11 replies to this topic

[WiIIiam]

Has anyone tried or had any luck getting MWO to recognize the steam controller.

I'm thinking with the track pad on the right, the joystick on the left and the 6 bumpers this could be a viable controller for MWO. Probably not as good as a mouse and keyboard but I'd still like to give it a shot.

[Golrar]

Not being sarcastic or a richard, but if you already know it won't be as good as mouse and keyboard why would you even want to try it? If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[Captain Stiffy]

Does it work for your desktop mouse but not in game?

[Ravenholme]

I think the purpose of this is living room gaming I can sympathize to that. sure gamepad controls may not be the best compared to mouse and keyboard. but say using an Xbox One Elite controller, that would be cool, especially with the 4 paddle switches on the bottom with the rest of the controller.

Using the XB1 elite controller I can verify the left stick can move and throttle fine, I can zoom with B, can't fire a thing, can't switch weapons, can't turn or pivot the torso well with the right stick (that's a problem) though using windows 10's xbox controller app I may be able to tweak something but it only seems to map within the confines of the controller and not keyboard/mouse options.

[Chocowolf Sradac]

you can play MW:O on various different peripherals however with the way the game is setup It's hard to be as competitive as the keyboard mouse combo espicially gaming mouses that can actively change DPI. Heck you can play with a steering wheel if you wanted to though not recommended

I don't see why you can't play with a steam controller though you will most likely need to adjust the keybindings to stuff that will work for you

Edited by Chocowolf, 04 December 2015 - 08:40 PM.

[the mirth]

yes, i do support controller support functionality for advanced gamepads that can actually handle this style of game with precision. such as the xbox one controllers,and maybe the steam controller. the issues i see with mwo isnt the lack of a good game pad, but rather the lack of a good support for the gamepads in use. the game doesnt offer the ability to take advantage of the variable outputs that the game pads use to make them effective. the triggers on the xbox controllers for example arent even supported because they are variable output. if i could use those to control throttle then it would be amazing. or to have it so it zooms variably by how much you pull it down. the only risk i see with making a gamepad controller useful enough to play by adding in full controller support would be that everyone would realize that with the right controller, it is actually better to play with one over the keyboard and mouse. IF YOU ARE FINESSE ENOUGH TO BE A BOSS WITH ONE. . the keyboard and mouse leaves the game to just pressing single output switches making it easier to pck up and play. and the huge variety of buttons makes it so you can go crazy with mapping. theres only one variable output device that controls speed and direction though. and its the mouse. whereas with the controller you have many differant variable switches. theres 2 joysticks and 2 triggers. and the modern ones are designed to be extremely precise. and the limiting actor is how many buttons there are because you have to be strategic with button mapping to find whats the most ergonomic for how you play. keyboards are not ergonomic... i am a very avid gamer on both console and pc. and i actually primarily play pc now, but i still prefer the xbox one controller over a keyboard anyday because it is way more precise when you are one who has developed your variable control on your hands to the point that me and many other gamers who grew up playing video games on consoles have.

i do understand that for most people; the keyboard and mouse is a better tool. its obvious because of how many aim assist mechanics there are in console games... it kinda draws me away from them because some of them are dumbed down to appeal to the less coordinated. although games like battlefront(mainly the old one.) warframe, and wot have been among my favorites because i actually aim without computer assistance. and i wreck everyone.

oh and the "aint broke, dont fix it notion" is false for some. i cant play my keyboard and mouse in my lap, because it constricts my movement. and resting my hands on the keyboard makes them hurt. its not as ideal for everyone. its like giving everyone a apple for lunch. some may have allergies. some may hate the taste. some may not have any teeth, so it is painful to eat. and some may prefer it. is it preferable to give everyone the apple when not everyone can really eat it without having some issue? sure its not broken. but it would expand the appeal if there was a choice of a ripe pear or lasagna or some other food instead. it would expand appeal and make more customers happy. and a happier customer base means that more will pay for stuff. and that more will start playing the game.

[Golrar]

I was commenting on the OP's comment that he already astutely inferred that it wouldn't be better than mouse and keyboard.

