almost 5 years ago - Sasha_JP - Direct link
One of the unique features of Pagan Online is its control scheme. The game uses WASD + Mouse, which differs a bit from your traditional hack-and-slash. Here’s what lead game designer Emil Esov, AKA Easymode, has to say.

“For Pagan Online, we did some tests with the traditional click to move control scheme and found it didn’t match up with what we had planned for the game – intense fast-paced combat that can scale up to insane difficulties. Having the mouse as a driver for both movement and attacking meant that we would have to slow down the game more than we wanted.”

WASD is widely regarded as a more direct form of control, with the buttons allowing players to feel more involved with every key press, and as Easymode explains, “The biggest benefit people get from the WASD + Mouse control scheme is control – five fingers on the keyboard ensure you can have instant reactions to what happens on the screen.”

So, why does WASD work better for Pagan Online?

“We wanted a game that is a combination of skill and numbers. With point and click, you often end up face-tanking the enemy and the fight can turn into a game of numbers: who has more armor, damage, resistances etc. In essence, it becomes more about having good gear than being good at playing.
For Pagan Online, we wanted to skew that ratio towards skill-based play without being forced to balance the game around the attack speed of characters, so we retain fluid and readable character animations.

The idea is being able to move around, time your attacks, sometimes attack while moving, and have full control of your character at all times in order to react quickly to combat situations happening around you.”

We’d like to know what you think. Share your thoughts on here and be sure to hop into our Discord[discord.gg] to join the discussion and be a part of our thriving and friendly community!