How do you PC people even play?

ArchMikem

This is going to be a VERY dumb topic, but I'm genuinely curious as I have no experience at all with PC MMO gameplay.

How do you guys even play ESO on PC? Like, I noticed the abilities are cast using the number keys, so I'm assuming it's the keys above A, W, S, and D. But trying that myself as practice, trying to hit the keys imagining that I'm trying to move around and cast something just feels incredibly awkward on my hand. Do you literally make stuttering stop and go movements cause you're constantly taking your finger off the forward key to cast an ability? Or is this just a matter of do it enough and it becomes habit sort of thing?

As an Xbox One player it seems fairly simple to me as movement is on the left side of the controller using the left thumbstick and all the abilities are cast using the right hand buttons, so you can cast without worrying about your movement. Though I pre-emptively bought ESO through Steam when it was on-sale as a sort of safety net in-case something goes wrong with the Console, I just feel odd about the control layout difference.

FloppyTouch

I had the other issue when my account got transferred to xb1 took me awhile to get use to I still think keyboard is easy and better then controller

daemonios

Vanzen

Logitech G13 + WoW steel series gaming mouse.

Mady

ArchMikem

daemonios wrote: »

That looks incredibly awkward as well actually. I'm not good with the 3x3 numpad, and Hell that mouse has a 3x4. O.o

Jar_Ek

Practice grasshopper

jedtb16_ESO

ArchMikem wrote: »

This is going to be a VERY dumb topic, but I'm genuinely curious as I have no experience at all with PC MMO gameplay.

How do you guys even play ESO on PC? Like, I noticed the abilities are cast using the number keys, so I'm assuming it's the keys above A, W, S, and D. But trying that myself as practice, trying to hit the keys imagining that I'm trying to move around and cast something just feels incredibly awkward on my hand. Do you literally make stuttering stop and go movements cause you're constantly taking your finger off the forward key to cast an ability? Or is this just a matter of do it enough and it becomes habit sort of thing?

As an Xbox One player it seems fairly simple to me as movement is on the left side of the controller using the left thumbstick and all the abilities are cast using the right hand buttons, so you can cast without worrying about your movement. Though I pre-emptively bought ESO through Steam when it was on-sale as a sort of safety net in-case something goes wrong with the Console, I just feel odd about the control layout difference.

mouse for direction. mouse buttons for standard attack and block.

i'm left handed so i have the arrow keys for movement and dodge and assigned all skills and pots etc to the number pad keys.

all activity can be done smoothly.

IcyDeadPeople

At some point I tried this device (razer nostromo), and got hooked on using it for any game. It fits the left hand perfectly and has directional pad for your thumb as well as various trigger buttons and more than enough keys for all abilities, menus and add on functions

Wolfshead

daemonios wrote: »

One of the best mouse on market atlest i think so i have one just like this + Logitech G510s those to with few macro work really good

daemonios

ArchMikem wrote: »

That looks incredibly awkward as well actually. I'm not good with the 3x3 numpad, and Hell that mouse has a 3x4. O.o

There's nothing "awkward" about it. All 12 buttons go under your right thumb, which you aren't using when you're using a mouse in your right hand. I have all my skills + weapon swap + dodge roll on the mouse, while my clumsy left hand only does W/S/A/D and the occasional synergy/interaction. Takes a day to get used to it and I can play any of my 4 active characters and never miss a skill all while running around.

Runefang

It's all about practice really, you can be really good with any controller setup given time.

Controllers or gaming mice are more efficient at pressing buttons than a traditional keyboard and mouse set up. Mice are easier to aim than the joysticks on a gaming controller though.

Vipstaakki

Huh? Its rather easy to use WASD - keys while you use skills at the same time. You need to practice your fingers.

SanTii.92

IcyDeadPeople wrote: »

At some point I tried this device (razer nostromo), and got hooked on using it for any game. It fits the left hand perfectly and has directional pad for your thumb as well as various trigger buttons and more than enough keys for all abilities, menus and add on functions

What on earth is that? Quite curious

Edit.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YGgMhf-oOvM
Uhm, really interesting. Have you played Eso with it? Can you walk diagonally with the thumb or you got to use the keys? If so,do you have enough room for skills, quickslot, crouch, sprint, tab target?

