Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
ing together, they complement each other and provide an accurate measurement of
movement within the space of the mobile device in which they are built.
The orientation-based controls try to intercept the angle at which the screen was
tilted in a specific direction, and interpret it into commands for characters or other
objects. Such an approach became very popular for various arcade simulators; here,
players have to control flying vehicles, cars, and so on. The principle is very obvious
and natural for the audience. Once the device is turned to the left like a wheel, a
vehicle on the screen turns left as well. There is no need for any virtual buttons other
than the ones for special actions.
Astronaut is Gone can use such a system too. By rotating a device to the right or left
(the first axis), the player defines the horizontal movement of the astronaut. But tilt-
ing it forward or backward (the second axis) gives the hero a vertical acceleration. To
control weapons and the throttle slider, thumbs are used. The only tricky part is the
harsh turn of the device. To exclude unshapely twitches in the trajectory of motion, it
is a good practice to provide a special buffer inside the game that would smooth the
peaks.
One of the ways to simplify the controls is to automate some operations by shifting
the responsibility to the game's
Artificial Intelligence
(
AI
). For example, the game
may accelerate the character by itself; players only need to rotate the wheel, for-
getting about the pedals. Such tactics work fine, but only as simulators for speedy
games. It takes away the pauses in a game; so, it is not a walk with a right to stop
anywhere, but a rush.
