Keyboard & Mice vs Controller Gaming

Ridg3 · #1 05-20-2011, 06:39 AM

To avoid the risk of Mega Infractions from the angry admins of OWF this thread is dedicated for people to express their opinion over which medium is better for gaming.

I think that keyboard and mouse is a greater controller for playing most kinds of games. For a start FPS's are a lot more enjoyable when you have the freedom of the mouse movement as opposed to the limitations of the analogue sticks.

On the other hand the controller is the better choice whenever it comes to vehicle orientated games. K&M are absolutely shit when it comes to racing games and, maybe not as much, flight simulators. Also sport games is an area where the controller trumps the K&M.

I prefer the K&M but there is times when I want to play an RPG then I would switch to the controller. Why? Haven't a notion, I just like the feel of it better on the controller. Although the controller lays down limitations whenever it comes to mapping controls seeing as they only have 10 possible keys which you cannot map yourself (most of the time.) Whereas the Keyboard gives you looooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaadddddddds of options to enhance you gaming.

Discuss.

MeechMunchie · #2 05-20-2011, 06:48 AM

I agree with points #1 and #2. I don't really want this to have it's own thread though. I don't like to see people upset.

Havoc · #3 05-20-2011, 08:05 AM

For standard FPS the mouse will always dominate any kind of controller, the accuracy of a mouse can not be beat by a thumbstick.

TPS' (third person shooters) however, like Gears of War, are specifically designed for a controller and thus work extremely well with one, even though the aiming is still inaccurate, the game nicely compensates for that by having the enemies stand still most the time. Racing games are also controller bound.

Games like Simcity or The Sims are utter shit on a console though. So there is no better one. It depends on the sort of game.

Manco · #4 05-20-2011, 08:56 AM

Platformers tend to fare better with controllers, I think - thumbsticks allow for a greater degree of movement than WASD.

FPSes are pure mouse territory, though, no question.

Crashpunk · #5 05-20-2011, 09:13 AM

:

For standard FPS the mouse will always dominate any kind of controller, the accuracy of a mouse can not be beat by a thumbstick.

I agree with this. I find it so hard to turn and aim on a contoller such as a PS3 controller.

Wings of Fire · #6 05-20-2011, 09:24 AM

I prefer dual thumbsticks for everything as the pluses of the mouse are more than shat all over by the horrendous deficits of WASD.

OANST · #7 05-20-2011, 10:12 AM

:

I prefer dual thumbsticks for everything as the pluses of the mouse are more than shat all over by the horrendous deficits of WASD.

This is exactly how I feel. Mouse, yes. Keyboard, no.

Hazel-Rah · #8 05-20-2011, 10:38 AM

Gamepad for everything, I feel like I'm closer to the action when I'm gripping something in my hands. I feel like a mouse would make an FPS game too easy. I prefer triggers, plus it feels more realistic, take it from someone who actually squeezes gats.

This is my favorite controller ever, even if it doesn't have triggers.

Havoc · #9 05-20-2011, 12:29 PM

With Steam coming to PS3 I hope we'll soon have the Mouse VS Controller war everyone has been waiting for. Call of Duty, one team mouse and keyboard, other team controllers, see what happens.

Mr. Bungle · #10 05-20-2011, 01:47 PM

I like both, but for shooters, RTS and most RPG games I prefer the keyboard. However, for platformers and most action/arcade/puzzle games, I like using a controller.

enchilado · #11 05-20-2011, 02:31 PM

I like WASD...

Ridg3 · #12 05-20-2011, 02:36 PM

I never have a problem with the WASD setup. I find it comfortable.

Dixanadu · #13 05-20-2011, 02:57 PM

I have never played much (if not none) PC games to make this decision. I do know, that the PC has advantages in my preferred genre of games.

Strategy games, and of course, RPGs, tend to work a lot better and be more versatile on the PC compared to their console counterparts. I wish I could do such a thing, but my PC sucks donkey dick.

Daxter King · #14 05-20-2011, 04:17 PM

No idea where people are getting keyboard+mouse is better for RPGs, menu navigating? FPS I think it's down to preference, I dont like having to remember all the buttons on the keyboard for things. RTS is clearly better with mouse, IMO. Besides those two genres, I think controller dominates.

Mr. Bungle · #15 05-20-2011, 04:18 PM

I think that it is better for RPGs because you can easily hotkey your spells and abilities to different buttons. I'm talking about games like Diablo or Dragon Age.

Daxter King · #16 05-20-2011, 04:20 PM

I suppose.

STM · #17 05-20-2011, 05:15 PM

Of course a controller is designed specifically for gaming, ergo it is superior to the mouse and keyboard, and since my mouse broke I've had to suffice with my laptop touch pad which is very bad for gaming however, I have honed a degree of precision with it nevertheless.

I think for FPS, surprisingly, the wii remote and the nun chuck are ideal whether you want to use the wii zapper or not, you can't beat the accuracy.

Daxter King · #18 05-20-2011, 05:18 PM

You can easily beat the accuracy with a mouse. You can also beat its comfort factor with almost any other controller.

