4 Pro Tips: FPS gaming on the trackpad

[halifax]

All of these tips revolve around fixing yourself and your settings to make the right trackpad work almost as good as a mouse and be comfortable for long gaming sessions playing FPS games.

And yes, this is totally possible to do with the Steam Controller.

Proper Grip:

The key to understanding the proper grip for using the right trackpad like a mouse is this: there is no proper grip. You're going to have to let go of the controller and let it rest in your lap. Your hand needs to totally relax, let the controller just lie on top of your fingers.

Your left hand is the grip, you need LMB and RMB bound to the left side. I recommend left side trigger and paddle, respectively. EDIT: with gyro aim assist, this isn't as important, but if you don't like gyro assist, this helps keep a steadier aim on the trackpad only.

Proper Aiming:

You should use gyro aim assist in FPS and other shooter games:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B43ibnztDLc

But let's also talk about improving aim with the trackpad by itself, which is an additive experience, combining better aiming on the trackpad itself with gyro aiming assistance brings the Steam Controller surprisingly close to mouse aiming for a gamepad.

For aiming with just the trackpad: don't just move your thumb, move your whole hand and arm, kind of like you'd do with a mouse. Also, relax your thumb and keep it relaxed, and don't "claw" up, or your hand will start to cramp quickly.

Proper Friction:

When just considering the trackpad alone (not the gyro aiming), the skin of your thumb and the surface of the trackpad is probably the single biggest problem with aiming accuracy. Your skin changes in tackiness with sweat and oils. It'll hitch, it'll skip, it'll not slide consistently, *especially* for micro aiming that last part of a headshot.

If your thumb on the trackpad is already 100% perfect: good for you! Move on to the next section, please. For everyone else:

Option A: Friction reset:

Liquid dish-washing hand soap. NO anti-bacterial, just standard soap. (Same recommendation as certain plastic pieces of medical grade equipment come with.)

• Make a large batch in warm water, add a good amount of soap. Soak a cotton washcloth in it. Squeeze it out so it's just damp.
  
• Holding the Steam Controller upside down, clean it and surrounding buttons+plastic with the sudsy washcloth.
  
• Set the controller down upside down, completely rinse the washcloth and clean off the detergent suds from the controller, keeping the controller upside down - then towel dry.
  
• Wash your thumb in the same solution and rinse.
  
• Wait 30 minutes to an hour - it may seem dry after drying with a towel, but after a little time, it'll really be dry.

Option B: Friction augmentation:

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=545770792

I recommend a very thin piece of rough plastic that's thin enough to block the static electricity between your thumb and the pad as little as possible. Another benefit to being thin: the less you'll notice it (which is a good thing).

I have tried several different things, currently I'm using plastic cut from a shower cap of my wife's. It's thin and has a rough/fabric like surface - it seems to work the best overall for me.

• Cut out a small oval from the plastic selected (mileage varies based on what you use).
  
• Apply a glue-stick to the end of your thumb-tip
  
• Apply the oval piece of plastic to your thumb-tip, rough side out
  
• Enjoy the absolute best tracking characteristics you're ever gonna get from the Steam Controller trackpad :-)

Proper Settings:

The trackpad aims pretty good on its own with these tips, and feels a little cleaner to aim when every little shift of your grip doesn't muck with your sights. But, having said that, adding gyro aiming assist is pretty slick. Since Valve did such a good job with the drivers, it is recommended.

• Trackball mode = On
  
• Sensitivity = (Low setting, I recommend one tick below default)
  
• Acceleration = High
  
• Trackball Friction = Low
  
• Smoothing = (a very high setting)
  
• *Rotation = Off (exact middle of bar)
  
• 
  
• Optional (and recommended) Gyro aim assist:
  
• 
  
• Mode = Mouse
  
• Sensitivity = (Very Low sensitivity, one tick above zero)
  
• Acceleration = Off
  
• Smoothing = Low
  
• Advanced -> Sensitivity Vertical Scale = (3-5 ticks below center/default)

If you follow these tips, you will be liking the Steam Controller a lot more for playing your shooters and FPS games. Does it work as good as a mouse? No. But it can get a LOT closer and be a LOT more comfortable for shooters than most people are thinking it is - mostly due to not following these tips :-)

*EDIT: Rotation should be off, no rotation. You should mainly be using your wrist to move your mostly stationary thumb left/right and up/down. Turning rotation off is a good "litmus test" for if you're aiming correctly. You should be able to scroll level across the horizon in-game with Rotation off with a little practice, it shouldn't feel hard. Rotation is a kludge for people mostly using their thumb joint with a stationary hand to aim - which is an incorrect/bad way to aim using the trackpad.

