So I got DKS for the 360 this past week and have been playing it as much as my schedule will let me. I love it. But there's one thing that really bothers me- the control scheme. Is it just me, or is the control scheme for the Xbox 360 version of DKS a little wonky. It works fine, but I was thinking about it today and realized that there's a whole button that goes completely unused. Currently (for anyone who hasn't played DKS on the 360), the controls are as follows:
Left Thumbstick: Movement
Left Thumbstick depressed: Sheath Weapon
Right Thumbstick: Camera
Right Thumbstick depressed: Pause Mode
A: Assignable Item/Skill
B: Assignable Item/Skill
X: Assignable Item/Skill
Y: Assignable Item/Skill
Right Bumper: N/A
Left Bumper: Interact
Right Trigger: Jump/Roll
Left Trigger: Engage Lock Mode
D-Pad Up: Assignable Item/Skill
D-Pad Down: Assignable Item/Skill
D-Pad Left: Assignable Item/Skill
D-Pad Right: Assignable Item/Skill
Start: Start Menu
Back: World Map
Now, this control scheme works, it doesn't stop you from be able to do anything. It's not that the controls are necessarily bad, but there's so much that could be done with them above and beyond what's being done now. The use of the Right Trigger to jump and roll is a little awkward and the complete omission of the Right Bumper is just plain weird. So what I propose is a new control scheme (an alternative, if you will), one that is actually not all that dissimilar from Fable and Dragon Age 2. This control scheme would see the Right Trigger as a modifier button of sorts that would change what X, Y, and B, as well as what the directions on the D-Pad do. Essentially, this would allow the player to mapped 14 items or skills to the face buttons and D-Pad directions instead of the current 8. Basically, what I propose is a control scheme that I think would made DKS a whole lot more awesome than it already is. It is as follows:
Left Thumbstick: Movement
Left Thumbstick depressed: Sheath Weapon
Right Thumbstick: Camera
Right Thumbstick depressed: Pause Mode
A: Jump/Roll
B: Assignable Item/Skill
X: Assignable Item/Skill
Y: Assignable Item/Skill
Right Bumper: Interact
Left Bumper: Dragon Morph Stone
Right Trigger: Face Button and D-Pad Modifier
Left Trigger: Engage Lock Mode
D-Pad Up: Assignable Item/Skill
D-Pad Down: Assignable Item/Skill
D-Pad Left: Assignable Item/Skill
D-Pad Right: Assignable Item/Skill
Start: Start Menu
Back: World Map
With Right Trigger Held
B: Assignable Item/Skill second tier
X: Assignable Item/Skill second tier
Y: Assignable Item/Skill second tier
D-Pad Up: Assignable Item/Skill second tier
D-Pad Down: Assignable Item/Skill second tier
D-Pad Left: Assignable Item/Skill second tier
D-Pad Right: Assignable Item/Skill second tier
Anyone that's player Dragon Age 2 or the original Fable or probably many other games that I haven't should know what I'm talking about with this modifier button idea. I don't think this is a revolutionary idea by any means, but I think it would make DKS even more enjoyable.
Anyway, that's my two cents. If nothing else, I'd really love to see a patch that makes it so that the Right Bumper functions like one of the face buttons or D-Pad directions. But if this, or something similar, could be implemented into DKS, then I'd love Larian forever.
