After playing Dungeon Siege 3 for the last few days, one of the biggest beefs I personally have had with the game thus far is with the controls. As it stands now, the keyboard and mouse configurations can't be changed, and for some, that may not be a problem. But for those who are accustomed to using custom key assignments (as in using the number pad to move about in a virtual world rather than WASD), it's annoying to say the least. There's even an option to open the in-game console, but so far that can't be accessed either.
"If there are PC gamers who are having a negative reaction it's less about what the combat is, it's more how the combat controls," lead designer Nathaniel Chapman told Eurogamer in an interview. "Actually this is one thing I would have liked to have spent more time on, and we are actually spending time on now. Basically, as long as PC gamers have a good way to control the combat, they will enjoy it."
He pointed out one review stating that playing with an actual controller is better than using the keyboard and mouse. Unfortunately, that's the honest truth: navigating through the character stats and actual swordplay is much easier on the console versions. On the PC front, players are forced to move by pressing the right mouse button and attacking with the left – panning the camera means moving the cursor completely to the left or right. Even more, figuring out what key activates what feature is a guessing game unless you've downloaded the manual (or it came in the packaged copy).
That said, the controls aren't horrible on the PC, but the game is obviously console-oriented which is a shame given that the Dungeon Siege IP itself originated on the PC. But at least a fix is on the way to make the game more PC-friendly. "Right now we're working on improving the PC controls through an update," he said, adding that the team was also considering a "more fleshed-out tutorial system" and possibly adding "more unique armor variants."
To read the full interview, head here.
