Modern 2-D Spaceship Controls
Classic 2-D space games such as Star Control were keyboard-centric: WASD for turning and thrust, plus other buttons to shoot, dock, and so on.
It’s been a decade or so, and it’s time to update 2-D spaceship controls: it’s time to use the mouse. Here are some requirements:
- Navigate anywhere.
- Control speed. I don’t mean reverse thrust: maybe you have to turn around and thrust in the other direction. With enough skill, though, I should be able to stop near that planet, or go faster, or slow down.
- Communicate and dock with other objects. Land on a planet, hail a ship.
- Inertia. I should be able to rotate in a particular direction without affecting my current thrust.
- Shoot. What’s a game without shooting?
Some options, in case that’s too easy:
- Turreted fire. While pointed in one direction, I can shoot whatever turreted weaponry I have at my command in any arbitrary direction.
- Location-targeted secondary abilities. This may be a dupe of turreted fire. Think Diablo 2, with the ability to place a trap anywhere on the screen.
- Targeted abilities. I want to launch my tracking missile at that ship over there.
- Multiple types of fire. As mentioned above, I’ve got some regular guns, and perhaps some turreted guns, and missiles. And mines and shields and boosters and all sorts of goodies.
The goal is to accommodate all of the required features and enough cool optional ones, while making an interface that’s comfortable and easy to learn.
Disclaimer 1: I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I don’t believe there’s an easy solution. Some compromises in requirements or ease of use may be required.
Disclaimer 2: If anyone proposes an awesome solution, anyone who reads this is free to use it in any space game they may or may not be working on.