POLL: Analog Joystick or Keyboard+Mouse on a PC or Mac?

[Paul Slocum]

For people who game on your PC or Mac, how many of you own and at least once in a while use an analog joystick? How many game but don't own an analog stick and just use the mouse and keyboard or a digital controller?

 

I'm considering releasing a game for the PC and Mac and this will help me make some decisions. Thanks in advance!

 

-Paul

[joeybastard]

I generally use a digital gamepad type of thing, 99% of the time. I use my analog stick for Jumpman only. I just prefer that game with a stick.

[liveinabin]

I think us Mac owners would be fine with any control system.

We'd be so like " Oh wow - a game! an actual game!!" that we'd play it with bloodied stumps if we had to:)

[oesii]

The games I've really gotten into the last few years have all been FPS, so I use the keyboard and mouse combo for the most part. I have several digital gamepads and analog sticks that I bought to try but I haven't gotten into any games for long enough to enjoy them. So it all depends on your preference in games I think.

 

I think almost everyone PC or Mac will have a usb/gameport Gravis-type pad, that's what I use for my laptop emulator gaming.

[chrisbid]

same here, i dont play many computer games, mostly emus, and i stick with el cheapo gravis pads for those. For anything else, its keyboard/mouse.

[Antalos]

It depends on the type of game, for FPS, strategies & RPG I use keyboard and mouse but most other games I use an analog playstation control pad.

[Mustangarrett]

keyboard + mouse = best controll platform ever (IMO)

[snorlaxnut]

I use a gamepad that acts sort of like a PS2 controller, with 2 analog sticks. And sometimes I use the keyboard and mouse.

[Paul Slocum]

I'll go ahead and give the details... Ken Love from Activision posted on the 2600 forum that they might be interested in adding some 2600 homebrews to the new Activision Anthology. I'm considering adding Marble Craze to lineup, but it's unplayable with the mouse and keyboard. Z26 does support using the mouse to emulate dual paddle control, so I've tried it and it's WAY too hard this way.

 

I think the game would probably be okay using a self-centering analog joystick, but I'm just not sure how many people have these (I don't.) And I don't want to add it to the release if most people aren't going to be able to play it. I'm also worried that a lot of people will try it and think it sucks because the control is horrible (it IS horrible with the mouse). Most of my friends that game on the PC just use mouse+keyboard for FPS games or use a digital controller for emulation, so I'm a bit skeptical. But it does sound like quite a few of you do have analog controllers, so that's encouraging.

 

-Paul

[BeerGnome]

I use a Sidewinder stick for Mech warrior.. just feels right

the EMU's I either use the Gravis pad or the keyboard, some I do, some I dont..

for FPS I exclusivly use the keyboard, Hardly ever the mouse.. just feels Awkward to me, unless I go into snipe mode, even then rarely. My hands are big enough that Ican reach the Numberpad by shifting my right hand an inch to the right from the home row, and its a simple fluid motion to adjust from the arrow keys. to change now would be to tottaly relearn

[JagMX]

I throughly enjoy the mouse/keyboard for all 1st person games. Its just got the easy control and feel to it. I use my Sidewinder Gamepad for emulators and sometimes other PC Games

[chrisbid]

thats kindof sucks Paul, id love to see Marble Craze get some mainstream recognition, but as you say, if the controls are poor, then it could backfire. But as long as make sure that its documented, it should be fine, id take the risk

[Ze_ro]

No matter what joystick I use, it never feels right to use a joystick with a "new" computer (Using one on an Amiga or C-64 is different)... even when the game doesn't suit the keyboard (say, Robotron within Mame, or Marble Madness), I still use the keyboard.

 

I also bought a keyboard and mouse for my Dreamcast so that I could actually play Quake III (and Unreal eventually), since FPS's with a joystick is just wrong.

 

--Zero

[Vic George 2K3]

I prefer to use a stick or a pad on a PC, depending on which game it is. Having found the joy of using a Playstation 2 Dual Shock (or rather Interact's own version of it) on the PC in place of whatever passes for gaming controllers for it, I don't see myself using the keyboard or mouse unless a game specifically is designed for its use (i.e., no joystick/gamepad controller option). I think FPS games play better with a gamepad or an analog stick.

[davidbrit2]

Would it be possible to make the game recognize a difficulty switch as a joystick/mouse selector? Maybe the sensitivity could just be reduced in mouse mode.