Crimany, I just reread this whole freakin' thread. Shit.
In response to the comments about Metroid Prime's controls vs. standard FPS-on-Consol controls... I dunno why people hate on it. MP's control system seemed pretty much flawless...
Also, the game had some very handy options that lets you adjust the acceleration rate of your 'look' as well as the option to 'auto-center' once you let it go. jpub - you probably had auto-centering turned on this whole time and never really realized it. If you still have a copy of the game and a Gamecube console around, then you may wanna check it out.
Seriously, I wish that other FPS games had this feature. Can you imagine the sheer carnage in something like Halo or Mass Effect if you could lock-on to a target with just the push of a button and then strafe around them as long as you held that lock?
Anyhow, for those that REALLY want to use a keyboard and mouse on an Xbox360... Fret no more. The Xbox Input Machine, XIM3, is here. http://xim3.com/
Using a wired Xbox360 controller (not one of the cheap knock-offs, the real deal please), and any standard USB mouse and keyboard, XIM3 will translate your mouse and keyboard inputs into something the game's aim-assist can comprehend so you get smooth action.
There's only two problems with it.
First off, every game has a different aim-assist setup - that invisible targeting reticule that kinda nudges your cross-hairs in the right direction and makes scoring those sweet headshots easier. Some are square shaped. Some are circular. And some are really weird shapes like teardrops, trapezoids, and whatnot. For each one, the people that make this wonderful piece of hardware have to carefully play each FPS and slowly tweak the translator profile to account for the aim assist in said game. Not an easy process, but these guys do it for the love of good gameplay. And for that reason, they're basicly going down the list of most played games on Xbox Live's statistics. Mass Effect 3 is probably going to go to the top of said list the moment its released.
The other issue? Too popular. Right now they're sold out and you have to get on a waiting list to get one. I haven't bothered checking how long it is, but just make sure you go the cash set aside for it - a hefty $150. Worth it, though, considering its the only one of these out there on the market that works as effectively as this one does. Hey, I'd buy it if I had the cash. As it is, I'd probably settle for one of these instead, with the joystick equipped with one of these.
In response to the comments about Metroid Prime's controls vs. standard FPS-on-Consol controls... I dunno why people hate on it. MP's control system seemed pretty much flawless...
jpub Wrote:ThereThat's why they had the target-lock feature - one of my favorite things in the game. Get your target reticule anywhere near your intended target (and believe me, that's just about anything that moves and even a good deal of things that don't) pull the target lock trigger, and you're locked on and able to strafe around your target as you please. No fucking around with that second joystick at all until you need another lock-on. Granted, sometimes there are a few moments when target-lock is useless. Usually, this is when you've got a target rich environment where it doesn't matter how badly your aim sucks, chances are you're hitting them.
are several FPS games on console (Metroid Prime springs to mind) that
use the aiming stick as a 'deflection off center' control, or
positional. So when you release the joystick, your aim snaps back to
straight and level. Doesn't sound so bad, until you have to try to
shoot someone who is above/below you and a good distance away, and
discover it's a bloody pain.
Also, the game had some very handy options that lets you adjust the acceleration rate of your 'look' as well as the option to 'auto-center' once you let it go. jpub - you probably had auto-centering turned on this whole time and never really realized it. If you still have a copy of the game and a Gamecube console around, then you may wanna check it out.
Seriously, I wish that other FPS games had this feature. Can you imagine the sheer carnage in something like Halo or Mass Effect if you could lock-on to a target with just the push of a button and then strafe around them as long as you held that lock?
Anyhow, for those that REALLY want to use a keyboard and mouse on an Xbox360... Fret no more. The Xbox Input Machine, XIM3, is here. http://xim3.com/
Using a wired Xbox360 controller (not one of the cheap knock-offs, the real deal please), and any standard USB mouse and keyboard, XIM3 will translate your mouse and keyboard inputs into something the game's aim-assist can comprehend so you get smooth action.
There's only two problems with it.
First off, every game has a different aim-assist setup - that invisible targeting reticule that kinda nudges your cross-hairs in the right direction and makes scoring those sweet headshots easier. Some are square shaped. Some are circular. And some are really weird shapes like teardrops, trapezoids, and whatnot. For each one, the people that make this wonderful piece of hardware have to carefully play each FPS and slowly tweak the translator profile to account for the aim assist in said game. Not an easy process, but these guys do it for the love of good gameplay. And for that reason, they're basicly going down the list of most played games on Xbox Live's statistics. Mass Effect 3 is probably going to go to the top of said list the moment its released.
The other issue? Too popular. Right now they're sold out and you have to get on a waiting list to get one. I haven't bothered checking how long it is, but just make sure you go the cash set aside for it - a hefty $150. Worth it, though, considering its the only one of these out there on the market that works as effectively as this one does. Hey, I'd buy it if I had the cash. As it is, I'd probably settle for one of these instead, with the joystick equipped with one of these.