Controller Support Suggestions

[wu05]

I play PC games exclusively using controller and have spent a lot of time experimenting on ergonomic control schemes, as well as adapting controllers to traditionally mouse and keyboard games. I was very much looking forward to revisiting V Rising in 1.0 but the current implementation of controller support needs some revising and rethinking to make it as user friendly as possible while preserving the skill shot nature of the combat.

I understand why the devs chose to use the Y/Triangle button to rotate the camera. They wanted to keep the right stick exclusively for 360 degree skill shot aiming. However, this implementation is highly cumbersome and needs to be redesigned. The devs as a whole are clearly mouse and keyboard users primarily and the current controller implementation shows that.

The root of the controller problem is because this is a top-down isometric game that utilizes 360 degree skill shots, 360 degree independent movement/strafing, as well as simultaneously allowing manual 360 degree camera angle control. If there was no manual camera control, the game would behave like a normal twin stick shooter. However, because we need to control the camera for visibility purposes to see what's in front of you, this goes at odds with the skill shot aiming system, because you need to pick one: either camera control or combat aiming control. Both are traditionally used by the right analog stick.

I may have some solutions to this issue with some suggestions.

Firstly, there should be automatic horizontal camera centering for navigation while moving the character with the left stick, so we don’t have to constantly readjust the camera angle when traveling around the game world. If this game was a fixed-camera isometric top down game, this would not be an issue. We would just use the left stick to move around like in Diablo or No Rest for the Wicked. But in this game, we need to see as much as we can towards the horizon. so we need camera centering as a quality of life feature. Almost every third person action game with controller support has this.

If the devs are insistent on keeping free aim skillshots for combat using the right stick, the camera angle during combat needs to be automated.

I would personally like to see a camera soft target lock on feature similar to games like The Witcher 3 next gen edition, Godfall, Shadow of Mordor, Assassin’s Creed Origins, and Dark Souls. The camera direction should automatically and slowly pan towards enemies in combat so you can use the right stick for skillshots while keeping the camera directed towards your opponents. Ideally, the camera should have its own intelligent automation to dynamically keep foes in sight without demanding player input.
However, a foreseeable issue that may arise is that the constant automatic panning of the camera may make it more difficult to aim skillshots, so I would further suggest that when the right stick is pushed in any direction, camera movement should be temporarily suspended and remain static to allow for more consistent aiming results. When the right stick is released and springs back to its center deadzone, then the camera should go back to its normal dynamic movement.

Secondly, I would assume that most players would actually prefer to use the right stick as dedicated camera angle movement, so if we want this to happen, we will need to come up with another solution to the 360 degree skill shot aiming issue. If we make the game instead control like Dark Souls/Monster Hunter with left stick as movement, right stick as camera, and right stick click as a hard camera lock, how will we aim our abilities? This hypothetical control scheme only allows for attacks directed towards the locked target, or pointed in the direction the left stick is tilted. Because of this, I propose that we make it so the left trigger enables 360 degree skillshot aiming while the trigger is held, and camera control while the trigger is not held. This may be the best of both worlds.

I would like to hear more amongst the controller community about their thoughts and ideas to improve the controls.

[NekroMantix]

I am agree with this post, is too dificult to play with gamepad, some lock on target in Pve should be nice, alongside the auto camera panning.

[AG]

It's bearable on PC with a normal gamepad, but it's almost unplayable on Steam Deck. I even tried using the back grips to help, but they're so heavy to pull that it's just not worth it. What I don't like is that one disables the other.

While in combat, fights become like double the length, because you're having to alternate camera rotation and attacking. It doesn't help that enemies are very jumpy/dashy, so it's almost a constant play with the camera rotation.

I could see an option for an auto camera follow or something that basically makes the right-stick your movement and rotates the camera based on what you're looking at. It might make the directional ranged attacks harder to pull off, but at least it wouldn't disable combat entirely while doing it like it currently does.

I tried playing with KBM and it's just stupidly simple. You hold the right-click. Zero issues with that simplicity, because you're using an independent finger that isn't preventing you from directional attacks or melee. However, the rest of the gamepad controls I can cope with. I do accidentally hit X a lot of times, mostly out of habit with X being a weak attack usually.

[UdderJuice]

While I don't disagree that the controller scheme could be thought out a little better and possibly tweaked, the developer is never going to add an enemy "lock on" feature. This would make the entire aiming mechanic totally pointless when it is an integral part of the combat.

[Just about elbow deep]

It's a hard fix, it's clear they wanted to meet people halfway with adding controller support, and it likely won't be an issue on console since everyone should be dealing with the same issue. No easy workaround while trying to maintain the aiming mechanic, it's always going to be cumbersome as far as i can tell.

[Just about elbow deep]

That said, the first priority should simply be getting it to work at all lmao. Can't join a server with a controller, since you can't put in the password. But if you use the m&kb to put in the password, well now you can't use the controller.

[klaytonix]

I agree.. just got this game to play on my Steam Deck, and the controls are not very good. Great post, and it is disappointing. If something like Diablo can play good with controller I would think this can too.

[burner19]

Mouse and keybord lets you to rotate cam and attack and with controller you cant so game is designed to move and dodge and atack at once. With mouse and keybord it is possible with controller its not. You even cant rebind controller. To be frank if i knew that controller support will be this incredibly poor i would never support this game and bought it in ea.