Circle Pad or D-Pad

I've been progressing with the development of my team's commercial project for mobile phone devices WITH TOUCHSCREENS and we're now deciding on how to control the movement system.

The main character on screen can move in 4 directions. Now because of the TOUCHSCREEN, we have to consider control systems that dont use keyboards.

Now there are two choices which can be done.

Circle Pad
Work just like an analog stick on a controller.

Arrow Buttons (Aka, D-Pad)
Before we had analog sticks, we had those four directional buttons. For those who have a Sony PS1/2/3, the thing I'm try to describe is northwest of the left analog stick.

Anyway, I was wondering if I could get your opinion on this? It will allow me and the team to develop the more suitable movement control system for players.

Also, to make it clear, the game is a standard Turn Based RPG (Like for example Golden Sun, Pokemon, etc)

It's called the D-pad. I prefer the D-pad for side scrollers and menu based games, and the analog stick for 3D and birdseye view games. Assuming it allows 360 degrees of movement, unlike the original Zelda.

I've updated the topic so it states what the game is

I prefer the circle pad or analog stick option, it's more comfortable and easier to use. After a while my fingers get sore from using the D-pad.

Arrow Buttons? Exactly how casual do you think we are?

Originally Posted by Zecora

Arrow Buttons? Exactly how casual do you think we are?

Well excuseeeeeee me zecora

I honestly couldn't remember what it's actual name was called

if complicated combos are required I prefer a D-Pad, from years of playing Super Nintendo Mortal Kombat.

for just about any game that doesn't require complicated combos with the directional buttons to perform tasks, and the tool is mostly for moving around, I'd much prefer an analog stick.

yeah it really depends on what the character is doing. I was playing pokemon diamond on my 3ds yesterday, and I noticed, the joystick felt really weird controlling a character that can only move in 4 directions. The advantage of a joystick is that it has a crapton of directions, so there's a lot more freedom of movement.

If diagonal input is null, don't go analog. As somebody who has tried their damnedest to play SNES game on a Gamecube controller, it just doesn't work.

4 directions? D-pad.

Definitely D-pad.

Maybe if it was 8 directions I'd tell you to use the circle pad 'cause touch screens simply are kinda awkward that way, but with 4? Definitely D-pad.

It's true that circle pads aren't great for 4 directional movement, but virtual D-pads are an abomination.

As a fellow iDevice and Android game developer I must recommend you use a circle pad, while they are a bit trickier to code (at least it was for me) they are much more responsive and easier to use for the average iOS and Android gamer. Virtual D-Pads are usually always hard to use and unresponsive.

And despite the fact that your game only uses four directions, if you plan on working on future games that would allow your character to move in more than it's an easy matter of just recycling the code then having to start all over by making a circle pad then.

Virtual D-pads are awful, absolutely awful.

Even with 4 direction movement the analog stick is better.

Analog stick. Even when I was used to FFVII's D-Pad, once I played VIII and IX, I used the analog stick the whole time and it was much better.

I feel like the best games for touch screen based phones are the ones that are specifically developed around their strengths (accelerometers, capacitive touch, etc), and don't try to shoehorn ordinary game control mechanics in.


I would almost recommend developing your game around these features and limitations, rather than using virtual sticks/d-pads which are, in my opinion, unintuitive.

Originally Posted by Captain Qwark

Analog stick. Even when I was used to FFVII's D-Pad, once I played VIII and IX, I used the analog stick the whole time and it was much better.

Those games have analog movement. The game in question has 4-directional movement and will no matter what the interface is.

I have taken all of it into consideration and based on the fact you use your thumb on a touchscreen, I've decided to use a Circle Pad. Thanks for the help guys