Is this game best played with an Xbox One controller or keyboard and mouse?

[DJT]

These are my options right now. Might consider buying this game before the sale ends.

[Craiberk]

While I do not own a controller myself and cannot speak from experience, the keyboard+mouse scheme is... adequate, but the controller scheme was clearly the main focus. Game feels like a Console port rather than a PC game proper.

[Notoshy]

The game is originally for PC, so keyboard/mouse should be better. But that is subjective.
This summer, the Game is supposed to be released for Consoles, so Controllers shouldnt be a problem either.

[Calmputer]

I've played with both an Xbox One controller and an Xbox Elite controller...

with the normal one I felt I had to remove my thumb from the right stick to use the face buttons a little too often...
but the Elite controller works perfectly.

One thing though, the default control-scheme is horrible.
I have it set up thusly:

Right trigger: shoot Primary Weapon.
left and right bumpers: rolling.

Left-stick click: target.
right-stick click: Launch Secondary Weapon.

A: Activate (+ pick up, launch or drop tractored item).
B: Boost
X: Move down (left back paddle 1)
Y: Move up (left back paddle 2)

Left Trigger + B: Use items.
Left Trigger + X: Use warfare devices.

D-pad: same as original controls.

[Craiberk]

Originally posted by Notoshy:

The game is originally for PC, so keyboard/mouse should be better. But that is subjective.

Can't say I agree here. The control scheme is most definitely Controller-oriented.

• You have a dead zone at the center of the screen where you need to hold your cursor in order for your ship to not pivot. This makes little sense with mouse controls where you'd expect more FPS-like drag-to-pivot experience. But on a Controller this makes perfect sense, as the thumbsticks are physically made to autocenter.
  
• Then there's also the UI control scheme with such gems as "press R to equip an item, hold R to modify an item". There is never a reason to have hold-button action with a keyboard where you have a ton of extra buttons you can put this function on.
  
• You have 2 sets of 4 hotkeys(devices and consumables). clearly made for a D-pad with a modifier key for a quick switch.
  
• The furthest distance you can put your camera at from your ship is very close. If I had an option, I'd rename this one Medium and add another one that is 2-3 times further away. This is a problem that arises because you sit much closer to the screen on a PC than on a console where you need your ship closer to the camera in order to see it better.

As I said, the mouse-and-keyboard controls are perfectly adequate, but they were very evidently not the primary focus of the development team.

[Notoshy]

Originally posted by Craiberk:

Originally posted by Notoshy:

The game is originally for PC, so keyboard/mouse should be better. But that is subjective.

Can't say I agree here. The control scheme is most definitely Controller-oriented.

• You have a dead zone at the center of the screen where you need to hold your cursor in order for your ship to not pivot. This makes little sense with mouse controls where you'd expect more FPS-like drag-to-pivot experience. But on a Controller this makes perfect sense, as the thumbsticks are physically made to autocenter.
  
• Then there's also the UI control scheme with such gems as "press R to equip an item, hold R to modify an item". There is never a reason to have hold-button action with a keyboard where you have a ton of extra buttons you can put this function on.
  
• You have 2 sets of 4 hotkeys(devices and consumables). clearly made for a D-pad with a modifier key for a quick switch.
  
• The furthest distance you can put your camera from your ship is very close. If I had to grade it, I'd say it should be called either Close, or Middle instead. This is a problem that arises because you sit much closer to the screen on a PC than on a console and therefore need your ship closer to the camera in order to see it better.

As I said, the mouse-and-keyboard controls are perfectly adequate, but they were very evidently not the primary focus of the development team.

as i wrote myself "subjective". Iam mainly PC-User, so keyboard/mouse feels better to me.
Too many buttons make the Gameplay more difficult. Its good to place the buttons relatively close to each other, so the Player doesnt have to cover the entire keyboard with one hand in the middle of a spacebattle. Placing 2 funtions on the same button is more effective.

[Craiberk]

Originally posted by Notoshy:

Too many buttons make the Gameplay more difficult.

True, but those are mostly the UI controls, not flight ones. You modify/swap out items from the UI in the station/pause menu.

Originally posted by Notoshy:

Placing 2 functions on the same button is more effective.

Not really, I accidentally Equipped/Modified items instead of Modifying/Equipping them and Dismantled them instead of Modifying them before. This configuration is more confusing than the "press E to equip", "press F to modify" and "press and hold X to dismantle".
Reason why that's not the case is because E is used to switch between Menu Tabs, which is a functionality you don't need with a mouse-and-keyboard controls. Which again, makes sense on a controller with triggers/shoulder buttons that are often used to navigate such Menu Tabs.

Originally posted by Notoshy:

Its good to place the buttons relatively close to each other, so the Player doesnt have to cover the entire keyboard with one hand in the middle of a spacebattle.

Except you have your consumables bound to 5,6,7 and 8 by default. Which works for me because I have a MMO-style mouse with 12 extra buttons bound to keyboard 1-9 and some extras, but is very inconvenient on a normal keyboard, where you either need to remove your left hand from WASD, or your right one from the mouse(or I assume vice versa if you're left-handed).

[Notoshy]

left-handed Players really have a hard time. Luckily there is equipment for them, otherwise it would be torture.

[Rithrin]

I would say between Xbox controller and keyboard + mouse, definitely KB+M by leaps and bounds. It's possible that one could tweak the aim assist settings on controller to reduce this gap somewhat, but KB+M allows incredibly precise aiming that really cannot be matched by controller. This is not "ugh controllers bad" PC master race type comment, it's that the weapons can aim independently of ship facing in Everspace when using mouse, but in controller the weapons are locked forward to direct facing with only some very finnicky aim assist that can sometimes allow shooting slightly towards the target.

This may not only be frustrating for the players but, depending on difficulty settings, could make the game borderline unplayable.

[Geekbyte]

We're trying to keep the control schemes for either method as user-friendly as possible whichever is your choice of control.

Originally ES1 was designed for KB&M and we've tried to carry that familiar control feeling over to ES2, but as we're releasing for consoles as well (more news on this early next month!) we always wanted to ensure that the controller methods felt good too.

We're happy to hear feedback on the control schemes etc and love to see what you guys switch up to suit your own preferences.