To clarify, my issue with the way keys were mapped in the prologue wasn't that there was a lot of controls, it was the way they're layed out. I really don't care if there's a zillion options I'll never use. But when absolute basic controls require a key combo that is just so incredibly counter-intuitive. It doesn't matter to me if that's the way it is in freespace. Just because I can get used to a crappy setup doesn't mean that's the best way to layout the keys for the majority of people who have either never played freespace or haven't played a flight sim in ten years.
If you can have two options (a FS-based one and a WC-ish one) then I think that's a great option for those who want it each way. But for me, even if it only takes ten minutes to remap all the keys it just feels like something I really shouldn't have to do when I load a WC based game. THe beauty of the WC setup is that for the absolute main controls the key assignment makes sense. A=autopilot, T=Target,G=guns, C=communications, L=lock etc. If you want to have combos, there's still room. But why not make it make sense? Ok So we have T for target. How about combos that include T plus something else for your other targeting options? Maybe it's T plus the surrounding keys where the direction in relation to T has something to do with the function itself?
The absolute basics shouldn't be combos and should make sense. I can pretty much play any WC game with just A, tab, C, G, T, L, M, G, A and a mouse. Map and some of the other controls are useful, and for the hardcore player there are many other options in WC as well, but the average player new to the series won't like being confused by anything more complicated right away. Ultimately, you'll just turn off new player with such a muddy layout if you're goal is to attract new players.
Beyond key layout though, the other thing I had issue with was mouse control in the prologue. The controls felt soooo FPS inspired. I hated that I had to keep scrolling and scrolling and scrolling when tailing a turning enemy. It just doesn't work that well. While the WC system takes some getting used to the fine tuning and needing to center the mouse yourself, I actually got pretty proficent with it and I think it works nicely. I don't think we can count on everyone having joysticks in this day and age, though if you can make sure to support gamepad layouts from within the game I'm sure several players would appreciate that, as usb gamepads are much more common in this day and age than joysticks.