Search Unity

  1. Megacity Metro Demo now available. Download now.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Unity support for visionOS is now available. Learn more in our blog post.
    Dismiss Notice

Should I have a controller supported for a PC game?

Discussion in 'Game Design' started by astracat111, Jun 9, 2018.

  1. astracat111

    astracat111

    Joined:
    Sep 21, 2016
    Posts:
    725
    Today when programming menus I ended up using this trick in where I have a few hidden buttons to identify windows that are being pressed.

    Now the problem with invisible buttons is that it breaks the game when using it on a controller, because you're focusing the game's selection on something invisible. My thought was to get it working first and foremost on PC, then port to android which would also have a click in the form of a touch screen.

    I want to, then, disable controller input when using the game in it's 1.0 PC release form. Is this a bad idea? I see this in adventure games all of the time so I didn't think it was bad practice, but then if it's designed for PC only as I go I'm making porting for future releases more and more challenging.
     
  2. theANMATOR2b

    theANMATOR2b

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2014
    Posts:
    7,790
    What platform is the game being created for on first launch? Is a port 100% planned for pc/console?

    (my opinion) if the game is the type that at least half of the expected audience will use a controller for, the game should be setup to use controller and have great controls when using the controller. All platform games should have controller support out of the box pre-alpha - if the developer wants anyone to test the game without getting frustrated by M&KB controls.

    If I'm not mistaken, the common setup for multiple input controls is to identify the platform on launch and deactivate the input controls for other platforms on load.
     
    BIGTIMEMASTER and astracat111 like this.
  3. Joe-Censored

    Joe-Censored

    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2013
    Posts:
    11,847
    There's a sizable niche for controller supporting games on Steam. The trick to get in front of that niche group is to get your game searchable on Steam under Full Controller Support. Partial controller support doesn't get your game in those same search results.
     
  4. verybinary

    verybinary

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2015
    Posts:
    373
    I did not know this. I wasn't going to publish to steam because of saturation, but this this with guarantee at least some visibility...
     
  5. astracat111

    astracat111

    Joined:
    Sep 21, 2016
    Posts:
    725
    Very helpful, thank you.

    This is what I was concerned about.
     
  6. Kiwasi

    Kiwasi

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2013
    Posts:
    16,860
    Should you have controller support depends very heavily on the game type. If your game fist well with a controller, say a FPS or a racing game, then add one. If your game doesn't, like an RTS, don't add one.

    But whatever you do, make sure your game is properly playable on all input devices you support. A badly implemented input device is worse then not having the input device.
     
    Dannohawk likes this.
  7. kburkhart84

    kburkhart84

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2012
    Posts:
    910
    As I mentioned just now in another post, I feel like unless the game is specifically NOT good for gamepads, you should support any and all of them that you can. An RTS is one that would be an exception...while an FPS might also be an exception depending on how yours plays. Most other game types are playable with gamepads and with keyboard(maybe mouse too), so I recommend you support any and all of them. I also recommend you make the controls as custom configurable as possible because not all players like default WASD controls(not all keyboards even have those in the same places).
     
  8. Dannohawk

    Dannohawk

    Joined:
    Aug 5, 2017
    Posts:
    9
    Yeah, I appreciate it as a consumer. Not a deal breaker. But my girlfriend won't play without controller support and gets pissy about customization with the buttons. So you may potentially lose sales, depending on the type of game.