How to play ESO on Mac with a Controller

decompiler

ControllerMate
I’ve been seeing a lot of posts requesting controller support in ESO. ZOS has stated that this is not going to happen in the desktop version of the game, and they recommend using a 3rd party Controller <-> Keyboard/Mouse bridge. If you’re using Windows there are many options that work well (I happily used Xpadder in the earlier Windows-only beta sessions), but on Mac there are fewer options. The one I’m using is called ControllerMate. It costs $25 and has quite a learning curve, depending on how deep you want to get into it, but the power and flexibility it brings to the controller set up - not just for ESO, but for any other games or applications - makes it 100% worth the cost in my opinion. If you take the time to learn it, I’m sure you’ll feel the same.

I’m going to present my controller layout, provide my profile file, and give some instructions on importing it to ControllerMate. This is going to be a pretty long post, so I’m going to package the sections up in spoiler tags to make it more digestible. Please enjoy - and I welcome all questions, comments, and constructive feedback!

The Control Layout

First things first, before you just download and implement some random stranger’s controller profile, you should probably study the layout and make sure it’s something you can play with. Here is the layout diagram for my profile:



Note that while a DualShock 4 is shown here, I’m not (yet) using the touchpad or PS button so you should be able to set this ControllerMate profile up similarly for an XBOX 360 controller, DualShock 3, or just about any modern controller with the "standard" set of sticks, triggers, and buttons.

Conceptually, I tried to maintain some Elder Scrolls basics while incorporating the fact that we now have 6 disparate attacks we can use at any given moment. I also tried to maintain a sort of "Feng Shui" with the controls - here are some key features about this profile that may not evident from the diagram:

• Much of the basic play should be somewhat familiar to Elder Scrolls controller users - block with Left Trigger, basic attack with Right Trigger, Triangle to jump, click Left Stick to sneak, etc.
• Interrupt enemies with Right and Left Trigger the same way to do with mouse buttons: hold Left Trigger while you tap Right Trigger.
• All skill slots are handled using the Square, X, and Circle Buttons - either with or without Right Bumper as a shift-like modifier, so you rarely have to stop moving/strafing during a fight.
• Want to move faster? It's all on the Left Bumper: tap to dodge in the direction you're moving*, hold to sprint, tap with the Right Bumper down to mount up.
• With [E] (tap DPad down), [R] (hold DPad down), and [X] (tap DPad right) keys mapped, you can perform a lot of the UI commands from the controller - buy/sell/store, join/leave group, accept/decline invite, take attachments/delete mail, various crafting commands, etc.
• Scrolling through the hundreds of mats in the Guild Bank donated by your generous guildies? Hold down the Right Bumper and use DPad up and down to scroll like a mouse wheel!
• Press Right Bumper + Triangle Button to toggle your voice chat microphone on so you can talk to guildies while simultaneously moving/fighting/gathering/crafting/etc, then press it again to toggle your mic off**!
• When talking to NPCs and given a list of dialog choices, you don’t have to drag the mouse cursor all the way over there with Right Stick and then use Right Trigger to click - you can use this quick key list!
  • First choice ([1] key) = Square Button
  • Second choice ([2] key) = X Button
  • Third choice ([3] key) = Circle Button
  • Fourth choice ([4] key) = Right Bumper + Square Button
  • Fifth choice ([5] key) = Right Bumper + X Button
  • Sixth choice ([6] key) = Right Bumper + Circle Button
  • Seventh choice… ok, at this point you’ll have to use the keyboard.

* - These mappings require changes to ESO’s keybindings. See the "ESO’s In-game Control Settings" section below.
** - I’ve made this command available as the [=] key, but you’ll have to configure your voice chat client to make use of this feature.

I’ve been playing this layout primarily with my Dual Wield Nightblade, but also with a Sorcerer Archer, and a Dragonknight Firemage. I've tweaked it constantly over the course of every beta session since December when I started using Xpadder in Windows, and then ControllerMate once the ESO Mac client was released in mid-late February. The only thing I use my keyboard/mouse for is chatting with my guild, sending mail, and the occasional odd key command ([F] to interact with a player, for example). I stand by this controller layout - it’s fast, versatile, and comfortable.

Having said that, I’ll gladly help anyone change it to better fit their play style or controller hardware - just ask using my @ name so I get notified.

The Profile

ControllerMate profiles are much more complicated than many other controller <-> keyboard/mouse bridges (Xpadder, Pinnacle, etc); as such, they’re exported in binary format rather than text-based, so I can't just copy and paste it here... but DropBox to the rescue!

