Killzone 3: Controls will be more responsive

Many criticised the responsiveness of the controls in Killzone 2. With the recent unveiling of Killzone 3, Guerrilla Games is keen to tout the work it’s done in this very area.

Killzone 2 got a lot right with its weighty and realistic controls, but when the game launched many found the contrast to previous games a little difficult. Guerrilla released a patch to improve the responsiveness and alleviate some of those worries, but the studio’s not being complacent. It’s working on improving them even further with Killzone 3. Senior producer Steven Ter Heide talks to Eurogamer about the matter:

“We implemented a lot of the feedback from the community for Killzone 2, in the patches we applied for things like the controller lag. We’re fixing those kind of things even further for Killzone 3 – we feel that responsiveness is a big issue.”

“There’s a lot of work going on to make sure the controls are more responsive, as well as the button layout itself,” Heide continues, “we’ve got a lot of new features, like the jetpack, and obviously you need a button to control that.

“We also need to rethink the button layout, because that was also one of the complaints which people levelled at Killzone 2. People were used to a certain set-up, and Killzone 2 was different. So people were asking for something they were more comfortable with, for more options to configure it.”

From the number of hands-on reports drifting around the net, the changes have already been felt. The game is more respensive, with its first-person cover system being more reliable and intuitive. Plus, there’s much more time for Guerilla to refine further, with Killzone 3 scheduled for a 2011 release. You can find a new set of Killzone 3 screenshots here.

Readers Comments (30)

  1. For the coming flood of people saying that there is no need to fix the controls…Im right there with you. Its one of the aspects of the game which separates it from the crowd. However, even I cant deny that when Im playing a video game, there are certain things I want to be able to do. In a shooter, aiming is arguably the most important part of the game and KZ2 got it wrong. Im sorry, but you can claim realism all you want but youre still holding a controller in your hand and pushing plastic buttons. out of 6 close friends who have PS3s, only one bought and kept KZ2. The other 4 who actually bought it (one of the 6 didnt), returned it within a few days of buying it. They couldnt get past the controls in terms of the aiming sensitivity. Now, thats not proper sample size, but, my friends and I are pretty avid gamers in all genres and, for all but myself and one of my friends, the controls ruined their experience enough to offset everything else the game offered. I’ll admit, that the Call of Duty franchise has become … something less than it was. but the controls for the games are perfect. realistic? Probably not, but, hey, its a video game, and I, and everyone else, at the end of the day wont buy a game unless we will be satisfied with it. Altering the controls to be more inline with other shooters will only expand the marketability for this game and will make playing the game about exactly that, playing the game, be it single player or online…not going though a learning curve because of a “sense of weight” which is nothing more than a visual sense of momentum and input dead-zones / lag. This is a PS3 exclusive, as such, its going to be compared to XBOX exclusives…therefore, in the end, all the pretty graphics in the world wont stand up to a Halo game selling 5 million copies when KZ may barely get over 1 million or so. I want to see this game do well, so, a few concessions should be made to cater this game to a wider, more finicky audience who are more likely to give up or not even try a game with a different feel to it.

  2. Patrick Steen May 27, 2010 @ 16:11

    Now, that’s a wall of text. Let me introduce you to the Enter key, he is your friend =)

  3. I hope the controls are fixed well enough. They turned me off of Killzone 2.

  4. Switching the controls to “Alternate 2” gives the player identical controls to Modern Warfare (except for crouch/prone). With the popularity of the CoD franchise**, I never understood the controls complaints for Killzone 2.

    **I understand people play more FPSs than CoD, but console gamers mainly play either CoD or Halo, and seeing as how Killzone 2 is exclusive to the PS3, I’m assuming most of the FPS players on Killzone have dabbled in CoD.

  5. Either way it was going to be long.
    The format of my post doesnt take away from its content.
    Here, I’ll sum it up for you, complete with use of the Enter key.
    For KZ3 to really compete against XBOX exclusive (and other shooters)
    It needs to be more accessible to a wider audience.
    The biggest complaint I had, and others I personally have had is the controls.
    Specifically, their problem with the controls was the aiming.
    Sure, a lot of people have become pretty good,
    But there is a reason why it has only sold 2.29 million copies.
    Its intimidating to a lot of gamers who arent PS3 fanboys and just want a pick up and play game like CoD has become.
    I wouldnt want KZ3 to be so dumed down, but one area where a fix is needed,
    and would help boost sales, is the aiming system.

  6. Someone call Chris Redfield to punch down that text boulder!

  7. And no sir, ALT 2 doesnt give identical controls as Moder Warfare.
    The button layout maybe the same, but my post was about the AIMING.
    Not the button layout. The aiming still has its built in “sense of weight”.

  8. Tokyo_GorePolice May 27, 2010 @ 17:27

    “Controls” in the sense I used it in means “layout,” SIR. I even left an asterisk describing how the controls themselves should have opened accesability to gamers at least through similar layout, not about the aiming. C’mon bro, learn to read.

  9. i always felt the lag was caused by the deferred rendering solution coupled with the layers of post-processing. The high accuracy patch just narrowed the dead zone. The reason they couldn’t patch out the lag is because it would mean removing the post processing effects which make the graphics look so good. I hope its scaled back to make room for more responsiveness in KZ3

  10. How about making the enemy soldiers more responsive to my bullets? Pumping a whole clip into a guy just to make him go down really breaks the ‘realism’.

  11. Well, what ever. My whole thing has been about the responsiveness of the aiming controls.
    So to mention the button layout in response was stupid. You thought you were smarter than me by saying that if you toggle an option in the game which yes, does change the button layout to something almost exactly like CoD, you could prove what ever point you were trying to make.
    However, it doesnt change the responsiveness of the aiming / “sense of weight” in the controls.
    That was what I was talking about.
    Im pretty sure I went out of my way to make sure I mentioned that the AIMING portion of the controls was where I saw problems that could be fixed / are being fixed according to the actual article.

