Z-targeting

This week I think I’ve solved an issue about the controls of Super Space Galaxy that’s been there for a long time. I want players to be able to use whatever controls they like, so I implemented joypad, keyboard and mouse controls from the start. Having such a diverse array of input methods, however, is inevitably going to cause other problems down the road.

One such problem was that the joypad was by far the best control method to use. With the joypad, you can manoeuvre your ship very easily with the two joysticks. One can control movement, and the other can point your ship in any direction you choose. This makes it easy to dodge enemy shots while also keeping your guns pointed towards them. So far, so good for the joypad.

However, this effectively made the game harder for other control methods that didn’t have this advantage. What now? Should players using the keyboard just accept that the game is going to be significantly harder and more awkward?

Enter Z-targeting. Now, when you press the strafe button while pointing at an enemy, your ship locks on to them, and automatically turns to face them. This mostly closes the gap between joypad and keyboard controls.

Z-targeting dates back to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the N64. It’s so named because you use the N64 joypad’s Z button on the underside of the controller to do it.

I’m proud to say I’ve slightly improved on what was in Ocarina of Time, too. That game gave you the option of two different Z-targeting modes. ‘Switch’ would change Z-target by pressing the Z button, and ‘Hold’ would stay locked on as you held the button instead.

I’ve done the more modern thing and used both at once. A quick press will be counted as the equivalent of ‘Switch’ mode, and holding for more than a third of a second will count as a ‘Hold’-type Z-target. Hopefully this means that players never need think about how the Z-targeting works at all and they can just enjoy the game without looking at any options.

It’s only been a days work, but I suspect that Z-targeting will be a mainstay of Super Space Galaxy‘s controls. Even a year into the project, it’s never too late to improve the fundamentals of the game.

Thanks for reading,

Kenneth Dunlop