Topic: Annoying control scheme

In my years of playing games from Nintendo, I've rarely encountered a reverse in the control scheme where in times B is jump instead of A.

First off reversing the usual style is rather annoying when it comes to it. Why do devs purposefully reverse the control scheme? Like why is it in Lost World, R is run instead of Y? Why is it that in Pirates Curse, B is jump instead of A? I know that its not a big thing but constantly reversing the control scheme like this just feels unnecessary and it makes me wonder what problem does the A button have that B doesn't.

In Super Mario World for the SNES, B was jump and Y was dash because that was the control scheme that felt the most comfortable. Don't you realize how uncomfortable it is to play, say, SML2 on the 3DS VC because B is run and A is jump? It would be nice if there was a way to make Y dash and B jump. The only reason A is jump in some games is because the NES only had 2 letter buttons.

Since the controller is diagonal, it doesn't matter which button is jump and which one isn't as long as you hold B and use A to jump. I found it convenient to use and I don't see the issue there so I guess it depends from each player.

Ok so then why would R be used for running instead of B? again, its making the control scheme rather frustrating.

I never had a problem with these types of controls, and I actually prefer them. With four face buttons it feels a lot more natural to me to have the main button (jump) mapped to B so you have easier access to both A and Y. As far as using the shoulder button to run in Sonic Lost World, again I think it feels a lot more natural. It's a lot like using the shoulder buttons to throw eggs in Yoshi's Island or dash in Mega Man X and Zero. It allows you to press multiple buttons at the same time.

Being mostly a portable gamer, I'm used to B=Run, A=Jump.

But it seems those who grew with the SNES prefer it the other way.

Shoulder buttons (or triggers) are used for running in a lot of games. Not every game uses Y as the run button. Personally I find it way easier to have my finger focus on running while my thumb focuses on jumping than it would be if I had to constantly shift my thumb around in awkward ways in Sonic Lost World.

The B to jump thing on DS and 3DS is mirroring what's been more or less the standard control scheme for console games since the SNES (though of course it varies). Some people (like me) prefer that setup.

It's been so long since I played it, but didn't Super Mario 64 use Y=run B=jump A=punch?
But then I think Super Princess Peach used A=jump B=attack? (I'm sure those were probably the first two DS games I played)

Though the most confusing and error-prone control I can recall had to be The Lost Vikings GBA. It was a six-button game on a four-button console.
Pressing R would rotate the currently controlled character. But holding R would swap the function of A and B (between item/action and the two character-dependent actions). Would've been more controllable (if a bit more annoying) probably if perhaps they limited character-change to the pause/restart menu.

I don't think there was a Y button in the 64's controller.

Wait, you mean the DS version. I think there were several control options in that one, right?

Can't remember.

Yeah, but I think the rest involved using the rather-poorly-simulated touch screen "control stick" (the biggest problem being it resets the neutral position of the virtual stick every time you remove your finger/stylus)
Later games I've played with that method (like FF3) I think went with the neutral point as the center of the screen.

Oh well, it did that because you were meant to use your thumb, not many children would've been able to reach it if the virtual stick stayed always in the center.

In FFIII's case, you actually control the character directly, as in, it followed your stylus Instead of using a virtual analog stick of sorts. You did not need to use the buttons at the same time, either, so I did not really matter.

More specifically, I believe they wanted you to use this little plastic slider thing. You were meant to hold it with your thumb down and slide it across the screen. It even came on a string to tie to the console.
It came with the original DS but I think they abandoned it by the DS Lite. So I don't know if many people even remember it, since the original DS was only out for about a year and a half before the DSL replaced it. Which was about the time the DS library started to pick up (if not also because PSP was looking even more dismal in its early days ).

Yeah, that's what I meant by thumb.

I had one, it was pretty impossible to use

I feel like this is just a personal issue. I adapt quickly to controls on games rather a is jump or b. Never had much problem with it.