Well, yes, that's why I said that. I didn't mean "joystick-like" in that the actual input device was shaped like a stick, I meant in that it delivered a continuous, adjustable-magnitude input similar to a potentiometer. As in, something that's not even remotely similar in feel, effect or precision to digital keys.
I suppose I could see putting elevation on keys and leaving traverse on the pseudo-stick floating input. Keys aren't much like cranking a wheel, but that does at least confer an abstract version of the feel & precision difference between the traverse and elevation controls.
But yeah, the flawed armor modeling is a much bigger deal.
Ah, I see...
The Panzer IV turret did indeed have variable traverse speed (and since the elevation controls were hand-cranked, it had variable elevation speed as well). The T-34, however, had a single set traverse speed (assuming the finicky electric traverse was working that day, comrade ) but also hand-cranked elevation controls.
So if anything, Elevation should be mouse-controlled for both tanks, and traverse should be controlled by the arrow keys for the T-34, while it should be controlled by the arrow keys with multiple settings for speed for the Panzer IV? Or maybe you should wheel your mouse in a circular pattern to simulate the hand traverse? Which just goes to show that after a point, historical accuracy can only be pursued so far...
Still, I think the main problem with mouse control is that you can expertly manipulate the elevation controls at the same time as the turret traverse, when (as accurately animated in-game) your gunner would have to crank both wheels, one powered, one unpowered, at the same time, in various directions to accomplish that feat. Making nice little spirals with the main gun like you can do in-game would be extraordinarily difficult in the actual tank. More difficult than trying to rub your belly and tapping your head to the beat of "Battle Hymn of the Republic" at the same time and then switch your hands, tapping your belly while rubbing your head, without losing a beat.
I suppose there are advantages and disadvantages to both systems. With WASD, you are unquestionably at more of a disadvantage, with some of those disadvantages being perhaps historically inaccurate. With the mouse, however, you perhaps have more of an advantage than a blood-and-flesh tanker would have had at Stalingrad.
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