Best Played With a Controller: A Video Game Rant

[BathorysGraveland2]

To be honest, this is the only reason I haven't considered buying Dark Souls. The whole reason I stopped playing consoles years ago is because of the discomfort controllers gave me. Compared to a mouse and keyboard, I feel so limited and restricted with a controller, and I cannot stand not being allowed to change my key bindings. But ultimately, it's my hatred of controllers that annoys me about this. If Xboxs or Playstations had mouse and keyboard support, then I'd most likely just play those (would be a lot easier than some of the hassles PC can give you) but as it stands, I can't, due to comfort reasons.

 

[Elijin]

So here's my question. Why in the bloody nine hells would they assume that me, a PC customer, would have an Xbox360? Did they assume that I was going to re-buy their game for the PC? Was that the target market? Am I supposed to have a 360 controller laying around for these occasions, or a special game pad for my PC?

Let me fix that for you.

So here's my question. Why in the bloody nine hells would they assume that me, a MICROSOFT customer, would have an MICROSOFT CONSOLE? Did they assume that I was going to re-buy their game for the PC? Was that the target market? Am I supposed to have a MICROSOFT(They even sell as openly being for PC and Xbox360) controller laying around for these occasions, or a special game pad for my PC? or a gamepad, as gamepads have always existed for PCs' many people have them.

There we go!

 

[RevRaptor]

While I see your point I don't think the dev's did anything wrong. The game is made to be played with a game pad. The reason the xbox game pad is shown is because the xbox pad is windows standard go to pad. They are made by the same company after all. A lot of pc games are made with support for the xbox pad.
Also messing with the .ini files should be an easy task for any serious gamer its just one of the quirks of pc gaming. Of course that?s just my 2 cents worth and doesn?t really help you with your problem.

However this might

Its a Belkin n52te SpeedPad, I have one and think its awesome the program that comes with it to map keys is real easy to use and a lot more user friendly that editing ini files. also I find it reduces hand strain a lot.

Well I hope you got the keys mapped and can play super meat boy comfortably now its a pretty fun little game

 

[GoaThief]

I'm going to put this bluntly, I don't care.

But you do care. This thread demonstrates that.

Now, I'm not trying to be rude or offensive to the people that offered me this advice, but here's the thing. Developers don't get credit for things they don't put in the game.

If you actually followed the link I gave in my previous post you'd have seen it was from the developers themselves, and they indeed put the ability to rebind keys into their game.

I shouldn't have to dig around third party software or hunt for mods to fix a product I've bought.

In your example of Super Meat Boy, there is absolutely no need to use a third party or use a mod. Moot point to say the least.

If they don't put in a way to rebind keys, that's their fault they didn't put it in

Again, they did.

not mine for not wanting to dig through the internet

This is your biggest problem, an allegedly physically damaging case of laziness and stubborness...

or my game files to find a solution.

... then again I think we're getting closer to a more telling matter. You said that it wasn't a case of not being skilled enough? I disagree, I am starting to think your general computing skills could do with some work. PCs are not consoles (thankfully), both have strengths and weaknesses. Using a text editor to change settings in a PC game is perfectly normal and acceptable, this has been the case for decades now. If you're not comfortable doing this then you should really be sticking to what's more suited or be willing to have the occasional frustration whilst learning as you go along, the satisfaction as your skillset improves can be enjoyable in and of itself.

To use another example

Let's not as your case as been built around some specific examples and so far you've failed to address and critique properly. Besides which, the Skyrim example you gave is almost a different topic entirely and very subjective. It's interesting and a discussion I'll gladly engage in, just not here.

When a developer tells me that the optimal way to play the game is with a controller that is not common to the system I am playing it on

Xbox 360 controllers are very much common to the platform in this day and age. They are even sold/labelled as Windows controllers with or without wireless receivers.

and then refuses to let me change the key bindings

Look, no matter how many times you say something it doesn't become true. Again, refer to my previous post when they did the very thing you are claiming they didn't.

I feel justified in having a problem with that.

Perhaps a wiser and more reasonable approach would be to accept that you were wrong and mistaken, retract the comments and think about how you can avoid making a similar mistake in the future. Nobody wants to be frustrated and as you said, physically hurt - I don't want that for you either - merely typing a few words into Google could have negated everything so far and everyone's a winner.

Ultimately, the point I want to illustrate with this thread is that developers need to stop being lazy about things like this.

Unfortunately it seems you've demonstrated just how easy it is for one misguided or ignorant (and I don't mean that in an offensive way) person to post a complaint to a problem that isn't really a problem, and have nearly a whole page of "that's bad, SMB DEVELOPERS ARE SUCKY AND LAZY" before reality is revealed. On a social engineering and opinion forming level it would make for an interesting study because you know that if this thread runs for pages there's bound to be more echoing the same despite the claims being disproven.

