Gamepad or Keyboard&Mouse ???

This is something that has been bugging me since i started playing this game, which is better to use gamepad or keyboard & mouse.

Whislt they each have upsides and downsides iv found myself kinda using a combination of the 2. While in theory this sounds like a good idea it gets a bit confusing when your in the middle of a fight and need to switch quickly.

Another thing iv noticed while using the gamepad is that im standing there cycling through targets trying to get the right one whilst the rest of my party is already attacking andby the time iv found it its already dead.

Any advice on these issues would be greatly appreciated.

i use razer naga mouse so i use keyboard mouse....but controller is fine too....infact the majority might prefer controller....since its being transformed to please ps3 players more and more. but if you got a razer naga like me just use keyboard mouse

Logitech G9x + N52te, then keyboard for typing n stuff.
Tried full keyboard, not me but ok.
Game-pad feels more FF, but meh, to much functionality lost.

I think it largely depends on what you're used to.

A gamepad just feels more natural to me, and so that is what I use. But it can indeed be difficult to find targets when things get crowded. And so every once in a while I do grab the mouse and click on the target I want. It also helps if you get used to the gamepad shortcuts for changing targeting modes between All-Friendly-Party-Enemy.

But in the end I think what is "better" depends solely on your own preference. ^^

I've stuck with keyboard + mouse. I was considering plugging in my gamepad and using that but (as you may have already noticed) I tend to type and talk a lot, so having a gamepad in my hands would only cause me problems.

Once you get used to the functions and stuff though keyboard + mouse is easy to use, though sometimes it needs a lot of patience.

i started with keyboard and mouse and using them was not bad. i will say when i changed to the controller at first it was a bit of an adjustment, but i can say after getting adjusted to the controller and working on my key binds it is much easier and more efficient to use.

I've done both and like my Razer Onza corded XBox 360 controller. It has these extra shoulder bumpers I can set to Back/Start.

If you go with keyboard/mouse, make sure to set aside an few hours for customizing. The default keys are all spread out and the hot keys get crappy. Also, the click boxes for targets can be non-intuitive and I found it a bit obnoxious.

The biggest draw back for the controller, to me, is there is no "Use Items" binding. During soloing, I often have to reach for the U key so I can pop a potion mid-battle. If they'd just let me swap out my Status Effect binding with Use Items, I'd turn on the "Chat Keyboard" option and never touch it again.

Some Keyboard advice:

First off, unbind A and D from walk left/walk right and Q and E from strafe left/right.

A -> Strafe Left
D -> Strafe Right
Q -> Main Menu
E -> Something else you do a lot (Like moving Chat off Space Bar)

I believe R, F, and D default to some targeting functions. If you feel they're excessive, drop one and use it for "Use Item".

The rest is up to you, but I *strongly* recommend the rearrangement to get the Main Menu binding to Q. Otherwise you'll find yourself spending an annoyingly big portion of your playing time reaching across to the Home key.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Krin

The biggest draw back for the controller, to me, is there is no "Use Items" binding. During soloing, I often have to reach for the U key so I can pop a potion mid-battle. If they'd just let me swap out my Status Effect binding with Use Items, I'd turn on the "Chat Keyboard" option and never touch it again.

---

True. You can use macros to help with this, which can be activated with the controller. Like:

/item "Potion" <me>

/item "Sleeping Potion" <t>

Some people use xpadder to map f8 to their controllers. That might alleviate your problem.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rau

Some people use xpadder to map f8 to their controllers. That might alleviate your problem.

---

*face palm* Doh. Thanks for reminding me and giving me the name of a program that does that. Long Term Brain Fart FTL.

I use a wireless xbox360 controller for Windows.

When I'm at my computer I use a Deck Legend keyboard and a Logitech G9x mouse. At my TV I use some bluetooth wireless mouse/keyboard combo, also from Logitech.

I go back and forth, but mostly I use the controller for combat and mouse/keyboard for chat and the rare occasion where I attempt crafting again.

As far as targeting goes, I find when using the "enemy" targeting mode, pressing left/right on the digital pad targets enemies, while pressing up/down targets PT members. It seems to work okay, but the F8 trick is probably slightly faster.

I prefer playing with gamepad. As for keyboard I got a Microsoft Sidewinder X4 and Razer Naga Molten edition.
Once PS3 version is released, im buying that since i got that snap-on keyboard for the controller^^

For party play, Keyboard is the way to go. It's just so much faster once you are properly acquainted with the layout (and some tweaking).

Controller, while easier to move, kinda sacrifices the speed in doing everything else that isn't moving.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rau

For party play, Keyboard is the way to go. It's just so much faster once you are properly acquainted with the layout (and some tweaking).

Controller, while easier to move, kinda sacrifices the speed in doing everything else that isn't moving.

