Whats your input method of choice per game genre?

[Kaamos_Llama]

I've had consoles since the mid nineties, and PC's from a couple of years before that. There was always a divide for me between what I want to play on a console and what on a PC because it just didn't feel right with the wrong input method. In the 2000's I still only played FPS and strategy games on my PC and didnt think about PC controllers much because there was a Playstation for all that.

FPS/3rd person shooter, adventure, and strategy games, has to be a mouse and keyboard no question, just feels awful and imprecise on a controller. Anything driving, flying (sticks/wheels included), 2d platform, 3rd person melee, top down arcade style view is a controller game, and feels weird and unnatural on m+k.

In games that mix it up depending on your weapon, like say Dying Light, or Skyrim I'll switch to either depending on mood, and maybe what build/weapons I'm using. Thankfully games these days will just switch as soon as you press anything which I guess makes it easier than it used to be.

So, is there a divide for you, and where is it, or maybe you are exclusively one or the other regardless of genre?

 

[Frindis]

I do most on m+k. I used to play car games with the steering wheel/pedal or controller. At times I use my retro SNES controller when I play Tetris Connect or different retro games. I really need a nice flight stick for Star Citizen/Microsoft Flight Simulator as it is very clunky to use m+k.

 

[Brian Boru]

maybe you are exclusively one or the other regardless of genre

That would be me, M+K only. Nothing against controllers, I just don't play their suitable genres.

FPS/3rd person shooter, adventure, and strategy games, has to be a mouse and keyboard no question

Strategy mainly & some FPS are my staples. Add in adventure, puzzle, casual, board, quiz, word… I doubt any of those would benefit from a controller.

Anything driving, flying … feels weird and unnatural on m+k

Agreed, I try to avoid those as much as possible when they crop up in my games. Only thing that feels fairly ok is flying helicopters.

 

[Brian Boru]

A couple of articles which are relevant:

How to Turn Your PC Into a Game Console

Want to play your PC games on your TV? Here's how to use your PC as a gaming console and play on your TV!

www.makeuseof.com

How to Connect Any Console Game Controller to a Windows PC or Mac

How to use any console game controller with your PC (or Mac)

www.howtogeek.com

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Agreed, I try to avoid those as much as possible when they crop up in my games. Only thing that feels fairly ok is flying helicopters.

I have a controller on the desk and just pick it up when I get in a car or plane for Far Cry.

@Frindis Assassins Creed on a m+k? I'll never understand it!

 

[Frindis]

@Kaamos_Llama What can I say, I'm a crazy guy

 

[mainer]

That would be me, M+K only. Nothing against controllers, I just don't play their suitable genres.

Same for me, I've only ever used a mouse & keyboard for gaming. I've never used a controller or owned a console, I've nothing against them, it's just that I started gaming a PC with M+K and just stuck with it. My gaming scope is rather narrow; usually RPGs, ARPGs with a few immersive sims or shooters sprinkled in. I do appreciate it when a game has options to remap keys, though I rarely do it on a large scale, but it's nice to be able to change them.

When on a Steam Discussion group for any given game, I'll usually see at least a few posts from gamers who want controller support. So there must be a fairly large group of gamers out there that prefer controllers, or at least use them for specific games.

 

[SBan83]

Games involving a lot of button-mashing and combos (usually third-person stuff) I always prefer a gamepad. However, Batman: Arkham City, despite fitting that mould, I just found to be immensely easier with mouse+keyboard, mainly because of how quickly I could turn.

Shooters and strategy games, even stuff like The Ascent, I prefer mouse+keyboard.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

@Frindis To be fair I know that at least one speed runner who I'm pretty sure has set multiple world records using mouse and keyboard in many different 3rd person games, unless he has mechanical keys on his controller that clank through the audio on his videos.

@mainer Good point, I think the genres you play will affect the choice a lot, like with @Brian Boru as well. Having said that I know a guy who played several hundred hours of Divinity Original Sin 2 with a controller.

@SBan83 Makes sense, there's always exceptions. I defintely played Arkham Asylum with a controller as I played it on PS3, but I'm honestly not sure what I did with Arkham City. Pretty sure I picked it up before I had a controller for my PC, and no console anymore.

The Ascent I only played for 20 minutes or so but I can imagine with the way the shooting lined up it would be easier to be more precise with a mouse.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Back before I got my Xbox 360 years ago, I only played with keyboard and mouse on PC. But nowadays, I only play games that support controllers, even on PC. I never play multiplayer games, so it's not like I'm going to get pummeled by the K&M gamers.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Back before I got my Xbox 360 years ago, I only played with keyboard and mouse on PC. But nowadays, I only play games that support controllers, even on PC. I never play multiplayer games, so it's not like I'm going to get pummeled by the K&M gamers.

What kind of games do you play? Ever been tempted to change to mouse and keyboard for something after starting it in recent years?

