Alternative Directional Input

[BortzANATOR]

Again I'd like to say DraStic is FantaStic, thanks, and good work so far.

I would like to inquire about an alternative method for the D pad. I find it works fine with RPGs and the like, but when it comes to action or adventure games (the DQM Joker games, or even games that allow for 8 directional travel like Mario & Luigi, Golden Sun, etc) the D pad "button" doesn't always work well.

Im going to preface this request with saying I know am no programmer or coder, and therefore have NO idea how hard or how much work this would take.

Have any of you played either of the Final Fantasy titles that have been released for iPhone/Android? They a built in touchscreen "analog stick". From what I understand, it works by creating the center when you initially touch and then calculates how far your finger moves away from that central point to give you a pretty accurate translation of movement, almost like you were really tilting a joystick. The central location is not fixed to one place, since it disappears as soon as your finger lifts from the screen. This is incredibly helpful when playing a game that requires precise movement control as well as your fingers always finding the stick again. So many times I have died, or lost whatever game I was playing due to my thumbs "drifting" away from where I had the D pad set to because there is no real physical "home" for my thumbs on a touch screen.

Some games came with this built in. The two I know of are Super Mario 64 DS and as I recently found, Dragon Quest 9. With DQ9 I was able to hide the D pad completely and navigate the world map like a dream with this "touchscreen analog" stick feature built in.

Is there any chance we might see something like this for DraStic in the future? Thanks guys!

Example video: Skip to 1:04 to see what I mean
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... YAyyo#t=71

[zeroobligation]

+1!
I'd love to see this implemented, too.

[dnyce13]

This is a great idea for users that don't use a bluetooth controller.

[beansta]

So basically ur asking for a floating joystick?

Quite a good idea actually.

[BortzANATOR]

I almost never use an external controller thanks to my phone currently being unrootable. Also I like to be able to pull my phone out where ever and not need to be worried about sacrificing control precision because I dont have a controller to pair with.

Yeah, a floating joystick is a good way of putting it. I cant be the only one who's thumbs drift away from touch buttons and I know i cant be the only one who hates the alpha build's D pad. The newer one isnt as bad I dont think, but still no where near as precise as the movement a "floating joystick" could bring.

If any of you want to try it out, either get FF3/4 from the play store, or download DQ9 and start messing around. I made the lower screen large and hid the D pad. Movement is then dictated by the tap and drag method I described above, by enabling stylus control. I wish all games had this.

[beansta]

Most gamepads can be used as native android controllers without rooting (with exception to dualshock 3 and games that require touch emulation for proper gamepad input)

[Draxx7]

This would be an awesome feature to have. Frequently I find my hand drifting away from the virtual dpad and causing movement issues, so this would be amazing.

[Lordus]

I can try to look into that. It will probably not work like you expect, though. The DS and games only give you digital input from the D-Pad, so you can't make it analog, no matter how you set up the virtual pad.
It would only work analog, if the game supports it through the touchscreen. In that case there could be a mode where it acts like the current right-stick emulation.
I think if something like this is implemented it should/could only be active, if the touchscreen is disabled. As long as you're in portrait mode, and the directional input is covering the touchscreen, it'd be impossible otherwise to distinguish, if you want to press the touchscreen, or start directional movement.

[BortzANATOR]

Even if it was only 8 digital directions, that would still be way better than losing the D pad all the time.

[Exophase]

Even if it was only 8 digital directions, that would still be way better than losing the D pad all the time.

It's four directions, unless you count adjacent directions pressed simultaneously as a separate state.