High Voltage announces controls contest for The Conduit [update]
by David Hinkle 
{ Sep 19th 2008 at 11:43AM }
Click image for more screens
Update: High Voltage just dished out a press release that talks about 16-player online gaming and WiiSpeak. It's been tucked past the break.
High Voltage has announced that they're holding a contest having to do with their upcoming game, The Conduit. They're asking fans to come up with their own control schemes for the game and submit them, with the winners getting their scheme put into the game. Sound exciting? We think so!
Head past the break for the full details on the contest.
Gallery: The Conduit
The contest rules are simple; using a standard Wii Remote and Nunchuk combination, fans should send in what control mapping they think would be best for the following functions:
1. Move Forward/Back
2. Strafe Left/Right
3. Jump/Activate
4. Shoot Weapon
5. Target Lock
6. Crouch
7. Reload Weapon
8. Scope/Binocular Mode
9. Switch Between Weapons Carried
10. Switch Between Grenades Carried
11. Pause Menu
12. Swap Between Weapon Carried and Weapon on Ground
13. Equip ASE (All-Seeing-Eye) / Special
14. Aim Reticule/Turn Camera
15. Melee Attack
16. Throw Grenade
Fans should also feel free to also suggest Wii-motions (gestures) to trigger actions - just be sure to describe motions thoroughly enough that they are clear to High Voltage Software's design team.
Entries should be sent to Feedback@High-Voltage.com with the subject line of "Conduit Controller Mapping Contest". Winning entries will be made available for selection through the UI as official controller schemes for The Conduit, with appropriate in-game credit given to their creators.
Contest entries must be received prior to November 14, 2008. Entries using duplicate schemes will be awarded based on whichever was received first. Winners grant permission to High Voltage Software (HVS) to use his/her name for professional and promotional purposes. All entries become the property of HVS and under no conditions does HVS promise any financial or monetary compensation to those who enter.
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The Conduit
Format: Wii™
Launch Date: Q1 2009
ESRB: T (Teen) – Violence, Some Blood
Game Type: First Person Shooter/Action
Players: Single and Multiplayer
Developer: High Voltage Software, Inc.
KEY INFORMATION
- In a fictional near future, Washington D.C. is shaken by several strange events resulting in heightened local and national tensions. John Adams, the enigmatic leader of a shadow organization known as the Trust, realizes that the nation's capital has come under attack by an alien race called the Drudge. A former Secret Service agent, codenamed "Mr. Ford", is recruited to learn the origins of this attack. The answer Mr. Ford finds is not the one he expects.
- The Conduit is a straightforward First Person Shooter (FPS) in the style of Halo, MOH: Heroes 2, and Resistance: Fall of Man. Players battle enemy forces in a highly detailed 3D world using a dynamic control scheme only possible on the Wii.
- "Next-Gen" Visuals – Dynamic environment mapping, interactive water with real time reflection, and four stage texture composition including gloss, diffuse, and bump mapping all make this the best looking game on the Wii.
- Fearsome Enemies – A vast number of terrifying alien creatures work against you as you attempt to prevent the invasion.
- Intelligent Behavior – Enemies make use of human-like behavior in combat including use of cover and tactical thinking.
- Intense Weaponry – Unleash destruction with a huge arsenal of human and alien weaponry that utilizes the innovative Wii controller for unique firing modes.
- Secrets Revealed – Use a device called the All Seeing Eye (ASE) to reveal concealed objects and enemies, providing a deeper level of puzzle solving.
- Don't Trust Anyone – Up to 16 players simultaneously compete against each other in online Multiplayer, including Deathmatch and Capture the Flag modes. Talk trash using online voice chat through the new WiiSpeak peripheral.
- Award Winning Development - IGN Best Shooter Game of E3 2008 (Wii), IGN Best Graphics Technology of E3 2008 (Wii), IGN Best Overall Wii Game of E3 2008, GameTrailers Best Wii Game of E3 2008, and Top 20 Games of E3 2008 (Edge).
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nintendork @ Sep 19th 2008 11:55AM
first!!!!!!
