Guild Wars 2

HnRkLnXqZ.1870:

Had to google the word. That is called targeting, it is used so people can assist all the same target. If you are in a group and want to set a target, e.g. to a boss or other monster, target it and then press CTRL+T. This will create your crosshair on that monster. Everyone in your party/squad will see it and when they press the button T, they will get that thing in target. Assist function. Everyone in the group can do that, no matter if commander or regular member. Can even do that when you are alone.

Thanks for the info. So when I see that target appear, pressing the targeting button will make that my current target? Or do I need to use the “take target” (I think that’s what it is called) command?

Last night when a large group was fighting a giant worm, there was a red crosshair that would appear over the worm every once in a while. Can anyone explain what it is and does?

Doug Whisper.2465:

I found AC is limiting in term of targeting. If you enable AC, target locked is no longer function as default. You have to use the cross wire to target. That means I can’t attack things on my side while running forward. Or I use AA to attack thing on my left but casting AoE on my right.

I find that targeting via TAB (or clicking the left stick in this instance) will still lock a target for you, this still lets you attack something to your side without having to be looking directly at your target. Your target has to move pretty significantly off center before your target unlocks.

Eddie Mo.7169:

Not really. You pretty much move the corsair to that guy and that guy is your target. It’s like Counter Strike now.

Tab targeting is rendered obsolete by AC, but that does not mean everyone likes AC. So if you like your FPS/TPS, then AC is for you. I personally don’t like the AC that much unless I’m on a ranger or something because it doesn’t feel very MMO to me.

Thanks for the info! I like it exactly because it makes it so it doesn’t feel like an MMO. GW2 so desperately wants to be an action game imo.

Greetings all,

I’ve jumped back into GW2 after reading about the inclusion of the Action Camera. It seems that since AC gives you very granular control over who’s being targeted at any given second that it might make the TAB key obsolete. Using the AC, what’s the reason to choose targets using TAB?

I ask because I’m really close to finalizing a control scheme for my Steam Controller and the ability to free up a button or two for other functions would be very useful.

IVIUIEI.9631:

I’ve been using xpadder all this time with my xbox controller and I can’t play GW2 without it.

It feels surprisingly natural does it not?

*Kind of

Greetings all!

Ever since GW2 released almost two years ago I’ve been wishing and hoping ArenaNet would add controller support, I mean it was console bound for a while right?

I got tired of waiting and decided to shoehorn controller support into GW2, so shoehorn I did. The result is, dare I say it, very very good. The profile has been iterated upon since the game has been in beta and I’m extremely pleased with the result. You can now play GW2 as a third person action game with controller in hand, kicked back in your chair.** Give it a go won’t you? And please leave feedback on the Pinnacle thread.

**Controller support is meant for minute to minute play, which it does swimmingly. Inventory management and anything else that brings up a window in-game is still better suited to keyboard and mouse, but I’m working on that too.

*Sort of

Since GW2’s release I’ve been playing it with a controller using a profile I created in Pinnacle Game Profiler. It makes GW2 play like a third person action game and works stupendously if I do say so myself.

Interested in giving it a go? Check it out here:
Pinnacle Game Profiler

dcypher.2590:

ah nvm I didn’t know this required a purchase to do

You do get a 30 day trial and I feel for the work they have put in and continue to put in via regular updates, the $25 they charge is well worth it.

Caedmon.6798:

Unable to type or having to switch to kb is a hassle.

I keep seeing this argument. To go from typing to playing in a kb/m setup you take your hand off the keyboard to reach for the mouse. How is reaching for a controller any more of a hassle?

Quickhit.3620:

It might feel more convenient using a controller but it’s not at all more efficient than K&M.You will never be as accurate as you are with the mouse when you use the stick.

So, it might be fun for PvE but in PVP would be selfdisasterous at some point.

To be honest I haven’t tried it in PvP, but the way I see it is that even if I were to switch over to kb/m it will not make me go from a so so player to top of the leaderboards. That being said, I’d much rather be my so so self and comfortable than (maybe) marginally better and using something I find obtuse for gaming purposes.

Obtuse.1504:

Stinkfinger Seventy Five.9605:

Obtuse.1504:

I might try remapping it to WASD and see if that works.

Well, WASD movement is the same as arrow key movement. It sounds like you might want the AD of WASD to rotate the camera which would mean you would want the left/right motion on the right stick to handle strafing? Is this what you had in mind?

Yes indeed.

I think I might be able to work something out to get that working. Just to clarify, on the left stick: Up/Down = forward/backward and Left/Right = camera rotation. And on the right stick: Up/Down = camera tilt up/down and Left/Right = strafing? Correct?

Edit: In the game you can bind the camera rotation to the Left and Right arrow keys that would solve the left stick problem. Figuring out the right stick might be tricky.

Other Edit: I messed around with it a bit and had some luck, but unfortunately I didn’t have all luck. Trying to set it up how you like creates issues with Pinnacle and I’m not sure it can be fixed, it’s a limitation of the program. My original profile is pretty standard when it comes to playing 3rd person games, you might want to familiarize yourself with that instead. Sorry.

Magnus Steelgrave.6580:

I had initially thought about going with a controller because I’m much more of a traditional console gamer (though I have played MMO’s for over 12 years)… then… I ran across this gem.. the logitech g600 mouse… http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104674&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-Mice-_-N82E16826104674 … 20 buttons, I have every single function I need to use mapped to the side pannel and never have to use my keyboard except to type nor do I even have to bother using my left hand, leaving that open for channel surfing. Now that’s relaxing

That’s pretty interesting. I’ve heard of people using mice of many buttons to supplement their normal left hand stuff, but I’ve never heard of anyone using the mouse exclusively for everything. Does it ever get confusing?

