Hello! I'm the developer of Flight of the Swallow.
To the players who struggle with the controls, please use the Helpers in the options menu to make the controls simpler for you. In particular, activate Spider Girl which lets you walk on any surface when in zero-G, Gecko Girl which lets you grab any surface, not just handles, and set the Thrust Factor to 1 or 2 (this lets you push the girl in the direction of your choice, depending on your settings). In the future I'll add "difficulty levels" but there's not there yet. The Helpers are explained in the "New to this?" journal entry in the tutorials. I know there's a lot to read, but at least read that one, it will help you get started with the game and progress through it. After a while, once you've built up some skill, you'll probably want to deactivate this or that helper and ultimately play without any helper at all, like all the seasoned players of this game. And if you really, really don't like zero-G controls, Spider Girl is your friend, and even without that helper, Sandy has access to magnetic shoes anyway. It's not like you're completely lost in space, so to speak.
I know the controls might not make much sense for you when you start playing this game. I mean, you've got a girl to move and you simply want her to go where you point her to go, right? How difficult is that? Well, it's not so simple when in zero-G, where you need something to push against in order to go somewhere. But the controls were made with great care, and when you get familiar with them, you realize they could not be made otherwise, simply because of the sheer number of actions you can do in all possible situations and at the same time. Wanna rotate the girl? Check. Fold her in two and kick her away from a wall? Check. Grab something, aim at something else and propel her in that direction? Check. Struggle in bondage? Check. Dress her and undress her? Check. Use her arms (bound or not) to do some advanced stunts with handles just like real astronauts? Check. There are so many things you can do that the controls are bound to be complex. But if you're lost, just ask Sandy (LB+RB+B/circle, or F4 on your keyboard by default) and she'll explain everything you want to know.
And use a controller! The game can be played with the keyboard and mouse, but it's definitely made for a controller. It allows you to modulate your inputs instead of making all-or-nothing moves. The controls are hard to understand at first, simply because there's almost no other game like this on the market. So it's bound to take time to get familiar with this new genre. As far as similar controls go, I can think only of Escape Forced Overtime (from which this game is partially inspired), Escape From Ghosts (from the same author) and Heavenly Bodies (SFW game with 2D ragdoll physics in zero-G, I recommend). All of them require time to get familiar with how to control the ragdoll and some players give up early because of it.
The whole game isn't about ragdoll physics in zero-G, though. Sandy is in space and this is a game in a realistic setting, so zero-G is the norm, but it's not ubiquitous. When the ship accelerates, there's artificial gravity. My objective is to have half the time in zero-G and the other half in gravity because this is above all else a BDSM game, and most parts of BDSM require gravity to be enjoyed. It's not just about Sandy's pretty ass floating alone in space, it's about living Sandy's story and helping her through difficult times. Those who played Day 3 know what I'm talking about.
Lastly, I've read all the posts in this thread (I was aware of its existence shortly after it was created, and have been monitoring it ever since) so I know about the negative first impressions, but some of the best and most passionate players come from here as well. So don't give up! Learning to navigate in zero-G is necessary when you're an astronaut, even one as sexy as Sandy, but the game is long, very long, with interesting characters and a compelling story, lots of dialogues, some dark moments and some good laughs. I often hear "I came for the bondage, soldiered through the controls, and stayed for the story". That says a lot.
Don't hesitate to join my Discord server to discuss the game with seasoned players and with me, to learn some tricks and to share your own views of the story. You might learn a few things. More than a few things, even! There are a lot of quality people there. Some of them even being in the space engineering and training business, no less.
And if you enjoy the game, at least if you make it through Day 1 and want to go further, please consider subscribing. It's not expensive and helps me buy assets and push through the development. Because I'm working on it all day, every day. The money I get from the subscriptions is not enough to pay the bills (I have another source of income for that), and even if it did, it wouldn't be a sustainable or even reliable income anyway, but appreciation is a vital part of game development, especially for a solo developer like me.
Thank you.
