Spirit Tracks: Stylus Controls

[Cosmonautical]

Decent, but not exact. I'd rather have the option of using a d-pad, because when the stylus works it's okay, but when it fails it causes some big screwups. Works good for aiming weapons, but seems to have killed any need for anything besides the bow. Serious issue with the lack of movement while aiming the bow, btw. I feel like Zelda's taken a step backward in realism in fighting, by depending on this type of control. Why should the Wii and the DS be moving in opposite directions?

[X-3]

I had no real problems with the stylus controls in this one, from what I remember.

[PONIES]

I don't like the stylus controls, I've died from too many phantoms on accident...

[Jailbreaker]

I really like the stylus. But then, I'll like anything if it comes on a DS.

[Metal Mario]

Even this?

[Antisocial]

Sometimes, stylus controls are a little iffy, especially with a DS that acts a little screwy.

My DS has this thing where I have to tap to the left of something at the bottom of the screen and to the right of something at the top of the screen for it to register (the center of the screen is fine), so the detection of the touch screen seems to be a bit tilted clockwise.

Is this supposed to compensate for the pivoting wrist of a right-handed person, or is my DS just ****ed?

[Metal Man]

Originally Posted by rekaerbliaJ

I really like the stylus. But then, I'll like anything if it comes on a DS.

Even imagine babyz?

[Cosmonautical]

Originally Posted by X-3

I had no real problems with the stylus controls in this one, from what I remember.

I sure as heck have had some screwups. Most frequent is when I'm trying to redirect the camera on the train, and somehow manage to pull the speed gauge, or vice versa. It becomes an especially serious problem in the whip race, where I kept missing the poles and running off cliffs I hadn't directed myself towards. Then there's the whole sword-training mini game in the castle. I can tell you I wouldn't get hit once if I were pressing a few buttons, but the damn stylus controls compensate for your rush of attacks by queuing them up, causing Link to keep attacking even though you're by now trying to dodge out of the way, and the stupid thing just keeps going.

The most obvious thing to me is how the levels and combat have had to be designed around it. There are significantly fewer dangerous holes, etc. There are significantly less types of enemies than I've come to expect from a game, and a smaller amount of those that are in the game. They've obviously changed their formula to head in the opposite direction of the origins of the series, and have begun favoring avoiding monsters over fighting them and extending the length of the game by having time-wasting "puzzles" like "figuring out" that you need to blow out a specific light after you've been told to blow out that specific light. Uber mundane.

Off subject, but Zelda's pathing AI sucks hard. They get around this by mostly having her under your control, but don't plan on using the "call" function if there's anything other than a simple corner for her to turn. Apparently, stairs are something that require a certain amount of genius to maneuver.

[heh]

stylus controls are great, real problem is 3d graphics in a two dimensional game

[Cosmonautical]

Yeah, gotta say primitive 3D < good 2D, but that's an altogether different beast. The stylus controls are all right when they work, but it still makes the game feel less involving.

[Master Brian]

This is why I couldn't finish Phantom Hourglass without a cheat device. I try not to use them to beat the regular game, but use it to have fun for future games. I don't really care about some games, if the computer ALWAYS cheats.(Soul Calibur III, anyone?)

[Cosmonautical]

Last boss in ST was really annoying, because of the controls, I gotta say. I must've spent like 30 minutes doing something that would've been done immediately with some buttons, thanks to the loose controls.

[X-3]

yeah, that battle is irritating. I think the ending overall was a bit...lame.

[Random User]

I don`t hate the controls with a passion, but they do get on my nerves a lot. For instance, stopping at the stations are somewhat annoying, also when fleeing from an evil train via going backwards, I always end up having to fiddle with the lever before it does what I want it to. Zelda`s controls are ludicrously tedious and annoying, and when firing the canon, I end up readjusting the direction I`m facing.

The story kinda irked me too. I was hoping for a continuation almost directly after Phantom Hourglass, but ended up two generations forward. Bummer...

[Valigarmander]

I've never played Spirit Tracks, but moving with the stylus when it was completely possible to do the same with the D-pad was the reason I returned Scribblenauts less than a week after getting it.

[Metal Mario]

Originally Posted by Random User

The story kinda irked me too. I was hoping for a continuation almost directly after Phantom Hourglass, but ended up two generations forward. Bummer...

Yeah, that's Nintendo for you these days. Heaven forbid that one Zelda game should have anything to do with another. Now they all just take place about 100 years or so after Ocarina of Time, in completely different versions of Hyrule.

[CaptHayfever]

Originally Posted by Random User

For instance, stopping at the stations are somewhat annoying, also when fleeing from an evil train via going backwards, I always end up having to fiddle with the lever before it does what I want it to.

Originally Posted by Random User

also when fleeing from an evil train via going backwards, I always end up having to fiddle with the lever before it does what I want it to.

Originally Posted by Random User

also when fleeing from an evil train via going backwards

Originally Posted by Random User

fleeing from an evil train via going backwards

That actually happens in the game!? WHERE ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO RUN ON A TRAIN TRACK!?

And remember, "I'm-a Luigi, number one!"

[Metal Mario]

In all seriousness, what is with this method of quoting something bigger and bigger, trimming down the sentence as you go? Why do people here do it?

[Cosmonautical]

It's just one of their ways of extending the "gameplay" without making more game - you're supposed to carefully plot your route around the enemy trains. Colliding with them is an insta-death, since it ruins your train. Sadly, you don't do any exploring of the train tracks in the game - you obtain sections of the map, and can never go anywhere on the tracks you don't have a map of the tracks for - although there are stops on the tracks that don't show up on your map. The evil trains weren't so bad until
Spoiler Below

the end of the game when they can just up and turn around and come right at you. That whole part was a straightup Pac-man ripoff, though, and pretty boring.

Reversing the train in a hurry is a huge mess, though, I agree - trying to be intuitive, suddenly the left-right switch gauge works in reverse of how it should. Or rather, it should work in reverse, if the back of the train is now the front end of the train - right should be left, left should be right. Instead, when you throw it in reverse, the left on the gauge is left and the right is right. Illogically, left is always left. That's not a huge problem, but if you've drawn a course up that you were happily progressing on before you threw it in reverse, that course takes control of the gauge. But it doesn't seem to realize you're not following the course anymore. So it might automatically be holding the gauge in the direction of the next turn the train was to make, rather than in the direction of the turn you just made. But whenever it takes effect is totally unpredictable. It's a minor inconvenience and confusing whenever it happens, but can be especially stressing when you're re-directing yourself away from imminent death, and could potentially kill you.

Originally Posted by Metal Mario

In all seriousness, what is with this method of quoting something bigger and bigger, trimming down the sentence as you go? Why do people here do it?

Usually I'd use it to magnify something someone else has missed or is ignoring in a humorous way.

[Cravdraa]

I once got two of the evil trains to perform a head-on collision.
I was very disappointed it didn't destroy both of them.