YoshiBlade Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Does pushing forward on the controller make it go faster? From the NES to PS4, everytime I play a racing/driving game I find myself jamming the controller pad forward with the notion (delusion?) that it gives me that bump to eleven. Just kind of want to put this one to bed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Felis Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 No but...now I'm wondering if somewhere, there is a gamer who bounces up in their seat every time they jump in a game in the hopes that they will time their jumps better. Okay, not wondering. Hoping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 No but...now I'm wondering if somewhere, there is a gamer who bounces up in their seat every time they jump in a game in the hopes that they will time their jumps better.Okay, not wondering. Hoping. There are. Kids mostly, but I see adults do it on occasion. Also lots of people who lean their whole bodies when playing racing games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabeel Ansari Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Are you talking about games that use buttons to accelerate (like A in Mario Kart or triggers in Burnout)? If so, then no, the analog stick does not assist you in speeding up. They use the X-axis only, and that's for steering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timaeus222 Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 Last I recall, you push forward on the joystick to maintain speed? Haven't played arcade games in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoshiBlade Posted March 2, 2015 Author Share Posted March 2, 2015 Are you talking about games that use buttons to accelerate (like A in Mario Kart or triggers in Burnout)?If so, then no, the analog stick does not assist you in speeding up. They use the X-axis only, and that's for steering. No, not the acceleration button, but rather if you didn't touch the control stick on, lets say Mario Kart, you would head in a forward direction irrespective, but rather when you are playing if you press forward on the joystick and you garner a small bit of top speed as opposed to not pressing forward on the joy stick at all. Last I recall, you push forward on the joystick to maintain speed? Haven't played arcade games in a while. This might be closer to the truth, if one were to let back the controller stick you would lose some momentum, giving the illusion of a sort of boost by pressing forward. I'm sure every game has its own set of rules governing handling and speed, but just a thought...hmmm now that I think of it perhaps there is some psychological benefit, I'm not accounting for...like if pressing forward keeps the joystick in a locked position, there by allowing for more control over minute movements left and right..hmmm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty Posted March 2, 2015 Share Posted March 2, 2015 I push forward out of habit. I think it's reinforced slightly by playing PC games where pressing W to walk forward (and to accelerate) is the equivalent of pressing forward on an analog stick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabeel Ansari Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 (edited) Like I said, it would make no sense to give you speed simply for holding the stick forward. The reason to push it forward is, yes, to get the stick to hang on the rim of the circle so that you can roll on the outside (creating sinusoidal steering) instead of leaving it dead center and making it go straight left and right (creating linear steering). We steer cars sinusoidally, the steering wheel literally spins, creating an angular shift in the wheel direction. It's just natural for us to turn that way since we've been doing it for so many years. It's just a psychological inclination toward the familiar, especially since in these games you usually are driving a car. I don't think forward actually boosts your top speed in any games (perhaps with the exception of tailgate mechanics), but to definitively prove this requires source code examination, a developer interview, or someone analyzing game footage. At the very least, I can say that Mario Kart does not, because in Wii Mario Kart, it would give an unfair advantage to people playing on joystick equipped controllers instead of the Wii remote (which only registers gyroscopic x-axis input, or rather, tilting it left and right for steering, but not forward and back for speed). Edited March 3, 2015 by Neblix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowe Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 There is an advantage in steering, it's easier to make very precise movements when you're pressing up against the edge of the control stick's range of motion than it is to do so by twitching left and right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoshiBlade Posted March 3, 2015 Author Share Posted March 3, 2015 Ok now I remember what set me on this...Start Wars Episode 1: Pod racers for the N64. I am almost certain pressing forward would give a small boost to your top speed ( granted the mechanics of a pod racer are unknown so why would pressing forward increase top speed?) but, yes the psychological aspect is probably what accounts for most of the feeling of an increase in speed and for sure no one is going to dig around in the source code to solve this mystery. now I want to run some tests...I might just do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonectric Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Well, people have found out that you can charge your drift boost faster in Mario Kart 8 if you hold the control stick forward at a 45-degree angle instead of strictly left or right. So that's something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devyn Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 (edited) ^ It must be true. I was crushed by you the last time we played, and I'm by no means a bad MK8 player. Edited March 3, 2015 by megadave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-RoN Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 (edited) My parents came over to play the original SNES Mario Kart one day and were disappointed when they figured out that leaning left and right doesn't improve their steering. Luckily they were able to figure out that the mushroom means go faster rather than the up arrow. Imagine having them play MK8. That may cause all sorts of WTF moments in their minds. Edited March 3, 2015 by A-RoN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orlouge82 Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Way back when I played the original NES with friends (in like, 1st or 2nd grade), there were always those kids that lifted the controller when they wanted Mario to jump. I think there's just some tactile connection between the character on the screen and what the mind perceives as its own body. Probably the same thing with pushing forward on the controller (i.e. you intuitively would think that doing that would make your character in the game go forward, regardless of any actual effects). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyakan Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Ok now I remember what set me on this...Start Wars Episode 1: Pod racers for the N64. I am almost certain pressing forward would give a small boost to your top speed ( granted the mechanics of a pod racer are unknown so why would pressing forward increase top speed?) but, yes the psychological aspect is probably what accounts for most of the feeling of an increase in speed and for sure no one is going to dig around in the source code to solve this mystery. now I want to run some tests...I might just do that. Yes, in podracer you had to get to your top speed, then hold forward on the control stick which would start you on a new speed bracket, and then if you could keep going in a straight enough line you for long enough you got access to boost which could send you flying into a wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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