PC games on a controller

[scalliano]

OK, need a bit of help here. All I can find via Google are either "lolz why u no use KBM joypads r 4 konsol nuubz" comments or blatant ads for premium joypad interpreter apps (I'm looking at you, PGP).

Here's the thing: my main gaming rig is currently in my living room/lounge and is hooked up to my HDTV, as you do. recently I've been looking into configuring my favourite oldskool FPS games to work with my DS4 controller as using KBM controls on a sofa are kind of unweildy at times. So far I have had great success with the likes of Doom (obviously) but also qith Quake I, II and III (although I had to use the Spearmint engine for that last one). problem is, I'm now trying to get Doom 3 and Quake 4 working, but while I can get them to recognise the controller itself, I can't find any way to properly set up the axes. Even vanilla Quake I and II have console variables for this and I was able to get both of those set up perfectly without the use of source ports (surprisingly smooth, BTW, considering Q1 came out before even the N64 controller), yet it's the more modern games which are kicking my arse when it comes to configuration.

Has anyone here tried this? I know that Doom 3 BFG has native XInput support, but BFG sucks, frankly. Even then, that doesn't help with Q4.

And yes, when I'm playing on my dev rig (ie at a desk), I do use KBM controls, but like I said, I'm on a sofa most of the time.

Any help or directions would be greatly appreciated.

[Mav3rick]

http://ds4windows.com/ did you try this?

[wildweasel]

I suspect the only real approach on those will be JoyToKey or Xpadder, which let you map controller inputs to keyboard and mouse buttons. You'll lose your analog movement, though.

[Dancso]

Also note, you may run into certain limitations if you're using software to tinker with controller input
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DirectInp ... er_support
This may not apply to all contexts but I had a friend who ran into this issue while helping me test controller support in my game that uses DirectInput. He was using some software to remap his 3rd party dual shock controller.

[scalliano]

http://ds4windows.com/ did you try this?

I already use it for ZDoom. It completely disables all controller axes in Q4 though.

Cheers for the responses, guys. In work right now, but I'll be on later to clarify the specific issue I'm having.

[maseter]

Why not get a Steam controller in this case? It has presets for all those games, and works much better with shooters:



You can even strafe jump with the Steam controller, and you can't seriously play Quake without strafe jumping...

Or why not play straight console ports of those games? You could play Quake 2 with the N64 emulator, Quake 3 and UT on the Dreamcast emulator, play Black in the Playstation 2 emulator and so on, it would make for a much better controller experience, PC Quake games have no aim assistance whatsoever, it would be a grind even on easy.

And remember, playing FPS games with a controller is like masturbating in gloves, yes it can be done, but the feeling just isn't there.

[scalliano]

For the record, I've just beaten Quake II, Reckoning, Ground Zero and Zaero and am currently doing reasonably well in Quake III Arena on Hardcore difficulty using the standard twin-stick shooter setup.

Playing the console ports is a moot point, simply because I have the actual hardware and can fire those versions up up at any time. As for the Steam Controller, well, it would be a solution if I had any ability whatsoever to use touch controls.

Anyway, here is how I got Quake i and II working. I placed the following in the autoexec.cfg files for each:

Quake:

Code: Select all

joystick "1"
joyadvanced "1"
joyadvaxisu "0"
joyadvaxisv "0"
joyadvaxisr "2"
joyadvaxisy "1"
joyadvaxisx "3"
joyadvaxisz "4"
joysidesensitivity "1.0"
joypitchsensitivity "-1.0"
joyforwardsensitivity "-1.0"
joyyawsensitivity "-1.0"
joysidethreshold "0.25"
joypitchthreshold "0.25"
joyforwardthreshold "0.25"
joyyawthreshold "0.25"
joyadvancedupdate

Quake II:

Code: Select all

+mlook
set in_joystick "1"
set joy_advanced "1"
set joy_advaxisu "0"
set joy_advaxisv "0"
set joy_advaxisr "2"
set joy_advaxisy "1"
set joy_advaxisx "3"
set joy_advaxisz "4"
set joy_sidesensitivity "1.0"
set joy_pitchsensitivity "-0.5"
set joy_forwardsensitivity "-1.0"
set joy_yawsensitivity "-0.5"
set joy_sidethreshold "0.25"
set joy_pitchthreshold "0.25"
set joy_forwardthreshold "0.25"
set joy_yawthreshold "0.25"
set joy_advancedupdate

and set the rest of the buttons up as normal. Please note that if you decide to try this yourself, these settings are for DInput pads only, so if you're using a DS4 like me, do NOT run DS4Windows while playing. If you want to use an XInput pad, swap the values for joyadvaxisu/joy_advaxisu and joyadvaxisr/joy_advaxisr, just be wary that you will need to use J2K or equivalent for the triggers, as neither game will let you bind a button function to an axis (bummer).

Now, the problem with Q4 is that, without DS4Win running, it will recognise the four axes that I need. However, the z-rotation is bound to the right trigger when it needs to be on the horizontal axis of the right stick. This results in endless spinning anticlockwise, and the only way to stop is to hold R2 in half way. This wouldn't be an issue if DS4Win actuall worked in Q4 as it performs the necessary swap, but all axes are disabled when it is running.

So, in a massively roundabout way, what I'm essentially asking is, do the id Tech 4 games have similar cvars to the above so that I can map the right stick properly?

EDIT: As an aside, I just tested the game with my XB1 pad. Same problem, only sideways.

[scalliano]

I am an idiot.

Turns out DS4Windows lets you map DS4 controls to pretty much anything, Xipnut, keyboard or mouse. Sorry for wasting everyone's time.

[Mav3rick]

I am an idiot.

yes u r shame on u for showing ur face on the forum JK
but hey dont worry we r humans or at least tring hard to be

[Kinsie]

I am an idiot.

Turns out DS4Windows lets you map DS4 controls to pretty much anything, Xipnut, keyboard or mouse. Sorry for wasting everyone's time.

You can also set it to auto-load specific profiles whenever a game is loaded, so you can seamlessly tweak controls on a per-game basis without having to take the six seconds to manually change profile. It's pretty cool!

[scalliano]

And as a punchline to my idiocy, I just accidentally overwrote the save file I was using for my YT playthrough. There goes any semblance of continuity :/