Guild Wars 2

Hey all -

I know ANet so far has chosen not to publish GW2 on Steam, but do you think they will/should support the Steam Controller announced today?

(For those who haven’t heard the news about the Controller, it’s announced here: http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/SteamController/)

GW2 has always, IMHO, screamed to be played with a controller, especially given the dodge mechanism. And a Controller that’s been designed by Steam specifically for PC games just seems like a no-brainer fit. (Yeah, I know that there are folks who have created ways to use an XBox controller in GW2, but I personally didn’t care for the set up much – ground targetting was especially tough.)

What do you folks think/predict?

If it can be mapped like any other controller (XBox) then it’s simply a matter of having a Dx driver for it.

Keyboard and Mouse is the best way to go when you have to multitask with different keys. IMO, controllers don’t have as much ability to map the amount of buttons for serious play. On a side note, are controllers as accurate as a mouse when you want pinpoint targeting?

That certainly is a nifty looking controller. Touchpads vs Ye Olde Sticks is a way to go improvement.

Smooth Penguin.5294:

Keyboard and Mouse is the best way to go when you have to multitask with different keys. IMO, controllers don’t have as much ability to map the amount of buttons for serious play. On a side note, are controllers as accurate as a mouse when you want pinpoint targeting?

If you read about the Steam Controller in the link I provided, that’s exactly what it’s addressing. :P

From targeting:

The most prominent elements of the Steam controller are its two circular trackpads. Driven by the player’s thumbs, each one has a high-resolution trackpad as its base. It is also clickable, allowing the entire surface to act as a button. The trackpads allow far higher fidelity input than has previously been possible with traditional handheld controllers. Steam gamers, who are used to the input associated with PCs, will appreciate that the Steam Controller’s resolution approaches that of a desktop mouse.

Whole genres of games that were previously only playable with a keyboard and mouse are now accessible from the sofa. RTS games. Casual, cursor-driven games. Strategy games. 4x space exploration games. A huge variety of indie games. Simulation titles. And of course, Euro Truck Simulator 2.

In addition, games like first-person shooters that are designed around precise aiming within a large visual field now benefit from the trackpads’ high resolution and absolute position control.

To multitasking:

Every button and input zone has been placed based on frequency of use, precision required and ergonomic comfort. There are a total of sixteen buttons on the Steam Controller. Half of them are accessible to the player without requiring thumbs to be lifted from the trackpads, including two on the back. All controls and buttons have been placed symmetrically, making left or right handedness switchable via a software config checkbox.

This is a PC controller developed by a well-regarded PC company, after all. They know what type of games they’re building this for.

Steam says it’ll be able to emulate keyboard & mouse all on its own, so it seems like a problem that’s solved already.

It’ll work.

Oh and, GW2 allows you to use modifier keys, so it’ll double-work even with the larger amount of skills. I have all 10 skills assigned to just five buttons, personally.

I’ve used programmable (+key emulations) controllers on mmo’s, why do I need a “steam” controller? Why should Anet even become tied to steam?

Myself, I’d rather see GW2 support a tablet controller app over LAN. A tablet (or large smartphone) would be the perfect game controller, many layers of programmable control.

azureai.9764:

If you read about the Steam Controller in the link I provided, that’s exactly what it’s addressing. :P

From targeting:

The most prominent elements of the Steam controller are its two circular trackpads. Driven by the player’s thumbs, each one has a high-resolution trackpad as its base. It is also clickable, allowing the entire surface to act as a button. The trackpads allow far higher fidelity input than has previously been possible with traditional handheld controllers. Steam gamers, who are used to the input associated with PCs, will appreciate that the Steam Controller’s resolution approaches that of a desktop mouse.

In my experience with Playstation type controllers with 2 thumb controls, I’ve never been able to get the same accuracy that I have from my mouse. That’s part of the point I was trying to make. I’m sure players would be able to get over the learning curve of such an item, as I have friends who would play FPS games with a thumb trackball thingy.

But to me, nothing beats the old school W-A-S-D.