Topic: FPS Control Woes

[mojorizin]

Maybe I'm too old for this stuff...

I've always stayed away from console FPS simply due to complaints regarding control, but when I found great deal on TS2 and MOH, I said what the hell.  Hell is right.  I cannot aim with the C-stick to save my life.  I'm finding it impossible to fire at anything with precision without standing in one place for a full minute trying to get my crosshair nudged NEAR something.  Very humbling after zipping around for years on PC with mouse/keyboard.  Now, I look like a monkey trying to screw a football in here.

I know most of you have one or both of these games, and I have heard only good things regarding them.  My question is:  What control setup do you guys use?  Any certain config that works better?  Any tips on getting my weapon pointed in the same zip code as the enemy?  I never thought I'd say "Man, this needs Z-Targeting....

[telaris]

Definitely the standard GC controller is anti-FPS. I buy all my FPS's on XBox.

[GoldShadow1]

Just play around with it for a while.  I couldn't aim at all when I first got TimeSplitters 2, but once I configured it to be almost exactly like GoldenEye controls, it was fine.  I never really had a problem with the controls (it's just as easy or easier to aim than in Perfect Dark or GE) except that D-pad is annoying sometimes.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

I always use the LEFT-ANALOG stick for aiming.  By nature and history, my LEFT THUMB has been used for videogame directional control.  Therefore my LEFT THUMB has been trained over the years to execute precise movements.  Why people and developers use the right-analog with a thumb that's only accustomed to pressing buttons BEATS THE HELL OUTTA ME.

In Perfect Dark, I used the analog (LEFT THUMB) stick for looking/aiming, with the C-buttons for character movement.  

[SatansNemesis]

Try the 'Radical 2' setup for TS2. I found that to be comfortable enough for me. It is also the closest confic to goldeneye.

[franky005]

That is something I've never thought of Professional.  I might have to try that out.

[Grey Ninja]

Well, I don't know about you guys, but my left hand is trained to handle movement, while my right is for doing stuff. I tried that config once in a game... (Turok maybe?) but it annoyed the hell out of me, because I couldn't move very well.

PC is without a doubt the best system for FPS and RTS, simply because of the mouse and keyboard combination.

For consoles though, I must say that the N64 did the job rather well, as games such as Goldeneye and Perfect Dark proved.  I did find that I got used to Agent Under Fire without much difficulty on GameCube though.

[EggyToast]

I'm able to control aiming very well for TS2, mostly because I never "aim".  I found the aim-control (clicking the left shoulder button) is incredibly jumpy, and so I just go by the center of the screen.  Sure, you can't snipe people that way, but I don't like camping levels.

But yeah, if you can't use the C-stick, try swapping controls, or try to play a few deathmatch rounds against bots without using aiming (just shoot at the center of the screen).  The thing I really like about using twin analogs for FPS is the analog movement control.  However, for some reason TS2 is a bit on the twitchy side regarding control, so it does take a little getting used to to get really good (which I'm not).

[mbwun]

I dont think has anything to do with what button is where. When you use the mouse to aim you are using a large group of muscles over a fairly large area. That translates into very smooth motion. A finger or thumb by itself cannot compete. It can make do at best.

I know auto-targeting seems cheap, but it is the only way to make for acceptable control in a console FPS. If Metroid Prime didn't have target lock, I never would have played it. As it was it only partly compensates. I wish Splinter Cell had target lock. It pissed me off that I had to sit still and fiddle just to get off a halfway accurate shot when I'm used to playing UT2003 and making a running/strafing headshot.

But... there are lots of games that a gamepad can do way better than a mouse/keyboard. Take THPS2 for instance.

[EggyToast]

I think one of the downsides to using a keyboard is, besides the lack of analog control, developers also tend to have a bit of button megalomania.  What I mean is that they see those 100 keys and think "Wow.  We could have every key do somethign different!"

Which is great for game complexity from the dev's POV, but awful for the users.  The last thing you want to do whilst playing is look away from the screen to see which button to press (which is one reason I really like the GC controller), and on a keyboard it's even worse.  I really like it when developers have been limited by controllers and end up forced to design a really elegant, simple control scheme that handles every feature and ability with just a few buttons without clouding up the screen or confusing the player.

[mbwun]

LOL... lack of analog control? It's called a mouse. But yeah... too many buttons is a common problem.

[mbwun]

Sorry Eggytoast, of course you are right.  A keyboard does not have analog control. Guess I was thinking in terms of kb/mouse