The movement system and why the game is destroyed for me

I just got back to playing the game after a long brake and the changes to the movement system have made this game unplayable for me.

The fact that you walk slower when going backwards is unbearable, I would have been able to deal with it if you did not always face the direction that your mouse is pointing. It is awkward to have to move your mouse to control the direction of your character. I think that it would make more sense to have the character only face your mouse only when you are shooting a gun or swinging a weapon.

I understand that some people see it as more realistic, but I simply don't have the patience to play a game that feels like an awkward mess to control. The fact that the mouse controls direction does not work well in 2D. I also understand that it helps balance guns vs melee in PvP, but if that is the reason than why not create an option for the old movement in single player?

This has destroyed this game for me because the movement, in my option, is stupid and unbearable.

EDIT:
Looking back my main problem with the games movement may not have been totally clear. It would not be such a problem for me that the back walking was slower if the mouse did not control which direction your character faced

For example: when swinging your weapon or firing you would face in the direction your mouse, but when not attacking you would face the direction you were walking.

 

It isn't just to balance ranged vs melee in PvP - it applies to PvE too, more-so than PvP (due to techs.)

I, however, do think that it mouse should only affect the direction you face whilst holding a weapon or torch, or whilst using a tool, rather than holding ANYTHING usable (why do you need to walk backwards when bandaging yourself?)

 

But why change the movement to balance weapons? Why not just make ranged weapons do less damage?

 

Because no matter how little damage ranged weapons do, if you walk as fast going backwards as forwards the melee guy will never catch up to you to deal any damage at all.

 

If they just slowed you down when firing a weapon then the melee would catch up.
But mainly it just feels unnatural to fight in melee as you have to keep swinging your mouse back and forth to turn around. I would be fine if it only effected you when you are holding a ranged weapon

 

If this game is really destroyed for you because you move slower while walking backwards the modding community still has a joker left.
http://community.playstarbound.com/resources/faster-backstep.2488/

 

In reality, you would have to turn around to run away from the enemy. Of course, in reality you would not run away after every hit.

 

I think that this might solve my problem, just seems weird to download a mod in order to fix something that seems so core, the movement

 

Yeah, but at some point you gotta understand the developers.
They have to decide and there's always one faction that's not satisfied with their decisions.
Luckily, due to high moddability (don't forget that that's also a thing the developers did to the game) the other faction can be satisfied too, so everyone is happy.

 

The platforming in Starbound is abominable.

Going slower backward is terrible. It's mystifying to me that most people apparently just accept it as a necessity. It's so bad.

Gravity is floaty, acceleration is slippery, I'm really hoping they overhaul platforming big-time at some point. It's a big deal, because movement is probably the most fundamental aspect of gameplay- the simplest form of interaction.

 

I love this game but walking and platforming is impossible for me. My character takes a couple extra steps on a platform which makes me fall off and DIE! Jumping from one block to another directly over your head is so close to being possible that it makes me try it until I realize it can't be done. I have to walk backwards and jump to make certain platforms in the Apex dungeon. And if I fall I use my double jump and booster speed mods to jump into spikes and boost forward into electric grids only to fall into acid!! The difficulty of jumping from ledge to ledge in caves is currently keeping me from playing the game tbh. Also please take out walking slower backwards.

TL;DR: I can't platform and spelunk caves well with this walking mechanic. Please change!

P.S. A helpful tip about writing opinions: don't say that it's horrible in the beginning. The old saying is true that you attract more flies with honey than vinegar.

 

Not to mention that last I checked, if you're not holding anything then you turn to face whatever direction you're moving in, so you can move at full speed regardless of where the cursor is. I don't usually put anything in my default "hand" slots for this reason.

 

The backwards slowness doesn't bother me. The movement is a little too floaty and slippery for me most of the time. I did find the file that controls movement, but I didn't wanna mess with it.

You can attract more flies with rotten food or feces than with honey OR vinegar.

 

I know some of you will think this is odd, but i find the character moves better when backpedaling rather than walking normally. Maybe it's just the slower speed making the drifting floating and skidding less noticeable though.

 

Moving slower while moving backwards makes sense. However, overall, the movement system needs polishing. Game is too floaty. There was a mod before that increased movement friction and fall speed and it overall was one of the better mods I knew back in the Koalas, even though it had the unfortunate issue of increasing fall damage from small jumps. What the game needs is >that< - quicker stopping and better control of the movement you have on the 2d plane.

 

Hmm, while i did find it bothersome for a few minutes after it was first implemented, i quickly got used to it and no longer even notice it (as in i auto move my aim in the direction im moveing without thinking about it if im not shooting).

Personally i like it.

 

There are a lot of times when I purposely go backward to make a jump, and I assume many other players do this too. As you say, it's because the lower speed compensates for the slipperiness.

The fact that anyone thinks this situation makes sense or is good is what makes me scratch my head.

 

Honestly,I agree with OP and Lazer.

And I do not understand how anyone can with a straight face say that cripling movement, without fixing its sliperyness or general feel is balancing.

PvP is not balanced, and it almost never is, in games like this.Its PvP, unless your game is a fighting one, or a MMO, heck, or in general a game that is centered on it, I would never expect it to be in the least balanced.

Why do I not expect it?

Cause its almost impossible to do so, and any changes that they might do to balance usually make it crap.

Using a more solid example, in Destiny, there used to be a ridiculously good pistol weapon in PvE, that in the PvP arena, was a heck of a good weapon.

Now, one could understand, that after grinding for this beauty of a piece, one would obviously try it out in PvP, ya know, have some fun and whatnot, show off, even.

But due to PvP being unbalanced to begin with, and people using this weapon a lot, that weapon is now trash.

So, people that liked being Tech Gunslingers no longer have access to a great weapon, and it didn't balance PvP in the slightest.

I just don't understand how this is balancing at all.

But then again, I much more enjoyed combat pre-rework, so maybe Im just insane.

 

The purpose of balance is to serve fun. It makes no sense to have clumsy movement in the name of balance, and it seems disingenuous to me to suggest that the game couldn't possibly be balanced around agile, natural movement- especially this early in development when pretty much everything is place-holders and tentative first steps.