I play every game with the X and Y axes inverted. I know, I'm fucking crazy, but I grew up playing flight sims and my first third-person 3D games were Nintendo games. This is just how I am.

This game doesn't offer any inversion options, meaning I'm basically always moving the cursor the opposite direction I intended. I was a bit excited about playing this after hearing about it on the Bombcast and having it show up as free for PS+ subscribers, but I'm not willing to endure the frustration (and inevitable counter-frustration when I play other games).

I don't think I'm entitled to inverted controls, but man, how was this option not in the game? From skimming some forum threads, it doesn't sound like they have any plans to patch it in either.

Can't you acclimate after ten or twenty minutes? I've only played episode 1, but it's by no means an action game, so a little bit of fumbling around doesn't put you in a bad position. I know if I'm forced to use inverted controls, I can adapt after a little while.

@Jrad said:

Can't you acclimate after ten or twenty minutes? I've only played episode 1, but it's by no means an action game, so a little bit of fumbling around doesn't put you in a bad position. I know if I'm forced to use inverted controls, I can adapt after a little while.

If I wasn't playing another third-person game at the same time, maybe, but I'm also playing Uncharted and Xenoblade, and I know that any getting used to this game would be at the expense of those. If the camera didn't move when you move the cursor, I don't think it would be as bad, but given the way it is, it would require more than I'm willing to give.

I've also got enough to play that I can afford to wait it out, since they could still add the option. It seems to be a recurring sticking point on their forums, and in theory shouldn't be that hard to add (camera inversion is just multiplying the value of each axis by -1), so it's still a possibility. Either way, it's frustrating -- they must have run into this in QA and actively decided not to fix it.

@GrantHeaslip: You might have just unsold me. I always invert the Y axis on aiming, especially, and usually on camera controls.

@Napalm said:

@GrantHeaslip: You might have just unsold me. I always invert the Y axis on aiming, especially, and usually on camera controls.

Yeah, if it were just the X axis they didn't give an option for, I could maybe manage, but I'm fairly trapped in my inverted Y axis ways. Flight sims were some of the first games I played (maybe 6-7 years old). It would be like relearning how to ride a bike with reversed handlebars.

@GrantHeaslip said:

@Napalm said:

@GrantHeaslip: You might have just unsold me. I always invert the Y axis on aiming, especially, and usually on camera controls.

Yeah, if it were just the X axis they didn't give an option for, I could maybe manage, but I'm fairly trapped in my inverted Y axis ways. Flight sims were some of the first games I played (maybe 6-7 years old). It would be like relearning how to ride a bike with reversed handlebars.

My friend had a copy of Doom 3 for the Xbox that he let me play for like, twelve hours straight. Unless the default was an inverted Y axis, that was his setting, and everything clicked the first time I played that.

I used to have the same issue when I started playing the game,but the thing is that you get used to it after a while.The game is not that control dependent anyway its not the biggest deal if you are willing to go trough with it.The narrative is too strong to pass this this game up just for some control issue.

@Smokay said:

I used to have the same issue when I started playing the game,but the thing is that you get used to it after a while.The game is not that control dependent anyway its not the biggest deal if you are willing to go trough with it.The narrative is too strong to pass this this game up just for some control issue.

If they whole series comes and goes and it doesn't get fixed, I might look for an opening where I can play it while I'm not playing any other 3D games. I really do think it could be up my alley.

I feel what you mean, but there's so little action that you could probably deal.

 Yeah, it's a little silly that it's not in there.  I bought the season pass and I'm waiting for all the episodes to come out before playing it, so hopefully they'll fix it by then.

I know I'm way late to the party on this, but the lack of inversion never bothered me up until a certain sequence in ep. 3, at which point it became extremely aggravating. The pacing of the game generally means that it isn't an issue, but when you create a sequence that requires fast movements and reflexes, not having that option is terrible

I used to play with inverted controls but with some games not offering it and most games not defaulting to them I just decided to learn to use normal controls. It took a little while but was worth it. Now inverted feels totally alien, aside from flying.

I'm sure that's not the solution you want to hear but it's one you should really consider trying.

I always invert too, but it hasn't bothered me in Walking Dead. I've only played episodes 1 and 2, but I've never caught myself moving the icon the wrong way or anything. Not sure why.

I got used to it but yeah it's 2012. That seems like a basic option that should be in every game.

I didnt have much of a problem with it ( i invert my controls by default ) except when it turned into a crappy FPS in episode 3.

Crippling is maybe a bit strong, but it was a bummer for a bit.

Luckily I was able to cope. The game rarely necessitates hand-eye coordination in a short timespan, so it's not especially problematic for me.

Wow. I just bought this game, and then found out it didn't let me set the controls. That's crazy! I understand it's not the default scheme, but my first console was set up that way and I knew no different, and have always played inverted ever since. I plan to play this game in relatively short bursts, I don't have time to try to train my brain to a new system :( I've heard so many good things about it too! Crazy.

I didn't think so many people still played with inverted controls. I mean, when I was coming up, just as the OP said, I played with inverted controls because they were default and I didn't know how to change it. By the time I hit my early teens, and had a good handle on games, I set it to "normal" (Up=Up, Down=Down). I wouldn't be able to play a game inverted, so I can see your frustrations, but come on, besides few genres, whats the point? TWD is a great game, bite the damn bullet and finish it!

@GrantHeaslip:

Hey there, I started this thread after I bought Episode 1, struggling hard with the idea that the game didn't have proper control options. After a bit of convincing I bought and finished the series without much issue.

For the most part the camera doesn't anchor on your character or to a set position. The "reticle" is a floating d-pad that is very easy to see and move as a cursor. There might be a total of three first-person moments in the game, and the shooter one I was able to finish without any up or down movement, just panning left and right.

It's still not right that it lacks inverted controls, but it's a great experience worth this little hiccup.

turn your mouse around.

I played with my 360 controller on pc, and was fine when I was just moving a cursor around the screen, but the shooting sequences sucked. My handicap (read inability to adjust) only led to fail states a few times and I got on with it. Most games don't get this much leeway with me.

@weavminas said:

I played with my 360 controller on pc, and was fine when I was just moving a cursor around the screen, but the shooting sequences sucked. My handicap (read inability to adjust) only led to fail states a few times and I got on with it. Most games don't get this much leeway with me.

Yes, especially the first shooting sequence where you have to swap to either side of that bus or whatever to shoot zombies with no real sense of when you should swap or even if there is the option to do so right away. I failed almost instantly in this section because I wasn't expecting to have to aim a cursor in the manner of a proper shooter since it feels so bad in this game. I thought it was really lame that it continued to just use that mechanic later in the other episodes as well, with some sections being longer even. It would have been nice if they'd found something better that didn't rely on twitch motion, with such an under developed control scheme for aiming they have it really did those sections a disservice, and it always just felt like I was 100% fighting the game mechanics to do something that the largest genre in popular gaming currently (the fps) does so competently. Felt like someone telling me to operate my chair like a motor vehicle all of a sudden, and expect me to engage in an intense highway chase... instead I just feel all my attention is going to the fact that I'm NOT in a car, I'm in a dang chair.

Maybe a shooting system where your aim snaps to limbs of the various zombies would have been a way to go, think real-time VATS targeting where you can use the left stick to jump to different targets and the right stick to select areas on those targets to hit. Then the game becomes less about it's failings as a precision shooter and more about your strategic use of your time and ammo to target the right limbs of the right zombies to win. A timing mechanic on getting headshots could have also worked on top of that, so as you select the head you have to wait X beats to get a proper hit or something.