Using DDO with a XBOX360 Controller

[BuzzSaw]

Hey All…

I recently read here: http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=153100

About a user, sephiroth1084, who was using a PSP controller for DDO. Recently I have switched to an XBOX360 controller because I’ve experienced a bit of RSI playing DDO. So in order to alleviate it but still play as much as I want I went with the controller.

And I have to say that it’s totally doable and SCHWEET! The Hardest thing about going from mouse to controller is EVERYTHING. Mostly the control of the camera angles will be the hardest transition you will make, it’s hard to believe how mach fine control you give up using a controller over a mouse, it’s almost like you have to teach yourself how to walk again. But if you are patient and take your time, you will see the benefits of switching over and soon it will feel totally natural.

If you get a chance, try it, I would totally recommend it, but be warned, if you are a hardcore mouse user, there will be a learning curve involved. But, for me at least, the fact that I experience no more pain after a long session of DDO easily outweigh the learning curve involved.

Now I do not own an Xbox360, so if you do, I am sure this will come more natural to you than it did for me. I purchased the XBOX 360 wireless controller for $77 Canadian. In American, that’s like $45 USD. So I think it’s not an unreasonable investment to make if you want to try it and see what happens.

For my Paladin, Mr. Sparkle, I have the following configuration set up…

Right Trigger: Modifier Key
]Left Trigger: Attack

Button “A”: Click (Left Mouse Button)
Button “B”: Cancel
Button “X”: Improved Trip
Button “Y”: Stunning Blow

Left Stick: Move Forward\Backward, Strafe Left\Right
Left Stick Button: Jump
Right Stick: Camera Control
Right Stick Button: Click \ Select

Hatswitch Left: Hotbar 1-1 (Main Weapon) - +5 Icy Burst Heavy Pick
Hatswitch Top: Hotbar 1-2 (Secondary Weapon) +2 Transmuting Heavy Pick
Hatswitch Bottom: Hotbar 1-3 (Secondary Weapon) +2 Keen Smiting Heavy Pick
Hatswitch Right: Hotbar 1-4 (Secondary Weapon) +2 Ghost touch Heavy Pick of Disruption

Back Button: AutoRun
Start Button: Camera Control ON\OFF

Left Side Button: Exalted Smite
Right Side Button: Lay on Hands

Then when you add the modifier button in with the controls you get the additional functionality…

Anything marked with <Reserved> I have not yet decided what to do with yet.

Modifier Key Alone: Highlight Nearest Enemy

Modifier Key +

Left Trigger: Block \ Shield Smash

Button “B”: Interact / Use
Button “X”: Examine
Button “Y”: Highlight Next Enemy

Hatswitch Left: <Reserved>
Hatswitch Top: <Reserved>
Hatswitch Bottom: Hotbar 1-5 Divine Favor
Hatswitch Right: Hotbar 2-5 Divine Might

Back Button: Map
Start Button: Quest Report

Left Side Button: Highlight Next Object
Right Side Button: Zeal

So as you can see there is a TON of goodness you can cram into the XBOX 360 controller. The thing is HELLUVA comfortable and easy to handle, as well as easy on Batteries (1 month on a pair of Double A’s and still going strong). But because of the sheer amount of equipment players tend to keep on their characters for special situations, you still do need a keyboard nearby to easily switch to that deathblock necklace when the situation calls for it.

And right now there is a crash bug in the AH when you use the controller to expand the martial weapons list with the controller, so for those times, I just use my mouse as normal.

So how good is the actual control ? Well, I’ve been to the Coalescence Chamber without falling off anything, I’ve been to rainbow in the dark without impaling myself, I’ve survived the Crucible and am still going strong. One of the nice things about the controller is the movement stick seems to have a variable speed control built into it, so moving just a little bit forward slowly inches your guys forward. You actually have variable speed with your characters NOW!

It’s just that good. If you’ve been suffering any RSI then I WOULD STRONGLY recommend the controller route. You might just be surprised how good it actually is and wonder where the little marvel’s been all your life.

Anyways, like all things, your mileage will vary, but I think it was a great investment.Give it a try sometime if you get the chance.

Thanks
Buzz

[Geonis]

I use a controler similar to a "PS2" controller, with a USb plug on it, and I can say it is much easier than mouse/leyboard.

I have mine set to do the following:

attack
jump
target nearest enemy
push to talk
block

and 2 full hotbars


Very useful, the only time I touch my mouse is to enter/recall to/from a quest and to get my end reward/shop.

Most of my long term buffs are either 1-0, C-' or NumPad 1-0.