And it's a shame really.

It is, but don't feel bad. There is illumination at the end of the tunnel my friend, don't be afriad to make a move towards it, there are many who will help you on your way to PC gaming nirvana.

 

[SecondPrize]

Controllers aren't exactly rare. I don't think it's exactly unreasonable for a developer of a platformer to spend less time on mouse and keyboard controls because there's already a good control option available to most every gamer.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Controllers aren't exactly rare. I don't think it's exactly unreasonable for a developer of a platformer to spend less time on mouse and keyboard controls because there's already a good control option available to most every gamer.

Neither are mouse and keyboards but how would people react if a console game used them as the primary setup and had the controller setup fucked?
I imagine they wouldn't be happy.

OT: Just a general lack of standards, decades ago devs figured out you should have bloody rebinds in your games for every input device, but here we still are staring stupid in the face feeling lucky if there is even a system file to change one input.

 

[SecondPrize]

Controllers aren't exactly rare. I don't think it's exactly unreasonable for a developer of a platformer to spend less time on mouse and keyboard controls because there's already a good control option available to most every gamer.

Neither are mouse and keyboards but how would people react if a console game used them as the primary setup and had the controller setup fucked?
I imagine they wouldn't be happy.

OT: Just a general lack of standards, decades ago devs figured out you should have bloody rebinds in your games for every input device, but here we still are staring stupid in the face feeling lucky if there is even a system file to change one input.

We'll never know, as that will never ever ever ever happen.
Also, I think you can rebind controls in SMB, as stated above.

 

[CannibalCorpses]

This reminds me of when Commodore 64 games started requiring a joystick when the controls only required 5 buttons. I think it might have something to do with shitty ports to cash in on sucess elsewhere without putting any effort into the milking process or maybe just that some developers have no real understanding of the playing of games. Yes, it's annoying but thus is life.

I do find your rant a little sad though. You complain about the controls while refusing to get the controller the games designed for and then moan about it like it's the developers fault you don't have the required goods. You wouldn't complain that you just bought a game for your PC that doesn't run because your system isn't upto spec and then use that as an excuse to attack the games developer. Fair enough, they should put key bindings into every PC game but when they don't do that, don't buy their product...simple.

 

[Altorin]

corded 360 controllers aren't even really 360 controllers. Even as a 360 owner, they're something you have to set out to buy. They don't come with any SKU of 360, so it's not even appropriate to call them 360 controllers except that they match the design and technically function as 360 controllers in a pinch (they're not actually very good for that - they boot up in random orders so if you have 2 controllers plugged in it's impossible to know which will be the "first" controller until it's booted up), they're basically just PC controllers.

your second post though is laughable. You've been shown that you're wrong and then continue to flap about?

seems like an extra waste of energy to me.

 

[purf]

Just out of curiosity, what is SuperMeatBoy doing that this guy here isn't?


Because, that's 4 buttons. Just like, y'know, back then in the classics. I guess what I'm trying to say is, the problem starts even before not implementing a proper way to make use of a system's inherent control mechanics. Keep it simple, less is more, easy to learn, difficult to master, all of that. I was delighted to hear that someone made a remake of my beloved Gianna Sisters only to find out that Easy to learn, difficult to master was replaced by ok, what button was that again? how do I..? Let me remap.... fuckthisshit

 

[Weaver]

Being a true keyboard warrior I played a good deal of meatboy without a controller. There are people on the steam forums who 100% cleared the game with just a keyboard. But, I've been using keyboards for platformers since I was 4 years old. I also prefer the keyboard for racing games... so yeah, I'm an anomaly.

 

[GoaThief]

Controllers aren't exactly rare. I don't think it's exactly unreasonable for a developer of a platformer to spend less time on mouse and keyboard controls because there's already a good control option available to most every gamer.

Neither are mouse and keyboards but how would people react if a console game used them as the primary setup and had the controller setup fucked?
I imagine they wouldn't be happy.

OT: Just a general lack of standards, decades ago devs figured out you should have bloody rebinds in your games for every input device, but here we still are staring stupid in the face feeling lucky if there is even a system file to change one input.

Called it.

Shame that the OP hasn't returned as of yet, though this thread has made me want to reinstall SMB. Almost forgotten about it.

 

[loc978]

I don't even... it's not like you need a 360 controller specifically to play it (I used one of these [http://gaming.nauglefest.net/arcade/gravis_full.jpg], which I've had since 1999)... "default input"? Do you play fighting games on your PC with the keyboard? Flight sims? Racing games?

Certain genres just don't mesh well with keyboard input, and precision platformers are one of those genres. That's why your PC can utilize any input ever made for gaming, with the right adapters and software.