CJLopez @ Sep 19th 2008 12:53PM
fail
chad @ Sep 19th 2008 11:57AM
to high voltage: see mp3 control scheme. apply mp3 control scheme.
BobTheElephant @ Sep 19th 2008 11:59AM
This is a really cool idea, I'm looking forward to seeing what the winning scheme is.
mapi @ Sep 19th 2008 12:19PM
These guys are going to receive 5000 submissions that are almost identical. There are only so many buttons/gestures that make sense for those actions.
TWOO DEE @ Sep 19th 2008 12:36PM
smart move
i'll try to submit something during my lunchbreak
Mr Khan @ Sep 19th 2008 12:46PM
Hell, i'll take a crack at it
Still mum on the publisher though. Once again, i'd look to the Media Summit
Mr Khan @ Sep 19th 2008 2:22PM
Probably not too different from what others came up with, since its based loosely on MP3 and other Wii standards
Move: Nunchuk Control stick
Strafe: Hold Z, move
Jump: A
Shoot: B
Lock-on: C
Crouch: Dpad Down
Reload: 1 (i know 1 & 2 are a bitch to use, but reload is a function where the only other thing you can do is run away, so its not asking you to do two things with that hand)
Scope: Dpad Up
Toggle weapons: Dpad Right
Toggle grenades: Dpad left
Pause: Plus
Pick up ground weapon: Context sensitive Dpad Right
ASE: Minus
Aim: IR (duh)
Melee: Thrust Wiimote forward
Grenade: Thrust Nunchuk forward
TWOO DEE @ Sep 19th 2008 2:30PM
if i may post my own...:
Move: Nunchuk Control stick
Strafe: left/right on control stick
Jump: A
Shoot: B
Lock-on: Z
Crouch: Dpad Down
Reload: shake wiimote
Scope: C
Toggle weapons: Dpad Left
Toggle grenades: Dpad Right
Pause: 1
Pick up ground weapon: Plus
ASE: Minus
Aim: IR (duh)
Melee: target-lock enemy then shake wiimote
Grenade: Dpad Up (i also suggested that up is hard to reach for a lot of people, so they may want to add a lot of 'punch' to the item :P)
TWOO DEE @ Sep 19th 2008 2:31PM
if i may post my own...:
Move: Nunchuk Control stick
Strafe: left/right on control stick
Jump: B
Shoot: A
Lock-on: Z
Crouch: Dpad Down
Reload: shake wiimote
Scope: C
Toggle weapons: Dpad Left
Toggle grenades: Dpad Right
Pause: 1
Pick up ground weapon: Plus
ASE: Minus
Aim: IR (duh)
Melee: target-lock enemy then shake wiimote
Grenade: Dpad Up (i also suggested that up is hard to reach for a lot of people, so they may want to add a lot of 'punch' to the item :P)
TWOO DEE @ Sep 19th 2008 2:32PM
if i may post my own...:
Move: Nunchuk Control stick
Strafe: left/right on control stick
Jump: B
Shoot: A
Lock-on: Z
Crouch: Dpad Down
Reload: shake wiimote
Scope: C
Toggle weapons: Dpad Left
Toggle grenades: Dpad Right
Pause: 1
Pick up ground weapon: Plus
ASE: Minus
Aim: IR (duh)
Melee: target-lock enemy then shake wiimote
Grenade: Dpad Up (i also suggested that up is hard to reach for a lot of people, so they may want to add a lot of 'punch' to the item :P)
TWOO DEE @ Sep 19th 2008 2:39PM
stupid firefox...sorry, kahn!
mods, a little help, please?
TWOO DEE @ Sep 19th 2008 2:48PM
sorry kahn! this is firefox's fault...
CJLopez @ Sep 19th 2008 12:54PM
Already sent my submit, not that different from the scheme I have for WiiQuake or MP3
meist3r @ Sep 19th 2008 2:03PM
Basically all this probably is is to confirm what their playtesters have already asked for. They take that contest out, get a few hundred people to confirm the most common schemes and maybe build a couple of others into it. That's not even a bad idea. Takes the community involvement to a different level, at least no one can claim shitty controls after that one if they do it right.
