tank controls
{{Short description|Video game control system}}
{{about|the video game control system|the controls of tanks|Tank steering systems}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}Tank controls are a control system used in video games whereby players control movement relative to the position of the player character, rather than the perspective of the game camera. They have become less common over time and free-roaming cameras have become standard for 3D games.
System
In a game with tank controls, pressing up on the game controller moves the character in the direction they face, down reverses them, and left and right rotates them.{{Cite news |date=20 February 2015 |title=A eulogy for tank controls |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/a-eulogy-for-tank-controls/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180305202610/https://www.pcgamer.com/a-eulogy-for-tank-controls/ |archive-date=5 March 2018 |access-date=5 March 2018 |work=PC Gamer |language=en}} This differs from many games, in which characters move in the direction players push from the perspective of the camera. The term "tank controls" comes from the steering mechanisms of old tanks, which had to stop completely before turning.{{Cite web |date=23 March 2013 |title=[Horror Declassified] An Examination Of Tank Controls |url=http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3224958/horror-declassified-an-examination-of-tank-controls/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180305202757/http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3224958/horror-declassified-an-examination-of-tank-controls/ |archive-date=2018-03-05 |access-date=2018-03-05 |website=Bloody Disgusting |language=en-US}}
Tank controls were common in 3D games in the 1990s, such as Grim Fandango and the early Resident Evil and Tomb Raider games.{{Cite news |last=Todd |first=Hamish |date=1 March 2013 |title=Untold Riches: The Intricate Platforming of Tomb Raider |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/untold-riches-the-intricate-platforming-of-i-tomb-raider-i- |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180306022744/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/187601/untold_riches_the_intricate_.php |archive-date=2018-03-06 |access-date=2018-02-28 |work=Game Developer |language=en}} Tank controls allow players to maintain a direction when the camera angle changes. The Grim Fandango designer Tim Schafer chose the system as it allowed the developers to create "cinematic" camera cuts without disrupting the controls.{{Cite web |last=Matulef |first=Jeffrey |date=2015-01-26 |title=Bringing out the Dead: Tim Schafer reflects back on Grim Fandango |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-01-24-bringing-out-the-dead-tim-schafer-reflects-back-on-grim-fandango |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128094744/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-01-24-bringing-out-the-dead-tim-schafer-reflects-back-on-grim-fandango |archive-date=2015-01-28 |access-date=2018-03-05 |website=Eurogamer |language=en-UK}} Shinji Mikami, the director of the first Resident Evil (1996), felt the use of fixed camera perspectives and tank controls made the game scarier.
Criticism
Tank controls have been criticized as stiff or cumbersome. They have become less common over time and free-roaming cameras have become standard for 3D games. The remastered versions of Grim Fandango, Resident Evil, and Tomb Raider include alternative control schemes, and later Resident Evil and Tomb Raider games discarded tank controls.{{cite web |last=Mielke |first=James |title=Resident Evil Creator Talks Zombies in 2020 and How His Games Will Change Post-Pandemic |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/resident-evil-creator-talks-zombies-in-2020-and-how-his-games-will-change-post-pandemic |website=IGN |date=June 4, 2020 |accessdate=February 4, 2021}}{{Cite news |last=Castle |first=Katharine |date=2024-01-17 |title=Don't worry, Lara's tank controls are still an option in Tomb Raider I-III Remastered |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/dont-worry-laras-tank-controls-are-still-an-option-in-tomb-raider-i-iii-remastered |access-date=2024-02-16 |work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun |language=en}}