4.1    Introduction to Analog Sensitivity

For actions that are controlled by analog inputs, such as moving a character in a certain direction, or accelerating or steering in a driving game, developers will decide how the action responds to the analog input. The way a character’s speed increases the more an analog stick is pushed for instance.

How an action responds to an analog input influences the level of control a player may have over a particular action. Players who are not able to push an analog stick all the way might not be able to move a character at maximum speed, for example.

Letting players modify the relationship between the value the game receives from the input, and the value the corresponding action takes, enables them to customise a setup to suit their control and the type of input they use.

The source of an analog input’s value will vary depending on the device. An analog stick for example might use the position of the stick along its axis to determine the value, whereas a mouse might use the speed it is travelling along an axis instead.

Here we will show ways developers have enabled players to alter their analog input settings to allow for more personalised control. Whilst these will affect what could come under a general umbrella term of ‘Sensitivity’. It’s important to also give players a finer grained control over how an analog action handles, for each input device and platform your game supports.

This module is a part of Analog Sensitivity. Discover other modules in this topic on the SpecialEffect DevKit website at specialeffectdevkit.info.