I've entered mine too, let's see how this plays.
TWOO DEE @ Sep 19th 2008 2:24PM
8, 15 and 16 took me a minute...everything else should be fairly obvious
TWOO DEE @ Sep 19th 2008 2:25PM
shit, i totally forgot about the inclusion of motion plus!
bukizzle715 @ Sep 19th 2008 2:51PM
I though this would be cool, but who knows?
1. Move Forward/Back - forward/back on joystick
2. Strafe Left/Right - left/right on joystick
3. Jump/Activate - C
4. Shoot Weapon - A
5. Target Lock - up d-pad
6. Crouch - Z
7. Reload Weapon - B
8. Scope/Binocular Mode - down d-pad
9. Switch Between Weapons Carried - left/right d-pad
10. Switch Between Grenades Carried - left/right nunchuck tilt
11. Pause Menu - 2
12. Swap Between Weapon Carried and Weapon on Ground - 1
13. Equip ASE (All-Seeing-Eye) / Special - minus button
14. Aim Reticule/Turn Camera - IR pointer
15. Melee Attack - hold plus button then Wiimote motion
16. Throw Grenade - nunchuck arcing motion forward (like MP:3 C's grapple beam motion)
TWOO DEE @ Sep 19th 2008 2:55PM
not too keen on Dpad Up for locking or that melee attack but everything else is pretty damn good
good luck, dude
FYIan @ Sep 19th 2008 3:03PM
I think everyone should mention in their email that although these control schemes could be included as handy defaults, players should be able to assign any action to any button that they choose. One thing I hate about SSBB is that they limit what you can assign to each button, but at least they give you some choice. The Conduit definitely needs to allow players to create their own control schemes, with the option to assign any action to any button.
Also mention that they should never do more of a gesture than shake without the WMP, and with the WMP it would be fantastic if they let you record your own motions and assign actions to them.
bukizzle715 @ Sep 19th 2008 3:22PM
They're already implementing that. Here's an excerpt from IGN's E3 08 hands-on:
"The Conduit additionally features a fully customizable control scheme so that you create your layout as you see fit. Don't like the fact that scope zoom is mapped to the bottom D-Pad? Change it. Prefer that the A button be used for crouching? No problem. And High Voltage promises that in the final version, you will even be able to map certain moves to Wii remote gestures if you'd prefer."
http://wii.ign.com/articles/891/891710p1.html
FYIan @ Sep 20th 2008 6:23AM
Wow. I trust these guys fully, then. :p
Nintendork @ Sep 19th 2008 3:40PM
how much do the winners get paid?
TheOverlord#2 (Playing: SMRPG, SMG, & Okami) @ Sep 19th 2008 7:47PM
A WHOLE ZERO DOLLARS AND ZERO CENTS!
RasenganFury @ Sep 19th 2008 4:21PM
The more i read about this game, the more i want to get it. This looks to be one of the best wii games. Anyone know the release date?
Anonymousaurus @ Sep 19th 2008 11:38PM
I am putting this up as to see who else agrees with me on this:
Moving Forward and Back - Nunchuck Analog (possibly for multiplayer a slight acceleration if constantly moving in one direction)
Strafe Left and Right - Nunchuck Analog left/right
Jump/Activate - A
Shoot - B (any charge shots like Metroid Prime should hold B)
Targets - Z (I dont want to auto-aim, but I want to see the enemy slightly closer for accuracy like Call of Duty 4. And an option to either hold the Z button or press the Z button to toggle through enemies)
Crouch - C (option to either hold or press)
Reload - 1 (being that you must be safe to reload, the reload button can be far away)
Scope - Z (sniper rifle or binoculars are equipped, nunchuck analog zooms forward and back. Guide with the pointer)
Switch Weapons - Hold MINUS (like Perfect Dark/Bioshock/Resistance a menu appears and the pointer selects the weapon and confirms with B)
Switch Grenades - Up D-pad
Pause - PLUS (menu is controlled by pointer or nunchuck, and adjusting the HUD should be done by A+B "pinching" and dragged by the pointer and dropped when letting go of pinch)
Switch with weapon on ground - A+B "pinch" (no need to hold any buttons)
All Seeing Eye - Right D-pad or Left D-pad (this is going to be important if you need it immediately)
Aiming - Pointer
Melee - Thrust Nunchuck Forward (only activated when near an enemy otherwise people may accidentally melee while shooting far away)
Throwing Grenade - Hold Down D-pad aim with the pointer and B to throw
Please give feedback.
