Post-jam adjustments: Controls that feel good #1

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opened 2025-03-01 00:22:30 +00:00 by Taevas · 1 comment

Taevas commented

2025-03-01 00:22:30 +00:00

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"Navigation took a bit to get used to" - oldpopsmcgee
"I wished the ball was a tiny bit more responsive when changing directions." - Beebster
"Controls felt pretty good" - Baconinvader

Those tidbits of feedback I've gotten on Alakajam make me wish the controls felt better
My first guess as to why they don't feel excellent is that the ball could be said to be controlled like a tank, if you try to change the direction of the ball while it's at a high velocity, it'll take quite a bit of time until the ball fully follows the new direction

I could consider

making the gravity stronger for a short instant when changing the gravity while it's strong, but I feel like the shift key exists if the ball is at a lower speed, while having the ball at a higher speed should come at a risk/cost as going fast is one of the main points of the game
adding an ability (a key) to transfer all of the ball's velocity into the gravity, or like simply change instantly the direction of the velocity, but that would take away from the game's relative simplicity to play
tweaking the values of the gravity and of the ball's mass, but I don't think I'm capable of doing it in a way that'd solve my problem

My tired ass is tempted by the addition of a button to completely shift the velocity of the ball, as I feel that'd allow for more opportunities in terms of level design while not compromising the current controls, but it's with a lot of uncertainty

> "Navigation took a bit to get used to" - oldpopsmcgee > "I wished the ball was a tiny bit more responsive when changing directions." - Beebster > "Controls felt pretty good" - Baconinvader Those tidbits of feedback I've gotten on Alakajam make me wish the controls felt better My first guess as to why they don't feel excellent is that the ball could be said to be controlled like a tank, if you try to change the direction of the ball while it's at a high velocity, it'll take quite a bit of time until the ball fully follows the new direction I could consider - making the gravity stronger for a short instant when changing the gravity while it's strong, but I feel like the shift key exists if the ball is at a lower speed, while having the ball at a higher speed should come at a risk/cost as going fast is one of the main points of the game - adding an ability (a key) to transfer all of the ball's velocity into the gravity, or like simply change instantly the direction of the velocity, but that would take away from the game's relative simplicity to play - tweaking the values of the gravity and of the ball's mass, but I don't think I'm capable of doing it in a way that'd solve my problem My tired ass is tempted by the addition of a button to completely shift the velocity of the ball, as I feel that'd allow for more opportunities in terms of level design while not compromising the current controls, but it's with a lot of uncertainty

Taevas added the

enhancement

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2025-03-01 00:22:31 +00:00

Taevas commented

2025-06-12 15:50:48 +00:00

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Well after 3+ months of playing regularly, it's hard to say that the controls feel not natural to me
I don't think it'll take 3 months for people to get used to the controls though, I think they're fine

An ability for specific levels to transfer velocity (so to put all current velocity of the ball towards a specific direction and reduce it by 25% for example) was something I heavily considered, but I won't do anything like that before the game releases

The controls (for all levels as they currently are all the same) are likely fine enough as they are, I will therefore close this issue until I change my mind or/and get overwhelming feedback about how the controls are ruining the game or something

Well after 3+ months of playing regularly, it's hard to say that the controls feel _not_ natural to me I don't think it'll take 3 months for people to get used to the controls though, I think they're fine An ability for specific levels to transfer velocity (so to put all current velocity of the ball towards a specific direction and reduce it by 25% for example) was something I heavily considered, but I won't do anything like that before the game releases The controls (for all levels as they currently are all the same) are likely fine enough as they are, I will therefore close this issue until I change my mind or/and get overwhelming feedback about how the controls are ruining the game or something

Taevas closed this issue

2025-06-12 15:50:49 +00:00