Uncharted 3 dev defends changed controls

Uncharted 3 released two days ago, and many fans are crying foul. In spite of critical acclaim, many dislike the changes made to the controls of the single player campaign. Complaints include increased input lag and a general lack of responsiveness.

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Uncharted 3 released two days ago, and many fans are crying foul. In spite of critical acclaim, many dislike the changes made to the controls of the single player campaign. Complaints include increased input lag and a general lack of responsiveness--something that's not present in the multiplayer component, and in Uncharted 2.

"Look, the aiming in Uncharted 3 single player campaign is definitely broken; it’s not in our heads. It doesn’t work and it’s ruining the experience. I never had an issue in Uncharted 1 and 2. Almost all my kills in UC2 were headshots, now in UC3 it’s all air. I hate getting into a gun fight in this game, especially with the brain dead A.I," one commenter said.

"Beating the SP on Hard was a nightmare. I tried to stealth kill every opportunity I had just to avoid shooting a weapon," another noted on Naughty Dog's website.

Naughty Dog's Arne Myer addressed fans' concerns, admitting that "guns fire in a completely different way in Uncharted 2 compared to what you're experiencing now in Uncharted 3," and says that the changes actually give you "a better grasp of whether you were hitting or missing a target."

According to Myer, while the way guns fire is different, "aiming is identical," conflicting popular opinion amongst commenters. "We did adjust the sensitivity to be MUCH higher in Uncharted 3 to give you a more precise feel," he says, but fans argue that the changes have resulted in the opposite effect.

At Shacknews, our Xav de Matos had no problem with the game, saying that not only did the shooting feel "more impactful," he had "no complaints about its responsiveness and feedback." I, on the other hand, found it significantly more difficult to aim in UC3 than UC2. What side of the fence are you?

Andrew Yoon was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    November 3, 2011 4:30 PM

    Andrew Yoon posted a new article, Uncharted 3 dev defends changed controls.

    Uncharted 3 released two days ago, and many fans are crying foul. In spite of critical acclaim, many dislike the changes made to the controls of the single player campaign. Complaints include increased input lag and a general lack of responsiveness.

    • reply
      November 3, 2011 5:15 PM

      Really? I've been having no problems on Uncharted 3 campaign. Still knocking off headshots one after another :]

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        November 3, 2011 5:53 PM

        You have been waiting to post that for a while and it still does not make since in this context.

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      November 3, 2011 5:21 PM

      Absolutely no problem at all... I'm shocked to hear this is even an issue. Life's too short to moan about these kinds of things.

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      November 3, 2011 5:34 PM

      I'm having some difficulties too.

      I thought it was just me being used to the 360 controller as I generally only use my PS3 for exclusives.

      I also thought perhaps it was due to _too_ high sensitivity and no aim-assistance. Just seem to have struggles landing on the guy when I'm moving the reticle, whilst also avoiding all the other action :) I don't recall having such issues when playing through the first two, or Resistance 1/2, though the latter are FPS not third person.

      I am playing on Hard. Retrying quite a few encounters but still very fun and ultimately satisfying. Just got to chapter 14.

      On the other hand, this game in 3D is probably the best done game in 3D that comes to mind right now, having also played Mortal Kombat and Crysis 2. It's so very smooth and still seems high resolution. Looks like an animated film; the depth is just right and nothing is over-the-top.

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        November 3, 2011 5:44 PM

        There's some crosstalk for me in 3d but it seems to be a PS3 issue as Gears 3 didn't have it. Gears 3 and Crysis 2 have been the best 3d gaming experiences for me thus far.

        I also don't like how you cant switch from 2d to 3d during the game in U3, only at the title screen.

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          November 4, 2011 8:53 AM

          Do you use active or passive? My TV is passive and it was great.

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      November 3, 2011 5:35 PM

      I finished UC3's campaign and can attest that I DID have more trouble aiming accurately than in UC2. Was definitely frustrating enough that I rarely aimed and tried to blindfire/melee as much as possible :(

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        November 3, 2011 5:47 PM

        It feels sluggish akin to Killzone 2's laggy aim.

        Still a great game nonetheless.

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          November 3, 2011 5:54 PM

          Exactly. I'm doing the same thing in this as I did in Killzone 2. I beat that game entirely with the knife.

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          November 3, 2011 5:59 PM

          I liked the controls in KZ2.

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            November 3, 2011 6:00 PM

            They were decent until it was patched.

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        November 3, 2011 8:37 PM

        Turn aiming sensitivity to max and fixes it (for combat).

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      November 3, 2011 5:38 PM

      I'm playing on Hard and it plays really well. The bad guys go down fast and headshots aren't that difficult.

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      November 3, 2011 7:56 PM

      Is it my imagination or did Uncharted 1 & 2 have the option of switching shoulders (which shoulder you are looking over) by clicking the stick and Uncharted 3 doesn't?

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        November 3, 2011 9:40 PM

        It's an option called shoulder swap. Can't remember if it's enabled by default but turning it on will do this when you click the left stick.

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          November 4, 2011 8:46 AM

          It's off by default. I thought this was a weird thing to make into an option after it being in the previous two games.

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        November 4, 2011 8:58 AM

        I knew there was a reason I kept clicking the analog stick. I kept doing it out of instinct but it wouldn't do anything. I'll change the setting.

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      November 3, 2011 8:34 PM

      totally agree. the controls in uncharted 3 are garbage. really distracting from the game play, makes traversal super difficult, gun battles are even more rediculous and incredulous in their execution then the first 2. Not really enjoying my time with the game so far. the story however has its hooks so deep in me that I'll still finish it.

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      November 3, 2011 8:35 PM

      I just finished the game tonight. The controls didn't seem noticeably worse than the previous games. I still grew to dread gunfights, though, just like the the previous games. Gunplay just isn't fun.

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      November 3, 2011 8:48 PM

      Thought it was just me being rusty. I have more or less forsaken pistols.

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      November 3, 2011 9:38 PM

      I'm getting the input delay from the controller as well. Thought it was just me sucking at first, but there is definitely a delay.

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      November 3, 2011 10:10 PM

      You know, I started playing this last night and something felt off in the gunplay - in the previous games I was a headshot machine but I can't hit the broad side of a barn so far.

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      November 4, 2011 8:38 AM

      The gun controls in UC3 respond differently from UC2 or UC for that matter. However, I would not declare they are broken. They changed the system and people hate change so the first thing to do is cry foul. It took me some adjusting and after the first two chapters I was good to go. Finished the game last night and it was nothing short of amazing. The ship graveyard alone just blew me away. As far as dead AI i am nit sure what game others are playing. AI for me moved in and out of cover, transferred, engaged, etc...

      I also have had no controller lag and I think its just an adjustment of getting used to the new system for the most part. However, I welcome change anyhow.....

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      November 4, 2011 8:55 AM

      Shooting feels different for sure; I seem to suck it at, but I don't experience the delayed controls they're showing. Wonder if it varies from system to system? I have the old PS3 fat.

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      November 4, 2011 4:50 PM

      I've had no problems. Sounds like more entitled whinging.

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