Roechacca

Wolfshead wrote: »

daemonios wrote: »

One of the best mouse on market atlest i think so i have one just like this + Logitech G510s those to with few macro work really good

Macros are against the TOS. I wouldn't go advertising it.

IcyDeadPeople

sAnn92 wrote: »

IcyDeadPeople wrote: »

At some point I tried this device (razer nostromo), and got hooked on using it for any game. It fits the left hand perfectly and has directional pad for your thumb as well as various trigger buttons and more than enough keys for all abilities, menus and add on functions

What on earth is that? Quite curious

It's called Razer Nostromo, intended for the left hand (placed to the left of your keyboard), and mouse is used with right hand.

When gaming on a laptop, it's not very convenient to use the laptop keys, since your mouse placement will usually be to the right of the laptop, so your left hand and shoulder would be off center if you use WASD on the laptop keyboard. Before discovering this nostromo device, I used bluetooth numpad with left hand for directional movement etc.

stevepdodson_ESO888

all these pictures of the type of mouse people use that macro actions to the keys actually violate ZOS terms (if you read the small print) and is considered cheating...
but so many people cheat on PC (cheat engine to farm vMA, gap closing exploits to enter Keeps, using one low-level char so everyone can run through Sanctum to farm gear that drops at their character level...the list goes on) and that is your answer to how they play

daemonios

stevepdodson_ESO888 wrote: »

all these pictures of the type of mouse people use that macro actions to the keys actually violate ZOS terms (if you read the small print) and is considered cheating...
but so many people cheat on PC (cheat engine to farm vMA, gap closing exploits to enter Keeps, using one low-level char so everyone can run through Sanctum to farm gear that drops at their character level...the list goes on) and that is your answer to how they play

You don't have to use macros with an MMO mouse. In fact, I don't see much point in doing so, as the benefits would be puny: at most you could macro sequences of skills, but then you have to take into account targeting (certain skills require you to aim at your target) and input lag (for animation cancelling, you can't just do it any time you want, certain skills need to actually go off before you use another skill or block cancel them) and changing conditions (if you chain a series of 3 or 4 skills and something happens that forces you to block or react in a way that's not macroed, the macro will only make your performance worse). In any case, I certainly don't use macros on my Logitech G600. I've also never downscaled vSO (and finished it at CP160) or vMoL (and finished it at CP160).

Nice job of generalizing the whole PC player base as cheaters. Now crawl back in your troll cave, would you?

ADarklore

I just use my PS4 controller and Logitech G13 for quick access to menu options and have a small wireless keyboard and Logitech 502 for menu navigation. I hate using the controller UI, so I opt for using DS4Tool and Xpadder to program the controller to work using the PC UI.

Saoirse_Siobhan

When I started PC gaming I had no idea what I was doing. My boyfriend at the time had me try call of duty, and I ended up shooting the floor because the controls seemed so unnatural to me. I couldn't coordinate any of my movements! Then I began to play Minecraft and that's what taught me the controls. It's second nature now, it just takes getting used to as with all platforms. I was able to move on to RPG games, movements are smooth and I really enjoy it. I usually don't need to take my finger off the movement keys to cast abilities. Finger gymnastics! Any stuttering stop and go movements is from lag I've never played RPG games on console, and I'm sure I would be just as awkward trying to play on console as you are on PC. It just takes time.

Captain8504

Or hell do like I do...get a program that binds keys to your ps3/4 or Xbox 360/one controller...there problem solved.

Daemons_Bane

I just use a standard keyboard and a Logitech Performance MX mouse.. my hand is too big for all those fancy mouse shortcut buttons.. Practice makes perfect pal

paulmettersb16_ESO

Logitech G13 and a razer naga mouse.

