Inverted Controls - why?

[Dogg Thang]

Just a quick question - where did the idea of inverted controls come from? I mean, it seems to go against logic to push up to go down. I would reckon it came from plane controls originally but, firstly, does anyone know why plane controls were inverted and, secondly, (seeing as few of us have probably flown planes) how did it catch on for games?

Just curious...

Dogg.

[JibberX]

Plane controls, like boat controls are inverted because of simple mechanics I would imagine. And then it stuck. Besides, up for down makes perfect sense to me.

[babs]

Inverted all the way, I'll never play an FPS without it.

I guess I see it as pulling mouse/stick back is equivalent of pulling head back (looking up). We've had very heated debates on IRC in the past about exactly this topic

[sam1981]

If you're in a plane and you lean back, the nose points up and you increase in altitude. If you lean forward the nose goes down.

Perfectly logical.

[Owain]

With a FPS I like normal controls but with a 3rd person games I prefer inverted, as you can see the characters head, you kinda imgine like you've got your thumb on it.

[NeilMcRae]

inverted for any FPS game, comes from flight sims, ah many an afternoon on the beeb playing aviator.

[Dogg Thang]

Yeah, that all makes sense. Personally I like inverted controls in certain games. I was just curious what the reasons were. I mean, pushing left to go right would be seen as odd.

Dogg.

[phresh]

The way i look at it is if you imagine that the end of the analogue stick (the bit furthest from you) is the pivot, with the on screen charcters head/arm or whatever after this, inverted controls make perfect sense.

[Marf]

I run inverted for airplane/spaceship controls, not for FPS, for me at least.

[SubparMario]

I can't use anything but inverted on console joypads for FPS games.

Although, for PC FPS I prefer non-inverted.

[Len]

Inverted all the way for me as well.

As Babs says, what happens when you pull your head back, you look up and then what happens when you push your head fwd, you look down.

Simple...

[MJ]

I've got so used to not using inverted controls that it takes me a while to adjust when I do.

[yashiro]

It's generally older gamers who use inverted controls. People who played flight sims on BBC/C64/Amiga in their childhoods.

[Darwock]

I was always a non-invert personally, until I played Panzer Dragoon Orta for the first time. I honestly could not work it using normal controls, I was trying to push up to move the dragon (and therefore the crosshairs) down but having the opposite effect.

Changed it over and was fine, but I'm quite amazed - it's a little like going from being left to right handed. Rez doesn't give me any problems!

[Commander Marklar]

Inverted for me too. Again, most likely due to the ol' space sims, etc...

The missus always had a problem with FPS games, she couldn't put her finger on what was wrong until she used my settings the once. The controls were inverted