Begging for an offical controller support. [Merged]

[Gilavin.2145]

a bit of backstory.

I've been playing since beta, but during recent years I, unfortunately, cannot play any games with kb+m, due to my debilitating nerve entrapment and nerve pains in both of my hands.

with the Steam release, I really was hoping for controller support, but I'm sad to hear that it's not even mentioned.

I am really sad that ı cannot play one of my favorite games due to physical limitations- and I really would be happy if ArenaNet included controller support for Guild Wars 2 for accessibility. 

 

I am writing this so that maybe it will be seen by a developer.

 

Much love,

 

Edited October 21, 2023 by Gilavin.2145

[Sobx.1758]

 

[Gilavin.2145]

22 minutes ago, Sobx.1758 said:

 

wait that looks amazing - i will try it out immediately, you might have saved my life.

[XSevSpreeX.2143]

There was a dev working on it as a side project at one point, but he's sadly left the company since then. However, as linked above, a forum or Google search will come up with several different methods of setting up a controller. It'll have its limitations, but it's more than sufficient for combat for those that choose to do it.

While curious about it myself, I've never taken the time to get it right, so let us know how it works out for you.

[Gilavin.2145]

13 hours ago, XSevSpreeX.2143 said:

There was a dev working on it as a side project at one point, but he's sadly left the company since then. However, as linked above, a forum or Google search will come up with several different methods of setting up a controller. It'll have its limitations, but it's more than sufficient for combat for those that choose to do it.

While curious about it myself, I've never taken the time to get it right, so let us know how it works out for you.

unfortunately the steam config in this (

) topic is not working, even if i added gw2 as a non steam game.

[keichiirou.5430]

the game has an action camera , what're they waiting to add controller support? for a game with very few skills/hotbars a controller should be added on the 1st year ,  this is long overdue

[enigmatic.3576]

Why should they have controller support for a PC game?  Yes, people can use controllers for PC games but that's a small minority compared to those that use a keyboard and mouse.

[frazazel.7501]

I've personally set up controller support for this game. Basically, you download software like ReWASD to be able to set your different controller inputs to be interpreted as specific keypresses instead. Then you set up your keybinds in GW2 to use those specific controller keypresses. It took some thinking and some trial-and-error to get a comfortable setup. I used a stadia controller I had lying around, but just about any modern controller should work fine.

It works pretty good, except for messaging other players, inventory management and time-sensitive precision movement / targeting. I had a lot of trouble doing Griffon adventures, and the story race event where you are mounted on your raptor and need to chase monsters to use a skill on them in PoF. Because of that, I've moved back to keyboard + mouse, but the vast majority of the game is very playable with a controller. Jumping puzzles were fine; I just had to take it a little bit slower to line up my jumps.

[Froweey.7482]

Steam Deck, Rog Ally, etc, etc. This game is clearly the best MMO on the market but one thing that prevents me from playing better is the lack of native controller support. With it, the game experience would be complete for those that use any of these devices. Plus there are many people who use XBOX, PS5 controllers based on the Steam Input templates on Steam. So please ArenaNet make this happen. WoW, FF, New World all of these other MMOs already have (or plan on supporting) native controller support. Make it happen for me and my entire household!

[Entara.3075]

No thanks! I really hope they dont dumb the game down enough that you could control it with a standard xbox controller. I've seen to many games destroyed because they try to make a computer game work on a limited controller. How many keys does a keyboard have compared to a Xbox controller?

If you need a controller to play then buy one of the many available that are programmable to mimic keyboard buttons. 

I have a good friend who loves his Razer Tartarus and that is like a really fancy controller.

[Froweey.7482]

2 hours ago, Entara.3075 said:

No thanks! I really hope they dont dumb the game down enough that you could control it with a standard xbox controller. I've seen to many games destroyed because they try to make a computer game work on a limited controller. How many keys does a keyboard have compared to a Xbox controller?

If you need a controller to play then buy one of the many available that are programmable to mimic keyboard buttons. 

I have a good friend who loves his Razer Tartarus and that is like a really fancy controller.

I hear this argument a lot, "it'll dumb down the game!", blah blah. In reality you're being threatened by the thought that some people prefer a controller in their hands. For instance, laptop users may want to comfortably play a game while on their couch, etc. 

It sounds like you're being selfish. You are open to completely ignoring the Steam Deck, Rog Ally, and other communities because your feelings. Rather, you should embrace the thought of ArenaNet potentially lending a hand to a community that wants to play Guild Wars 2 but is held back by troublesome configurations. That being said, controllers don't dumb down MMOs. Clearly a keyboard user will have faster reaction times than someone that has to hold down LT + A for instance. The game already has a limited number of spells that can be accessed at a given time, that is an advantage for ArenaNet. World of Warcraft for instance, has way more key binds to account for and the success the ConsolePort add-on is having shows how popular and useful native controller support can be. 