I have nothing against gamepads/controllers. I just contend that no matter how good you are with a gamepad/controller, on an FPS game with no aim assist the keyboard and mouse will always be better. I prefer the controller for sports/driving games/3rd person action games because it is more intuitive. But an FPS or RPG will still benefit more from the mouse/keyboard combo.

Think of it this way: If you crank your mouse DPI up to where bmoving it an inch can spin you 90 degrees in an instant, where is that analog in the gamepad/controller context? Can you literally move your stick precisely the amount of variable pressure to turn 90 degrees and be able to stop on a dime without having to release or adjust?

If you want to sit on your couch and relax and play on your big screen with your controller, just know you won't be as competitive as if you were at the desk with mouse and keyboard. But I am always the biggest advocate of do whatever is the most fun for the individual rather than the meta.

[Ravenholme]

I was messing with the Windows 10 Xbox Accessories App and MWO mercs mapping, it took a couple hours but i figured out a good way to set it up. But i think the app only works with the Elite controller.

So yes it's doable to answer the OP, you can map and swap buttons to behave like other buttons (specifically for the XB1 elite controller) triggers work when u give it say "right stick" or "left stick" button.

Had to mess with sensitivity, reverse throttle, etc but got it working perfectly especially with the paddles.

It's not the steam controller but that verifies game controllers can work with MWO if diligent.

Edited by Ravenholme, 04 December 2015 - 10:43 PM.

[MercJ]

To answer the OP's question, yes, I have a Steam Controller, and it works fine in MWO (add it as a non-steam game for the best functionality). Certainly not mouse+kb level, but better than a 360 controller by far. With some custom mapping (which I haven't played around with yet), you could easily integrate the gyro/accelerometer controls with the aiming to get even more precise.

Once MWO is released on Steam, look for custom mappings that others have built - I'm sure somebody will have a good config up in short order.

[Hipporider]

Well i'm forced into looking at Steam controllers and xbox controllers ,as mouse work in gaming has given me Bursitus in my shoulder,which is quite debilitating. I have bought a Steam controller based on the gyro aiming and the infinite customisation you can do with it,but i keep hitting brick walls with non steam overlays such as Origin in game overlay ( if you dont have that enabled ,friends cant join you easily). I reckon Steam controller could accommodate many of the keyboard bindings and what it doesnt, you could create a Voice Attack profile. Steam controller interface allows multi use of the same buttons ,much like Xpadder for controllers.Combine that with gyro aiming and its better than the xbox controller or PS4 ,but not as good as K & M.

[Cajun MeTaBoLiC]

I have a Steam controller profile out there under my MeTaBoLiC name, and many others also have created profiles for this game. It works fine. It is just not as good as a keyboard and mouse combo. if you are only worried about "if it works without issue", it does.

[evilC]

I tried it when they first came out and it worked.
You MUST be running MWO via Steam, then just use the keyboard and mouse emulation.
I would also heavily recommend the trackball mode - this makes it very close to being as good as mouse, with practice.
In fact, when I play MWO (Not much any more) with a normal mouse, I use software that emulates this mode of the steam controller - so when I move my mouse and pick it up while in motion, it keeps moving the mouse until I put the mouse back on the desk.
That way, I can keep the sensitivity real low (For good accuracy), but when I need to do large torso twists, I just flick-and-lift.
This is especially true if you have arm lock on, as with arm lock on, MWO "throws away" excess mouse movement beyond your twist rate - with this technique that does not matter.

The huge down-side of the steam controller is the analog sticks. Basically using them as speed+turning is pretty pointless, because the range of motion is circular, not square. Therefore, for example, if playing with absolute throttle, it would be impossible to turn AT ALL when at full speed, and impossible to move AT ALL when turning at full turn rate.
Open windows game controllers and preview a gamepad - try to hit the corners, you can't.
This is less of an issue with relative throttle, but relative throttle sucks.
Thumbsticks also massively suffer from "bleed-through" - ie it is very difficult to alter the X axis without altering the Y axis.

So, my advice would be to separate speed and turning - use the triggers for speed, and just use the x axis of the thumbstick for turning.

Edited by evilC, 26 January 2017 - 01:18 PM.