Awkward Tank Controls In Starsector? Madman Analyses Jank In Search of Eternal Truth

Channel:
United Kingdom OffyD's Game Grounds
Subscribers:
5,580
Published on ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUd0KKtKLfI


Game:
Starsector (2013)
Duration: 25:21
1,502 views
120

After accidentally being happy with tank controls in a space sim that I liked, I decided to go back and revisit the controls of Starsector, since in that game I hated the controls. What was it about them that felt so different? It was actually something staring me in the face the whole time. In this semi-pointless rant, I take you on my journey to discovering that special something.

Only the beginning of that Starsector video is relevant to this, if you wanted to go see what it was I was ranting about. But that isn't required, as I explain it also in this video.
https://youtu.be/g8_1TAQB18o

The conclusion is that some combination of having close control of rotation, ability to thrust without a button input, maintaining speed while performing other actions, and keeping the vehicle relatively still in the screen-space are probably the secret ingredients that make tank controls flow nicely. Starsector stumbles in these features, and I posit that this is what makes it feel less slick than similarly controlled games.

Does that mean tank controls are good for space games? My first instinct is to say no in the case of Starsector but yes in the case of Endless Sky, because the controls might as well match the movement mechanics. I am still a proponent of screen-space controls, or mouse-led autopilot rotation. But really I remain open to being convinced, hence my extremely nerdy investigation shown in this video.

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#starsector #starsectorgame #gamedesign



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Other Statistics

Starsector Statistics For OffyD's Game Grounds

At present, OffyD's Game Grounds has 11,337 views spread across 3 videos for Starsector, with his channel uploading 10 hours worth of Starsector videos. This makes up 8.70% of the content that OffyD's Game Grounds has uploaded to YouTube.