 

Edited March 15 by Froweey.7482

[Rando Khan.3705]

3 hours ago, Entara.3075 said:

No thanks! I really hope they dont dumb the game down enough that you could control it with a standard xbox controller. I've seen to many games destroyed because they try to make a computer game work on a limited controller. How many keys does a keyboard have compared to a Xbox controller?

If you need a controller to play then buy one of the many available that are programmable to mimic keyboard buttons. 

I have a good friend who loves his Razer Tartarus and that is like a really fancy controller.

You don't need to dumb down a game to make it workable on a controller. Frankly, this is a mind-set that's stuck in the past by a good decade or two. I remember feeling the same way when a lot of developers started to pivot towards console development over PC in the early 2000's. 

Compared to most traditional MMOs, GW2 actually has a fairly tame amount of keybinds. I've played GW2 on a controller for about 5 years now -- you use modifiers to shift between sets of keybinds, as well as utilizing action camera. Doing this allows you to have essentially as many keybinds as you want. It's the same concept as someone who uses a modifier key on their keyboard (often shift or CTRL) to utilize the same key for multiple keybinds. 

If you want to look at an MMO that supports controllers natively, look at FFXIV. It has considerably more skills than GW2, and it works great -- people reliably complete every level of content using a controller. 

Edited March 15 by Rando Khan.3705

[Entara.3075]

The original post stated an opinion I am assuming is based upon their own knowledge, desires and experience. My post stated a counter opinion also based upon my own knowledge, desires and experience. I believe both opinions are valid.

4 hours ago, Froweey.7482 said:

I hear this argument a lot, "it'll dumb down the game!", blah blah. In reality you're being threatened by the thought that some people prefer a controller in their hands. For instance, laptop users may want to comfortably play a game while on their couch, etc.

I don't feel threatened by opinions that differ from my own and even if I was I don't see how this is relevant or invalidates a counter opinion.

4 hours ago, Froweey.7482 said:

It sounds like you're being selfish. You are open to completely ignoring the Steam Deck, Rog Ally, and other communities because your feelings. Rather, you should embrace the thought of ArenaNet potentially lending a hand to a community that wants to play Guild Wars 2 but is held back by troublesome configurations. That being said, controllers don't dumb down MMOs. Clearly a keyboard user will have faster reaction times than someone that has to hold down LT + A for instance. The game already has a limited number of spells that can be accessed at a given time, that is an advantage for ArenaNet. World of Warcraft for instance, has way more key binds to account for and the success the ConsolePort add-on is having shows how popular and useful native controller support can be.

I apologize if the OP thinks I am being selfish and not respecting their view. I can assure you that I respect all opinions as valid, but I don't have to agree with them which is what I was trying to convey. I don't believe that I am being selfish in having an opinion based upon my own experiences and knowledge. That being said I freely admit that I am not fully current on the advancements of controllers as I am primarily a PC user. Nor am I familiar with the "ConsolePort add-on" you mentioned for WoW as I have not logged into WoW since Pandaria. Is this "ConsolePort add-on" developed and maintained by Blizzard?

Incidentally I am also part of those other communities you mentioned as I commonly play on a cell phone through GeForce Now. As such, I am well aware of the frustration of having limited control options.

Regardless, if controller functionally could be done without limiting the key-bind options and without taking away from the PC experience then my personal opinion may likely change. I may even use it with my cell phone.

3 hours ago, Rando Khan.3705 said:

You don't need to dumb down a game to make it workable on a controller. Frankly, this is a mind-set that's stuck in the past by a good decade or two. I remember feeling the same way when a lot of developers started to pivot towards console development over PC in the early 2000's.

As stated above I freely admit that I am not fully current on the advancements of controllers. I do not see how implying that I am stuck in the past is relevant other than to try to invalidate my opinion.

3 hours ago, Rando Khan.3705 said:

Compared to most traditional MMOs, GW2 actually has a fairly tame amount of keybinds. I've played GW2 on a controller for about 5 years now -- you use modifiers to shift between sets of keybinds, as well as utilizing action camera. Doing this allows you to have essentially as many keybinds as you want. It's the same concept as someone who uses a modifier key on their keyboard (often shift or CTRL) to utilize the same key for multiple keybinds.

I completely agree about GW2 having a fairly tame amount of keybinds, which I do find nice. It is an interesting point that you have played on a controller for 5 years. I know that there are controllers that can emulate keyboard keys, but I will have to look more into it. As I mentioned above I commonly play on a cell phone as well as my PC.

 

Thank-you both for your opinions. I respect them even if I may not fully agree on some points. Please be courteous and respect mine as well.

Edited March 15 by Entara.3075

[Omega.6801]

3 hours ago, Rando Khan.3705 said:

look at FFXIV

...a MMO that was designed with controllers and consoles in mind. So not really a fair comparison. That being said. I don't mind if people use a controller to play, people may use a DDR mat or a Powerglove for all I care. I just don't think ANet should spend resources on developing native controller support when there are controllers out there that can be mapped as well as available mapping schemes as it seems. You say it yourself, you've been playing GW2 with a controller for years now, cool, please share your setup with OP.

[kharmin.7683]

This has been requested more than once.  There is already a thread merge on it. https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/topic/139202-begging-for-an-offical-controller-support-merged/?do=findComment&comment=2014638

 

[particlepinata.9865]

In my opinion it doesnt even need to be full control support everywhere. Controller support for flying mounts especially, underwater and gliding would be a blessing. This is why i have stopped playing guildwars 2. When you are a somewhat older gamer (40 plus) like me, overuse of mouse destroys you wrists etc. because of strain injuries. Its good that controller support has started to come back over the last years in pc games, in the mid/second half of the 90's it was normal using joysticks, flight sticks, steering wheels, pedals etc. And then it suddenly was forgotten and you had the generation after that claiming that pc is supposed to be only keyboard/mouse, what is absolute nonsense, the pc was great because of it input/controller flexibility, its good that that is returning.

Edited March 15 by particlepinata.9865

[SinisterSlay.6973]

I remember playing Champions Online with a controller. GW2 has very similar combat.  It would probably work really well except for the ground target skills.  Those might take some creativity to make good with a thumbstick.  They work great as is if you use the touchpads on the deck or steam controller.

[Rando Khan.3705]

7 hours ago, Entara.3075 said:

The original post stated an opinion I am assuming is based upon their own knowledge, desires and experience. My post stated a counter opinion also based upon my own knowledge, desires and experience. I believe both opinions are valid.

I don't feel threatened by opinions that differ from my own and even if I was I don't see how this is relevant or invalidates a counter opinion.

I apologize if the OP thinks I am being selfish and not respecting their view. I can assure you that I respect all opinions as valid, but I don't have to agree with them which is what I was trying to convey. I don't believe that I am being selfish in having an opinion based upon my own experiences and knowledge. That being said I freely admit that I am not fully current on the advancements of controllers as I am primarily a PC user. Nor am I familiar with the "ConsolePort add-on" you mentioned for WoW as I have not logged into WoW since Pandaria. Is this "ConsolePort add-on" developed and maintained by Blizzard?

Incidentally I am also part of those other communities you mentioned as I commonly play on a cell phone through GeForce Now. As such, I am well aware of the frustration of having limited control options.

Regardless, if controller functionally could be done without limiting the key-bind options and without taking away from the PC experience then my personal opinion may likely change. I may even use it with my cell phone.

As stated above I freely admit that I am not fully current on the advancements of controllers. I do not see how implying that I am stuck in the past is relevant other than to try to invalidate my opinion.

I completely agree about GW2 having a fairly tame amount of keybinds, which I do find nice. It is an interesting point that you have played on a controller for 5 years. I know that there are controllers that can emulate keyboard keys, but I will have to look more into it. As I mentioned above I commonly play on a cell phone as well as my PC.

 

Thank-you both for your opinions. I respect them even if I may not fully agree on some points. Please be courteous and respect mine as well.

I didn't say you're stuck in the past, I said your mind-set on this topic is. I then gave reasoning as to why I think that is based on my own experience. In other words, I was pointing out that while your opinion is valid (and is one I have held before as well), it is one based on a general lack of understanding of the topic at hand. 

It wasn't meant to be perceived as disrespectful to you as a person. 

[Rando Khan.3705]

8 hours ago, Omega.6801 said:

...a MMO that was designed with controllers and consoles in mind. So not really a fair comparison. That being said. I don't mind if people use a controller to play, people may use a DDR mat or a Powerglove for all I care. I just don't think ANet should spend resources on developing native controller support when there are controllers out there that can be mapped as well as available mapping schemes as it seems. You say it yourself, you've been playing GW2 with a controller for years now, cool, please share your setup with OP.

Thank you for cherry-picking a tiny portion of my post, as well as quoting and reframing it out of context of the point I was making.

Edited March 15 by Rando Khan.3705

[Vilin.8056]

On 3/15/2024 at 7:22 PM, Omega.6801 said:

...a MMO that was designed with controllers and consoles in mind. So not really a fair comparison. That being said. I don't mind if people use a controller to play, people may use a DDR mat or a Powerglove for all I care. I just don't think ANet should spend resources on developing native controller support when there are controllers out there that can be mapped as well as available mapping schemes as it seems. You say it yourself, you've been playing GW2 with a controller for years now, cool, please share your setup with OP.

If gamepad support can be so easily archieved through 3rd party applications, then surely it won't cost much development resource to achieve to rid gamers the annoyance of controller profile management. Even a simple update by simply allowing controller button binding in options will make this game compatible to numerous handheld devices on the market (which has become a trend for family to share PC games)

Infact, even NCSoft's newer MMOs came with gamepad support, the company knows the importance of this implementation. The question is whether GW2 remained important enough for this company to bother future proofing it.

Edited March 16 by Vilin.8056

[Omega.6801]

4 minutes ago, Vilin.8056 said:

If gamepad support can be so easily archieved through 3rd party applications, then surely it won't cost much development resource to achieve to rid gamers the annoyance of controller profile management. Even a simple update by simply allowing controller button binding in options will make this game compatible to numerous handheld devices on the market (which has become a trend for family to share PC games)

Infact, even NCSoft's newer MMOs came with gamepad support, the company knows the importance of this implementation. The question is whether GW2 remained important enough for this company to bother future proofing it.

But do you really want this when there already seem to be solutions out there?
Just as a reminder. Build- and gear templates were very easily achieved through 3rd party software as well until ANet got involed and made them an official feature. Then they added a few annoyances and tripple monetized it while removing quite a bit of QoL. Be careful what you wish for.

[Vilin.8056]

36 minutes ago, Omega.6801 said:

But do you really want this when there already seem to be solutions out there?
Just as a reminder. Build- and gear templates were very easily achieved through 3rd party software as well until ANet got involed and made them an official feature. Then they added a few annoyances and tripple monetized it while removing quite a bit of QoL. Be careful what you wish for.

3rd party controller key-binder is never a solution for the mass. Anyone who owns dedicated gaming rig (like an MMO Gaming Mouse) with specialized buttons assigned with custom profiles knows this, technical headaches from profile management alone is enough to deter the majority of players.

Criticize how you want regarding gear templates, we're still better with it than not, and for competitive players it is way more convenient to spend 800 gems to get a gear+spec combo than buying a brand new character slot just to swap roles on the same class.

Also it's absurd to suggest Anet will monetise controller support.

Edited March 16 by Vilin.8056

[Omega.6801]

38 minutes ago, Vilin.8056 said:

3rd party controller key-binder is never a solution for the mass. Anyone who owns dedicated gaming rig (like an MMO Gaming Mouse) with specialized buttons assigned with custom profiles knows this, technical headaches from profile management alone is enough to deter the majority of players.

Criticize how you want regarding gear templates, we're still better with it than not, and for competitive players it is way more convenient to spend 800 gems to get a gear+spec combo than buying a brand new character slot just to swap roles on the same class.

Also it's absurd to suggest Anet will monetise controller support.

If its so easily available as people in this thread claim, why is it not a solution for the masses?

Competitive players could switch between more or less infinite templates (not sure but the limit was somewhere around 500 or so) with the 3rd party software for free before templates were introuced to the gemstore. With that change using the 3rd party software became a bannable offense.

No one suggested that controller support would become monetized, of course it would not. But it would come with it's own inconveniences maybe and would most likely render the use of now working 3rd party solutions "illegal". This of course is a speculation. I don't know. You don't know.

Edited March 16 by Omega.6801

[Vilin.8056]

3 hours ago, Omega.6801 said:

If its so easily available as people in this thread claim, why is it not a solution for the masses?

Again, as I mentioned for the 3rd time, profile management, easily available does not mean easy to set up, or not annoying to maintain.

3 hours ago, Omega.6801 said:

Competitive players could switch between more or less infinite templates (not sure but the limit was somewhere around 500 or so) with the 3rd party software for free before templates were introuced to the gemstore. With that change using the 3rd party software became a bannable offense.

And how many players you know actually use that 3rd party app to switch template before it became bannable?

I've been playing with competitive players since 2012, no one in the communities, or guilds I know even bothered with such app. It's weird to me that you would suggest making this app mandatory for template switching would be the better solution, when it apparently failed to gain widespread recognition to begin with. We're happier with official templates, it is better.

3 hours ago, Omega.6801 said:

No one suggested that controller support would become monetized, of course it would not. But it would come with it's own inconveniences maybe and would most likely render the use of now working 3rd party solutions "illegal". This of course is a speculation. I don't know. You don't know.

That is the whole point of the thread, people want to native support to replace 3rd party solutions, you're seeing a solution as a problem. If you don't know what possible problems you're speculating, then it is irrelevant as it gets, but I can already point you a track record of MMOs released by NCSoft with controller support, this isn't even a new concept worth speculate.

Edited March 16 by Vilin.8056

[Ruufio.1496]

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Edited June 13 by Ruufio.1496