15 replies to this topic

[Hit the Deck]

This idea went back to me after seeing a couple of MW3 videos and Logitech G13 someone posted in a thread. I don't exactly remember how because it was long ago but in MW3 I think your mouse controls the arm movement and torso twisting (no up and down or "pitch") is done with the keyboard. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong but this creates some difficulties in that you can't torso twist and rotate your legs at the same time (awkward or just not enough fingers). This particular difficulty in MW3-esque control could potentially be solved if your left hand (for right handers) can control some sort of "analog stick" like in Logitech G13:



This analog/thumb stick is to be assigned to control the torso movement (both pitch and yaw) and by so doing, the player will have more control of their 'mech and MWO will feel more sim-like as a result. PGI doesn't need to rework their in-game control setup but just add this feature for the player to choose.

Some players (like me) just wish that they can move the arms without changing their view and this is particularly usable when you face multiple enemy 'mechs. Perhaps you will argue that no one will use this feature because of arm and torso weapon convergence and I think you are right but it's a cool feature nonetheless. One can only imagine how difficult it must be for a 'mech pilot to aim each of his/her weapon individually like in the source material/lore.

What do you think about this idea? I'm almost sure this has been mentioned or suggested before!


EDIT: I forgot that you can move your arms separately from the torso with pressing CTRL so I guess we kind of have this feature already lol

Edited by Hit the Deck, 09 June 2015 - 12:54 AM.

[Sergeant Random]

Yup. We can do it already.

[MeiSooHaityu]

I was just thinking that too..."we can do this already" lol.

Well, it was a good idea anyway.

I have been watching some videos of MW4 and I never saw the player move the mech's arms independently from the torso. Was this a feature in MW3 that mysteriously was dropped in 4? If so, that seems pretty backwards. I know they were different developers, but you would have thought the newer company would have built off the ideas of the old being within the same franchise. Huh.

[Matthew Ace]

Pretty much the only related form of arm independance in MW4 is the ability to shoot left or right arm mounted weapons to respective sides only with the look left/right function. Mektek had planned to bring free reticle back in MP4, but the mekpak didn't come to fruition.

As for in MWO, while you can already do it, it may require more button-mashing than desired. I'm toying around the idea of tying free look to right click so that it's more intuitive to free-aim arm mounted weapons (I lose my ability to fire Group 2 with that, however). Macro can tie both free look and toggle arm-lock so that this can be achieved with one button instead of more.

Edited by Matthew Ace, 09 June 2015 - 02:50 AM.

[Blood Rose]

MeiSooHaityu, on 09 June 2015 - 02:41 AM, said:

I was just thinking that too..."we can do this already" lol.

Well, it was a good idea anyway.

I have been watching some videos of MW4 and I never saw the player move the mech's arms independently from the torso. Was this a feature in MW3 that mysteriously was dropped in 4? If so, that seems pretty backwards. I know they were different developers, but you would have thought the newer company would have built off the ideas of the old being within the same franchise. Huh.

The feature was there, it was just it was awkward to use and a lot less efficient than just twisting and giving a full frontside. It also required a lot of concentration. All in all most players find it easier to stare the enemy down than have your view turn to face the side of your cockpit - either a window or cockpit wall depending on the Mech.

[MeiSooHaityu]

OK, just curious. Thanks.

[Hit the Deck]

Yeah, while we have the ability to move the arms independently, it requires holding a button.

I imagine someone l33t enough on his Dire Wolf can suppress the enemies at the end the tunnel with his torso mounted 4x cUAC/5 while at the same time hosing that lone raven at the far end down with his arm mounted laser vomit

[KHETTI]

Blood Rose, on 09 June 2015 - 02:50 AM, said:

The feature was there, it was just it was awkward to use and a lot less efficient than just twisting and giving a full frontside. It also required a lot of concentration. All in all most players find it easier to stare the enemy down than have your view turn to face the side of your cockpit - either a window or cockpit wall depending on the Mech.

The armswing in MW4 wasn't really awkward at all, and was also a very useful tool for shielding a damaged side torso.
I used it a lot in MW4, and it usually meant i was able to put fire downrange at an enemy no matter what their position was in relation to mine.

[Hobo Dan]

I hope if/when we get Oculus Rift/HTC Vive support, this maybe a little easier to pull off.

[Hit the Deck]

Hobo Dan, on 09 June 2015 - 04:45 AM, said:

I hope if/when we get Oculus Rift/HTC Vive support, this maybe a little easier to pull off.

Are you suggesting that your head movement is to be coupled with the torso?

While we are it, I hope that such devices can track our eye movement so we can aim just by focusing on an object!

[Lugh]

Hit the Deck, on 09 June 2015 - 04:57 AM, said:

Are you suggesting that your head movement is to be coupled with the torso?

While we are it, I hope that such devices can track our eye movement so we can aim just by focusing on an object!

Oh yeee of too much faith...

[Hit the Deck]

Lugh, on 09 June 2015 - 05:01 AM, said:

Oh yeee of too much faith...

I imagine that if we could wear such headset (such as rift or vive) which can track our head and eye movements, then there would be some possibilities of cool control setups like this one, for example:

• the head tracking controls your free-look inside the cockpit
  
• your mouse controls the torso and its related weapons
  
• the device tracks your eyes and you aim the hands by focusing at a point

How crazy is that?

Edited by Hit the Deck, 09 June 2015 - 05:24 AM.

[IraqiWalker]

Hit the Deck, on 09 June 2015 - 03:00 AM, said:

Yeah, while we have the ability to move the arms independently, it requires holding a button.

I imagine someone l33t enough on his Dire Wolf can suppress the enemies at the end the tunnel with his torso mounted 4x cUAC/5 while at the same time hosing that lone raven at the far end down with his arm mounted laser vomit

No, it doesn't require holding a button. Just disable "Arm Lock" in the settings menu. Unless the mech no lower arm actuators, it should be able to move the arms independently, and freely. Regardless of Torso position.

EDIT: There are only one or two DWF right arms that come with a lower actuator. So the scenario you are describin is not gonna happen. However, we've pulled crazier stunts than that though. Like TAGing two separate mechs.

(In MWO upper arm actuators control vertical movement. Lower ones control horizontal movement. )

Edited by IraqiWalker, 09 June 2015 - 05:32 AM.

[MeiSooHaityu]

IraqiWalker, on 09 June 2015 - 05:30 AM, said:

No, it doesn't require holding a button. Just disable "Arm Lock" in the settings menu. Unless the mech no lower arm actuators, it should be able to move the arms independently, and freely. Regardless of Torso position.

He was talking about moving the arms completely independent of the torso, not arm lock.

To move the arms to their limits without the torso moving at all, there is a key that allows that (L-CTRL on default mapping). It also moves the pilot's head as well (vision stays centered with the arm retcule).

I never really used this function mostly because I never seemed to have s case where I needed to move both the arms and torso THAT independently to engage multiple targets. The game seems to move too fast to make that practical. Just moving the arms normally seemed to handle almost all of my target tracking needs.

[CDLord HHGD]

I really like how the controls work for MWO. Not too complex, but complex enough to account for what the game needs. The only thing I would really change is more of a HUD thing, give each arm (with a mounted weapon) it's own reticle (yes, that means there could be up to 3 floating reticles to track). Only if there's a weapon equipped though.

[Soy]

Free Look key is important.

But it's already in game so I don't really understand...