  12. I never had a problem with the controls. To each their own.

  13. Tokyo_GorePolice May 27, 2010 @ 19:23

    @Kris
    The problem is, you assumed right off the bat I was replying to you. I was replying to the article itself, which mentions multiple times about the developement team needing to change the control layout due to negative community feedback. This is a completely separate issue from the gaming issue. See entire last paragraph(of the developer quote).
    I don’t know why you thought I was talking to you in the first place.

  14. @Kris:

    The controls are fine =). I don’t get why so many people want the controls to change.

    If you don’t like ’em, go play CoD or something.

  15. ps-move=nextgencontroller May 27, 2010 @ 19:37

    Killzone 3 BETTER support the ps3’s upcoming next gen controller(the ps-move and the sub-controller)!!! because if it doesnt then not only will i be PI#$ED!!! i will also NOT be buying it (killzone 3…i will still buy the ps-move)!!! after all im SICK TO DEATH of imprecise and unrealistic last gen control/controllers (like the dualshock) and im SICK TO DEATH of JUST pushing buttons and waggling analog sticks (tho they are still necessary to have even on a real next gen controller like the ps-move) i mean a last gen controller (like the dualshock) cant even match a MOUSE for f@#$@ sakes!!! and not only can the ps-move match a mouse in terms of how precise it is…it can surpass it!!! and since it next gen it can bring new forms of gameplay to games and more realism to games and will make it TRULY…FILL like your IN the game!!! so to sony i will say ether use your upcoming next gen controller FULLY in AS MANY GAMES AS POSSIBLE or DONT BOTHER to release it!!!! because it will be a shame if you release such a great product and not even put it ANY good use!!! next gen controllers (like the ps-move) can and should move ALL games to a more precise and realistic level…!!!! (well excect racing games because you can just buy a fantec racing wheel for realism there…but i would like to see head tracking via the ps-eye in racing games…)

  16. headtracking=realsim May 27, 2010 @ 19:49

    also i would like to see headtracking in 1st person games (i dont just say 1st person shooters because i KNOW next gen controllers like the ps-move can open up 1st person games for MORE then just shooting!!!) you could then have realistic and precise control of your hand/gun/ect via the ps-move and have realistic/precise control of your line of sight/camera-movement via your head just as you would in real life…that would be one of the most revolutionary and worthwhile game mechanics EVER!!!! bring it devs!!!!!

  17. ps-move can do headtracking/bodytracking May 27, 2010 @ 20:02

    and before you start…yes the ps-eye CAN do head and body tracking (without the need of the ps-move as long as the lighting isnt REALLY dim or completely dark) …look it up (i dont know WHY sony doesnt make this perfectly clear to everyone!!)…as a matter of fact a game called “kung fu live” thats coming out for the ps3 is using body tracking and it has been rumored (and i hope its true!!!) that gran turismo 5 will use headtracking in the cockpit view via the ps-eye

  18. lol ^

    Nice, just them acknowledging the controls has me sold.

  19. 30NIGHTCRAWLER30 May 27, 2010 @ 23:01

    I hate the control, and slow moving gameplay, hope they change it alot. One big reason why I turned my KZ2 back in.

  20. this is dumb, dumb people that cant learn a new control layout i dont want playing killzone in the first place, dont want a chance of having them on my team lol

  21. Yes. Let’s change this game into Modern Warfare 2. -_-

  22. hacker13sacker May 28, 2010 @ 02:04

    i own in killzone as is…i dont want the game to be noob friendly (like mw2).

    i like how when i go into a match every one is somewhat skilled in the controls and the controls is what drives most of the noobs out and leaves in those hardcore killzone 2 players.
    I can understand if they slightly fix the lag and sensitivity issue but i dont want no Mw2 super hero aiming.

    LOL @ Patrick Steen

  23. @hacker14sacker: Exactly that.

    Rephrasing myself: I don’t get why so many people suck at killzone 2 xD. I guess they grew to accutomed to CoD4, where shooting does not have too much recoil.

    And I guess that’s the main problem with the people that complain, not the aiming per se but the recoil of the M82 (Which it the primary rifle). You can aim perfectly fine BUT keeping a target in sight is a completely different thing (which is, by the way, related to skill).

  24. Doominator99 May 28, 2010 @ 07:44

    i think too many people use MW2 as a reason for other games not to change. Killzone 3 needs responsive controls if it wants to beat resistance 3 as the best PS3 exclusive shooter.
    If it does that it will sell millions more than killzone 2. people were scared away from the KZ2 demo because of the controls so why do all of these “hardcore gamers” always refuse that it needs to be improved.

  25. It’s really simple: if you want killzone 3 controls to be like Resistance 3 then you should be playing Resistance 3 in the first place (Just like any ohter game).

  26. I didnt mind the “weight” feel or the controls. They controls are easily changable just like every other game…

  27. no offense. it is not about dumb people who cant learn controls or about COD controls mapping. it is about usability and game experience. and control layout and sensitivity impact game experience and impact game’s marketability and revenue. if Killzone 3 wants to make money, then they need to step up and make sure this part gets right or frenchise die. dont take personal, it is all about money. you want go broke, fine with me.

  28. and in this economy, you dont want to get the control and sensitivity wrong and drive out potential players. if maker of KZ3 wants to lose money, then by all mean make control sucky. without growing fan base, KZ3 will die like Lost Planet frenchise which is PATHETIC.

  29. All I want done is the aiming to change

  30. Just make a setting where you can configure the controls how you want them. Like if you want X to jump. have it so you can select X to be the control button.

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