4.2    Inner Deadzone

Let players adjust the inner deadzones of each input to suit their movement.

The inner deadzone is an area between two distinct values of an analog input, in which the bound action will not activate. By allowing players to adjust this area, players can choose the amount of input required to initiate an action.

Having the ability to increase the inner deadzone can be useful for players with involuntary movement trying to avoid unintentionally performing an action. Decreasing the inner deadzone can be useful for players who would prefer to initiate an action with less input from the device, and therefore less physical movement overall.

Fortnite allows you to adjust the deadzone of each stick when using a gamepad, as shown by the blue area. If the deadzone is adjusted to 0.50 on the right stick this means that when the stick is in the area between centre and halfway along an axis, it will have no effect and the action of moving the camera will not activate. Outside this area the action will activate as normal.

DiRT Rally 2.0 and Rocket League both have similar settings, which allow you to adjust the inner deadzone of the left stick. This will determine how far the stick needs to be pushed before the car will start steering.

As well as allowing you to edit how the sticks behave, Battlefield V also has settings to alter the trigger inputs as well. By altering the inner deadzone on the right trigger you can decide how far the trigger will need to be pushed before a vehicle will start accelerating.

It’s worth noting that inner deadzones can also be applied to digital actions, when mapped to analog inputs. In Battlefield V the digital action of firing a weapon is also affected by adjusting these trigger deadzone settings. In this case the weapon will not fire until the trigger reaches the set distance.

Some platforms will allow you to adjust deadzones on a global scale. The Xbox Accessories App features deadzone settings for the Xbox Elite controller for example. However, it’s also important to be able to adjust these settings within a game, to ensure, where possible, they can be altered individually for different actions and within different contexts.

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