[halifax]

Since I am loving this controller, I won't forget :-) And I keep bumping the thread occasionally, just because I get annoyed at all the complaint posts from peeps that haven't spent real time with it yet.

I can't make it a guide, though... I get error messages when I try - I will add it when they unlock guide posts. I'm still getting experience and making minor updates occasionally right now, anyway.

[halifax]

Removed the bandage recommendation for something that works better (almost un-noticeable - which is a good thing)

[Zukureneno]

Opprinnelig skrevet av halifax:

Removed the bandage recommendation for something that works better (almost un-noticeable - which is a good thing)

lol if i get mine i think il stick with ur old method XD

[halifax]

Heheh, it was easier to deal with using a bandaide tip - this is more arts-and-crafts silly, true. But trust me on this - it's worth a little futzing around - you want it as close to nothing as possible. Bandage tips are still thick enough, you can feel them attached to your thumb-tip - that's a bad thing. This mod is literally down to a few milligrams, you don't even feel it on your thumb.

BTW, now that my mouse hand has had a little time to adjust, I am liking this controller for FPS games even more. I'd go so far as to say, the Steam Controller method of mousing actually has some upsides over a standard mouse. Mainly thinking of ergonomics.

[Wizard_of_Nozs]

Tear off the cloth from a mouse pad and stick it on there.

[halifax]

It's all still experimental - I've been trying a lot of things. Haven't tried mousepad fabric yet, though. Sounds like it'd work well if you could cleanly separate it from the foam backing...

I found several of the things I recommended initially I didn't like so much after more time using them. I think my recommendation now is any cloth of plastic that is very thin and has a rough texture to it seems to work best.

Of all things, a plastic shower cap of my wife's is working the best of anything I've tried so far. It's plastic, but very thin and has a rough textured surface, like cloth does even though it's plastic. I use a bit of tape on the back of my thumb to fold it in place - it's a *total* rig and a half, true, but it works better than anything I've tried yet on the trackpad.

[GodLikeLeftNut]

Use a simple touchscreen glove. been using it for my toucpad controller for like 6months and works fine for the SC.

[halifax]

I'll have to check those out, I know they make electrically conductive threads now, for use in gloves like this... I don't want to wear a full glove, though. I just want something convenient that fits over the tip of my thumb and is thin enough to not be too distracting.

[Zukureneno]

have you try a rubber band? lol

[halifax]

Heheh, no rubberband, dude - that totally detracts from the fun of the controller. You either want nothing, or something that's as close to nothing as possible. I updated the friction section of the guide with (probably) my final recommendations based on two weeks of trial and error.

[Stacy]

If this is not already in the Steam Controller guides, it should be. Thanks.
Edit: Oh, I thought there was a guides section for the controller, but doesn't seem to be there.

[Zukureneno]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Stacy:

If this is not already in the Steam Controller guides, it should be. Thanks.
Edit: Oh, I thought there was a guides section for the controller, but doesn't seem to be there.

Actually there is a section is that nobody has posted yet on it: http://steamcommunity.com/app/353370/guides/#scrollTop=0

[madjr]

lol this guy totally screw up using this guide for FPS games and wrote and article about it...

http://www.pcgamesn.com/the-steam-controller-is-fascinating-ambitious-and-a-nightmare-to-use

I think is another reason why Valve needs official interactive demo tutorials with achievement unlocking...

but for now easiest demonstration for FPS is this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKuO9M0WuMg

[STEEL]

thanks helped me improve in RS6 Siege

[Elementriel]

Thanks all!