STM · #19 05-21-2011, 02:44 AM

I prefer a controller to the mouse but only because you don't need a mouse mat to play, and I don't have a table to play on.

Hazel-Rah · #20 05-21-2011, 09:37 AM

I can't play racing games without a steering wheel controller, forgot to mention that earlier.

DarkHoodness · #21 05-21-2011, 10:15 AM

Personally I think it's unfair to compare mice and keyboards with controllers, and I don't understand why some people like to bitch about how one peripheral is superior to the other. It's as MeechMunchie said on the Portal thread - It's like comparing colours. Both do the same thing, they just do it differently.

Some games work better with controllers because that's what they're designed for (the PC ports of the old GTA III era games are an example of this, also try playing SNES and N64 games on an emulator with a keyboard - It's a little awkward and takes getting used to), other games work better with a mouse and keyboard. I'd like to see someone try and play World of Warcraft, or any isometric RTS effectively with a game controller, for example. There's also a lot of personal preference involved as well.

Here's a good example of game design differences: When I played Half-Life on the PS2, I found it awkward, since Half-Life was originally a PC game and wasn't originally designed to be played with a controller. I got as far as the last level before I needed to turn auto-aim on. On the other hand, Stranger is a game that I find a little awkward to play on the PC even though it's a 3D shooter as well, simply because it was designed to be played with an X-Box controller (even if targeting things in first person mode is a lot easier with a mouse).

I think it's quite a feat to design a game that feels natural and easy to play by using any type of controller - Beyond Good and Evil is one of the few games I think think of that is like this, and perhaps because it was designed to be cross-platform.

MeechMunchie · #22 05-23-2011, 08:19 AM

:

I prefer dual thumbsticks for everything as the pluses of the mouse are more than shat all over by the horrendous deficits of WASD.

:

This is exactly how I feel. Mouse, yes. Keyboard, no.

Keyboards with overlays and keyblocks might be more to your tastes. That said, I don't think either of you are particularly into PC gaming anyway.

:

It's as MeechMunchie said on the Portal thread - It's like comparing colours. Both do the same thing, they just do it differently.

That was an ironic statement. Sorry about that.

Going by STM's 'designed for purpose' argument, the mouse owns anything with a cursor. RTS and other strategy are the PC's nerdy domain.

Wings of Fire · #23 05-23-2011, 09:13 AM

:

Keyboards with overlays and keyblocks might be more to your tastes. That said, I don't think either of you are particularly into PC gaming anyway.

I potentially am, my PC is not.

I have a copy of the entirety of Sam and Max from a year back I am yet to redeem.

MeechMunchie · #24 05-23-2011, 09:19 AM

If anyone's mildly curious as to what a 'keyblock' is (since I'm pretty sure I just made the term up), it's this sort of affair:

Ridg3 · #25 05-23-2011, 09:30 AM

That looks horrible.

MeechMunchie · #26 05-23-2011, 09:31 AM

I have it on good authority that they are.

Bullet Magnet · #27 05-23-2011, 09:48 AM

I have this discussion entirely amiably with my friend, who describes himself as part of Yahtzee's PC-Gaming Master-Race. As an inbred console mule-child I'll likely never get far into PC gaming beyond my favourite RTSs and other cursor games. Though I still love memories of the massive Unreal Tourny LAN parties in my school's computer lab.

Mouse is definitely a superior input for aiming. It still doesn't feel very natural to me using my whole arm in that way, and I think a better control is possible, just not likely so long as every computer uses a mouse interface for general work. The keyboard, however, is intolerable. I cannot play active shooters to maximum capacity using an interface designed for word processing and spreadsheets. I'll always prefer a game pad, even for PC gaming.

If we could have half a game pad in one hand (I think they're called Joysticks? From the Palaeocene, I believe) and a mouse in the other, that would be great. Except a mouse can't really be used on the couch in front of your TV. Find an ergonomic solution to that problem and we're golden.

Havoc · #28 05-23-2011, 10:07 AM

I don't see the problem with keyboards. Maybe because I do actually have a keyboard designed for gaming, but using WASD to move around has grown so much on me that it's almost a second nature. I don't even think about which buttons I push anymore so it doesn't bother me at all.

It does depend on the position of your hand on the keyboard though. If you have to put yourself in a shitty position to get to the keys, or don't have a decent wrist rest I can see how it would be annoying. I sometimes play games on my GF's computer, which has a standard Dell keyboard and gaming with that thing sucks balls.

Mr. Bungle · #29 05-23-2011, 10:13 AM

I can understand someone who hasn't/hardly plays PC games to absolutely detest using WASD to move around, but many people (myself included) have been using that for gaming for most of their life. Like Havoc said, it's basically a second nature.

Bullet Magnet · #30 05-23-2011, 10:16 AM

I understand differences of opinion here as a result of what we grew up with in gaming, particularly given the way our brains develop in the first twenty years of life. And keyboards designed for gaming are obviously superior to "Jack" keyboards normally used, insofar as gaming is concerned. But that is still building on an input that is inherently sub-par.