Making Crankstone’s aiming more intuitive
A few weeks ago, I showcased Crankstone at my first game convention and gathered a lot of feedback from players. One recurring issue was the aiming system, which many people found difficult to understand at first.
Based on that feedback, I’ve spent some time creating a more complete tutorial and refining the controls.
My first attempt was to add a fast-paced step by step tutorial with animated prompts but it wasn’t enough.
The real breakthrough came from a much simpler change: making the gun appearing as soon as the player pushes the joystick forward. This immediate visual feedback naturally encourages players to keep the joystick up and rotate instead of trying to aim with on a simple horizontal axis.
The angle of the joystick matches the angle of the gun:
I also revisited the reload mechanic. Now, reloading happens automatically when the joystick returns to its neutral position. The mechanic is faster, more intuitive, and keeps players focused on the action instead of the controls. It feels way more natural now and better fits to the lightgun-inspired experience I wanted to create, where reloading happens by holstering the weapon or shooting off-screen.
Reloading with the gun (no animation yet):
Reloading with coach gun is animated:
