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[plagiarize]

This thread is kind of surreal after all the "KB+M is superior to gamepad" vitriol that has been spewed in the past.

KB+M IS superior. however, sometimes when i just want to kick back on my couch without having to rig some sort of mouse and keyboard tray or hunch over a table the joypad is more *convenient*.

FEAR 2, Bioshock 2 and now Mass Effect 3 are all games you would expect to support the 360 controller given that they were multiplatform games. it's daft that they do this.

i'm sure that in this case it's more about not wanting to do both UIs (that was the excuse with Bioshock 2)... but it's still disapointing. the first Bioshock switched it's UI with your input. more of that please. less of no joypad alternative.

hell, if i want to show off Crysis to a bunch of people, i use a pad. some of my friends prefer the pad and when they come over, that's the option they want to use.

 

[ACE 1991]

They don't want to taint Master Race experience with filthy console peasants control method. Bioware sticking to its PC roots.

Lol

 

[sixteen-bit]

What an awful omission.

 

[Sir Garbageman]

Since the 360 pad controls were already in there for the 360 version and since the 360 pad Windows drivers likely operate exactly the same as they do on the XBOX 360, I would say it was more effort to pull the controls out than it would have been to keep them.

If 360 arcade games with indie developers can easily cross over with 360 controls intact, Bioware could have too. They just refuse too and I would really like to know why.

If that's the case then it makes the decision even more bizarre. Some backwards anti-PC anti piracy attempt?

 

[Blizzard]

Get Xpadder (free)
Or Pinnacle Games Profiler

I use pinnacle all the time for those old school games which don't support the 360 controller.

The lack of support though is baffling. It's a 15 minute implement at most.

This is just a nitpick, but how is XPadder free? It's a $9.99 download as far as I can tell.

 

[Vane_MagicCity]

lol this

PC gamers wanting 360 controller support? I stepped into the twilight zone.

It's because people play on HDTV's now and controllers are easier to use on the couch or in the recliner. It makes perfect sense and it's Bioware that is in the Twilight Zone here. After all, no one is suggesting removing k/m support just adding the controller option that so many smaller developers do.

I remember talking about this on the Bioware boards when Dragon Age 2 came out. They didn't want to give PC gamers the isometric view that we had in the first game but then they didn't want to give us controller support either. Their stubbornness will eventually be their undoing.

 

[Ninjaholic]

comfy couch+TV PC-GAF is getting stronger and stronger... my PC is basically a super-powered console.

Agreed. Playing on my 61" Sammy on a couch with a controller and better graphics than any home console is gaming heaven for me.

 

[jono51]

lol this

PC gamers wanting 360 controller support? I stepped into the twilight zone.

One of the most important aspects to PC gaming is choice. If someone wants to use a 360 controller, let them. This is even more important considering many use their PC hooked up to their big TV for HD graphics and comfy couch gaming, so a pad is often more comfortable and works fine for games like ME. Considering this is a 360 port, its pretty much zero effort for the devs. There's no reason for this NOT to be in there.

 

[mxgt]

lol this

PC gamers wanting 360 controller support? I stepped into the twilight zone.

No you stepped into current times. Glad you finally caught up.

 

[Camilos]

I'm not really surprised considernig ME1 and ME2 didn't support it. Almost all games have pad support now a days, I don't understand why Bioware games don't. They're turning into a very weird company that has no idea what is normal anymore.

And for those that keep mentioning that KB > pad. What's your point? The disussion is about EA not offering an option that most big games offer & some players enjoy using. What can you possibly have against more options for players.

 

[LuchaShaq]

Any game that has a console version that doesn't have gamepad support doesn't get a sale from me after getting burned on a bioshock 2 sale.

 

[Vane_MagicCity]

If that's the case then it makes the decision even more bizarre. Some backwards anti-PC anti piracy attempt?

I don't see any link to piracy.

 

[plagiarize]

I'm not really surprised considernig ME1 and ME2 didn't support it. Almost all games have pad support now a days, I don't understand why Bioware games don't. They're turning into a very weird company that has no idea what is normal anymore.

And for those that keep mentioning that KB > pad. What's your point? The disussion is about EA not offering an option that most big games offer & some players enjoy using. What can you possibly have against more options for players.

blame Bioware I say. i can't think of any other EA multiplatform games on PC that don't have joypad support these days.

 

[daviyoung]

Any game that has a console version that doesn't have gamepad support doesn't get a sale from me after getting burned on a bioshock 2 sale.

I thought all GFWL titles had 360 controller support as standard.

 

[Nabs]

I thought all GFWL titles had 360 controller support as standard.

Nope. *looks at Bioshock 2*

 

[Haunted]

This thread is kind of surreal after all the "KB+M is superior to gamepad" vitriol that has been spewed in the past.

KB/M is still the superior control for skill based games, and especially FPS games. Luckily, Mass Effect games are piss easy and can be played laid back on my comfy couch without problem even with the inferior 360 controller.

Or can't (natively), as it were. >_>

blame Bioware I say. i can't think of any other EA multiplatform games on PC that don't have joypad support these days.

Battlefield 3 didn't have support for the in-game QTE scenes, but I cant think of a 3rd person title or RPG that doesn't have support, it's true.

Very weird and disappointing decision.

 

[daviyoung]

Nope. *looks at Bioshock 2*

Haha. What a mess.

 

[koji]

Judging from the PC demo:

- No gamepad support
- Encrypted ini file, making it impossible to alter UE engine commands (FOV, flycam, tiledshot, etc.)
- No holster animation, resulting in no 360 degree camera movement in combat scenarios. ALWAYS constant over-the-shoulder view.
- No hotkeys for inventory, map, etc.

I can ignore the lack of controller support, I mean, ME1/ME2 didn't have it either but ENCRYPTING THE INI FILE. W T F

Also no holster animation... I love rotating my cam around my character, this is just sad.

Pretty sure there will be a non official patch in less than a week, and an official one if the bitching from the community is loud enough.

Don't count on it, people bitched a lot about ME2 as well.

UE3 has the support, and I will bet that the ini files have the line of code set to true just for lulz. It's not like they have to reinvent the wheel with this engine. They are so fucking lazy it's not even funny at this point.

It's not like we'll be able to check cause they're encrypted... also, for the lulz.

Wasn't going to buy it because Bioware has done nothing the last couple of years besides piss me off and make me sad and this just adds to the sadness. This is how you treat your customers now? Remove choices?

KOA: Reckoning has ON THE FLY swappable k/m & controller support, press a button on the keyboard and the UI switches to k/m, move the stick on your controller and it swaps to controller UI. That's how it's done Bioware. They also should have a look at the inventory management in KOA instead of LOL REMOVING IT, like they did in ME2. When shit gets hard, remove it.

/rant

 

[RickA238]

Didn't want it anyway. I enjoyed playing ME2 with KB+M, and I would have preferred to play ME3 with KB+M. Crappy joystick aiming/auto-aiming FTL.

 

[Zeliard]

Something like pad support for a Dragon Age: Origins wouldn't work since the whole fashion that it and that sub-genre in general work on PC involves point and clicking and lots of hotkeys, similar to an RTS. The entire UI and even style of game would need a change, in the fashion we saw in the console versions of DA:O.

One of the many stupid things about Dragon Age 2 is that it tried to achieve parity between all platforms instead of looking at the differences between them, a DA:O did.

However, something like the Mass Effect series does seem comparatively simpler to add something like gamepad support. Ideally they could just transfer the UI style from the console versions should the person choose to play with a gamepad, while in something like DA:O that would be very difficult because it would effectively change the game. Dunno if there's a mod out there that's attempted it.

I'd never dream of using a pad for Mass Effect over mouse/kb, but the option should still be there for those who do.

 

[RickA238]

comfy couch+TV PC-GAF is getting stronger and stronger... my PC is basically a super-powered console.

You could always get a comfy PC chair like me.

 

[Derrick01]

lol this

PC gamers wanting 360 controller support? I stepped into the twilight zone.

You're speaking for a lot of people there. I've always been anti-keyboard and mouse for anything I didn't have to use it in. It's by far the most uncomfortable thing I've ever tried to use in a game, even more than motion controls.

 

[AlexBasch]

I recall reading PC gamers in various places being utterly enraged at the sole option of having a gamepad option because it was consolizing the games, therefore ruining PC gaming and that KB+M was the only acceptable control scheme.

I am confused.

 

[Vazra]

Have any Bioware games had controller support on the PC?

ME1 didn't
ME2 didn't
DA:O didn't
DA2 didn't
SWTOR doesn't
ME3 doesn't

Yeah, it would be nice if it had controller support, but it's not a deal breaker for me.

I think Jade Empire worked with controllers...

 

[SmokyDave]

comfy couch+TV PC-GAF is getting stronger and stronger... my PC is basically a super-powered console.

If I had £1 for every time I've posted that on GAF, I'd have about 6 quid by now. That's 10 ciggies and a pint.

Alternatively, as a tribute to Mitch Hedberg:

If I had £1 for every time I've posted that on GAF, I'd have a really strange way of making money.

 

[Hari Seldon]

I'm fine with them cutting that shit out as long as the kb/m actually feels good, not like the shit in Deus Ex.

Also, I never got gamepad support to work in BF3 for controlling vehicles. EA companies are just lazy.

 

[Struct09]

I recall reading PC gamers in various places being utterly enraged at the sole option of having a gamepad option because it was consolizing the games, therefore ruining PC gaming and that KB+M was the only acceptable control scheme.

I am confused.

Turns out not all PC gamers are that unreasonable

 

[Takamura-San]

You're speaking for a lot of people there. I've always been anti-keyboard and mouse for anything I didn't have to use it in. It's by far the most uncomfortable thing I've ever tried to use in a game, even more than motion controls.

This is very strange to read.....

WASD is so comfortable to me that I find myself defaulting to that position when I idle at work.

 

[daviyoung]

I recall reading PC gamers in various places being utterly enraged at the sole option of having a gamepad option because it was consolizing the games, therefore ruining PC gaming and that KB+M was the only acceptable control scheme.

I am confused.

The games themselves have suffered from consolization for a generation. The support for controllers was one of the few good parts of this. Now we have gimped games, with gimped ports and gimped control schemes.

 

[Live Free or Die]

Makes sense. If you want console controls get the console version.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

So?

ME2 didn't have it either. it was fine.

 

[Spirit of Jazz]

This is bullshit, I know quite a few physically disabled gamers who play PC and need to use a controller as they can't operate a mouse with the efficiency required. I can't stand it when companies discriminate against this demographic, not that the choice argument alone isn't enough reason for them to include it.

 

[Derrick01]

This is very strange to read.....

WASD is so comfortable to me that I find myself defaulting to that position when I idle at work.

It works well enough for me in things that don't require fast movements or a lot of responsiveness, like RTS and WoW-like MMOs but anything else it bothers me. It's always uncomfortable but it's manageable in those genres.

I was a console gamer for 20 years before getting a PC 15 months ago and I haven't gotten any more comfortable with mouse+keyboard in that time. Thankfully I don't really have to for the most part.

 

[TheExodu5]

So?

ME2 didn't have it either. it was fine.

Some people want to play it with a gamepad, which is not unreasonable for a title developped primarily for consoles. Furthermore, the PC is about choice, and users should have the choice to use a gamepad if they so desire. Even hardcore PC devs today realize that the 360 controller should be supported when it makes sense (see: The Witcher 2).

It works well enough for me in things that don't require fast movements or a lot of responsiveness, like RTS and WoW-like MMOs but anything else it bothers me. It's always uncomfortable but it's manageable in those genres.

I was a console gamer for 20 years before getting a PC 15 months ago and I haven't gotten any more comfortable with mouse+keyboard in that time. Thankfully I don't really have to for the most part.

I used to do a ton of skill jumping in Team Fortress Classic and bunny hopping in Counter-Strike so am extremely capable with WSAD for movement. I feel that in the end it's faster and more responsive than analog movement, but I will admit that it's not intuitive by comparison. When playing FPS, you'd be surprised to look at my left hand...I probably press the WSAD keys 3-5+ times a second...I'm constantly tapping the different keys to get the perfect motion and it feels completely natural to me.

 

[Zeliard]

I recall reading PC gamers in various places being utterly enraged at the sole option of having a gamepad option because it was consolizing the games, therefore ruining PC gaming and that KB+M was the only acceptable control scheme.

I am confused.

One of the hallmarks of PC gaming is its options in input devices, so I doubt anyone (reasonable) has made that particular argument. What people are probably saying there is that certain genres aren't really conducive to gamepad support, and when it's there and the game is at parity with the PC version, the PC naturally suffers for it. An example of this would be, well, most multi-plat shooters.

If it's designed for consoles and nothing is done to take advantage of the PC's features, you've got consolization, especially if it was formerly a PC-led series. Particularly this gen, it's happened frequently, and it's terrible. In fact it's pretty much now the default form of development as far as I can tell. A good PC port is an increasingly rare thing, and a multi-plat game led on PC is approaching unicorn-levels of mythology.

 

[Davidion]

I recall reading PC gamers in various places being utterly enraged at the sole option of having a gamepad option because it was consolizing the games, therefore ruining PC gaming and that KB+M was the only acceptable control scheme.

I am confused.

I'm pretty sure you and a bunch of other people here are getting this mixed up with outrage at the idea of PC games using the control pad as the primary input option, and by proxy the control method by which the game's controls should be based around. There's a massive difference between the two, and the latter suggestion is still fucking stupid.

PC pads have only been available since...forever.

 

[Lime]

I forgot another thing that's technically atrocious in Mass Effect 3:

The body animations are completely laughable for a AAA title.

I have no idea how the fuck Bioware or EA or whoever saw the game before release thought the walking and running animations would be acceptable for a game in 2012. Mass Effect 1 had better animations for Shepard than what we currently are seeing in the demo. And I'm pretty sure there won't be much difference between the demo and the full release.

 

[Forsaken82]

Anti-consumer choices like this will always push people to pirate the game. It's one more reason to. The game is already going to be of questionable quality, and guess what, you can't play it with the industry standard controller for PC!

It's just another reason to not give them money.

I don't agree with this at all. People aren't pirating games because they don't support their favored control schemes. And if they are... well that is just being silly if they aren't buying the game but are completely willing to rip off the developer because they clearly still want to play the game despite the lack of their favored control scheme. It is one thing to not want to deal with origin and turn to piracy, but control schemes?

And seriously... "industry standard controller for PC"? It is an Xbox controller... It isn't a PC standard.

 

[AlexBasch]

Turns out not all PC gamers are that unreasonable

I'm not saying they are, but to me the "kb+m only" stance was something all PC gamers agreed on.

Then again, I'm a main console player that just got his first "babby's first veedeo card" a few months ago, so I'm not that big on the PC gaming side. Having the option is fine, though, but if the first two games didn't have it, I fail to see why people are surprised at having it missing on the third.

I'm pretty sure you and a bunch of other people here are getting this mixed up with outrage at the idea of PC games using the control pad as the primary input option, and by proxy the control method by which the game's controls should be based around. There's a massive difference between the two, and the latter suggestion is still fucking stupid.

PC pads have only been available since...forever.

I know they have existed forever, playing FIFA 2001 in keyboard was atrocious, but the Sidewinder made it a lot better, and I know some PC players who do use controllers, just not in shooters.

Also, I didn't mean to stir the true PC gamers, but maybe it was this old idea I had of them hating the idea of having a gamepad support on a third person shooter (not even gonna say anything about FPS's) and seeing that now they do want this option.

 

[Lime]

I'm not saying they are, but to me the "kb+m only" stance was something all PC gamers agreed on.

Then again, I'm a main console player that just got his first "babby's first veedeo card" a few months ago, so I'm not that big on the PC gaming side. Having the option is fine, though, but if the first two games didn't have it, I fail to see why people are surprised at having it missing on the third.

[citation needed]

Seriously, is it so hard to differentiate between individual opinions? The generalizations (gaf hivemind, pc gamers, ps3 players, 360 players, etc.) do not share the exact same sentiments?

 

[plagiarize]

I'm not saying they are, but to me the "kb+m only" stance was something all PC gamers agreed on.

Then again, I'm a main console player that just got his first "babby's first veedeo card" a few months ago, so I'm not that big on the PC gaming side. Having the option is fine, though, but if the first two games didn't have it, I fail to see why people are surprised at having it missing on the third.

true, but the growing upset every time this happens would, you think, have made them think about adding it in this time.

 

[whalleywhat]

I thought all GFWL titles had 360 controller support as standard.

You've made a mistake. You put 'GFWL' in the same sentence as 'standard'.

 

[RetroGreg]

They really should just take the time to put gamepad support in and also patch it in to 1 and 2.

 

[Zeliard]

I know some PC players who do use controllers, just not in shooters.

Well of course. Some genres play better with a gamepad (or something else that isn't kb/m, like a wheel or joystick), and almost every PC game that would benefit from gamepad support has it.

 

[x3sphere]

I prefer pad over KBM in anything that isn't FPS.

 

[AlexBasch]

Tell you what, I'm curious and as someone who has invested an insane amount of hours on both console ME's, I'll try and check how Xpadder works on both PC ME's with my wired 360 controller. I know all GAF will be expecting my results (sarcasm, it doesn't translate well online) but if people say that it does work just fine, it should then. Maybe it should have gamepad support straight out of the box, but who knows, maybe with a little tinkering you may end up with the straight console controls.

 

[Davidion]

I know they have existed forever, playing FIFA 2001 in keyboard was atrocious, but the Sidewinder made it a lot better, and I know some PC players who do use controllers, just not in shooters.

Also, I didn't mean to stir the true PC gamers, but maybe it was this old idea I had of them hating the idea of having a gamepad support on a third person shooter (not even gonna say anything about FPS's) and seeing that now they do want this option.

I'm pretty sure most of the complaints about consolization is based on the actual game design itself. Accusations may be flung at the fact that the game design is weaker due to the fact that it's based around pad controls, but again I don't think it's the very presence of pads itself that was the crux of the complaints.

Tell you what, I'm curious and as someone who has invested an insane amount of hours on both console ME's, I'll try and check how Xpadder works on both PC ME's with my wired 360 controller. I know all GAF will be expecting my results (sarcasm, it doesn't translate well online) but if people say that it does work just fine, it should then. Maybe it should have gamepad support straight out of the box, but who knows, maybe with a little tinkering you may end up with the straight console controls.

The button mapping should be fine with xpadder. It's the stick movements that are usually a problem, in my experience.

 

[dionysus]

I'm not saying they are, but to me the "kb+m only" stance was something all PC gamers agreed on.

You are confusing a very specific complaint for a universal stance. When PC competitive shooters are balanced for gamepads (especially traditionally PC first franchises), then people rightly bitch. Stuff like always on aim assist in a pc competitive shooter has no reason to be there, unless you are designing the game for gamepad only. It actively makes the game worse for the majority of PC players.

A game like ME isn't really a competitive shooter (I have no idea what the ME3 multiplayer mode is since I am not interested in it), and all the gameplay is designed around a pace of play that is very suited for gamepads. Not to mention menus and dialog wheels. Moreover, it has always been a console first franchise.

 

[Emitan]

You are confusing a very specific complaint for a universal stance. When PC competitive shooters are balanced for gamepads (especially traditionally PC first franchises), then people rightly bitch. Stuff like always on aim assist in a pc competitive shooter has no reason to be there, unless you are designing the game for gamepad only. It actively makes the game worse for the majority of PC players.

A game like ME isn't really a competitive shooter (I have no idea what the ME3 multiplayer mode is since I am not interested in it), and all the gameplay is designed around a pace of play that is very suited for gamepads. Not to mention menus and dialog wheels. Moreover, it has always been a console first franchise.

The multiplayer is co-op only, so it makes even less sense to not support controllers.

 

[dock]

Here's a valid question.

If Bioware games came with support for the xbox 360 controller mapping only, but didn't officially cater for other controllers (including no special config options), would that be acceptable?

This is the most convenient thing that developers can offer, but then they get lambasted for the lack of elaborate config options.