[Discussion] Improving the UX of default controls

[MaxCWhitehead]

Description

Some feedback we received from a play tester:

• The default keybindings seem very weird. Why is my right hand not doing anything?
• I'd like to be able to bind actions to my mouse buttons. I want to expand a bit on this. The current build is pretty much unplayable for me with mouse and keyboard because I am not used at all to playing a game with only one hand or with both hands on the keyboard. I am conditioned to having my left hand on the WASD-equivalent keys on my keyboard and having my right hand on the mouse. Playing Jumpy would require me to learn an unfamiliar layout, which reminds me of the worst part of the original Risk of Rain

Planning to aggregate feedback on default controls here + can see what other feedback we get in this area. Addressing the lack of teaching controls first might also be a good solution.

Personal thoughts:

We currently mirror Duck Game's approach of allowing two players to share a keyboard for local play. I think it's great to support this, but I also wonder if there would be value in allowing multiple default profiles. (Allow player to switch to a "profile" two hands on keyboard for single player, or a keyboard / mouse?) Might be some other ways we can get best of both worlds in accommodating both Duck Game players + lowering barriers for players unfamiliar with these controls.

I do recall having to lookup controls first time I played jumpy, and took a long time for me to figure out muscle memory between c/v, frequently mix them up. When I played duck game, it was almost exclusively on gamepad, so I never learned keyboard controls. I mostly play jumpy on keyboard for ease of development, and would use gamepad if actually playing with others or remap keybindings if no controller available.

I have memories of playing flash games with my brother many years ago sharing a keyboard, so do think it's a cool thing to support.

[Breadp4ck]

There is also the LEGO games approach:
1 player: WASD + UHJK.
2 player: left/right/up/down + 5123 on Numpad.

However, not all players have a Numpad these days, especially programmers (small keyboards and laptops).