So I've been screwing around with the UDK lately (yes, it does feel a bit like cheating on FS but I've always been a bit on the evil side). Anyway, I'm planning on doing a simple, arcade-style game with probably some mathematical overtones.
Anyhoo, I need suggestions for a control scheme for the game. I plan for the movement/navigation to be done mainly with the mouse in the style of Grid Wars, but I also want it entirely in 3D- so the player can move freely about in all 3 dimensions. I don't want a 6DOF game. The player should be mainly concerned with moving about, not turning to face a direction.
The control scheme I've been considering the most is entirely mouse-based and simple- mouse movement controls player movement in x and y, and the scroll wheel controls movement in z. There is no 'direction' the player is facing, and the scene is viewed from the top down. It's simple, and (I would think) easy to use without even much practice.
Another possibility is turning the viewpoint with the mouse, and moving left/right/up/down/forward/back from the screen's perspective possibly using the keyboard. This has the advantage of making the game fully 3D to the point that z is indistinguishable from x and y- but it's more "6DOF-ish" than I'd like (for instance, I'd like a top-down camera) and it isn't fully analog. I'd like to stick to the mouse (or joystick, or whatever the player prefers) if possible.
Any suggestions?