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What MMOs allow you to use a game controller?
romanswinter
Member UncommonPosts: 74
I been playing DCUO the last couple weeks and I absolutely love using my 360 controller. The thought of going back to the keyboard and mouse again to play some of my other MMOs is just dreadful. Anyone know of any other MMOs that take advantage of using a controler?
X-fire advertises some thing called switchblade which allows you to play any PC game with a controler but when I downloaded it, it wanted me to register and it looks like the people who made it no longer support it and there is no way to register the product to start using it.
Really would love to play eq2, STO, LOTRO with the controller.
Comments
Tera allows the use of a controller. Here is a review by a KOB player on the controller.
link: http://www.tera-online.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13932
Written by Capricorn
Controller Use Impressions from the KOBT
I'm sure I've stated it several times on this board, but I'm a 'console fanboy'. If the idea of an MMO that plays like an action game wasn't enough to draw me to Tera, the fact that En Masse was pushing the optional use of controllers at trade shows was essentially a hook in my mouth.
Using a controller to play MMOs has become more common the more the genre has become action oriented. With AAA games like DC Universe Online (which is still fresh in my mind) utilizing top-notch controller compatibility, it seems like my favorite PC game genre is taking a turn in my favor.
Melee vs. Ranged
I want to state first off that I went into all the classes with an open mind and trying out both methods of control. After several hours on each class I came to the conclusion that ranged classes just plain worked better with the keyboard and mouse, no contest. It's because combat for ranged classes emphasizes so much on aiming, and less on character placement, the latter I have always felt is the forte of using a joystick. Melee classes played much better with a controller, in fact after a couple of hours playing a melee class with the keyboard and mouse just felt awkward to me. Keep in mind that I've been a 'console kid' all of my life.
Tera is easily the most fun MMO I've ever played by a very large margin. Maybe part of this comes from the fact that it's been very easy to map to the controller? Possibly, but I think it's just because the combat is something very dynamic and different. I've been mapping and tweaking MMOs and macros to be played with a controller for years, so let me start by showing what buttons I mapped in the Korean Open beta.
***I want to note that skills mapped to A,B,X, and Y are what I call 'active' skills (attacks) and skills mapped to the F-keys are what I call 'non-active' skills (buffs, potions, campfires, etc.)
With this set-up I could do just about anything short of some right-click commands in the UI. Moving through the UI did have some problems which I'll address later. I felt that this method, at least for melee classes worked better than the default controller mode the game assigns, where Right trigger is your default attack, since there are few times when you are simultaneously moving the camera and attacking, it's not because the game isn't as dynamic, but it just doesn't happen with melee classes often in any type of action game. Using the trigger for firing on ranged classes did seem like a good idea, thought it didn't feel entirely natural.
The game has had some positive changes for controller compatibility in comparison to the public demos at trade shows. I'll give some brief explanations of the features I felt were a step in the right direction!
-Auto-detect and Assignment
The game automatically detects gamepads, and in some cases (like the Xbox controller) will refer to it by name (i.e. 'Xbox A Button'), and has a default key assignment. While I don't feel the chosen key assignment is optimum for all classes, it was nice to see that this step was taken.
- Keybinding
There is now an option to bind two keys being pressed at the same time to one command. This makes it possible to use controller triggers as shift modifiers. When you click the empty box to assign a key you hold down whichever key(s) you want mapped to that command and then press Esc (to cancel) or Enter (to confirm). Here's a screenshot of the options menu.
-UI and the D-pad
The UI mode menu can now be controlled with the D-pad! This is automatically activated when a controller is plugged in. You use the D-pad to 'snap' the mouse to different clickable places on the screen. I have a video here to illustrate how it works:
UI and the D-Pad
This system was not without it's problems. If you have skills mapped to the D-pad they will fire off while you're in UI mode. I had potions and bandages mapped to f1-f4 and they kept going off when I'd try to move through the UI. It also moved the cursor to strange places that were not really clickable and could be streamlined a bit more.
-The Combo System
The addition of the new combo system streamlines your hotbar. I know this has system has receive criticism, but I didn't find any problems with it. I found it to be most advantageous for skills that are very situational and can only be used after another skill, after you fall, or after an enemy falls, etc.. A skill that is that situational just takes up space on a hotbar, and is good for the controller because of it's limited amount of keybinds.
There is really only one negative change in comparison to earlier trade show builds, but it's a big one!!
Skills now automatically fire off towards the crosshair!
