was damned annoying, becasue I kept wanting to do the downwards hard hit, and you had to push hard to do it. The analogue buttons were a good idea in theory, but useless in execution.

 

[Gahiggidy]

I haven't played it in a bit, but doesn't MGS:TTS have some function attached to the full click?

No! And that's what pissed me off with that games awful control. Could've made things like shooting much more intuitve. But for some reason they ignored the function and stuck with the awkward "function keys" method of control.

 

[mrkgoo]

No! And that's what pissed me off with that games awful control. Could've made things like shooting much more intuitve. But for some reason they ignored the function and stuck with the awkward "function keys" method of control.

Oh yeah, the lame, hold down a button first, then push another to drop gun with out firing. OR something. HAving said that, in MGS2 on PS2, I would often pull a gun up to fire, and then decide not to, slowly release to lower gun, but accidentally do it too fast, and shoot anyway. Damned annoying.

How did XBox deal with the gun lowering?

 

[Zaptruder]

I personally thought they were shitty.

Too sensitive to make any sort of real-gaming application.

Same goes for the Dual Shock 2's supposed "pressure sensitive buttons".

The Microsoft Controller-S triggers were close - but still off.

... You really just want a foot pedals don't you?

 

[BuckRobotron]

No! And that's what pissed me off with that games awful control. Could've made things like shooting much more intuitve. But for some reason they ignored the function and stuck with the awkward "function keys" method of control.

Weird, for some reason I thought it did but I booted it up and as has been said no function for that. For the record, I ultimately have no problems with the controls myself but can certainly see why not everybody gets along with them.

Oh well, hmm, 18 minutes into my third game on this save, I think I'll watch you-know-who limber up before turning the game off.

 

[Vark]

In metroid I forget what the click was, but if you hit the analog down without clicking you could strafe, then clicking down allowed for free aiming.

(yes, there is in fact strafing in Metroid Prime, despite what 99% of people think).

 

[BuckRobotron]

Just tried it, right trigger is free-look/aim, pressing down into click throws up the targeting reticule. Strafe is left trigger and appears to be the same full click or not.

 

[Jonnyboy117]

David Trammell wrote a great article years go about how the clicks could be used for all sorts of cool game control ideas. Virtually none of them were ever used. A few months ago, I asked him to write a follow-up on how the clicks were used over the GameCube's life cycle (up to this point).

http://www.planetgamecube.com/editorials.cfm?action=profile&id=132

 

[etiolate]

Yeah, except for a few games the clicks were never used. Nintendo is offering new control features but no one knows what to do with them. DS? I'll make a map! And Nintendo themselves didn't do too much witht he analog click. It'd make a convenient reload in FPS games.

 

[Dragmire]

RE4 had the perfect opportunity to use them. You aimed with R, but it was really slow for turning your character's viewpoint. They should have used R for quick turning while aiming (and possibly a farther view from the character), and R click would lock in the regular, slower, more precise aiming (with the over-the-shoulder view). I thought about this at the shooting range, where it would've done wonders. It's a shame because lots of games missed opportunities like this.

 

[radios shipping overview]

I hate the clicks, and I hate when fully analog triggers are used for tasks that should be handled by digital buttons (this goes for Xbox, GC, and DC games that abuse the shoulder buttons). It ends up giving me sore index fingers, and the Gamecube's clicks make the problem worse. Click aside, Metroid Prime is one of the games that would have benefitted from digital triggers. Mashing that stiff, long spring (zomg innuendo) over and over for scanning hurts, just as it did for targeting in Wind Waker. PN03 was an absolute bear to play unless you switched the dodge controls to the face buttons - why were the shoulder buttons the default, anyway?

360's best-of-both-worlds approach is a step in the right direction, and I've always liked the PS2's pressure sensitivity (also underutilized, but see Dropship for wonderful use of it).

 

[duckroll]

Oh man, I can't say it enough: THE DIGITAL CLICKING ANALOG SHOULDER BUTTONS CAN FUCKING GO DIE! I remember playing RE4 and near the end of the game I reached the point where you had access to all 4 game types of the shooting range minigame. I decided to ace all the bottlecaps in one sitting, so I spent a good hour and a half at the shooting range using nothing but my right index finger for the right analog trigger to shoot. By the end of that exercise I couldn't play the game for 3 fucking days before it hurt so much, in fact I think I fucking sprained it. Seriously, whoever though of that idea should just go and hang himself right now before E3 so we don't have to ever encounter bullshit like this ever again.

 

[The Faceless Master]

I think what people object to is the lack of circle-strafing. That is, the ability to strafe and turn simultaneously.

BINGO!

 

[mrkgoo]

Oh man, I can't say it enough: THE DIGITAL CLICKING ANALOG SHOULDER BUTTONS CAN FUCKING GO DIE! I remember playing RE4 and near the end of the game I reached the point where you had access to all 4 game types of the shooting range minigame. I decided to ace all the bottlecaps in one sitting, so I spent a good hour and a half at the shooting range using nothing but my right index finger for the right analog trigger to shoot. By the end of that exercise I couldn't play the game for 3 fucking days before it hurt so much, in fact I think I fucking sprained it. Seriously, whoever though of that idea should just go and hang himself right now before E3 so we don't have to ever encounter bullshit like this ever again.

Huh? You can use the digital click to shoot? Cool...

 

[SickBoy]

I think the digital click is a neat idea with some good potential, but if the Gamecube shoulder buttons are the only way they can be well-implemented, I'll pass.

Why? I think the shoulder buttons on the Gamecube controller are as bad as its gimpy C-stick. Too mushy and I'm not at all pleased with the overall feel of them. I also think that unless it's a game feature that modifies what you're using the shoulder for (I mean, you're pressing R already for somethign), there's too much action needed to get that click properly.

I'd much rather see Nintendo put Xbox-style triggers on their next gen controller, or even basic Playstation-style buttons.

NOTE ON THE PS2 BUTTONS: People are asking about the sensitivity, Mad Maestro actually used the pressure-sensitivity to great effect, although I think at times, trying to hit a PS2 button with the right amount of force can be a pain in the ass.

 

[duckroll]

Huh? You can use the digital click to shoot? Cool...

Errrr, I meant that I had to hold the fucking thing all the way while shooting. ^^;

 

[Great King Bowser]

Digital click was useful in games that actually properly utilised it, ala Super Mario Sunshine and Rogue Leader aforementioned. But the one thing that pissed me off about them was that the 'click' would wear down.

My friend used to play a lot of WE8:FE and of course the right trigger was to run, so he wore it down so it didn't really click anymore. Used to really piss me off when I used that controller. :lol

 

[mrkgoo]

Errrr, I meant that I had to hold the fucking thing all the way while shooting. ^^;

Ha...I see. I don't think you have to hold it ALL the way down (I don't think you have to digital click, anyway). Still, I guess if any game required you to hold down a trigger button for 90 minutes, it'd be tough on your hands. Also, Nintendo DOES warn you to have breaks every fifteen minutes.....

 

[bitwise]

every 15 minutes?? :lol

 

[mrkgoo]

every 15 minutes?? :lol

He..whoops, I meant a fifteen minute break every hour or so.

WARNING - Repetitive Motion Injuries
Playing video games can make your muscles, joints or skin hurt after a few hours. Follow these instructions to avoid problems such as Tendinitis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or skin irritation:

Take a 10 to 15 minute break every hour, even if you don't think you need it.
If your hands, wrists or arms become tired or sore while playing, stop and rest them for several hours before playing again.
If you continue to have sore hands, wrists or arms during or after play, stop playing and see a doctor.