I don't understand how folks can use the 20 hotbars and cover half their screen.

[Kromize]

Would be hard to use a caster or cleric with it though...

and how do you manage your inventory or get other stuff from hotbard that you cant put on the controller? Take a hand off and use yer mouse? Still sounds very interesting to try out...

[Missing_Minds]

The 360 Dpad is a pain though. I've lost track of the number of times I push "down" and i get Left left down left, or similar to the right. And it is due to crappy design. I think I finally figured out a hack fix though.

Also, by default, you will lose the left and right triggers (z axis) if you use the windows drivers (also the "chat pad" won't work in windows, probably never will as there are no drivers that I've found. Apparently the mic does work though, not sure as I haven't tried it.)
You can get 3rd party drivers to try to get those triggers back though. Took me 3 hours to get it working because of very crappy version control that xbcd has.

Also, seemingly at random times the controller will STOP working with the 3rd party driver, so... user beware. Best fix so far was to unplug and replug.

[BuzzSaw]

Would be hard to use a caster or cleric with it though...

and how do you manage your inventory or get other stuff from hotbard that you cant put on the controller? Take a hand off and use yer mouse? Still sounds very interesting to try out...

For any mouse movement, other than the AH becuase of the crash bug I mentioned earlier, I hit the "start" button or go off of camera control and now the right stick controls the mouse. If I want to equip say my repair bracers, I move the mouse to the bracer icon on my hotbar and then then press "A" (Click\Select)

So there is little mouse interaction, well... minimal anyhow

I still have hotbars. Sometimes too many, but I had the same amount with the mouse as I have with the controller.

Thanks
Buzz

[BuzzSaw]

The 360 Dpad is a pain though. I've lost track of the number of times I push "down" and i get Left left down left, or similar to the right. And it is due to crappy design. I think I finally figured out a hack fix though.

Also, by default, you will lose the left and right triggers (z axis) if you use the windows drivers (also the "chat pad" won't work in windows, probably never will as there are no drivers that I've found. Apparently the mic does work though, not sure as I haven't tried it.)
You can get 3rd party drivers to try to get those triggers back though. Took me 3 hours to get it working because of very crappy version control that xbcd has.

Also, seemingly at random times the controller will STOP working with the 3rd party driver, so... user beware. Best fix so far was to unplug and replug.

I am not sure what pad you are using, my controller has two sticks and a pad. I use left stick to move and right stick for mouse\camera. I use the hatswitch for equiping weapons and casting spells.

I am using the native windows drivers supplied with the unit and did not loose any of my triggers or anything, had that happened, I would have returned the unit I assure you.

As for the Mic, I have no idea what that's all about.

Thanks
Buzz

[Missing_Minds]

I am not sure what pad you are using, my controller has two sticks and a pad. I use left stick to move and right stick for mouse\camera. I use the hatswitch for equiping weapons and casting spells.

I am using the native windows drivers supplied with the unit and did not loose any of my triggers or anything, had that happened, I would have returned the unit I assure you.

As for the Mic, I have no idea what that's all about.

Thanks
Buzz

The D pad, looks like it should be a cross symbol (Nintendo apparently patented it, so no other company could use the + directly.) In DDO given how slow weapon switching is, it is probably going to the last called weapon so you'd not realize the issue. The Xbox/Xbox 360 has no hat switch. I've only seen hat switches on joysticks and the like. It is that pad that gives me the most issue and annoyances. Granted I think I figured out a final hack I could do to fix this issue while thinking through this reply. So I have to say thank you for helping me get an idea. :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-pad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hat_switch

The windows drivers treat the tiggers as Z+ and Z- axis, not as a discrete button push. Which means pull both at once and you have a resultant Z axis of 0. This is a known issue if you look into it. Now, it may be that DDO natively supports the Xbox controller, in which case, they could have added in code to account for this and take them as separate inputs vs. 1 total z axis direction.

[darkrhavyn]

I use a controller to play and have always done so....and most of my characters are casters and clerics....really for me the controller is for movement and camera angles....I hotbar my spells and use either the mouse or a key for them.

One joystick does movement, one does camera angle --attack, block,interact and select next target are the four buttons on the front ---the hat switch and the a b x y keys are for inventory, push to talk, select self, etc.....

I had never played computer games until DDO and I cant get the coordination down to move when I have to use the aswd keys---I have found that the controller makes my movement smoother and me less likely to fall off of stuff....though Im a cleric and Im gonna fall no matter what sometimes lol.

For me though, I play on a very nice laptop so the keyboard is close already...it might not work so well with a desktop set up.

