Can I use a controller?

[cherry sours]

Hello I'm thinking of purchasing this game. Using a keyboard+mouse hurts my wrists so I was wondering if this works with a controller.

Thank you x

[Beard]

Yes the game works with a controller.

[Duckling]

It can be a bit tricky to get use to from personal experience but anything is good with practice

[Donni Kubbitz]

Yes but there are some actions you just can't do and menu nav, while walking, is gonna take a bit of practice and seem extremely unnatural. Same with the zoom. M/K is like ultra simple zoom but with a controller it's extremely clunky and you also get no hot bar. I don't see why that would even be a thing but it is. While walking we use the bumpers for nothing at all, it would be really nice to use them for a hot bar like 7 Days.

[Marii Wukruk]

Mind the game is still in Early Access, but also in very active development.

Steam Deck's improved interest in controller support for many games, and Project Zomboid has been Verified as fully compatible for the handheld console, so it's more than likely to improve over time. Perhaps not now or tomorrow, especially with the team working on recently announced major updates like NPC's and Hunting, but I bet it's there on the to-do list, and in the important section too

[Death]

Originally posted by Donni Kubbitz:

Yes but there are some actions you just can't do and menu nav, while walking, is gonna take a bit of practice and seem extremely unnatural. Same with the zoom. M/K is like ultra simple zoom but with a controller it's extremely clunky and you also get no hot bar. I don't see why that would even be a thing but it is. While walking we use the bumpers for nothing at all, it would be really nice to use them for a hot bar like 7 Days.

You don't get a hotbar, but you do have a weapon wheel of sorts. I haven't found anything that can't be done with the controller. I still don't use it much myself though, because looting is easier with mouse and keyboard.

[Mamluk's Honor]

Yes, you can use a controller and do just as good as keyboard and mouse. Some things might be slightly worse, especially while getting used to it. Some things are much easier and feel more natural though, like climbing fences faster or the vehicle radial menus.

I'm a hardcore nerdy sweaty keyboard and mouse elitist and absolutely hated controllers, however there was a time when the only way you could play MP together was through split-screen co-op through one of Steams features. One player had to use a controller and the other has to use a mouse and keyboard.

I decided to be the one to use controller, just because I was the most experienced player. After using controller for a good ~50 hours or so, I can safely say it's not bad at all (except for moving around many items).

just FYI I switched back to KB/M about a month ago and plan on sticking with it, just because I'm used to it more so.

[jeffshaw71]

I am wanting to use a controller too, I find I can't ready and hit with a equipped weapon, (unless I am missing something) all I can do is shove and attack zombies when knocked down, to deal with them...

[👁]

Originally posted by Beard:

Yes the game works with a controller.

But can you navigate the menu for a television or radio with a controller and exit out of it when you need to like normal menus?

What if you want to use the radial menu to forage for sticks and stuff, it used to be so easy but now it brings up some additional menu that doesn't seem too controller friendly.

[👁]

Or rather, there's some new stuff on the radial menu that isn't very controller friendly, I'm not sure that it's foraging because we had a split screen multiplayer session than ended with a great amount of frustration because of whatever it was.

[Duckling]

imagine reviving this thread

[Beard]

If you have any specific issues I would recommend making a new thread and showing the issues, perhaps share screenshots and so on. The foraging works just fine with the controller if that's what you are asking?

[wirewitch]

Originally posted by 👁:

Or rather, there's some new stuff on the radial menu that isn't very controller friendly, I'm not sure that it's foraging because we had a split screen multiplayer session than ended with a great amount of frustration because of whatever it was.

You can get the radial menus up using (if I remember correctly) one of the directional buttons. This does limit your movement since you need to use your walkin thumb to navigate to this control.

Also throwing moltovs with a controller has caused the game to crash to desktop (this was a while ago, not sure if that's been patched already) so maybe do a little test run before you try to smoke any zombies.

[Death]

Originally posted by jeffshaw71:

I am wanting to use a controller too, I find I can't ready and hit with a equipped weapon, (unless I am missing something) all I can do is shove and attack zombies when knocked down, to deal with them...

Are you using your right stick to aim? The controls for the controller are similar to twin stick shooters, so you aim/ready your weapon with the right stick and then hit the attack button.

[Mamluk's Honor]

Originally posted by Noxgorn:

Imagine playing on controller :D you realy like hardcore gameplay

Playing on the controller is totally fine, it's not the controller it's the person using it. Someone who never games on a keyboard and mouse would have a terrible first time doing it in PZ, they just need to learn it the same as controller.

There are people that play games using only their mouth and they're better than some keyboard and mouse players.

[Retro]

Originally posted by 👁:

Originally posted by Beard:

Yes the game works with a controller.

But can you navigate the menu for a television or radio with a controller and exit out of it when you need to like normal menus?

What if you want to use the radial menu to forage for sticks and stuff, it used to be so easy but now it brings up some additional menu that doesn't seem too controller friendly.

Menu navigation is super quick on controller. And the radial menu works great with the analog sticks, I don't understand why that gives you problems.