GameCube triggers and modern EA NHL - the perfect match?
I took out my Wavebird today just to try how it felt. For those who are unaware, that was the official wireless controller for the Nintendo GameCube video game console. The features, layout and feel were the exact same as with the regular controller, except the Wavebird was heavier and bulkier due to the battery compartment housing two AA batteries.
The controller still felt ergonomic enough. The analog sticks aren't on par with those on modern controllers, though, and the yellow C-stick is really more of a nub.
The thing that grabbed my attention the most, however, was the analog triggers. They have an interesting and (as far as I know) unique design that I'd forgotten after all these years. They act as analog triggers until near the end of their travel, at which point they become digital buttons. This allows for an additional in-game feature per each trigger. I thought that was rather clever, and it got me thinking of the possibilities. In the NHL games of today, imagine the analog portion of the left trigger activating vision control only, and the digital button (so pressing the trigger all the way down) activating back skating as well. This would eliminate some of the current problems with how those features are mapped to the same trigger, would it not?
Another possibility would be a quick strong pass on the digital button of the right trigger. When you need to give a fast and long breakout pass, you would no longer need to charge it first as you could just press the right trigger all the way down. Such a pass can be made in real hockey, but in EA NHL you're sometimes inhibited by the delay between charging the pass and sending it out.
One possible concern would be unintentional commands from accidentally pressing the triggers all the way down. This would be no issue if the transition from analog to digital is distinct enough, however, as it definitely is on the GameCube controller.
I don't think the feature has been on any controller since the GameCube and I don't imagine there are any plans to revive it. It's kind of interesting to consider, though.
The controller still felt ergonomic enough. The analog sticks aren't on par with those on modern controllers, though, and the yellow C-stick is really more of a nub.
The thing that grabbed my attention the most, however, was the analog triggers. They have an interesting and (as far as I know) unique design that I'd forgotten after all these years. They act as analog triggers until near the end of their travel, at which point they become digital buttons. This allows for an additional in-game feature per each trigger. I thought that was rather clever, and it got me thinking of the possibilities. In the NHL games of today, imagine the analog portion of the left trigger activating vision control only, and the digital button (so pressing the trigger all the way down) activating back skating as well. This would eliminate some of the current problems with how those features are mapped to the same trigger, would it not?
Another possibility would be a quick strong pass on the digital button of the right trigger. When you need to give a fast and long breakout pass, you would no longer need to charge it first as you could just press the right trigger all the way down. Such a pass can be made in real hockey, but in EA NHL you're sometimes inhibited by the delay between charging the pass and sending it out.
One possible concern would be unintentional commands from accidentally pressing the triggers all the way down. This would be no issue if the transition from analog to digital is distinct enough, however, as it definitely is on the GameCube controller.
I don't think the feature has been on any controller since the GameCube and I don't imagine there are any plans to revive it. It's kind of interesting to consider, though.
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This.
No player in real life charges up a pass. They move the puck the moment they want to. The pressure of the trigger pressing should determine strength/whether you feather a pass or not.
True, good point. I'd definitely like to see that, and intuitively that feels like it would be optimal.