 

[Colif]

i don't have a controller so it limits the types of games I look at.
I know I can buy one but not having one also means I am less likely to buy Journey on Steam. Its a barrier I can't just ignore. Sure, could probably play game on mouse/kb BUT I played it on controller before and it needs force feedback. It would be missing part of what made game.
Most of games I play don't really need a controller. Many I would want to play also don't.

I bought a flight stick in the early 00's but never really used it.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Dont stop believing in Journey @Colif

I had a Thrustmaster something stick for a while, same thing sold it on after a while because it never got used.

Thrustmaster is definitely a name from a more innocent age, or maybe I've just been playing too much Cyberpunk 2077.

 

[Colif]

this forum lacks a space palm emoji

that would be my reaction to your video.

thrustmaster also long before a Fallout New Vegas robot was ever created.

 

[Pifanjr]

Most of my life I played using a mouse and keyboard, but I got a controller specifically for Dark Souls and started using it for other games as well.
Nowadays I play with a mouse and keyboard when playing Warhammer 2 on the desktop and otherwise with a touchpad and keyboard when playing on my laptop. I used a controller on my laptop for a while when playing Stardew Valley with my wife, but then we lost the second controller cable and now one of our controllers has joystick drift.

@Frindis Assassins Creed on a m+k? I'll never understand it!

When I played the first Assassin's Creed I used a mouse and keyboard, which worked really well. I did end up switching to a controller somewhere along the way, though I do wonder whether a mouse and keyboard would actually be more precise. It still happens fairly often that my assassin jumps somewhere I did not want him to jump or starts climbing something I did not intend to climb.

 

[Frindis]

@Pifanjr Could be that it is more precise since you are not really talking about much movement in the Assasin Creed games. In fighting games, it is most likely a must, since you can do faster skill actions on a controller. Yes, you could always get something like an MMO mouse with several buttons, a keyboard with mouse wheel type, or advanced macros. A controller basically has everything in one small space, making it ideal for fast movements. But if we are talking about extremely precise movements, I don't think a controller would stand a chance. Games like Ikaruga would have had to be a living hell to use with a controller.

I remember now that I played Dark Souls 2 with a controller and somehow I actually managed to play Dark Souls with m+k (I must have hurt my head or something doing that). This was years before any remaster and while it still was pretty clunky.

 

[Pifanjr]

@Pifanjr Could be that it is more precise since you are not really talking about much movement in the Assasin Creed games. In fighting games, it is most likely a must, since you can do faster skill actions on a controller. Yes, you could always get something like an MMO mouse with several buttons, a keyboard with mouse wheel type, or advanced macros. A controller basically has everything in one small space, making it ideal for fast movements. But if we are talking about extremely precise movements, I don't think a controller would stand a chance. Games like Ikaruga would have had to be a living hell to use with a controller.

I agree, I tried playing Aztez on a keyboard and was already getting the buttons mixed up in the tutorial. It was definitely not made with a keyboard in mind.

I remember now that I played Dark Souls 2 with a controller and somehow I actually managed to play Dark Souls with m+k (I must have hurt my head or something doing that). This was years before any remaster and while it still was pretty clunky.

I had been considering getting a controller for a while before getting Dark Souls, I just didn't have a good enough reason to buy one before then. Trying to play Dark Souls with a m+k gave me that reason.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

@Pifanjr Games like Ikaruga would have had to be a living hell to use with a controller.

Didnt think about that kind of bullet hell game, Ive played a couple of hours of Enter the Gungeon with a controller and it seemed good to me. That's what was in my head when I said top down.

Most of my life I played using a mouse and keyboard, but I got a controller specifically for Dark Souls and started using it for other games as well.

Never played Dark Souls at release, I'd played some Demons Souls on PS3 and didn't get on with it, so the series passed me by until a bit after DS3 was released and I gave it another try on Switch.

I had some idea it was broken from general noise, no 60 FPS and needed a mod to fix fps drops etc, but how can you screw up keyboard controls that badly exactly?

 

[Pifanjr]

I had some idea it was broken from general noise, no 60 FPS and needed a mod to fix fps drops etc, but how can you screw up keyboard controls that badly exactly?

I don't remember what the problem was. I didn't play much of it without a controller (and honestly didn't really play that much of it with a controller either).

 

[WoodenSaucer]

What kind of games do you play? Ever been tempted to change to mouse and keyboard for something after starting it in recent years?

Examples of games I've played on PC more recently are things like Skyrim, the Tomb Raider games, Dishonored, Genshin Impact, and now Horizon: Zero Dawn. They all work pretty well with controllers.

No, I haven't been tempted at all to use a K&M. For one thing, I just like controllers. But a big reason is that my main gaming PC is dedicated to my living room TV, and I play from my recliner. I have a wireless keyboard with a touch pad on it for navigating Windows. But it's not a suitable setup for gaming with a keyboard and mouse.