 

[IndomitableSam]

It depends on what I'm playing for which I prefer. I cannot stand shooters or anything with aiming using a controller. However, I love it with a mouse and keyboard. It's just so much more precise. I re-bought Fallout New Vegas on PC because I played through it on Xbox using only melee weapons because I cannot aim at all with a controller. On PC, I prefer guns. I've tried playing Skyrim with a controller, but I hate it and always go back to keyboard and mouse. I refuse to even try Mass Effect with a controller.

That said, anything with lots of jumping and anything that's a basic RPG or something I'm going to sit for hours playing I'd prefer a controller. If keyboard shortcuts aren't needed, or combat is turn-based or button-mashing... controller. If it's casual, controller. That way I can sit back with my hands under a blanket. (My computer is hooked up to my tv, anyway.)

So I guess I'm half an half. I'd prefer the option of both whatever I'm playing, but generally with the games I play cross-platform, I usually end up with the PC version and use the keyboard and mouse.

That said, I may hook up my controller for the next Walking Dead... except there's shooting in that too, and I get panicked in that game and, again, mouse aiming wins.

 

[Reaper195]

I never really saw the point of this debate in the first time. Some people find it easier using a controller, some people prefer a mouse and keyboard. Hell, I was raised on consoles and never had enough money to sink a grand or two into a decent gaming PC (My thoughts are if you are going to get a gaming PC, you might as well get the best you can get at the time. I also never had the patience to buy an average one and upgrade it over time). And in the end, it always comes down to preference. My flatmate has Sleeping Dogs on PC and cannot stand the shooting sections using a controller, so he uses M/K for those. I have it on 360 and have never encountered a problem. We both have BLOPS2 which we play online sometimes. We once held a test to see whether controller was better than M/K by switching around. Using the M/K, I died considerably more often than I usually would on the 360 with controller. And same with my flatmate (Just to make the point more clear, he is a mad PC gamer. Always with the HD texture packs with him...)

So as far as I can tell, it tends to come down to preference which too many people seem to view as 'objectively bad with controller/'M/K'.

Also, if you are on a forum, and someone asks if it is possible to play a game with a controller instead of M/K...don't be an asshole and tell them to 'use the superiour mouse and keyboard'. It doesn't make you look better, it makes you look like an antagonistic, pretentious dickhead. It's like someone wondering whether to buy Tomb Raider or Bioshock, and some wanker saying "Both are shit, you should get Crysis 3. Real gamers go for the best looking graphics.". It really does...

I hate controllers. They keep leaving me thinking about what my hands are doing, and distracting me from the actual game.

Personally, I don't care what people use. But this? How does that make sense? I don't want to seem like a console fanboy, or even a controller elitist (I'm certain such things must exist), but how does a controller leave you wondering what your hands are doing, and not a mouse and keyboard? Both require you to use both your hands, both of which are actively doing things. I just....I can't see how you came to this conclusion.

How is doing this hard?

Spoiler

I tried to find one that was only about three seconds long, but I failed. Still...all I could think about when I saw your pic.

 

[Snotnarok]

@OP there was an article by a dev in a game informer I recall reading where he was basically writing an open letter to other devs questioning why they don't allow remap-able controls in their games (on any platform) insisting it's very simple but they choose to be difficult and force their controls on players.

Why do they do it? I don't know they're lazy and stupid?

 

[DazZ.]

So yes, I've seen a few people mention that you could go to a third party to help you rebind the keys or that you can change a particular .ini file to do so yourself but um...and I'm going to put this bluntly, I don't care.

It's a file included by Team Meat, nothing 3rd party about it.

 

[Vigormortis]

Wait...hold on...

Your hand gets uncomfortably cramped by having to press left shift and space bar, and as a result, you'd rather have to press left control and space bar?

How is that more comfortable?

My pinky feels bad enough after a few play sessions of a game requiring me to press and hold left control to crouch occasionally. I'd have hated to have been forced to use it in SMB to sprint.

Wait. So you're having trouble pressing shift and spacebar at the same time? How small are your hands?

How is doing this hard?

Spoiler

Exactly what I was thinking.

Perhaps the OP uses his keyboard upside-down?

 

[shrekfan246]

***Side Note: I have beaten Super Meat Boy and Bit Trip Runner 2 in their entirety, so please come prepared with a better argument than: "You're just not skilled enough."

How about this then: The best part of PC games is the amount of versatility in choosing how you play.

What I mean by that, is that you can use your PS3 controller to emulate an Xbox controller for Windows and play games that, quite frankly, control better with controllers.

It's a lazy answer, but it's still just about all we, the end-users who are customers instead of developers, can do.

Also, considering I usually have my pinky on the Shift key and my thumb on the Space bar, especially while playing games, I'm not really sure what your problem was. Is your Shift key extraordinarily small or are your hands gigantic?