[Shima-ra]

I,ve been using a xbox360 gamepad to play for almost 3 years now. Had absolutly no problems with it.
Its really enjoyable and smooth. Hardest part is deciding up front what you'll do with your buttons, and make sure you leave no option unbound. Here is the best configurations I,ve found.

I mostly use it in my left hand with the mouse in my right.
The left stick controls my movements, back/forward and strafe.

I have the back button (Select on most gamepads) toggling between mouselook and free mouse. Its really important to have something close and rapid access for this.

I have my start button binded to toggle between targetables, objects npcs teamates etc. And I have my LT (left trigger) that cycles between enemies.

I have my little 4 arrow pad binded to my 4 most important toolbar slots.

I also of course the entire right side of my gamepad all binded and ready for when I dont wanna use my mouse.

And finnaly, and most important of all, I have the left stick (when you push down its key) as my modifier key. This is the most important key of all for it multiplies everything you can touch, gamepad keyboard and mouse. You really have to assign this to something your almost all touching. I can only recommend 3 buttons here, the left stick, left trigger or left block.

[dimster28]

i just buy a xbox 360 wireless controller today and i plug it in and window auto install driver, then i go in ddo and go to key mapping.
no matter what i press, it act as if i am not doing anything, is there more stuff i need to made it work?

ddo is only game i have for pc so i cant test it on other game

[TheFacelessSteelMan]

This post was very helpful, and has seriously improved my enjoyment of DDO.

However, how do I get one of the sticks (preferably right stick) to function as the mouse key?

[giveuptg]

I considered doing this for a while with my wired 360 controller. I used it for Fallout 3 and some other games, worked really well.

I think if you zoom in and play DDO in first-person mode, and map the controller as if it's an FPS, like Halo or Call of Duty, the controller could work really well. Again, probably more useful if you're a melee or ranged though. The sheer number of spells a caster needs makes a controller kinda tough to use.

[TheFacelessSteelMan]

I discovered that there was a keymap section where I could map mouse movements, making the controller now complete. I just hit start (what I've set to be the toggle between mouse movement and mouse camera control) for perfect controller playability.

I play a monk, so obviously it works a lot better with a melee based class. Would be quite hard for a spellcaster I presume.

If I might make a suggestion to the devs: Create a default 360/ps3 controller keybind setup!

[sephiroth1084]

First, I'd just like to say that I'm glad more people have found my guide to be useful! :D


Would be hard to use a caster or cleric with it though...
I find playing my wizard with the gamepad to be incredibly easy, and notice that I tend to go cycle spells more quickly than almost every other caster I play with, and also have a very easy time with acrobatic-casting (jump, turn in air, cast, etc...).

I have 11 or so spells mapped to gamepad spots, and all of my buffs except for haste hang out on a few hotbars to click manually, which is fine, because they don't get cast while in combat usually. For different quests, I move spells onto and off of my gamepad slots as needed.

My normal spell suite on the gamepad is:
Mass Hold Monster
Finger of Death
Wail of the Banshee
Otto's Irressistible Dance
Wall of Fire
Polar Ray
Meteor Swarm
Prismatic Spray
Web
Haste
Flesh to Stone
Energy Drain


and how do you manage your inventory or get other stuff from hotbard that you cant put on the controller? Take a hand off and use yer mouse? Still sounds very interesting to try out...
Sometimes I do a keyboard/gamepad combo for this stuff, hitting I, C, or O or whatever, then using the gamepad, and sometimes I switch to mouse/keyboard for this (the scroll wheel and faster cursor speed are nice for these things). I also do that most of the time for buffing.

No reason to completely eschew use of the mouse and keyboard, but it's more comfortable to spend most of a session using the gamepad, and seems to be easier for stuff in-combat, as well as for general movement.


This post was very helpful, and has seriously improved my enjoyment of DDO.

However, how do I get one of the sticks (preferably right stick) to function as the mouse key?
Sorry for that...I'll double check how I accomplished this one. I think that the gaempad (at least the one I use) labels the joysticks in the same way as the buttons, and plugged that into the mouse function area of the keymapping in DDO, but I might have done it with the pad's own software.

Anyway, I'll double-check in a bit, and post to this thread, and update my own to reflect what I find.

[sephiroth1084]

Under Mouse Emulation in the Key-mapping section of Options (down past Shortcuts) I have the following:
Move Mouse Left: Z-Axis -
Move Mouse Right: Z-Axis +
Move Mouse Up: Z Rotation -
Move Mouse Down: Z Rotation +

Pretty sure that to set this, you just click the appropriate button, then press the joystick in that direction. Then adjust the joystick dead zone bar at the top of the panel to tweak how much you need to move your stick in order to trigger cursor/character movement.

