Better default gamepad keys and settings
So, this is a bit broad of a subject, but the main problem here is that current SRB2 gamepad keys... make no sense, especially for a 3D platformer (for example, you jump with RB, which is absurd). Obviously, everyone will have their own idea of what their preferred button layout is, but the main goal here is to have the default for gamepad keys to feel more acceptable for players installing and trying the game for the first time. Anyone who is not satisfied with the default should be able to figure out how to redefine one or two buttons, as opposed to having to reconfigure the entire gamepad. And in case of people who are already happy with their configuration... well, they won't need to worry, since this is just supposed to change the defaults. People with their own config save data won't have to worry about it.
Here's my suggestion for what the new gamepad default keys could feel like. There are a few that prefers B for Spin, but that's easy enough to swap around in the settings.
Because the analog and trigger configuration is named after... airplane controls, I'm also throwing this in here for reference on how to properly set up the camera and fire actions as displayed in the graphic:
And this is secondary to what I'm talking about here, but I'd also like to propose new default settings, starting with having Simple be the default Play Style when first installing the game. Right now, Standard is the default, and it's very backwards that new players have to go out of their way to look for the specific setting that should make the game easier to control for them. People who prefer Standard already know where to go to change their preferred Play Style, so having Simple be the default makes far more sense for new players all around, in order to not have to constantly explain to new people where the more practical Play Style is.
Related to the Simple mode, I do think some of its default Camera settings could be tweaked to feel both more accessible and practical. First that the current camera distance feels a bit too close to the character and the height being too close to the floor, making the camera feel claustrophobic and weird. Second thing being that I've heard of a lot of people having issues with the way the game moves too fast, causing motion sickness for many people. But upon reducing the spacial and rotation speed, the camera movement feels a lot easier on the eyes, which I think it's better all around to have. So this is what I think the new defaults for those could be:
And onto a last detail that's often forgotten, Simple mode has a target/lock-on feature when pressing Center View (which is the Right Stick button in the proposed new default layout here). Although in current default settings, it only works on bosses, so... frankly, I don't see why limit it to just bosses, so let it be set to "Full", honestly.
Didn't mean to make the issue this long, but I felt the need to explain why this is important for first time players. Again, I'm not trying to argue that these are the absolute ideal way to play SRB2, I'm simply proposing a much better default that's straight forward and practical for new players to pick up and play the game when they plug in a gamepad.
Edit: After asking people what they preferred, it seems the majority indeed prefers Spin being set to X instead of B. On top of that, my gut instinct was right on it indeed feeling better on the thumb.