dogman91 wrote:I also never got the idea of movement by moving the mouse forward in a 3D space... seemed like a really weird way of controlling things.
This quote makes me think that you're not using it the same way the majority of PC gamers use their mouse and keyboards. Most PC gamers I've known (not all) have only used the mouse for looking around, shooting, and various alternate uses, such as alternate fire, throw grenades, reload, that kind of thing.
Generally all movement will be mapped to the keyboard. Most folks I know use WASD for their movement, meaning W is mapped for forward, A for strafe left, S for backward, and D for strafe right. Because the mouse can be used for looking around quickly (and with a higher sensitivity can usually do this faster and with greater precision than an analog stick), there is no need to turn using a keyboard: instead, you look where you want to go and move forward, or you strafe accordingly to make yourself harder to hit while moving in that direction. A prime example: Oh no, the vortigon is shooting at me with his lightning blast. I can use a combination of W, A, and D to move forward and circle strafe while keeping my vision on him (and his buddies behind him). If another vortigon spawns behind me, I can then rapidly pull off a 180 with a quick spin of the mouse to precisely pop him in the skull with my handy revolver while continuing to strafe (or better yet, bunny hop using a combination of said movement buttons as well as the space bar to jump repeatedly).
And that right there shows a strength of keyboard + mouse combinations: though controllers now have a large number of buttons to allow effective mapping of modern FPS, those buttons are still being utilized predominantly by two thumbs, with some help from the pointers (and maybe middle fingers) on the shoulder buttons. But the keyboard + mouse setup allows for all fingers to be used at the same time. I can crouch jump while circle strafing and moving forward using only one hand, freeing my other hand to prime grenades while unloading both primary and secondary fire at my target and then rapidly switching weapons to one that's fully loaded as opposed to taking the time to reload (as long as my mouse has enough buttons, which some mice do).
That said, because PC games have easier access to more buttons, generally their FPS counterparts have been able to incorporate more things which would later migrate to console FPS, such as flashlights. But game developers with a mind for their respective platforms will tailor games for that platform, so an FPS originally intended for PC will favor that audience in terms of features, enemy AI, and what the player is capable of doing, as will a different FPS tailored to a console. Case in point: Half-Life and Halo. Half-Life is meant for a PC and arguably operates the best when played on one, while the Halo PC port is generally derided in favor of its console release because that is where it was intended to be played.
Also, any change in control style will be difficult to handle at first. Heck, even alternate control methods for the PC can be difficult to take in, such as migrating from the Doom arrow keys style to WASD, or the Tribes method of playing (which I did not describe here but I believe Popo generally uses for his FPS). PC gamers enjoy the greater flexibility and speed, but that is what they have grown used to.