zeldazeppelin @ Sep 20th 2008 1:00PM
Nice I like it
meist3r @ Sep 20th 2008 4:24PM
You made the obvious mistake of putting Fire on the B trigger. Unfortunately as logical as that choice might appear I tried playing games with the B trigger as fire and my index finger hurts like hell after a few minutes. That's why they put fire on A in MP3. I would prefer A to fire at any time because my thumbs have bigger muscles and are better trained through using regular gamepads. I like some of your ideas though. My only problem is the sniper scope thing where you want to zoom in with the analog stick. How would you move then? Strafing OK but I like to have a way to retreat or move around when I snipe so I need the forward/back to do just that for my movement.
Anonymousaurus @ Sep 21st 2008 8:45PM
@meist3r
i see what you mean about the A button shooting is more ideal; it kinda reminds me of how you shoot in Killer 7, but other than that game, what other console fps games did you use face button shooting rather than pressing shoulder/triggers?
the scope thing, you hit the nail right on the head, i definitely didnt think about forward and backward movement, but I suppose you could press Z to go to scope mode (still being able to move and aim), hold Z (while in scope mode) to stay in place while zooming with the analog stick forward and back but still able to strafe, and then press Z one more time to get out of scope mode.
Thanks for mentioning that it was very constructive.
Jeremy @ Sep 20th 2008 11:54PM
1. Move Forward/Back: Analog Stick up/down
2. Strafe Left/Right: Analog Stick left/right
3. Jump/Activate : A
4. Shoot Weapon : B
5. Target Lock : C
6. Crouch : Dpad down
7. Reload Weapon : Wii remote upwards motion
8. Scope/Binocular Mode : hold Z and use analog stick up/down to zoom in/out A to lock then release Z to move while still in zoom mode press Z again to end zoom mode or hold to adjust zoom
9. Switch Between Weapons Carried :Dpad left/right
10. Switch Between Grenades Carried :Dpad up
11. Pause Menu : plus
12. Swap Between Weapon Carried and Weapon on Ground :A only while a message is on screen to prompt player
13. Equip ASE (All-Seeing-Eye) / Special :minus
14. Aim Reticule/Turn Camera :pointer
15. Melee Attack :nunchuk in a downward motion
16. Throw Grenade :Hold A/B together aim with analog stick and throw with a downward motion with Wii Remote
Areck @ Sep 21st 2008 12:00PM
My layout, a mix of redsteel/MP3/CoD3
1. Analog stick; Up/Down
2. Analog stick; Left/Right
3. Shake nunchuk Up or Down; Short and quick using the wrist.
4. A or B; Player Button choice
5. A or B; Opposite to previous
6. Z
7. Tap - Button
8. C Button; Hold to zoom, release to disengage
9. Shake nunchuk Left or Right for switch, Short and quick using the wrist.
10. Left and Right D-pad
11. + Button
12. Hold - Button; 0.5 to 2.0 Second(s), whatever feels best.
13. 2 Button or D-pad up
14. Motion sensor and Sensor bar
15. Short Wiimote Thrust
16. D-pad Down
milan @ Sep 21st 2008 2:37PM
high voltage REALLLLY knows how to hype up this game
Stephen @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:13PM
I know it's a little late, but how about some balance board action. Slight leaning will walk, more leaning runs. Hard right then left does a dodge to the left. Front to back does a hop back. Leaning hard forward then a little hop does a running jump.
Throw in a little head tracking and we have the VR from the 90's, only not red on black wire-frames.