If this doesn't work, let me know, and I'll actually experiment a bit to discover how else to arrive at these settings properly.

[TheFacelessSteelMan]

That is indeed what did it, with using the toggle mouse camera to switch between cursor and improved camera.

I feel my combat has improved significantly with this, since I can move by the character and the camera at the same time to get maximum positioning/jumping advantages. Brings back memories of goldeneye >:)

I enjoy it best with the camera zoomed all the way out, providing very similar gameplay to DA:O

[sephiroth1084]

That is indeed what did it, with using the toggle mouse camera to switch between cursor and improved camera.

I feel my combat has improved significantly with this, since I can move by the character and the camera at the same time to get maximum positioning/jumping advantages. Brings back memories of goldeneye >:)

I enjoy it best with the camera zoomed all the way out, providing very similar gameplay to DA:O
So that worked? Good!

I'm mostly a console gamer, though I've been putting in many more hours here lately than on my game system (we'll see if that holds true after a get a 360 and CoD: MW II...), so this is more natural to me. Besides, my wrists always ache a bit after a long session of Starcraft...wonder if I could set that up to work with a controller also... :rolleyes:

Oh, and I find it much easier to do aerial flips (jump+tumble) with a gamepad than without, even if one of my guildies can still show me up. I still say Chromy is using macros!!! :p

[PatSox]

What exactly is RSI?

Thanks for the post.

I see I am not alone in the pain endured while playing DDO. I think this is an important point you addressed here. I get serious shoulder, neck, a$$, back and knee pain from playing this game. Right now I think my right arm is going to literaly fall off from mouse use. The fingers on my left hand are numb and tingly and I've lost feeling on my upper right leg.

You laugh... but its true!!!

I need D&DA!!!

One thing I've done is to create a "Lap Board", which of course I put on my lap to put my mouse and keyboard on to relieve some of the stress put on my shoulder joints from using my mouse and keyboard on a desk. That help out tremendously. I did try a countroler a while back but my patients. Maybe I'll try again.

Anyway, Maybe we can post some other concerns on this issue and post some solutions for those as well. My a$$ will thank you.

lol


Quote: There is nothing worse than a Leaky Dingy

[sephiroth1084]

What exactly is RSI?

Thanks for the post.

I see I am not alone in the pain endured while playing DDO. I think this is an important point you addressed here. I get serious shoulder, neck, a$$, back and knee pain from playing this game. Right now I think my right arm is going to literaly fall off from mouse use. The fingers on my left hand are numb and tingly and I've lost feeling on my upper right leg.

You laugh... but its true!!!

I need D&DA!!!

One thing I've done is to create a "Lap Board", which of course I put on my lap to put my mouse and keyboard on to relieve some of the stress put on my shoulder joints from using my mouse and keyboard on a desk. That help out tremendously. I did try a countroler a while back but my patients. Maybe I'll try again.

Anyway, Maybe we can post some other concerns on this issue and post some solutions for those as well. My a$$ will thank you.

lol


Quote: There is nothing worse than a Leaky Dingy
You need to STOP PLAYING NOW! And probably go see a doctor. That doesn't sound good.

In any case, using a gamepad should help avoid some of that, though I doubt it will be a remedy.

As for me, I sit/lie down on my bed, either propped up against the wall with pillows behind me, or recline on the pillows with the keyboard on my lap or on a chair in front of me. It's very comfortable for long game sessions. My friends are jealous. :D

[johnnyputrid]

I use a PS3 controller, which is basically just a normal USB gamepad. But I don't use the controller to do everything - just movement, basic attacks, object interaction, blocking and weapon switching. My set up looks like this:

Left stick: move forward/backward, strafe left/right
Right stick: turn left/right, camera up/down
D-pad: switch weapon sets
Triangle: interact
Circle: cancel (useful for getting out of menus fast)
Square: basic attack
X: jump

L1, R1, R2 buttons: special abilities (Smite Evil, Trip, Fists of Light, haste boost, etc, etc)
L2: block (L2 + left stick = easy tumbling)
Select: equipment panel
Start: character sheet

Everything else I use the keyboard for. All of my hotbars are tied to the number pad, number keys, F1 keys or whatever other keys I like. I play with my controller hovering over the keyboard, so any hotkey I need to use is only a pink or index finger tap away. My WF wizard has no trouble at all accessing whatever spells, wands or items he needs and I think the combination of mouselook with the ease of movement the controller brings makes targeting spells a breeze. The only problem I'm having is my L2 button sticks, so sometimes I end up blocking for no reason at all. :D

I've also tried a 360 controller and the set up is exactly the same with no problems whatsoever. I honestly don't know how anyone can use a mouse and the WASD keys to move around. Maybe it is because I'm a lefty?

