(Untitled)

[erikman]

Why the Mouse Is Better for First Person Shooters, or Consoles Are for ChumpsThe mouse operates on distance (you move it). Moving the crosshair some exact amount on the screen using the mouse requires moving the mouse by some exact amount. Your brain needs only to process the ratio at which mouse movement translates to screen movement, or (distance

Comments

[legolas_i_haran]

While I agree the mouse is better, I disagree on part of your reasons why.

First part in which your "distance=distance" formula for the mouse is usually not correct. While there may be some that enjoy the 1:1 ratio, I myself am a fan of a much smaller ratio. My mousepad is smaller than the monitor. Therefore, to minimize having to lift my mouse in order to go from 1 side to another, the equation I have in mind is distance * some ratio = distance. This is not intuitive, but learned.

However, the ratio is static, and therefore easier to comprehend than the volcity * time equation, where both have to be controlled. However, we do not consider time into our equation. We make our decisions from instant to instant. When we use a joystick to aim at a target that is moving randomly, we prepare to have to instantly change our direction. Therefore, what must be considered is velocity and angle of attack. Since mouses interact the same way, as we need to generate velocity by moving the mouse, the intuition required by either controller is the same.

When I think about it, mouses are the same as joysticks except that the joystick has only 1 "reset" point. You can make a mouse-like controller by adding a touch screen that is controlled with your thumb. However, as we are assuming that we want a hand-held controller, where only 1 finger is required to use, this would be cumbersome. There must be a sacrifice in order for this handheld controller to work. That is where the joystic comes in.

The problem of the joystick is not intuition, but dexterity and a limit of velocity. As long as you can move your mouse fast enough, you can keep your mouse pointed on anything you want. Also, movement is controlled only witht he thumb, which is not trained for such small movements, but to just grab stuff. Since the mousepad is much larger than the joystick can allow, such dexterity is not as necessary for the same control.

[erikman]

I never said 1:1 ratio - my monitor is a 22" widescreen, that would play merry hell with my desk space (and my arm would get really tired). I just meant X-distance:Y-distance.

[legolas_i_haran]

Thats why its not distance = distance

[saint_lotus]

It is. You misunderstood. Whats worse: the context is painfully obvious in the post. "Some" distance moved is directly equal to "some" distance moved, as opposed to distance moved plus acceleration (time value) being equal to distance.

So if you want to be super anal, you can say:
some distance = some distance

and:
some distance * some time = some distance

Since all "somes" are constant, they're irrelevant in the comparison analysis, though, and can reasonably be dropped. Distance = distance.

[legolas_i_haran]

some distance = some distance
some1/some2 distance = distance
some1/some2 = someratio

[legolas_i_haran]

some from the first distance =/= some from the second distance. They would only be equal if the mouse to monitor ratio was 1:1, which we agreed wasn't.

[legolas_i_haran]

I was just saying that because if it was 1:1, then it would be distance = distance.