Like I said earlier, I couldn't get away with multiplayer without getting pummeled, at least for things like FPS games. But I don't get into multiplayer.

 

[mjs warlord]

When i stopped using spectrums i tried to use a sega machine but i have always suffered from a finger locking problem so i could not use the sega.

I took a break from gaming till i got my first pc in 2002 , I cant get on with wasd for movement and another part of the keyboard for other things

In every game i use i set the arrow keys to move , ctrl for run , the oblong 0 for jump so they are all close together and obviously use the mouse to fire/attack or scroll weapons.

I also make a small crib sheet and write down other key functions that i might not need very often.

 

[DXCHASE]

Short answer, i use KB/M for everything except Fighting games and Racing games and the occasional fun couch coop play with my wife and kid or with my friends (sorry dont have those, so just the fam)

I was a dedicated controller user up until i started PC gaming when i built my first PC back in 2014. I had experience with KB/M from old gateway computers and stuff like that since the 90s, sure, but for gaming it was all controller since i was just usually relegated to consoles. When i did switch to PC i quickly realized that games like Counter Strike just weren't gonna cut it with a controller (even though i have proof that you can still have a good game with one) and just naturally taught myself to be better with a KB/M. This bled over into every other game i play except for the genres listed above. Even games that say "better with a controller" i still just use my KB/M.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

I don't remember what the problem was. I didn't play much of it without a controller (and honestly didn't really play that much of it with a controller either).

Genuinely curious how you screw up keyboard controls so badly. Short of setting them to somewhere unusual and not allowing rebinding I guess.

Examples of games I've played on PC more recently are things like Skyrim, the Tomb Raider games, Dishonored, Genshin Impact, and now Horizon: Zero Dawn. They all work pretty well with controllers.

No, I haven't been tempted at all to use a K&M. For one thing, I just like controllers. But a big reason is that my main gaming PC is dedicated to my living room TV, and I play from my recliner. I have a wireless keyboard with a touch pad on it for navigating Windows. But it's not a suitable setup for gaming with a keyboard and mouse.

Like I said earlier, I couldn't get away with multiplayer without getting pummeled, at least for things like FPS games. But I don't get into multiplayer. shooting. But most of those games you mentioned sound like controller games for me too from those Ive played what I know of those I havent.

Dont play much of anything multiplayer either for quite a few years, still prefer k+m for 3d shooting. Totally see why you'd want a controller from the sofa though.

When i stopped using spectrums i tried to use a sega machine but i have always suffered from a finger locking problem so i could not use the sega.

I took a break from gaming till i got my first pc in 2002 , I cant get on with wasd for movement and another part of the keyboard for other things

In every game i use i set the arrow keys to move , ctrl for run , the oblong 0 for jump so they are all close together and obviously use the mouse to fire/attack or scroll weapons.

I also make a small crib sheet and write down other key functions that i might not need very often.

Interesting, takes me back to playing Doom on the arrow keys with no mouse and space bar for shooting. It took a while to get into wasd rather than arrows, it just became the standard bind and I just got used to it eventually, I think for me around Doom 3 time, not 100%. No right answer for everyone that's what the threads about.

I had a Kempton joystick for my Spectrums that I used for almost everything. I never realized how hard that made just about every game until I picked up a NES controller at a friends house. Luckily those controller were built for small hands at the time.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Short answer, i use KB/M for everything except Fighting games and Racing games and the occasional fun couch coop play with my wife and kid or with my friends (sorry dont have those, so just the fam)

I was a dedicated controller user up until i started PC gaming when i built my first PC back in 2014. I had experience with KB/M from old gateway computers and stuff like that since the 90s, sure, but for gaming it was all controller since i was just usually relegated to consoles. When i did switch to PC i quickly realized that games like Counter Strike just weren't gonna cut it with a controller (even though i have proof that you can still have a good game with one) and just naturally taught myself to be better with a KB/M. This bled over into every other game i play except for the genres listed above. Even games that say "better with a controller" i still just use my KB/M.

I could probably get used to using a keyboard for some games but other would be a struggle. Related to playing from the sofa there are some games I can kind of slouch back in my chair with the controller, which sometimes feels more comfortable than leaning into the keyboard and mouse like I have to with a 3d shooter. Its definately a factor sometimes in what I play in the evening. Strategy or tactical RPG's much easier to lean away from keyboard as theres not usually a need to be quick.

 

[Johnway]

As a PC gamer, i'm always going to opt for KB+M. Its my go to thing.

So... When would i switch to a joypad? The only time i would switch is in fighting games where 2 mouse buttons just won't cut it. I need to rely on 6 or more and i need more control over them. Stuff like DMC, the witcher series or a console fighting game. Again, if i can get away with just mouse keys like assassins creed, batman Arkham series i'll use it.