[TheFacelessSteelMan]

Oh man, this has so improved my enjoyment of the game by leaps and bounds. None of the nerve pain from keyboard mashing, etc.

Now if I could just figure out how to get the game to display on my HDTV... oh man that would be perfect.

[Mirimon]

@TheFacelessSteelMan: you actually can output to a hdtv as long as your pc/laptop has video output (easy in both windows and linux, not used to mac or unix yet). If it lacks the proper connection types there are plenty of conversion cables, add-on video cards and standalone units, you can essentially hook almost any video output to almost any video input with the right tools. Add this along with a audio connection to a decent surround system and it rocks even on less capable systems. Plus you can extend the desktop using dual display, so the game is full screen on the tv and you can browse maps/hulu/etc on the pc/laptop screen. Understand though that even a hdtv doesn't do as great on text rendering as expected, so while it'll work you'll be feeling the eye strain.

And as far as alternative control schemes: I've seen working voice commands ( including wireless bluetooth headsets), converted console controllers (such as a wii mote and board), soap mice, touchscreen overlays, tablets, 'gamer' reprogrammable usb keypads and mice, pc dance pads for character movement, xbox 360 controller for pc, ps/2 like eyetoy webcam controls, and mobile phones/PSPs (using a VNC client: game runs on pc, redirects video and audio to mobile device and recieves control input back from mobile device, all over the internet, could play ddo on a handheld from another state from your pc if you wanted). Even strange stuff like the old NES powerglove, steering wheels, flightsticks, lightguns, or even rock band guitars 'could' work if your crazy enough to try it ;)

If your using the xbox360 controllers though i would recommend using the xpadder software (hot swappable keybind profiles, rumble, reprogram buttons, set macros, change sensitivity and dead zones, etc... it has a freeware edition) and/or use the modifier key in key binding menu to allow a greater number of button assignments (in other words a cleric can set a full buff cycle to a single button through the macro and/or have one button perform one function normally but changes to another if the modifier key is held). You can also use cellphone headsets w/ microphones through it's built in sound card, which sell for under $5.

With just the modifier key (set to a shoulder trigger for example), you would have 6 other trigger binds, 8 key binds on front, 16 analog direction keys, 4 analog clicks, 8 d-pads directional keys, 2 start and 2 select buttons (total 46 keys compared the base 24). Using Xpadder would allow for multiple modifier keys, for example allowing both left triggers to be modifier keys (L1-L2-L1+L2, totals 66 keys bindable and it allows multi function macros for those with rsi).

I would also consider making use of the analog w/ modifier key for faster mouse movement due to no reactive movement on controllers.

[Calebro]

Regarding gamepad: I have one, but I've gotten so used to using keyboard/mouse combo that when I keymapped the pad I couldn't use it properly (read: as efficiently) and swapped back. Perhaps I should try again...?

Regarding bodily wear & tear: I use a wireless keyboard/mouse with the keyboard in my lap and the mouse on a table, which is next to my recliner, because that's where I'm sitting. This works because....

Regarding HDTV as a monitor: That's exactly why I'm in my recliner. ;)
I even sat here before when I used to run on a 19' widescreen monitor which was set up on my entertainment center. Even then I'd play in exactly the same manner, but 42 inches is a whole lot better. :D


Understand though that even a hdtv doesn't do as great on text rendering as expected, so while it'll work you'll be feeling the eye strain.


Agreed.

[sephiroth1084]

With just the modifier key (set to a shoulder trigger for example), you would have 6 other trigger binds, 8 key binds on front, 16 analog direction keys, 4 analog clicks, 8 d-pads directional keys, 2 start and 2 select buttons (total 46 keys compared the base 24). Using Xpadder would allow for multiple modifier keys, for example allowing both left triggers to be modifier keys (L1-L2-L1+L2, totals 66 keys bindable and it allows multi function macros for those with rsi).

I would also consider making use of the analog w/ modifier key for faster mouse movement due to no reactive movement on controllers.

