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Editorials 
“Tilt: A Whirl of Fun” - Part Two
- By Mike
Schneider
In Part One I introduced the four components of my vision, and began by describing the various controller innovations that the GameCube will introduce – namely using the GameBoy Advance as a controller.
But wait – “more to be revealed at SpaceWorld, be patient.”
Then, with such elegance, I swiftly changed gears and explored the tilt pak and its brilliance and amount of fun it brought to Diddy Kong Pilot.
With an option on within the game, you can use the tilt pak as your replacement to the directional pad. In effect, cocking the GBA in various directions results in the game to react to your movements – thus working ala a steering wheel that offers complete 360o control.
The final aspect of Part One described the sheer greatness of Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader, with a special emphasis put on the controls…
The controls already offer some evolutionary ideas, such as the cockpit view that makes it much easier to distinguish friends from foes. Or the fact that the game utilizes the analog sensitivity that is already described, above. However, doesn’t it seem like something is still missing?
So what do we have so far? Mysteries regarding any sort of further enhancements made to controlling games on the GameCube. Tilt technology that Nintendo clearly knows how to utilize. And a killer app that would be greatly enhanced with tilt technology. Call me Einstein. Call me a dreamer. Heck, call me an idiot; however, at least hear out my vision if you haven’t already guessed what’s about to come.
Imagine being immersed in Rogue Leader on some super-intense mission. Staring at a television screen that showcases imagery as sharp as the movie itself. The game hooked up to surround sound, allowing you to hear every which direction each screeching TIE fighter is coming from. Total top-of-the-line aesthetics and aural experiences that leave a gamer feeling like they’re actually sitting in the cockpit of an X-Wing. The game totally leaves you with that feeling, bar one aspect – the controls. They’re excellent; yet as you hold that controller and use your left thumb to move across the screen, you’re definitely reminded that what you are doing is nothing more than playing a video game.
Tilt technology could change all that.
Being able to move your craft all with the flick and twist of a wrist would be the last essential step towards putting you into the aircraft. Tilt technology would finally allow all the aspiring Luke Skywalker’s out there to truly strut their stuff and give their best Jedi impersonations.
I’d like to think this is more than a mere fantasy on my part based on one thing: Nintendo’s history. They’ve always been the innovator in the console market when it comes to control enhancements. They made rumbling become a mainstream necessity; they’re the ones who first put an analog stick onto a controller. I figure, they have the knowledge available to make tilt technology a mainstay in console gaming.
So then, with this said, there are essentially one of two ways Nintendo could, and I hope, will go about accomplishing this.
Route One: By use of the GameBoy Advance as a controller. They’d have to either release a peripheral to insert into the GBA where a cartridge goes, or allow one to access the tilt sensors within a game like Diddy Kong Pilot, by having the cartridge in the GBA while using that as the controller.
I know, I’ve heard it before: “The GameBoy Advance doesn’t have enough buttons to function as a controller for most games.” I regress; conversely though, I offer you this proof that it could work:
Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader uses every button on the GameCube’s controller. Even with this fact and the lack of buttons on the GameBoy Advance, the losses are minimal:
- The ability to look around in any direction while you’re in the cockpit view – due to it being impossible to replace the “C” Camera Stick.
- No analog sensitivity for accelerating and braking due to the GBA not having this function built into its hardware.
- Some people may find it awkward using the ‘select’ button on the GBA as an actual button with an actual role in gameplay – though changing camera angles is hardly pivotal to your success in Rogue Squadron 2: Rogue Leader.
Granted, it would be much preferred if we didn’t have to overcome these three difficulties in order to experience an extended sense of control over what is happening on the screen and a greater feel of you actually being in the middle of the environment, which leads me to the next option…
Route Two: The tilt sensors could be built right into the GameCube’s controller. Obviously, this would be the most feasible route; however, it is also the more unlikely of the two routes, in my opinion. What we do have on our side is that it apparently isn’t costing Nintendo too much to manufacture the chips that are necessary for tilt technology, as evidenced by the company inserting them into both a GBC (Kirby’s Tilt ‘n Tumble) and GBA (Diddy Kong Pilot) cartridge – while still making a profit on the two aforementioned games.
There isn’t much more left to be said about Route Two since the rest of it is pretty self-explanatory.
Lastly, way back in the beginning of Part One, I mentioned Perfect Dark Zero fitting into all of this. You didn’t think I’d forget about that, did you? Well alas; a first person shooter would be the perfect type of game to benefit from tilt technology – especially being that many people consider the FPS genre to be one that is turning stale and lacking anything new or exciting.
Being able to run one way, look another direction (via the tilt sensors), and shoot in the direction you’re looking in would be a huge leap for control in the genre.
Some people say that with the GameCube’s current controller, the style of play I just described above would be possible – it would be, but only to an extent. You’d be able to lock the “C” camera in one direction, but with that stick occupying your entire thumb, you’d either be stuck looking in the one particular direction you locked so your right thumb would be free to reach the other four buttons, or your thumb wouldn’t be able to switch over to any of those four due to it already being occupied with the “C” camera. The likely implications from this are most likely you being unable to change weapons quickly or reload.
On that note, I’d love any thoughts you have upon reading my dream, so please send them to me. As SpaceWorld nears, now you know what to wish for upon a shooting star.
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| "Tilt technology would finally allow all the aspiring Luke Skywalker’s out there to truly strut their stuff and give their best Jedi impersonations. " |
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