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[John Harker]

I hate Halo for having their default controlls set for "normal."

Standard should be inverted, as it has been.

That way when I pick up a game, I don't suck at it and am force to change it while others think I don't know how to play games, heh.

 

[Xenon]

If your controls not inverted, your play is perverted

 

[FightyF]

Inverted...but I can play normal as well. The only time I absolutely CAN'T play normal is with space/flight games.

Y'know this begs a similar question...in games where you can control the camera...would you rather have right=swing the camera to the right of the character, or right=look right? I was playing both Mario Sunshine and Splinter Cell during the same month...and man...the fact that the cameras were different, made it really hard to control the camera in either game. So I finished MS first, and then went on to SC (camera movement I preferred).

 

[Version 3.0]

Inverted.

Although I can use normal (which should be called 'unnatural') if that's all there is, although the opposite is much more common--inverted with no option to change (that's mean, too, though).

I've had this discussion before, with pro-normal users saying "'up' should equal 'look up'", but 'up' on a control stick isn't 'up', it's 'forward'. If that little stick was a guy's head, 'inverted' would be the proper way to move his head to let him see stuff.

 

[Version 3.0]

Y'know this begs a similar question...in games where you can control the camera...would you rather have right=swing the camera to the right of the character, or right=look right? I was playing both Mario Sunshine and Splinter Cell during the same month...and man...the fact that the cameras were different, made it really hard to control the camera in either game. So I finished MS first, and then went on to SC (camera movement I preferred).

I prefer the 3rd person camera the way it was introduced to platformers--Super Mario 64 style. That game explained it perfectly, even letting us see Lakitu holding the camera. You control the camera, not Mario's eyes or head (which still wouldn't be clear--see my last post). Therefore left moves the camera left, not your view.

I can play the other way (a la GTA, Splinter Cell, etc) but switching takes a few minutes to adapt. And I agree, that the option to switch should always be there nowadays. But some developers are always going to be stubborn about it (Nintendo).

 

[Spencerr]

Analog look - Inverted please.
Mouse look - Not inverted, thank you.

 

[Ranger X]

Joystick - inverted
Mouse - normal

 

[Useff]

Inverted for games that use a gamepad.

 

[poppin fresh]

I can never use inverted, just not my style but.

Funny thing was at a conference there was a FPS developer with their beta on show and when I sat down to have a go I asked the designer how to change the mouse to non-inverted and he just looked at me with a puzzled look and went on to tell my friends and I how it was only at this show that he and his staff realised how many people use non inverted and that if he had have known most didn't use inverted he would have put in the option to change it.
He was a realy cool guy and pretty much talked about how he just thought inverted was natural and that everyone used it.

 

[Zaphod]

Invert or die...

 

[Red Dolphin]

Joystick - inverted
Mouse - normal

Yep.

And SM64 camera. (left moves camera left)

 

[Error Macro]

That's so weird. I was just thinking the same thing, except oppositely. I always play with normal controls, and it seems so totally unnatural to play inverted. I can understand why people would do it for flight games, but not for anything else. Inverted controls just don't make sense for most games.

Looking around in a 3D space, inverted Y-axis just makes sense. It feels natural. In real life, when you lean backwards, you are looking up. When you lean forward, you are looking down. It is a complete absence of logic to push forward on the controls and look up.

 

[the_geche]

Nay.

I despise inverted controls with a passion, even in flight sims...

 

[raYne]

Looking around in a 3D space, inverted Y-axis just makes sense. It feels natural. In real life, when you lean backwards, you are looking up. When you lean forward, you are looking down. It is a complete absence of logic to push forward on the controls and look up.

Fact.

As for camera rotation, left is left (right is right duh) because like Error Macro's point, it mimics head rotation.

 

[Stryder]

Inverted, I really like booting up a game that has inverted set to the default, like Timesplitters.. those developers have their heads screwed on right.

Also, isn't this like the gajabillionth this thread has been done?

 

[raYne]

Also, isn't this like the gajabillionth this thread has been done?

Yep.

 

[WHOAguitarninja]

Normal for me. Used to be inverted but Splinter Cell demo flipped me around.

I hate Halo for having their default controlls set for "normal."

Standard should be inverted, as it has been.

That way when I pick up a game, I don't suck at it and am force to change it while others think I don't know how to play games, heh.

Think about how your first two sentences work together.

 

[Piepz]

Inverted for flight games,
Normal for others.

 

[Takuan]

NAY! Except for piloting aircraft in BF1942.

