Game pad vs Keyboard

[ispano]

You sound like the pro fighting game players that say you can't win with using a controller cause it limits you, then they proceed to loose to several controller users >.>.

oi... you mean the ones that bring the human variable into the discussion? Which i'm specifically saying not to and compare the two on their own merits? The same variable most people here are leaving in the equation? No, i'm not one of the "KB/Mouse Master Race types" I look at what the inputs are capable of and compare based on that.

[Lux_Rayna]

If you're clicking abilities with a KB/Mouse setup, most will say you're doing it wrong. I won't since that's player choice. However when you use a KB/Mouse, the mouse is for movement and targeting, not clicking skills, if you want to use it to it's full potential that is. Thumb buttons on the mouse make it even better, ie things like the Naga (I despise Razer products, but it does what it advertises) This gets debated time and time again, and people bring preference into the picture. Comparing one input method to another without the human variable, KB/Mouse will outshine a gamepad in a game of this design unless severely handicapped on purpose.

No it wont. I've already explained to you that a keyboard and mouse gives you much less to work with. Basically you cut out over half of your keyboard. So thats half of your keys that are now useless and cant be binded. On top of that, you trade all of those keys for a mouse that possesses the function of two keys at most (camera movement and targetting). You cannot say that is better...you took away more than you gained.

[Xeonerable]

I don't bother to use controller with this game simply because this game won't recognize it again if it gets disconnected for any reason. You have to turn the whole game off and start it up again just to get your controller working again.

I hope the 2.0 client fixes that... as well as being able to alt-tab... >.>

[Niqote]

I use a controller 100% (standard logitec wired, same one I used with FFXI for years). I never have a problem with it.

I dislike using keyboard on any games, therefore I am not accustomed to it... I find I get cramps in my finger joints after the first 2 hours, but with a controller I am comfortable for hours on end ^^

I think after practice you wont gain any significant speed with a keyboard.. also you have to make sure the tank/primary healing objective is at the bottom or top of the party list, that's just good planning.

[ispano]

You gained better targeting precision and speed, and many mice have SEVERAL buttons outside of right and left click. Mine only has 4-7 depending on how I set it up, Naga has more but I don't like Razer products. Unless I need 30, 40, or even more hotkeys, i'm set. In fact with my mouse I typically have 6 functions using buttons on it alone, another 6+ using Modifier keys.

So, yes, I CAN say it's better. Not to mention my comparison is against a gamepad. Not a standalone keyboard. Keyboard keys are all on/off, there's no.... precision to movement and such with a keyboard. Even a Gamepad is better for movement than a keyboard alone.

[Gokulo]

I play 1.0 with a PS3 pad but I can't actually wait to switch to kb+mouse when 2.0 hits.

[Lux_Rayna]

You gained better targeting precision and speed, and many mice have SEVERAL buttons outside of right and left click. Mine only has 4-7 depending on how I set it up, Naga has more but I don't like Razer products. Unless I need 30, 40, or even more hotkeys, i'm set. In fact with my mouse I typically have 6 functions using buttons on it alone, another 6+ using Modifier keys.

So, yes, I CAN say it's better. Not to mention my comparison is against a gamepad. Not a standalone keyboard. Keyboard keys are all on/off, there's no.... precision to movement and such with a keyboard. Even a Gamepad is better for movement than a keyboard alone.

No. You. Cant lol.

First of all precision with a mouse is entirely dependent on the user. I thought we were leaving player skill out of the discussion.

Secondly an MMO does not require aiming..only on/off targetting. Hitting a button is faster and does not miss. Ever. Moving and clicking is clearly inferior to hitting a button. Mouse is only good where aiming is required...like an fps.

Thirdly, regardless of how many buttons your mouse has, if you are using it to point and click it is inferior.

Finally, a gamepad is superior to a mouse for the same reasons. Buttons are faster than point and click. They never miss. They can do everything a mouse can +more.

[Tonkra]

They never miss. They can do everything a mouse can +more.

well at least targeting with a controller has its disadvantages.

with mouse+keyboard you can aim via TAB (we know how bad this works sometimes, when you have more than 10 friendly/foe targets) or via mouseclick. and mouseclick is in some situations just better. its more direct.
like in egoshooters, where keyboard + mouse is far more superior than any controller.. you cant say anything else.


i play FF14 for most of the time with keyboard only and mouse just for changing the angle sometimes.
Tab the target (or click it), chose your skillnumber on the keyboard and just confirm with pressing [enter]. some people seem not to know, that enter works as confirmation of the skill action ;XD



and i dont like the idea to play with controller and then when you have to write into the chat, that you have to lay aside the controller each time.

[Fensfield]

and i dont like the idea to play with controller and then when you have to write into the chat, that you have to lay aside the controller each time.

Just to chip in on this bit of the argument, there is one thing seems like it's being overlooked..

You don't have to set aside your controller to type - at least I don't have to. In fact, if you play with a controller, I at least find it has the advantage of keeping me able to play while I use the keyboard to type. Perhaps I'm a little more adept at one-handed typing than most, but the way I see it, as it is now I have two choices:

1: Use controller.
Able to type with one hand and manipulate one side of the controller with the other. In other words, I can still move around while I type. I'd even be able to continue to issue commands with a little finger gymnastics, were it not that typing messages locks out doing so. And as a very minor side benefit, I don't have to hit space to type because it lets me put the game in chat specific keyboard mode.

2: Use the keyboard and/or mouse.
From my perspective, this option poses the greater disadvantage. Without the controller, if I press space to begin typing then I lose the ability to play completely until the message is sent, because the game stops taking commands from the keyboard because it's being used to send a message, whereas with a gamepad I'd still have some semblance of control.

Just last night I was kiting the magitech Vanguard at the end of Castrum Novum. Were it not for the gamepad I'd have had to stop running to type, and my keeping up communication with the rest of my party would have gotten me and maybe several others flattened.

[ispano]

No. You. Cant lol.

First of all precision with a mouse is entirely dependent on the user. I thought we were leaving player skill out of the discussion.

Secondly an MMO does not require aiming..only on/off targetting. Hitting a button is faster and does not miss. Ever. Moving and clicking is clearly inferior to hitting a button. Mouse is only good where aiming is required...like an fps.

Thirdly, regardless of how many buttons your mouse has, if you are using it to point and click it is inferior.

Finally, a gamepad is superior to a mouse for the same reasons. Buttons are faster than point and click. They never miss. They can do everything a mouse can +more.

Precision of a mouse is based on the specs of it's hardware before any user touches it. And most are already higher than what a Controller offers.

Correct, no aiming. Selecting a single target with one action, versus cycling through targets to get the one you want with multiple button presses.

Inferior HOW? You keep going on about if you do this or do that, it's not about all that. It's about what CAN be done, what the hardware enables. Not what user A fails at.

Buttons are faster than point and click.... I said you don't click your abilities with a mouse. I won't chastise for it, but most will. You use the keyboard for actions and general movement, mouse for turning, targeting and actions if you have the extra buttons for it. Buttons never miss, so these buttons can move to the right target in a single motion? No, they cannot.

Again, as long as you keep putting the human element into it, you'll come out with arguments like this. One piece of hardware is superior to another for specific tasks. You bring a person with opinions and preferences into it and you get this.

So.
Yes. I. Can.