This is basically what I espouse in my guide (the OP posted a link), except that I use the L3 and R3 buttons (depressing either the left or right joystick) as the modifier. It removes one button by having 2 buttons serve the same function, but I found that it allowed easier handling, as you could alternate which modifier you were using depending upon which other button you were also pressing. Also, I find it easier to hit other buttons quickly more easily than to press in a thumbstick, although my reaction time on that is improving due to playing a lot of Modern Warfare (tac-knife FTW!). :)

I also refrained from allowing for modified functions on the axes of the thumbsticks, as I both knew that I'd want to use modified commands while moving or moving the cursor (running smite evil, for example), and wanted to avoid situations where I'd accidentally trigger the wrong command. As it is, it took a long time to make sure that when I use Improved Trip, I didn't jump instead. :rolleyes:

In any case, if one were using this set-up, one should place the modifier where they feel comfortable in holding that button + every other button.

[Mirimon]

This is basically what I espouse in my guide (the OP posted a link), except that I use the L3 and R3 buttons (depressing either the left or right joystick) as the modifier. It removes one button by having 2 buttons serve the same function, but I found that it allowed easier handling, as you could alternate which modifier you were using depending upon which other button you were also pressing. Also, I find it easier to hit other buttons quickly more easily than to press in a thumbstick, although my reaction time on that is improving due to playing a lot of Modern Warfare (tac-knife FTW!). :)

I also refrained from allowing for modified functions on the axes of the thumbsticks, as I both knew that I'd want to use modified commands while moving or moving the cursor (running smite evil, for example), and wanted to avoid situations where I'd accidentally trigger the wrong command. As it is, it took a long time to make sure that when I use Improved Trip, I didn't jump instead. :rolleyes:

In any case, if one were using this set-up, one should place the modifier where they feel comfortable in holding that button + every other button.

Modifiers on a analog thumbsticks can be a life saver though (pits pipe jumping is a pain!). Makes life much easier because unlike a mouse the analog doesn't change movement speed based on how fast you move the thumbstick, so I started using the analog modifiers as mouse speed multipliers and targeting keys. It also can control a roation of "camera controls/run/walk/strafe/mouse look/targeting/pointer/tumble" on the the analogs and allows duplication of analog functions on controllers with more then 1.

Can be hard to remember what button does what though, so I had to implement logical grouping to remember what does what (for example:face buttons can be single target attacks , modifier 1 are AoE spells, modifier 2 are CC, modifier 3 are AoE CC, etc..).

This made my cleric much more useful, but we really need the ability to change profiles easily. Keybind profiles (and macros to a extent) are something that are lacking in this game and needed to be provided by a 3rd party software (for my xbox 360 controller) sadly.

Going to remake my basic scheme which I designed for a cleric and print it here later.

[sephiroth1084]

Modifiers on a analog thumbsticks can be a life saver though (pits pipe jumping is a pain!). Makes life much easier because unlike a mouse the analog doesn't change movement speed based on how fast you move the thumbstick, so I started using the analog modifiers as mouse speed multipliers and targeting keys. It also can control a roation of "camera controls/run/walk/strafe/mouse look/targeting/pointer/tumble" on the the analogs and allows duplication of analog functions on controllers with more then 1.
Maybe it's because I've been up for way too long (around 30 hrs. right now I think), but I'm looking at what you wrote here and just getting a sort of white noise behind my eyes. I'll reread this tomorrow, but could you, uh, explain what you mean here a bit better? :o


Can be hard to remember what button does what though, so I had to implement logical grouping to remember what does what (for example:face buttons can be single target attacks , modifier 1 are AoE spells, modifier 2 are CC, modifier 3 are AoE CC, etc..).


I do this to a degree on my caster, and across my melees--when I move spells around, I tend to keep ray-like spells (Scorching Ray, Energy Drain, Polar Ray, etc...) on the same few buttons, long-cast spells (Wail, Fogs, Dancing Ball) on others, etc... in order to keep things straight.

It definitely helps to develop one character at a time, in order to get used to your key-mapping.

[Mirimon]

Maybe it's because I've been up for way too long (around 30 hrs. right now I think), but I'm looking at what you wrote here and just getting a sort of white noise behind my eyes. I'll reread this tomorrow, but could you, uh, explain what you mean here a bit better? :o


Sure can, but its still a early work in progress on the new one.
My controller has 2 analog sticks (xbox 360) and my laptop has.... horrid controls on it. So I'm tinkering around and am configuring something similar to this on my cleric. Assigning 2 buttons as modifier keys allow me to use 1, the other or use both at same time to get 3 essentially:

(up/down/left/right + click)

Left Analog - Basic movement + Left Click
Left Analog + Modifier Key 1 - Tumble + Diplomancy
Left Analog + Modifier Key 2 - Target first half of raid
Left Analog + Modifier Key 3 - Movement

Right Analog - Mouse Movement
Right Analog + Modifier Key 1 - Camera Control
Right Analog + Modifier Key 2 - Target second half of raid
Right Analog + Modifier Key 3 - Mouselook

Without a modifier its a basic movement and click combo. Includes basic spells, attacks and effects that work on general purposes.