Logitech G13

W,S,A,D bound to the analog thumbstick on the G13

G1,G2,G3 weapon swap bar 1, bar 2

G8-G12=abilities, G13=ultimate, G14=quickslot

G15=jump

Razer Naga

side keys

1=mount
7=Dodge roll
8= Environment interact
9=Player interact
10=sprint
11=crouch
12=synergy

Only ever really use the keyboard for typing and commands that i don't really need to bind (character, journal etc)

I've used this set up for virtually every single mmo i've played. Fluid movement all the time, all major commands readily accesible.

When ESO first came out i used xpadder for an xbox controller just to see and found it cumbersome as hell. haven't tried controller support since as i couldn't imagine all the commands being available on a controller and i'm so used to the G13 and Naga i couldn't imagine using anything else.

CherryCake

When I played ff14, the skills were on number keys since I dont have a gaming mouse so from 1 to 0 if I remember correctly (long ago and I dont play on PC)...however I SUCK at moving my character around with a mouse, I am bad at gaming in general and with a mouse its almost impossible for me

Reykice

You move with wasd and put skills on eqrfcxz so they are close and even 123 and mouse. Eso doesn't have that many skills... with a good keyboard you can press as many keys as you want so no issues.

Plus Light Attack Weaving, most mice have a button next to left click, a small one, ifyou keep it pressed it does like many clicks per second so keep it pressed, use skills and you have perfect weaving. So easy and nice...

The other advantage are the addons and the better graphics.

BlackEar

Roechacca wrote: »

Macros are against the TOS. I wouldn't go advertising it.

Source? All I heard was it was a grey area and they have not explicitly told us it was forbidden.

Flaminir

Razer Naga Hex FTW!!!

If you don't want 12-15 buttons to confuse you on the side then this is virtually tailor made for ESO!

6 buttons on the side... 5 abilities + Ultimate! (EDIT: Just noticed the new V2 version pictured below now has 7!

There is a button on top that your finger sits over which is then perfect for weapon swap as well. Then just use keyboard for movement basically.

Think of it as a more ergonomic and accurate version of a controller but for a PC.

Simples!

Ffastyl

As someone who has grown up on consoles and moved to PC for ESO, it is incredibly awkward and uncomfortable until your hands get used to it. Then you develop weird ways to rotate your hand without lifting a finger from the key so you can reach other keys. But mostly I use my middle finger for w and pointer and ring to hit abilities while moving. Change which fingers do pressing depending on which direction.

Runefang wrote: »

It's all about practice really, you can be really good with any controller setup given time.

Controllers or gaming mice are more efficient at pressing buttons than a traditional keyboard and mouse set up. Mice are easier to aim than the joysticks on a gaming controller though.

Completely agree on this, but I need to add controllers are also better for movement. 360 degree movement with a full gradiant of speeds versus 8 directional movement and 2 speeds via toggle (walk/run).

Depending on how a game is built, wasd may be better for movement and/or joystick better for aiming. For example, games that require sharp, sudden movement or games with aim/target assist or lock on. Many console games (with 3rd person perspective) also relegate aiming to the left stick, attacking in the direction of movement. In these types of games it is a large disadvantage to use keyboard and mouse, just like it is a large disadvantage to play an FPS with a controller (without aim/target assist).

Bonzodog01

On top of this, a lot of PC players actually use an XBox controller plugged into their PC through the USB port. There is support for this in the PC version.

KenaPKK

I use a Naga Hex and am a complete potato without it.

One of the best PvPers I know uses default keyboard commands for everything, and it completely baffles me.

failkiwib16_ESO

Honestly I play with a 12+ side button mouse, however I only take advantage of those buttons and macros when I grind, because I get tired in my fingers from pressing the 1, 2 , 3, 4 and 5 button on my keyboard..

For all other content I just press button 1-5 for skills, R for ultimate, SPACE for jumping, CTRL for sneaking, Q for potion, X for actiating synergies and WASD for moving around.

It's pretty easy and much more accurate and faster than using a controller, once you get the hang of it. I love controllers though, for turning direction smoothly, it looks better but I don't use them in this game.