Is Gesturing in games a stupid fad or do people really enjoy it?
The problem with gesturing is that it's counterintuitive to draw symbols on a screen with a mouse, while pointing is much more intuitive for most users. I think instead of focusing on written glyphs a gesturing system should be similar to a control system - mouselook is intuitive in most FPS's - why not use a control system similar to gauge user input?
The problem with gesturing is that it's counterintuitive to draw symbols on a screen with a mouse, while pointing is much more intuitive for most users. I think instead of focusing on written glyphs a gesturing system should be similar to a control system - mouselook is intuitive in most FPS's - why not use a control system similar to gauge user input?
Doesn't the success of gestures also rely on the input device?
Simple gestures can be done easily with a mouse, but complex ones will be a pain in the ass. But what if you use a tablet or a touchscreen interface (think PocketPC, Nintendo DS, etc)? Gesturing would be a lot easier and the gestures can be complex without being annoyance.
(Just my 2 cts :P)
Simple gestures can be done easily with a mouse, but complex ones will be a pain in the ass. But what if you use a tablet or a touchscreen interface (think PocketPC, Nintendo DS, etc)? Gesturing would be a lot easier and the gestures can be complex without being annoyance.
(Just my 2 cts :P)
Quote:Original post by MatrixCubed
Ever since its introduction (or, more specifically, my introduction to it) in the Opera browser, I thought 'mouse gesturing' was a campy, RSI-inducing trend. Unfortunately, it spilled over into the PC game world. Personally I find it's the epitome of "we can, but should we?" technology. I'll choose hotkeys over it any day.
Opera is actually what convinced me that gestures are a good idea. What makes it better in Opera than in Black and White is that Opera has the "right button down" thing which allows for simpler gestures. I actually hate using browsers without it; it's like using a mouse without a wheel. So much more convenient than dragging the mouse over to the back button, to the scroll bar, or going through a menu to get "open in background page". On the downside, some pages cover the screen with flash which is a nuisance. Also, people get confused when they sit down in front of my computer, "Where's the back button?". [grin] (Although the red O is appropriate, GO BUCKS!)
EDIT: Another option I like is Blender's "One hand on the keyboard, one hand on the mouse". However, I think that's overboard for Opera where there are only a few common commands (as opposed to Blender which has a lot of common commands). Emacs is great as a pure keyboard interface, which is nice because its main purpose is typing. Use what's appropriate for the task at hand.
Author
Split down the middle, like I was afraid it'd be :)
Thanks for all the input - plenty of food for thought.
I agree 100% that gestures for the hell of it are a pointless waste of time. Applying them appropriately is the challenge.
Thanks for all the input - plenty of food for thought.
I agree 100% that gestures for the hell of it are a pointless waste of time. Applying them appropriately is the challenge.
Quote:Original post by onfu
Split down the middle, like I was afraid it'd be :)
Thanks for all the input - plenty of food for thought.
I agree 100% that gestures for the hell of it are a pointless waste of time. Applying them appropriately is the challenge.
It's only a challenge if you start from the solution looking for a problem. Just put gestures in your tool box and you'll know where to find it if you need it.
I don't know if you guys play much Unreal Mods, but I'm the lead audio engineer for a mod called The Soul Keeper (IGF mod finalist I ALWAYS point out...ahem.) and the sorcery in the game is done with gestures. It's kind of a "oh cool factor" going on, but it just made sense for a spellcaster with a book in his left hand to gesture the spell in mid air with the right...lemme see if I can snag up a pic here...
Well, this is right after the gesture is drawn, but you flip to the page in the book and it shows you what symbols to draw...none of them are so complicated that they are impossible to use, but you definitely want the spellcasters on your team to be quite deft, as the magic in SoulKeeper can be tricky, but is quite devastating.
And that I think is the tradeoff, our approach isn't to create a convenience thing like assigning spells to hotkeys. It's keeping things (including the interface) within the realm of the game and rewarding those who get good at it with fantastic, useable results.
If anyone here is going to GDC this year (and since I can't go), stop by the Epic and IGF booths and say hi to the SoulKeeper team for me...it would be a nice "gesture".
Tony
Well, this is right after the gesture is drawn, but you flip to the page in the book and it shows you what symbols to draw...none of them are so complicated that they are impossible to use, but you definitely want the spellcasters on your team to be quite deft, as the magic in SoulKeeper can be tricky, but is quite devastating.
And that I think is the tradeoff, our approach isn't to create a convenience thing like assigning spells to hotkeys. It's keeping things (including the interface) within the realm of the game and rewarding those who get good at it with fantastic, useable results.
If anyone here is going to GDC this year (and since I can't go), stop by the Epic and IGF booths and say hi to the SoulKeeper team for me...it would be a nice "gesture".
Tony
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