While this makes playing with a keyboard and mouse much, MUCH easier, it's incredibly problematic for experienced console players using the controller, particularly for melee classes.
This is because controller users attack differently. In console action games the player positions them self around the enemy, coming from many directions while the camera is usually (relatively) fixed. This is because the joystick (placement) is such a vital part of these action games. In PC games the characters back is usually fixed to the back of the screen, or the character isn't even on screen at all while the mouse (camera) moves the most.
I have a video montage of some of the situations where this was problematic
Missing With Skills Aiming Towards the Crosshair
This feels very unnatural for 'console-savvy' players using the controller. I'm clearly not asking to eliminate this feature completely, but simply requesting that we are given to option to switch this feature off. It's obviously not 'hard baked' into the game, since the game has only worked this way since G-Star.
This is a section for features that I personally feel would bring controller compatibility up to speed with current AAA games offering this alternate method of gameplay.
-360 Degree motion
Keyboard and mouse users may find the controller prehistoric because it's motion of the second joystick is very limited when compared to the pin-point accuracy of a mouse. Controller users may find the keyboard and mouse prehistoric because it uses WASD's 8-way directional system to maneuver characters, something that consoles stopped doing 14 years ago.
Either way, it's clear to see that 360 degree movement is in Tera since you can hold W and move the mouse to move in any direction. Games like DCUO and Champions Online have given amazing joystick compatibility by allowing characters to use the joystick entirely instead of limiting the jostick to 8 directions just because of the limitations of WASD style motion.
I was going to illustrate my point using DC Universe Online, but since their beta period is now over I'll be illustrating my point with the Champions Online demo. Both games had wonderful controller compatibility, though DCUO's was slightly better:
WASD vs Joystick
- Walk to Run
That image pretty much sums it up. Even if it were only two speeds and animations; slow = walk, and fast = run it would add a very big layer of depth to moving and exploring. The fact that a joystick is only used to do a full sprint in 8 directions is just 'no good'. That's the only way I can put it.
- Camera options
We just need more camera options period.
-Joystick sensitivity
We need to be able to adjust the joystick sensitivity in order for the camera to be moved just how we want it. All players are different.
-Axis inversion
We need the option to invert the X and Y axis. The default is very confusing for most console players (true X and Y) and could not be changed.
-'Reset Camera' button
A button that automatically makes the camera quickly rotate to the player's back. This feature is in most Japanese online RPG games and I've seen it requested several times.
That's all I have to say! I'll probably be editing this over time for typos! I think Tera has a ton of potential to have awesome controller compatibility and I hope we get there by the time it launches in the US!
Velika: City of Wheels: Among the mortal races, the humans were the only one that never built cities or great empires; a curse laid upon them by their creator, Gidd, forced them to wander as nomads for twenty centuries...
I play Champions Online using a gamepad. The built in controller support basically doesn't work, but a program that maps gamepad buttons to keyboard keys does. I have to grab a keyboard and/or mouse to chat, rearrange loot, and so forth, but normal combat (and looting the dead mobs!) can readily be handled by a gamepad.
I'm not 100% positive, but I think you can use a controller in AoC.
I just used some program that basically tells the computer that buttons pressed on the joypad should be read as keys.
I ended up using it in WoW for grinding (only ever used about 6 spells while grinding) and have used it in Potbs when i got lazy.
MMO wish list:
-Changeable worlds
-Solid non level based game
-Sharks with lasers attached to their heads
http://steamcommunity.com/id/Cloudsol/
Consoles rock for driving, sports, fighting and arcade games!
That and you'll never find any Turn based rpgs on your PC, theres a few sure, but most of them are not nearly as good as most console turn based rpgs.
FFXI and FFXIV are playable with a game controller.
I heard Dynasty Warriors Online can be played with a controller. Check it out.
<TBA>
Can you play WoW with a controller?
Philosophy of MMO Game Design
Considering i seen a guy playing WoW with the Kinect id say yes it could be played with a controller.Id like to see it done in a raid though.Its one thing to kill trash mobs or maybe even elites your level but seeing someone actually raid with a controller or on the kinect would be entertaining if nothing else.
Games that have alot of skills make playing with a controller kinda hard.
Velika: City of Wheels: Among the mortal races, the humans were the only one that never built cities or great empires; a curse laid upon them by their creator, Gidd, forced them to wander as nomads for twenty centuries...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62wj8eJ0FHw
WoW on the Kinect lol