Modifier 1 is for the more dangerous mobs (kiting a boss through a BB for example) while being able to move camera easily. Spells here might include blade barrier, mass command, hold person, sound burst.

Modifier 2 is my support setup. Set to target players and will focus on buff and healing spells.

Modifier 3 is being changed to a more speed/precision set up. Will focus mainly on pipe jumping, zerging, and mass spells.

Idea is to get essential spells cast without ending with a hand cramp.
All other spells, equipment swapping, wands, scrolls, clickies, merc, potions and feats/skills are done via floating bars used while not using a modifier key. Shared keys are looking to include voice control and two modifier keys.

edit: found a very nice 3rd party program that streamlines this process and allows key bind profile swapping external of the game using buttons on the controller, going to remake from scratch, Turns out i can cycle through up to 8 profiles using two buttons

[sephiroth1084]

Okay, I gotcha now. Do you find that you need that many keys? I haven't really run into a problem with a PS2-like controller with 2 keys functioning as the same modifier button (28 buttons + movement + cursor +modifer).

Also, how did you end up with 3 modifier keys? I'm not looking right now, but I recall the Key-mapping panel only allowing for 1 modifier key. Did I miss the option for a second, or third?

[Jayfunked]

I've got mapped to my xbox360 controller:

attack
Movement - strafe - jump - block

Full access to Hotbars 1-4 so in total pad access to 40 clickies

map on/off 9( i'm considering swopping this out to enable 1 more hotbar (+10 clickies)
mouse look on/off
select next Party member
select next monster
select next item
select self

and mouse functionality (cursor movement and LB and RB)

I have 10 bars on my screen but 6 of them are situational so I can access them outside combat via the joypad mouse emulation when cursor control is not life threatening.

combat abilities/spells are mapped to the 40 clickies i have quick joypad button access to.

I can do everything except:

If i'm typing - i need the keyboard
If i want to zoom in/out i need the mouses 3rd button.
I do make use of the mouse occassionally for precision cursor action like when i'm managing inventory out of combat.

It works great for me.

Nice to be able to just sprawl on the couch as well rather than hunch over the keyboard.

Let me know if you want the set-up configuration to achieve this level of functionality.

[sephiroth1084]

Mirimon, Jayfunked, would you guys mind posting your set-ups to the Guide to Using A Gampead thread please?

[Jayfunked]

I've got mapped to my xbox360 controller:

attack
Movement - strafe - jump - block

Full access to Hotbars 1-4 so in total pad access to 40 clickies

map on/off 9( i'm considering swopping this out to enable 1 more hotbar (+10 clickies)
mouse look on/off
select next Party member
select next monster
select next item
select self

and mouse functionality (cursor movement and LB and RB)

I have 10 bars on my screen but 6 of them are situational so I can access them outside combat via the joypad mouse emulation when cursor control is not life threatening.

combat abilities/spells are mapped to the 40 clickies i have quick joypad button access to.

I can do everything except:

If i'm typing - i need the keyboard
If i want to zoom in/out i need the mouses 3rd button.
I do make use of the mouse occassionally for precision cursor action like when i'm managing inventory out of combat.

It works great for me.

Nice to be able to just sprawl on the couch as well rather than hunch over the keyboard.

Let me know if you want the set-up configuration to achieve this level of functionality.


Theres a thread somewhere with different set-ups. i'll go looking now - thanks Seph for the name.

My X-box controller set up

soft lock is used in this set-up and is on.

modify button is my friend

L trigger - modify button (when held = in brackets) ...............R Trigger- Attack (use orb - super functional)

L bumper - strafe ..............................................R Bumper - Strafe

L analogue stick - Move.............................................R stick - mouse
L stick button- jump (LMB).....................................R stick button - shield (RMB)


D-pad
.............................Up Next party member (hotbar 2)
L- 'Self' (hotbar 1) .........................................R- Next Item (Hotbar 3)
...............................Down Next Monster (Hotbar 4)


Back button Map open/shut (Mouselook on/off).................Start button [see below - used with action button grouping AB XY for hotbar numbers 1-10]

Start - item 5 (item 10)

.................Y - item 2 (item 7)
X - item 1 (item 6)................. B -item 3 (item 8)
.................A - item 4 (item 9)


So 4 hotbars are directly accessible and I have them grouped on each bar per type.
Melee skills and healing bar 1
Thief skills/Spells etc bar 2
Weapon sets Bar 3
Life savers (potions/clickies) on 4

Bar 5, 6 and 7 hold all my change of items for different situations
(haggle/traps/buff clickies)
bar 5 is my perfect set up for quickly getting back to optimum combat gear.

