Inverted Controls or Not?

[Krazy4Krash]

Do you prefer it when games have inverted controls (where up is down and down is up) or normal controls?

When a game gives an option to choose between them, I always choose inverted controls. I can never get used to aiming or flying something when up is up.

For example, my brother uses the standard controls in Ocarina of Time 3D. When I play his game, my muscle memory kicks in and I aim something, for instance, the bow, in the complete opposite direction. It bothers me.

What is your preference?
Are there any games that you choose the opposite of what you would usually?
Can you use the opposite of your preference without bother?

 

[A Link In Time]

I always, always, always use normal controls. I don't understand how you can program your brain to think the exact opposite of its natural response. Whenever I've tried inverted controls in any game, most recently Star Fox 64 3D, they've led to much pain, death, and grating of teeth. Yikes!

 

[windwaker101]

You, my good man, have placed me between a chocolate bar and a bag of oreos (metaphorically speaking). I prefer normal for third-person view and inverted for first-person view.

 

[guapo2003]

Yep, I have to do inverted controls. For some reason, I guess my brain can't comprehend up is up and down is down. I always tend to go the other way, so if I'm playing a game that can use inverted controls, I jump on it. Otherwise, I'll have to settle and have my brain catch up and actually go up instead of down lol.

 

[Reaca]

I prefer normal controls for anything but flying games. I don't see how anyone can play Starfox when pushing up makes you go up instead of down.

 

[Hanyou]

For flying and aiming/looking, always inverted.

I think "inverted" is a strange way of putting it, actually, though I can see why it's called that. The idea is that when you look up, you're pulling back, and vice-versa when you look down. It's the same deal with flying; you pull back to move up. That's why inverted is more natural and intuitive.

 

[TheMasterSword]

Personally, when I aim up means up. think about it, when you're aiming in real life, you move up, and you shoot up. But in flight, its a complete different thing. So in Star Fox and flight simulators and such, I use inverted controls. besides that, I dont see the point.

 

[PhantomTriforce]

For flying and aiming/looking, always inverted.

I think "inverted" is a strange way of putting it, actually, though I can see why it's called that. The idea is that when you look up, you're pulling back, and vice-versa when you look down. It's the same deal with flying; you pull back to move up. That's why inverted is more natural and intuitive.

The word inverted is actually used by many games when deciding preferences, like the Metroid Prime games and Ocarina of Time 3D.

Personally, I prefer inverted control. I don't know why or how that works, but it just does.

 

[Koosholts]

When I was younger I used inverted controls for everything. More recently, I've trained my brain to play on normal controls. It's actually funny when people say inverted controls is abnormal and not natural, but it's quite the contrary. When flying, you pull down and the plane moves up, and vice versa. That's mainly why I used inverted controls for my childhood.

Actually, recently I've been trying to get my girlfriend to play video games with me. We we playing Halo Reach Firefight mode and she was sucking terribly. She constantly complained that her controller was broken and I checked it and it was fine. Turns out, the little amount of video games that she did play was set on inverted controls. She didn't know people had an option, and she thought it was stupid that people would even play on normal controls because it makes no sence.

She's narrowminded.

 

[Emma]

I use inverted controls for anything that involves flying. This is common in video games. It's intended to emulate controls in a real plane, which work in a very similar way. In some planes, it's exactly like in video games. Up is down, down is up. This has to do with g-forces. Having the controls the other way around would make it extremely difficult to maintain a dive or a climb. Some very large planes have the lateral controls inverted. The x-axis. So left is right and right is left, with entirely separate controls for vertical movement (up and down). That usually isn't the case for smaller craft.

It's similar for anything you aim too. When you have... say... a bow, and you want to aim it up, what do you do with it? You pull it towards you of course. Pushing it away from you would naturally cause it to aim down. Translate that to a control stick, pulling towards you, or "down" would raise the weapon, and pushing it away from you, or "up" would lower it. It's completely reasonable that people wire their brains this way. In fact, those that have handled real weapons, or have ever flown a plane, often thinks it's weird to have "up is up."

 

[Ventus]

I always pick normal controls. In a shooter, I move the control stick left to aim left. Unfortunately for games where the menu is hard to traverse (e.g Perfect Dark), i am forced to play inverted an thus death tolls rack up. Inverted is by no means hard to play with in my opinion, but it is simply confusing for those not calibrated for them. It is like switching frok Circle Pad Pro back tp only one circle pad.

 

[Emma]

Oh, yes... I forgot to mention that I prefer "normal" for third person shooters. I sometimes use inverted for first person, depends on the game. I can adjust to it either way mostly. But, as I said, anything with flying, it has to be inverted. There's no other way to fly. You just can't make the proper dives and loops the other way around, you just can't.

 

[David]

I can play the game both ways. It isn't hard for me to adjust to the style that is required for playing. However, I personally prefer inverted controls when I play with a joystick. The inverted controls feel more natural to me than any other controls.

 

[Norm]

Normal controls. Can someone PLEASE explain tome why inverted controls are even an OPTION?

 

[Akuhime-sama]

I think it really depends on the game for me. (AND what the controls are... well... controlling)

For flying a ship/plane/etc... I like inverted (vertical)
For camera controls in 3rd person setting, I like inverted (horizontal)

Anyway, like I said, it all depends.
But yes, I do like some inverted controls.