Mouse/Keyboard vs. Controller: Your Thoughts

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Originally Posted by Frein

The bolded part is your problem. Ever since WoW modernized the KB+mouse interface, clickers have been at the bottom of the totem pole. It's just slow and inefficient. In the early days of WoW I remember meleeing down clickers without taking single hit because they'd be so slow at turning around and using their abilities.


This is how I play as well. I'd incorporate the mouse more if we had full access to all our abilities (instead of only one row) and were allowed to bind our keys freely.

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Actually, as a rebuttal, I've tried both clicking and full keyboard methods in WoW, and I've been immensely more successful as a clicker. This is a personal thing, of course. A new player who has no idea what their abilities do or where they are is going to take a long time with a mouse, searching for the abilities. As a practiced player, I never had any issues keeping up with keyboard players. Furthermore, the mouse has become a very viable option due to the addition of add-ons that allow you to move your abilities across the screen and the wide-spread use of gaming mouses like the Naga, which have the extra buttons. I use the keyboard with my right hand for movement, targeting, and push-to-talk, but my mouse is my number one tool when it comes to WoW.

I only use Mouse and Keyboard for FPS and RTS games really. Games that require precise aiming.
Otherwise a controller feels more comfortable to use.

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Originally Posted by Ziar

I use a ps2 controller plus a mini blue tooth keyboard if i need to type

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This is the way to go.

I use to the same effect: PS3 controller with http://motioninjoy.com + a microsoft arc kbd, and a logitech trackball all sit very nicely on the arms of the recliner I play from ^^

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Originally Posted by Arcell

Gamepad support is becoming more and more common for PC games, things are leading toward that direction. Keyboard setups will always have more functionality but nothing in FFXIV requires all of it. You can do everything you need to, aside from chat, on the gamepad.

I'll admit that I probably prefer gamepad because I grew up a console gamer. Never had a gaming computer until I bought my own so I'm very used to playing everything with the gamepad.

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Well I'm not really arguing here, we should be allowed to use what we prefer at the end of the day.

I also grew up with consoles but that doesn't mean I don't see the advantage of keyboard and mouse, perhaps if you aren't used to it though it would seem a bit alien and unintuitive but like I say use what you feel is best.

controller is nice for lazy play, but will always and forever limit your skill ceiling by simple virtue of how it works. fact.

I have no idea how anyone plays without a controller, I tried for awhile. H%ll no

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Originally Posted by fusional

controller is nice for lazy play, but will always and forever limit your skill ceiling by simple virtue of how it works. fact.

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Explain how it works to inhibit you.

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Originally Posted by Gramul

Explain how it works to inhibit you.

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isn't it simple? with the cursor starting at a home position (we'll say 1), it takes you one button press to use ability 1, and one button press for keyboard/mouse to do the same. two button presses for you to use ability 2, 1 button press for keyboard/mouse. three button presses to use ability 3, 1 for k/m. four button presses for 4, 1 for k/m.

even accounting for the cursor being at the last ability used and your bars being set up for the next combo or ability you want to use being next to it, this can only happen so many times in a row before you either need to skip several spaces in either direction. and this isn't even accounting for separate action bars or macro bars.

the very simple, objective point of the matter is that when everything is equal- no matter how fast you are on gamepad, it takes less time for a keyboard/mouse user to complete the same actions. there is simply no disputing this.

the most obvious way to demonstrate this is with archer/bard on moogle. to do optimal dps you keep every WS on cooldown while light shotting absolutely as much as humanly possible. both gamepad and keyboard/mouse can keep everything on cooldown... except for light shot. only k/m can effectively do this. the difference between a player using k/m hitting their dps ceiling and a player using gamepad hitting their dps ceiling tends to be a difference of about 25-50 light shots... or more. which is why a gamepad user will likely cap out at around 70-75 dps where a keyboard/mouse user can cap out between 80-90.

50+ light shots makes a hell of a difference, and there is simply no logically objective way to dispute the fact that every time a keyboard/mouse user wants to use light shot in between WSs it takes him 1 button press, then 1 button press to do his next WS... and the gamepad user has to do quite a number more.

these are precious seconds when, added up over the course of a battle, cost you precious dps time.

them's the breaks. and i'd say it's going to be pretty hard to argue otherwise until someone shows me evidence of a gamepad archer/bard hitting 85 end dps on moogle, and/or a gamepad monk hitting 160 single-target end dps on mistress.

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Originally Posted by Gramul

Explain how it works to inhibit you.

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Selecting skills with a controller is much much slower that pressing a number key, when I am fighting something difficult (especially solo) I will always use keys with the action bar because its much faster and reliable.

What with lag also it can effect where you scroll to on the action bar when using both controller and arrow keys and sometimes can end up pressing the wrong action.

Like someone said above if you are feeling lazy use controller (which I do at times) but if you want to be accurate and on the ball keyboard and mouse is probably better.

That being said targeting with a mouse is horrendous still, hopefully in 2.0 it will be much better.

You can set up your skills in a gamepad efficient way so that you have access to everything you need within a few button presses. I can't argue that it takes more presses to get there but I can get to almost any skill I need with gamepad in a second or less.

I also don't give two shits about maximizing my end-game DPS to the extent that you're talking about. Really doesn't matter to me. I'm going to play well with my gamepad and that's pretty much going to be it lol. I can do the things I need to and I can play well, that's what really matters to me. I can be "on the ball" and play very well with the gamepad.

If we're talking about super high-end elitist DPS races then yeah, I guess gamepad is inferior. Keyboard will always be a little faster sure, it will always have greater functionality. However outside of chat, there's nothing that requires a keyboard vs a gamepad.