 

[WHOAguitarninja]

Fact.

As for camera rotation, left is left (right is right duh) because like Error Macro's point, it mimics head rotation.

Well...not really. When you take it in terms of pure head rotation, you're essentially setting a camera at the back of your head and putting it on a swivel. In such a case, Y would be inverted, yes, but X would also be inverted. You're controlling the movement of a camera attached to your head. You can't use leaning in one case, and head rotation in another and call it a cogent explanation for why inverted makes sense.

In terms of pure head rotation, if you call the direction to be the direction you want your face to point, than "normal" is in fact the more correct way.

It really all comes down to if you want to control the back or the front of your head. Although if you control the back, then you're setting aside X rotation as a special case, and controlling it via the front of the head.

 

[raYne]

It doesn't come down to what you're used to, it comes down to what makes sense to the person.

For instance for me inverted camera is far more logical for the very reasons Error spoke about. In 3rd person games I'd put myself in the shoes of the character so to speak. If I want to see what up there, I tilt my head back which constitutes holding down on the joystick. That obviously carried over to fps and the like since I'm even more the place of character I'm controlling and want to accomplish the same goal... wanna look up? Tilt your head back.

Hell, when I was five and I wanted to pop a wheelie on my bike, I pull the handlebars back and off I go. If you're flying an airplane and want to go up, you pull back on the stick. It just makes sense.

On the other side of that coin if you're pointing to something you move your hand to the corresponding direction. Pointing to the top of the stairs to your left, so you point to the upper left. This is esentially what you're doing when you use your mouse. Pointing at an object.

But uhh.. I guess those are "excuses" huh?

 

[WHOAguitarninja]

First of all, I just want to say I can't beleive I'm debating this at 2 int he morning when I should be asleep =). Ohhh gaf, what do you do to me.

EDIT - Oh, and incase it comes across as if I'm actually trying to make this a serious debate...keep in mind that it's 2 am and I'm pretty much incapable of sarcasm and humour at this point(although some would make the case that I'm incapable at 2pm, as well, which is probably true)

It doesn't come down to what you're used to, it comes down to what makes sense to the person.

I could sortof agree with this, but really how much sense does it make to control the direction in which you're looking with a joystick. Not much, but it's what we're forced to grow accustomed to doing, hence, I say it comes down to what you're used to.

For instance for me inverted camera is far more logical for the very reasons Error spoke about. In 3rd person games I'd put myself in the shoes of the character so to speak. If I want to see what up there, I tilt my head back which constitutes holding down on the joystick. That obviously carried over to fps and the like since I'm even more the place of character I'm controlling and want to accomplish the same goal... wanna look up? Tilt your head back.

If you want to think of it in terms of controlling the tilt of your head, that's fine, but then you would have to be able to twist the joystick for a completely sound method. Tilting the joystick left and right would just lean your head left and right, which wouldn't do much other than make everything look like it's at an angle.

Hell, when I was five and I wanted to pop a wheelie on my bike, I pull the handlebars back and off I go. If you're flying an airplane and want to go up, you pull back on the stick. It just makes sense.

These are inertial forces which is an entirely different topic, I can see why you brought it up, but in terms of head rotation and static view readjustment(god damn that's a technical sounding term for turning your head), it's really not relevant.

On the other side of that coin if you're pointing to something you move your hand to the corresponding direction. Pointing to the top of the stairs to your left, so you point to the upper left. This is esentially what you're doing when you use your mouse. Pointing at an object.

What if someone had no hands...and had to point with his nose. Then wouldn't it make more sense for him to go non inverted?

But uhh.. I guess those are "excuses" huh?

Damn straight

 

[Sumasshu]

I prefer inverted in FPSs (and even inverted in games like Unreal Championship 2 in 3rd person view), but for some reason when I'm in the 'sniper camera' view when using weapons that zoom in, I prefer not inverted.

Oh why am I so screwed up?!

 

[raYne]

Meh... your opinion sucks, mine is better!

I definitely see all your points, however I just wanted to point out that my "pointing" example is referring tb non inversion.

Oh why am I so screwed up?!

Your brain is backwards... I'd have that checked out...

 

[empanada]

Inverted y-axis here. Normal controls just doesnt feel normal to me.

 

[White Man]

I can't do inverted with a mouse, period. On a controller, I could go either way, but I'll do normal if the option is present.

If I'm on a PC, and it's any sort of flight sim/space shooter, and I've got a joystick -- invert.

 

[Ash Housewares]

I've been inverted since Timesplitters