Gameplay questions

Hi !

I dont know where to post but i ask here

Guys what do you think about gameplay with Mouse + Keyboard on a action/puzzle 2d platformer ?
Just wondering if you guys enjoy it or prefer only mouse or only keyboard.

I like keyboard controls.

I think keyboard + mouse is good for a puzzle platformer.
mouse are sometimes better to use for interacting things and object.

Okay  , I was just wondering since i was thinking about a idea of gameplay using mouse to choose characters on the screen and play with them with the keyboard.

Mouse -- choose your character on the screen
Keyboard -- move the guy on screen
and then use mouse click to action maybe...

If you do end up using the mouse only for character selection, then it will only frustrate players to have to switch back and forth. If other aspects of regular gameplay (like you say, objects) require mouse interactivity, then that's a different story - just be mindful of where you expect player's hands to be. If one hand is on the mouse always, there's only one other hand free for buttons.

If you do end up using the mouse only for character selection, then it will only frustrate players to have to switch back and forth.

You can always use a key, like X or P or something to rotate through characters. Interaction wouldn't be too bad. And, who says you need to keep both hands on the keyboard? You can always have one on the keyboard and one on the mouse.

Okay  i see

humm thanks i'll take info in consideration

If you do end up using the mouse only for character selection, then it will only frustrate players to have to switch back and forth.

You can always use a key, like X or P or something to rotate through characters. Interaction wouldn't be too bad. And, who says you need to keep both hands on the keyboard? You can always have one on the keyboard and one on the mouse.

I'll explain a bit more

I was thinking about maybe try a cool action game after finishing my current one.

This game could have like 5 or 6 characters on the screen doing stuff
The cool part is that each character have specific skills like jump high , speed , attacks etc

I was thinking about how mix a puzzle game with some fast action paced.
So i decided to think about using mouse to select guys like you select units in a wargame

The problem is that , it's not a wargame and the view is like mario .
The game could be like a "lost viking" clone ...but instead using a button to select guys , you use a mouse , i think it's kinda more intuitive and innovative ?

I dont know.

About controls just keep players hands comfortable.
Like WASD+Spacebar+mouse or numbers+mouse or ZXC+Spacebar+Arrows.

It's usually a good idea to have the game playable with ease also with the keyboard, as a player coud have a netbook with a trackpad.

This game could have like 5 or 6 characters on the screen doing stuff
The cool part is that each character have specific skills like jump high , speed , attacks etc

I was thinking about how mix a puzzle game with some fast action paced.
So i decided to think about using mouse to select guys like you select units in a wargame

The problem is that , it's not a wargame and the view is like mario .
The game could be like a "lost viking" clone ...but instead using a button to select guys , you use a mouse , i think it's kinda more intuitive and innovative ?

You can have a hotbar at the bottom of the screen, on your GUI where you have a pic of each character. You can use the buttons and you would see each person and which one would be next, or you could click to select them. Definitely think this would work. Also, this would allow you have one of the characters go off-screen (if needed).

I'm personally more of a keyboard fan, but that's probably because my mouse often is over-sensitive or is acting annoying in general. Besides that, keyboards are also a more reliable mechanic in my opinion, as not everyone is using a mouse (like laptop users) and you can't really play games with a touch-pad.
Nonetheless, I think you should use whatever you think suits the game best, but for a platform-game, I don't think it's a good idea to implement a mouse, unless you feel like it's necessary.