Input testing

Imperical Testing Process

	Background:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1283504
http://forums.epicgames.com/threads/938178-Does-The-Unreal-Engine-3-Have-Rounding-Errors-For-Low-In-Game-Mouse-Sensitivity
http://forums.epicgames.com/archive/index.php/t-588887.html
http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/KeyBinds.html
http://pastebin.com/cQJ2j41b

Before we begin this testing process, make a folder for the many TribesInput.ini files we will run through, and backup your current setup to this folder. You may find it helpful to backup the .ini you used for each test to the folder. Now get in game and set your sensitivity to 5. Your apparent sensitivity *will* change over the course of these tests, but don't touch your in game sens. Instead, adjust your DPI to your desired sensitivity and record what DPI you used on each test. You must have a mouse with adjustable DPI and YOU MUST have somewhere to record the DPI you use and your reactions to each test. During every test, we will play 2 games of Arena with the test input and then record how it felt, how well you think you did, and any comments you have on the input.

1. Control: Default Mousing
a. Develop a basic reference point to make judgements based on.
	With default Keybindings:
http://pastebin.com/d1dK3ik8
	Otherwise, copy-paste replace these lines:
LookRightScale=300
LookUpScale=-250
bEnableMouseSmoothing=false
bEnableFOVScaling=true
Bindings=(Name="LookUp",Command="Axis aLookUp Speed=+25.0 AbsoluteAxis=100")
Bindings=(Name="LookDown",Command="Axis aLookUp Speed=-25.0 AbsoluteAxis=100")
Bindings=(Name="MouseX",Command="Count bXAxis | Axis aMouseX")
Bindings=(Name="MouseY",Command="Count bYAxis | Axis aMouseY")
Bindings=(Name="GBA_TurnLeft",Command="Axis aBaseX Speed=-200.0 AbsoluteAxis=100")
Bindings=(Name="GBA_TurnRight",Command="Axis aBaseX  Speed=+200.0 AbsoluteAxis=100")
	(Scroll to the [TribesGame.TrConsolePlayerInput] header for the last one, below this line)
bViewAccelerationEnabled=False

b. Boot Tribes and adjust DPI to feel comfortable, record. Play 2 arena maps to become accustomed to the setup. Record your thoughts on the 'feel' of the input, how well you did, and any comments you have.

2. Scaling
a. Reset to Default TribesInput.ini, or make "bEnableFOVScaling=true" to preserve your keybinds.

b. Change the LookUpScale and LookRightScale to 0
	Default Keybindings:
http://pastebin.com/QkEcyR18
	Otherwise, copy-paste replace this:
LookRightScale=0
LookUpScale=0

c. Boot Tribes and adjust DPI to feel comfortable, record. Play 2 arena maps to become accustomed to the setup. Record your thoughts on the 'feel' of the input, how well you did, and any comments you have.

3. DeadZone
a. Reset to Default TribesInput.ini, or copy-paste replace the following to preserve your keybinds:

LookRightScale=300
LookUpScale=-250

b. Add a DeadZone specifier to you MouseX/Y input.
	Default Keybindings:
http://pastebin.com/WmQzZYB5
	Otherwise, copy-paste replace this:
Bindings=(Name="MouseX",Command="Count bXAxis | Axis aMouseX DeadZone=0")
Bindings=(Name="MouseY",Command="Count bYAxis | Axis aMouseY DeadZone=0")

c. Boot Tribes and adjust DPI to feel comfortable, record. Play 2 arena maps to become accustomed to the setup. Record your thoughts on the 'feel' of the input, how well you did, and any comments you have.

4. Mouse Speed
a. Reset to Default TribesInput.ini, or copy-paste replace "LookRightScale=300" and "LookUpScale=-250" to preserve your keybinds.

b. Change the Speed on your MouseX and MouseY settings to equal 1.7.
	Default Keybindings:
http://pastebin.com/sCzQ5mUF
	Otherwise, copy-paste replace this:
Bindings=(Name="MouseX",Command="Count bXAxis | Axis aMouseX Speed=1.7")
Bindings=(Name="MouseY",Command="Count bYAxis | Axis aMouseY Speed=1.7")

c. Boot Tribes and adjust DPI to feel comfortable, record. Play 2 arena maps to become accustomed to the setup. Record your thoughts on the 'feel' of the input, how well you did, and any comments you have.

5. Mouse Speed Again
a. Change the Speed on your MouseX and MouseY settings to equal 0.5.
	Default Keybindings:
http://pastebin.com/NwGUH9Rj
	Otherwise, copy-paste replace this:
Bindings=(Name="MouseX",Command="Count bXAxis | Axis aMouseX Speed=0.5")
Bindings=(Name="MouseY",Command="Count bYAxis | Axis aMouseY Speed=0.5")

b. Boot Tribes and adjust DPI to feel comfortable, record. Play 2 arena maps to become accustomed to the setup. Record your thoughts on the 'feel' of the input, how well you did, and any comments you have.

