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Dmitry Yudo aka Overlord, jack of all trades
David Lister aka Listy, Freelancer and Volunteer

Friday, June 14, 2013

[WoTB] Controllers for Blitz

During WWDC in San Francisco Apple announced that it is working on supporting physical controllers in iOS 7.

There going to be at least 3 version of it: 2 form-fitting ones and one standalone. Like this.


Such devices are already in use on Android working via bluetooth for smartphones and tablets.

Or even this.


We are definitely considering going for them (physical controllers) in World of Tanks Blitz, since it can really improve gaming experience a lot, giving the necessary precision especially for core gamers.

Any thoughts on this?  

16 comments:

  1. Only kids play on such things. Same for the 360 version. Good the servers will be seperated, so the kids can be keeped away from the actual playerbase.

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    Replies
    1. You underestimating the progress and reach of mobile.

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    2. And you see only the marcet... sure you can maybe earn money. i dont know and dont care... but the PC version ist TOO MUCH RANDOM. Its more a luck game which team i get and wg dont want archievements for the best players in team, which would be a great idea to motivate the better players... and now on a toutchscreen???? und xbox controler? haha only stupid child will play this. but hey they have money, so its ok. but improve the TOO MUCH RANDOM pc version! (i hate your planes XXX but i think this game can be much better used on xbox controller).

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  2. Does that mean the game will only be playable with those controllers?
    Or is it just for better game performance (optional) ?

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    Replies
    1. Optional ofc. All you need is a compatible touch device.

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  3. One thing I spot from the pictures, all those controllers are mounted to phones. Are there ones for Tablets? I've seen cheap clip on joysticks to work the virtual D-pad, but they sucked a bit.

    Thoughts on controllers? Physical controllers are nearly always better than virtual ones, and as I always say: Get the Controls right and the game will work.

    That said, I foresee one issue. The sheer amount of controllers out there. I came a cropper in WOWP with my joystick because of it (the game engine placed two different controls under the same Axis input).

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    Replies
    1. Some can be connected to tablets via bluetooth. So, it's not a problem.

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  4. What is the date of WG,s 15th anaversery?

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    Replies
    1. We are actually celebrating all year round. The main party will be in August I guess.

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    2. Ok thx :) I was just wondering when the MASSIVE special will be. Well done WG btw on making it this far! :D

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  5. personally, I wouldn't want to use them and probably wouldn't play if the touch controls weren't refined enough to compete with the controller. I'm guessing that's near impossible.

    I play mobile for convenience. a controller is not that

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    Replies
    1. I'll second this. I think if the goal is to market WoT to the casual, phone-gaming market, requiring a controller strapped to your phone to be competitive is going to count against it. Most people keep their phones in their pockets or purses (or their tablets in a slim notebook cover) and like to play a quick game while waiting at the DMV or sitting in the car waiting to pick someone up. The convenience of that is completely negated if you have to haul around an inconvenient and bulky additional device that you then need to pull out and hook up just to be able to play. I know phone controllers exist (and I'm sure there is a niche market of dedicated gamers who haul them around with them), but I have personally never seen a single one in use out in the real world, for the precise reason that they defeat the purpose and convenience of having games on your phone in the first place.

      I just don't see controllers meshing well with the majority of people who play games on their phones.

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    2. I should clarify: I think almost anyone who would be inclined to buy a controller will already have WoT at home on a gaming computer (and prefer to play it there), and anyone who doesn't have a gaming computer already is not going to be inclined to buy a "dorky" controller attachment for their $200 slimline phone. I do play games on my phone when I'm out of the house, but if I had to choose between carrying a controller to play World of Tanks while I'm out or just playing another game that didn't rely on a controller, I'd play the other game.

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  6. So will wotb come to window phone 8?



    Hope it is :D

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  7. My thought is definitely yes, as it is the only way for many games if they want to appear on mobile platforms. But, if you want to secure success instead of getting a huge fail, you need to work hard (PR and money) on several things:

    1. You have to make a really good bundle (and by this i mean that controller is almost a freebie) in a big value pack, like with premium, gold, maybe some special inscription or even unique tank (you can work this out yourselves) but it needs to be a "want" item, not only helpful - heplful is for core gamers, you need to get new gamers interested in getting it form the start.

    2. Very easy to get - so online sale with super-fast delivery (like decide to start playing today, get it tomorrow), very important on premium markets like NA and EU, customers demand "special" treatment.

    3. Of course you have to cover all platforms the game works on, with pnp support - that puts quite a bit of stress on company, money/employee expensive.

    4. You probably want to make a joint project with other game companies as it needs to get "common" instead of "unique" on game market. After you break the dam, you ride on the wave :) .

    5. It has advantages, which you can make work for you :) - a lot of room for extra power source, if you make bigger "ergonomic" version, it's even more room. So, it doesn't have to be wireless to sell well. Phones today are so slim and in consequence have too small batteries, especially for high demanding applications which require constant full power - like gaming, but not only: internet, movies etc.

    I may have more ideas/advices in future ;) . I'm not a pad gamer but i imagine quite good how it should work (and i had some experiences with PSP in past, there were things i didn't like and i thought i could do better).

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  8. Since when controllers with analog sticks and just a couple of buttons are precise? :D

    It's awesome for fighting games, brawlers, action and platforming, but for games that require a goooooood aim there will be nothing better than a mouse. There is hope that PS4 controller with the touch pad could be a very nice thing to aim with precisely, but not typical controllers. Maybe nVidia Shield with that touch screen would do something with aiming, but that would make You cover Your own aim, which is stupid ...

    IMO without some sort of "assisted aim" it will be very unplesant to pla, but at the same time assisted aim makes the game less satisfying for a CORE GAMER (that's the point here, since we are talking about core gamers, and not a casual audience). This is a srious issue that needs a LOT of attention.

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