Bar 8 and 9 = Resistance potions/stat modifiers cats grace etc and other utility potions/scrolls/abilities/ and
spell ingredients/arrows/toolkits for # count

Bars 5-9 are less heat of the moment so i can afford to use the slower xbox mouse emulation mode or the actual mouse to do these without worrying about dying.

[sephiroth1084]

Theres a thread somewhere with different set-ups. i'll go looking now - thanks Seph for the name.


Thanks for sharing in the other thread...even if you had done so long before I asked you to here. :)

Everyone else, please pop over to my Gamepad guide and put up your own gamepad settings! While I feel that the scheme I've put at the beginning is good, I'd like other folks coming to the game and looking for a way to enjoy it with a gamepad to be able to experiment with different styles in order to find one that they are most comfortable with.

[Mirimon]

Okay, I gotcha now. Do you find that you need that many keys? I haven't really run into a problem with a PS2-like controller with 2 keys functioning as the same modifier button (28 buttons + movement + cursor +modifer).

Also, how did you end up with 3 modifier keys? I'm not looking right now, but I recall the Key-mapping panel only allowing for 1 modifier key. Did I miss the option for a second, or third?

I use a external program to reprogram my keys using profiles, each profile supports 8 sets of keybinds and it cycles through them using whatever button(s) I wish. I do this to cut down on the amount I need to remap per character per server, and to make up for a rather weak binding system in game.

This program along with the in game modifier key, I 'could' have 16 keybind (8 sets per profile times two for the modifier key) settings on 1 controller using 3 buttons cycled in-game with a button push, and I 'could' bind multiple controllers to act as a single one if I wished (4 xbox 360 controllers acting as 1 can turn this game into a rather unique party game,). I even found out that you can turn the game into a two player game by giving merc controls to the 2nd controller ;)

As far as needing, its more being lazy then critical. For example one of my level 12 clerics (i have one on almost every server) has: multiple equipment changes, skills, 12 spells, 10+ clickies, 6+ wands, 12+ potion types, feats such as divine vitality and unyielding sovereignty. Adding the numerous targeting keys, numerous shortcuts, voice, camera control, mouse and it adds up. By changing the keybinds on the fly with a button press I can change the control functions based on what I need to do atm and not have to fiddle with any settings in the game.Also I can set one profile in this external program and apply it to all my clerics (and other characters) regardless of server.

It also adds rumble, turbo, hold keys (press to block and it'll keep blocking till you press it again), macros (such as turning a analog from movement to an turbo auto tumble), key combos, turn the analog and dpad into 8 way keypads, change sensitivity/speed/deadzone and other features that would've been nice as native features in game. I could even add text typing to the controller using the analog/dpad by turning them in 8 way binds and binding them to letters/numbers in a manner similar to the psp softkey.

I'm still learning what the program is capable of and will keep messing around to get it working better (such as needing to find a way to get a transparent popup that alerts me to which keybind is currently active such a macro'ed message through xfire). I just not sure what the stance is exactly on posting details of keybinds relying on a 3rd party program and should probably ask around before I post exact details on that other thread.

[sephiroth1084]

Cheater! :p

[mons]

i just buy a xbox 360 wireless controller today and i plug it in and window auto install driver, then i go in ddo and go to key mapping.
no matter what i press, it act as if i am not doing anything, is there more stuff i need to made it work?

ddo is only game i have for pc so i cant test it on other game



I have also used the XBOX 360 PC Controller. If you have the original box version of the game it explains in the back of teh instruction booklet that DDO is setup to run this (plug and play). All you need to do is setup your key mapping to your liking. I cannot honestly say that an XBOX 360 CONSOLE Controller is the same as the PC version (yes, there is a PC version sold).

[Dr.Schnaggels]

Hi,

Im using a xbox controller, too (a wireless one). Do you guys have rumble or forcefeedback in the game? Or has DDO no rumble?
Everything else works fine.

[Ashurr]

Stared using one the first day I played - have tried using Mouse/Keyboard and the pad blows it out of the water. And I'm an old school Doom twitcher.