6. Speed on LookUp/Down GBA_TurnRight/Left
a. DO NOT UNDO  the changes you made in the step 5.

b. Change the Speed on your LookUp, Look Down, GBA_TurnRight, and GBA_TurnLeft settings to equal 0.5.
	Default Keybindings:
http://pastebin.com/4iw17hGZ
	Otherwise, copy-paste replace this:
Bindings=(Name="LookUp",Command="Axis aLookUp Speed=+0.5 AbsoluteAxis=100")
Bindings=(Name="LookDown",Command="Axis aLookUp Speed=-0.5 AbsoluteAxis=100")
Bindings=(Name="GBA_TurnLeft",Command="Axis aBaseX Speed=-0.5 AbsoluteAxis=100")
Bindings=(Name="GBA_TurnRight",Command="Axis aBaseX  Speed=+0.5 AbsoluteAxis=100")

c. Boot Tribes and adjust DPI to feel comfortable, record. Play 2 arena maps to become accustomed to the setup. Record your thoughts on the 'feel' of the input, how well you did, and any comments you have.

7. Absolute Axis on MouseX/Y to 100
a. Now undo the changes you've made since step 4. To be clear, your TribesInput.ini should now look exactly the same as it did while you were testing in step 1.

b. Change the AbsoluteAxis on MouseX and MouseY to 100
	Default Keybindings:
http://pastebin.com/7FgNkqys
	Otherwise, copy-paste replace this:
Bindings=(Name="MouseX",Command="Count bXAxis | Axis aMouseX AbsoluteAxis=100")
Bindings=(Name="MouseY",Command="Count bYAxis | Axis aMouseY AbsoluteAxis=100")

c. Boot Tribes and adjust DPI to feel comfortable, record. Play 2 arena maps to become accustomed to the setup. Record your thoughts on the 'feel' of the input, how well you did, and any comments you have.

8. Absolute Axis on MouseX/Y to 0
a. DO NOT UNDO  the changes you made in the step 5.

b. Change the AbsoluteAxis value in MouseX and MouseY to 0.
	Default Keybindings:
http://pastebin.com/BLu65gn4
	Otherwise, copy-paste replace this:
Bindings=(Name="MouseX",Command="Count bXAxis | Axis aMouseX AbsoluteAxis=0")
Bindings=(Name="MouseY",Command="Count bYAxis | Axis aMouseY AbsoluteAxis=0")

c. Boot Tribes and adjust DPI to feel comfortable, record. Play 2 arena maps to become accustomed to the setup. Record your thoughts on the 'feel' of the input, how well you did, and any comments you have.

9. Absolute Axis on LookUp/Down TurnRight/Left
a. Now undo the changes you've made since step 7. To be clear, your TribesInput.ini should now look exactly the same as it did while you were testing in step 1.

b. Change the AbsoulteAxis on LookUp, Look Down, TurnRight, and TurnLeft to 0.
 	Default Keybindings:
http://pastebin.com/Q13UHPRQ
	Otherwise, copy-paste replace this:
Bindings=(Name="LookUp",Command="Axis aLookUp Speed=+25.0 AbsoluteAxis=0")
Bindings=(Name="LookDown",Command="Axis aLookUp Speed=-25.0 AbsoluteAxis=0")
Bindings=(Name="GBA_TurnLeft",Command="Axis aBaseX Speed=-200.0 AbsoluteAxis=0")
Bindings=(Name="GBA_TurnRight",Command="Axis aBaseX  Speed=+200.0 AbsoluteAxis=0")

c. Boot Tribes and adjust DPI to feel comfortable, record. Play 2 arena maps to become accustomed to the setup. Record your thoughts on the 'feel' of the input, how well you did, and any comments you have.

10. Everything
a. Look through your records, and examine which changes you seemed to react favorably to.

b. Copy-paste replace every change that you thought felt good. If you would like me to provide you with a Default Keybindings TribesInput.ini with the changes you liked, don't hesitate to ask.

c. Boot Tribes and adjust DPI to feel comfortable, record. Play 2 arena maps to become accustomed to the setup. Record your thoughts on the 'feel' of the input, how well you did, and any comments you have.

11. Combos
There is a possibility that certain combinations of these fixes don't work well with each other. Should the everything step feel worse than any of the individual steps, we may have to do further testing of all the good combinations.

12. Consensus
There is a possibility that the players in the testing group all form different opinions of what feels good. Should that occur, we will run a blind test. I will provide each tester with a TribesInput.ini tailored to their keybindings, but with settings changed to my discretion. We will then examine each tester's thoughts on this .ini. Of course, this relies on the honor system that each tester chooses to not look at the changes I made to their .ini.