Quote:Original post by serratemplar
map your three favorite keys and mash them like Nintendo.
...
making the control interface as simple and dumbfire

A minimal control system doesn't imply simple and/or dumb you know. A good control scheme is intuitive and flexible to use, with as few buttons as needed.

My favorite example is Viewtiful Joe, which for the basic beat-em-up only uses three buttons - punch, kick and jump. But because it combines these with context (current pose, previous move, enemy position) and the direction of the analog stick theres a huge number of possible moves to pull off. Because it's initially simple it's quick to get started with. With practice the player picks up on the specific moves and whats appropriate in what circumstances. Timing and rhythm are developed so the player waits until just the right moment to trigger the next carefully chosen attack.

The Zelda games are also a good example of careful control minimalism - carefully using context so that a few semi-generic buttons (action, weapon, item) provide the most appropriate actions for the player at any given moment.