Cassy.6315:

Anyone tried a G13 from Logitech?

Pinnacle supports just about anything out there, so my guess is that it will work.

Obtuse.1504:

I might try remapping it to WASD and see if that works.

Well, WASD movement is the same as arrow key movement. It sounds like you might want the AD of WASD to rotate the camera which would mean you would want the left/right motion on the right stick to handle strafing? Is this what you had in mind?

Obtuse.1504:

Something doesn’t feel quite right at the moment. I’ll tinker around and see if I can fix that. Guess I’m just used to keyboard/mouse right now.

Can you better describe the problem you’re having? Specifics would help. I can probably help you get it sorted out.

Mongo.2490:

And how did you deal with ground-targeted skills? (BTW Your link isn’t working for me, but it may be because I’m at work)

Visit the link in the OP, it’s explained there.

PS, I don’t think the link was working because Pinnacle’s forums are currently down for maintenance.

PPS, as it seems their forums have been down for a couple days now I’ll explain ground targeted spells. Here’s how they work with my profile:

In my profile the pulling the left trigger gives you full mouse pointer control using the right stick, additionally it also “warps” the cursor to a predetermined set of mouse coordinates (these coordinates vary depending on what resolution you play at, there’s a tutorial in the OP link describing how to edit these coordinates to your liking) allowing for very fast mouse positioning.

A game play example would go something like this:
1) Press the button for the skill you want to ground target
2) The target appears where the mouse cursor is located when the button is pressed
3) Pull the left trigger and the ground target area of effect will “warp” to the coordinates specified. The default coordinates in the profile will “warp” the ground targeted area of effect to directly in front of your character. Where exactly in front of your character is determined by camera angle, for example, if the angle is more of an overhead angle it will appear nearer your feet, if the angle is more from behind it will appear further out from your character.
4) With the left trigger still pulled, use the right stick to reposition the area of effect exactly where you would like it (if you even need to move it at all).
5) Press the skill button again to cast it.

Getting proficient at casting this way is intuitive, can be picked up pretty quickly and occurs much much faster than the above outline would have you believe. Furthermore, a couple of these steps can be eliminated if quick casting is enabled.

Hope that helps. Enjoy!

Obtuse.1504:

Was it difficult to set up? I have a controller (not Xbox, same layout though) and figured i couldn’t just use your layout.

Pinnacle supports a bunch of different controllers, check the lower right part of this page to see if yours is listed:
http://pinnaclegameprofiler.com/

Other than that you just need to download Pinnacle, visit the forum post in the OP, download the file, import it into Pinnacle and launch the game from within Pinnacle. If you are even moderately computer savvy it shouldn’t be an issue.

Danikat.8537:

Honestly you lost me as soon as you said you need a keyboard to chat and mouse/keyboard for inventory management. I’m almost always in guild chat when I’m playing and I like to stop regularly to sort my inventory out so trying to use a controller sounds like it’d be more trouble than it’s worth.

Pop the controller on your lap when you’re guild chatting and inventorying, and when you’re ready for combat you pick it up. See, was that so hard?

Iron Maiden.7453:

FatalXSeven.1287:

Neat, but what happens when my Pinnacle trial is over?

Screw pinnacle. Get xpadder m8

I have used both and find Xpadder to be pretty good, but I feel Pinnacle offers more, has a nicer interface and better dev support. However, the argument can be made that Xpadder is free and it’s hard to argue with free, to me however, Pinnacle justifies the price they charge.

FatalXSeven.1287:

Neat, but what happens when my Pinnacle trial is over?

You pony up the cash and pay for it or you don’t. It’s a great program, I’ve been using it for years. It is incredibly robust, updated frequently and adds new functionality at every turn and is worth every bit of the $25 they ask for it.

cranked.3812:

…but I just don’t see how using a controller is anywhere near as easy as a kb/mouse.

Go give it a shot. It’s intuitive, provides everything you need at your fingertips (even ground casting) and I feel gives you far better control over your character than a kb/mouse combo does.

Wolfheart.1938:

Pfff, you console peasant.

Excellent insight! You’ve swayed my opinion entirely.

Wait! Don’t hit that back button just yet. Hear me out on this one. * Ahem *

Guild Wars 2 is meant to be played with, and plays much better with a controller.

Anyone still here? Good, now that all of those people are gone bar the door.

I have been on a long hiatus from Tyria but am jumping back in in earnest. I meant to post this here a long time ago, but previously when I was attempting it these boards weren’t even up and running yet.

So here it is:
How I Learned to Stop Trolling and Love the Controller.

Don’t let that wall of text beyond the link scare you, a good chunk of it isn’t even pertinent any more. It’s now mostly revision notes.

Anyway, there is a lot of work that went into creating and testing that profile and using it makes playing GW2 akin to playing a well oiled console game. Meaning, better. I kid, we all know the PC is the master race. But now you can put your feet up comfortably (but keep your keyboard handy for chat) and have at it proper just like you would with that old keyboard and mouse.

Just one caveat, aside from chatting you can perform any in-game action with my profile (some commands aren’t mapped to the controller, but all of them are in there if you choose to map them yourself), but for things like inventory management and crafting are still easier with a keyboard and mouse. My profile is meant for minute to minute game play.

Are they still out there? Drat! Ok ok, leave the bar in the door and quietly skulk out the back.

Go have fun!

*And if you have any feedback, please leave it in the thread on the Pinnacle boards