---

This is quite true. I know I would be quicker with a keyboard, but I'm only slightly slower with a controller, and it's a lot more comfortable to kick back with a controller instead of being hunched over a keyboard. ^_^

Yeah. Soloing leves with a controller was relaxing, if not a bit slow.

Gampad all the way. I'm just not a keyboard person...so I'm much faster and efficient when using a gamepad

I started playing with a gamepad (Logitech F710) but switched to keyboard/mouse and enjoy it a lot more. It was a huge adjustment (especially with the poor controls) but I just set up a profile for my BlackWidow and remapped everything the way I wanted it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sypherblade

Gampad all the way. I'm just not a keyboard person...so I'm much faster and efficient when using a gamepad

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ava

I started playing with a gamepad (Logitech F710) but switched to keyboard/mouse and enjoy it a lot more. It was a huge adjustment (especially with the poor controls) but I just set up a profile for my BlackWidow and remapped everything the way I wanted it.

---

see to me this is all it's about. there's 2 different people and they have 2 different opinions on what is best. the only way you will ever know which method is right for you is to try both and decide for yourself. no matter which method you use mapping the keys will make a world worth of difference. i'm not going to say this way or that way is the best method, but controller is better for me and i am not saying it will be better for you.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by darkstarpoet1

see to me this is all it's about. there's 2 different people and they have 2 different opinions on what is best. the only way you will ever know which method is right for you is to try both and decide for yourself. no matter which method you use mapping the keys will make a world worth of difference. i'm not going to say this way or that way is the best method, but controller is better for me and i am not saying it will be better for you.

---

Exactly. In my opinion, if you're use to playing PC games, you might like the traditional kb/mouse combo best. If you're a console gamer at heart, you might like the controller better. Try both and decide for yourself.

Edit:

@OP Your targetting problem is the initial reason I switched to kb/mouse. I hated that too and using kb/mouse fixes the targetting issue 100%. The only thing I don't like about the kb/mouse right now is the process of engaging monsters. IT feels terribly clunky when compared to the controller. Pick your poison I guess. :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ava

Exactly. In my opinion, if you're use to playing PC games, you might like the traditional kb/mouse combo best. If you're a console gamer at heart, you might like the controller better. Try both and decide for yourself.

Edit:

@OP Your targetting problem is the initial reason I switched to kb/mouse. I hated that too and using kb/mouse fixes the targetting issue 100%. The only thing I don't like about the kb/mouse right now is the process of engaging monsters. IT feels terribly clunky when compared to the controller. Pick your poison I guess. :P

---

that also goes back to talking about mapping keys making life easier. if you have an issue targeting and use f8 on your keyboard you can also map it to your controller also.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lienmik

This is something that has been bugging me since i started playing this game, which is better to use gamepad or keyboard & mouse.

Whislt they each have upsides and downsides iv found myself kinda using a combination of the 2. While in theory this sounds like a good idea it gets a bit confusing when your in the middle of a fight and need to switch quickly.

Another thing iv noticed while using the gamepad is that im standing there cycling through targets trying to get the right one whilst the rest of my party is already attacking andby the time iv found it its already dead.

Any advice on these issues would be greatly appreciated.

---

I played FFXI exclusively with a keyboard.
I used a key mapper to map the keys in this game to simulate the FFXI keyboard, but the key mapper kept bugging out so I finally resigned to just cope with the mouse / keyboard combination. It is still frustrating because things you would expect, like hold both mouse buttons to run, do not work, but it will suffice for the time being.

Overall you should do whatever feels most comfortable. Try out all the different ways to play and see which one suits you the best.

It took me a while to get used to, since I played FFXI with keyboard and mouse, but I play strictly by keyboard these days.

I play with a gamepad.

I do it for most of my games.

This thread is depressing because of the lack of forcing one's opinions on others.


Why are you all being so accepting and compromising?

People always forget the keyboard-only option when asking questions like these. :P I find it cumbersome to try to use mouse, it's a lot faster for me to do everything from the keyboard. Don't even have a controller for PC, and I'm rather certain I'd find it a lot more cumbersome than even the kb+mouse system, a lot more switching there since you can't type from the controller. So yeah, if you haven't tried keyboard-only control system you might want to give it a go, see if it fits you.

gamepad all the wya.. haven't used keyboard and mouse ever with a SE game.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rau

This thread is depressing because of the lack of forcing one's opinions on others.


Why are you all being so accepting and compromising?

---

Because it's about individual tastes. Me playing with a gamepad doesn't affect how other people play the game.

While me using anima to teleport instead of walking everywhere....waaait a minute....

Any variation of the keyboard and mouse is likely a better set up for you. I have a Naga, so it makes it even better.

Controller requires too much paddling to access the abilities.