WASD + mouse VS gamepad in TPZ - which one's the better gaming experience?

[Pantagruel's Friend]

I bought a gamepad recently, and was really curious how The Penal Zone plays with it, as there were some people full of praises for the fluency and natural feel of the game when playing with a gamepad.

Up to this point, I'm somewhat disappointed with the results - it's OK to play with the gamepad, moving around is definitely better than WASD, but then, environment interaction is much better with the mouse. I'm interested in what others think about the issue, so I put up this poll. And especially those who find the gamepad solution superior - why do you think / feel so?

[Avistew]

Originally Posted by Pantagruel's Friend

I bought a gamepad recently, and was really curious how The Penal Zone plays with it, as there were some people full of praises for the fluency and natural feel of the game when playing with a gamepad.

Up to this point, I'm somewhat disappointed with the results - it's OK to play with the gamepad, moving around is definitely better than WASD, but then, environment interaction is much better with the mouse. I'm interested in what others think about the issue, so I put up this poll. And especially those who find the gamepad solution superior - why do you think / feel so?

I started playing with the gamepad and it just didn't do it for me. I ended up switching for click and drag which I found much better and not as awkward as in ToMI. I find both superior to WASD though.

[Harald B]

I love how using the gamepad lets me play while leaning backward instead of forward. With a good chair that makes for a really good experience. Mouse + WASD is pretty good too, though, and I like it more than click-and-drag.

[der_ketzer]

arrowkeys + mouse is the best.

[Rather Dashing]

I like how playing with a gamepad feels with my computer hooked up to a television. It lets me sit back and relax, and because the Sam and Max games aren't particularly intense or detail-centric, playing on a TV isn't a disadvantage(as it might be for a game of Civilization, for example). I played all of episode 1 with a gamepad, and I never once had trouble selecting things or performing any action. It's also nice that I can push a button to perform some actions, like going into Max mode, and not having to click an icon in the top right corner of the screen.

[Ripcord]

Arrow Keys Seconded.

[adventureaddict]

I'm a huge fan of click'n'dragging.
Haven't had the experience of a gamepad though, so I can't contribute anything. (Other than I'm not really a fan of the keyboard.)

[The Gentleman]

WASD + Mouse.

[GTALostHeaven]

It all really depends on the game , things like Tomb raider, Resident evil, Metal gear all play very fluidly with gamepads, most PC elitists will say that keys and mouse are better for everything. Even FPS games, personally i prefer to pull a trigger than to click a mouse, but for any point n click game, prefer to use the mouse to .. point and ... uh .. click,

I also think the wiimote is a great way of playing sports/sword games but for playing a point n click games , i think my arm would just get tired.

I think as humans we tend to imprint ourselves on the first medium we encounter so I bet the people that prefer gamepads had a console before a pc/mac (or ZX) and vice versa

[Avistew]

Originally Posted by Dage

I think as humans we tend to imprint ourselves on the first medium we encounter so I bet the people that prefer gamepads had a console before a pc/mac (or ZX) and vice versa

I had consoles first. Had had a nintendo, super nintendo, game boy, game gear, game boy pocket, N64 and possibly gameboy advance before I had a computer.
I had played at least the frst 3 before I played on a computer (which was long before I had one).

And obviously there are people who prefer click and drag even though its new. I put your theory in doubt.

[Rather Dashing]

I wonder how many people who voted have tried playing with a gamepad. Not doubting the validity of poll results or anything, but I don't know how many people have actually tried every control option.

[The Highway]

I have!

[Pantagruel's Friend]

Originally Posted by Rather Dashing

I wonder how many people who voted have tried playing with a gamepad. Not doubting the validity of poll results or anything, but I don't know how many people have actually tried every control option.

Good question, but you can never know - so I might as well assume that the voters did. Anyway, it did need some persistence on my part to discover some of the gamepad values at all (I've never owned a console), so I wouldn't be surprised if someone with less patience gave up earlier.

Thanks to everyone for sharing your views. The results up to this point (11/3/1/6/4) are quite polarized, which is interesting - it probably means that there is a clear distinction between mouse people and gamepad people, and Telltale did well to cater for both audiences. I'll invest some more time into the gamepad experience, and I'll definitely try the comfy armchair and the large TV screen when I get the chance

[Rather Dashing]

All control methods are VERY well-implemented, which is a lot better than previous gamepad titles that seemed to have one or the other system feel wrong when playing.

[guitarsareboring]

Click and drag is the 'best' but I use a gamepad so I can play it comfortably on my TV.

[puzzlebox]

Originally Posted by Pantagruel's Friend

The results up to this point (11/3/1/6/4) are quite polarized, which is interesting - it probably means that there is a clear distinction between mouse people and gamepad people, and Telltale did well to cater for both audiences.

The nerd in me is so pleased that you actually care about interpreting your results.

I use arrow keys + mouse (well, trackpad, because the only computer I have is my laptop).

[Avistew]

It also seems that people who prefer the WASD keys prefer them by a lot, while those who prefer the gamepad are more equally split (the difference is probably well within a margin of error right now).

[Pantagruel's Friend]

Originally Posted by puzzlebox

The nerd in me is so pleased that you actually care about interpreting your results.

The nerd in me never understood polls for the sake of post collection. That's so dweeb, isn't it?

Originally Posted by Avistew

It also seems that people who prefer the WASD keys prefer them by a lot, while those who prefer the gamepad are more equally split (the difference is probably well within a margin of error right now).

That's probably no surprise - I imagine most of Telltale's audience comes from the PC world. For anyone who's been used to WASD/mouse for a long time, it really takes a lot to find a different approach better, let alone vastly superior.

@Harald B: while I have no armchair, I was curious and redesigned my sofa a bit. It was a very relaxing experience (to the extent I almost fell asleep around 11:30PM during one of the longer dialogs ), but I had to switch off the subtitles, and I do need a larger monitor or an LCD TV. To be continued!

[Avel]

I prefer mouse + ESC key, but since that's not here I'll go with gamepad. WASD cramps my fingers.

[seagul]

I played with mouse, without WASD. Didn't even know it was possible.
But now that i think of it ... 2 or 3 times i had the strange impression that there is somthing complicated with the way you have to move Sam&Max.