The above link will take you to my "ESO DualShock 4 Mapping - v0.6.cmate" file. You should be able to drop it on your Desktop (or where ever) and then double click, or right click > Open in ControllerMate, or open ControllerMate first and use File > Import to get at it. Remember, however, you do not know me! If you have any type of virus scanner on your machine you should use it - no matter how helpful anyone seems. #themoreyouknow

As an example of what you’ll see when you get this profile open in ControllerMate, here is the main window showing the DPad and Sticks page:




If you’re feeling a little intimidated by ControllerMate’s interface, I feel you. But don’t worry, they have a pretty good set of documentation that goes over the ideas behind the various types of Building Blocks, programming pages, virtual devices, etc., as well as an extensive set of examples covering every type of building block. Before continuing, I recommend reading at least these pages, just to get familiar with the look and functionality of the application:

• The tutorial
• The single keystroke example
• The thumbstick WASD example

If you run into a question that’s not in the docs, examples, or tutorial, ask me here on the forums and, again, be sure to use my @ name so I’m notified!

Transferring the Button Mappings

Alright, here's where we're going to get into the nitty gritty. If I could make a recommendation, the first thing you want to do before you edit your profile is disable it until you're ready to test - just uncheck the "ESO DualShock 4 Mapping" group in the Programming Items list. That can save you a lot of pain at the hands of accidental button presses.

Because of the way ControllerMate recognizes controllers that are connected to your Mac, you are almost definitely going to have to replace each of my "Wireless Controller" buttons with mappings to your controller's corresponding buttons. To do that, follow these steps for each button (I’ll use clicking the left stick as an example):

1. Use my label ("Left Stick Click") as your guide to what's what rather than the button number (I don't know if the numbers will line up between my DS4 and your chosen controller.)

2. As an example, go the "DPad and Sticks" page in the profile I provided, and look at the Button Building Block labeled "Left Stick Click", which is button #11 for me.


3. Click your left stick and see which Button Building Block lights up in the Building Blocks palette. That’s the one we want to replace mine with.

4. Add the mapping for your Button Building Block by dragging it onto the page from the Building Blocks palette. (For now you should leave mine there as a reference.)

5. Then click your left stick again - the output at the bottom of the Button Building Block you just added should change from "OFF" to "ON" whenever you click that left stick.

6. Click back and forth between my Button Building Block and yours, viewing their properties in the Inspector palette, and change all of the settings in your block so they're the same as mine - particularly under the "Modifiers" and "Behavior" tabs as I have made quite a few adjustments there to many buttons.

7. Once you're convinced they're identical, pull the "^" Single Key Building Block (that's actually the [Ctrl] key) away from my button #11 Building Block so you can see the connection line (and pretend your name is Belgarion, since I first wrote these steps up for @Belgarion a few months back. ):


8. Grab the "OFF" from the top of the "^" Single Key Building Block and pull it away far enough that it disconnects (when you let it go it will disappear - that's ok):


9. Now grab the "OFF" from the bottom of your Button Building Block and connect it to the top of that same "^" Single Key Building Block:



10. Now, when you click your left stick, the connecter that says "OFF" at the bottom of your Button Building Block and the two "OFF"s on the "^" Single Key Building Block should all light up and change to say "ON" for as long as you hold that left stick click down.

11. If this worked then repeat this process to replace all of my "Wireless Button" Building Blocks with your own and get your configuration all sorted out. If it didn't work, then let me know more specifically what you're doing and what is (or isn't) happening as a result.

Once you're satisfied that everything has been transferred over, you can delete my Button Building Blocks.

The Virtual Mouse

This profile also includes a Virtual Mouse that I've set up specifically for the functionality of the right stick. Having the virtual mouse allows you to set up the sensitivity and acceleration of the right stick separately from your actual mouse (helpful for when you might want to switch back and forth). In fact, ControllerMate lets you customize the mouse acceleration curve to suit your tastes. something that none of the other Controller <-> Keyboard/Mouse bridges I’ve seen do.

After playing with the default acceleration curve for a while, I decided I wanted more sensitivity at lower levels (for more accurate movement in menus/storage/lockpicking), but also wanted more responsive turns at extreme levels of stick movement. So I created a custom acceleration curve for the ESO Virtual Mouse to handle both.

To see the current curve and make your own adjustments, select the "ESO Virtual Mouse Configuration", go to the "Mouse Axes" tab and adjust the curve to your liking. Here's a screenshot of the curve I'm using now:

As you can see it gives much more fine control at the beginning of the curve for finer mouse work and then ramps up evenly but quickly to a much higher acceleration used for "there's something behind me!" time.

ESO’s In-game Control Settings

There are some changes you have to make to ESO’s control settings in order for this profile to function properly:

• Change the Ultimate keybind from "R" to "6" to prevent confusing "Loot All" with "Waste my Ultimate".
• Change the Dodge keybind from "unbound" to "V" (this will also unbind "switch 1st/3rd perspective", but you can still handle perspective shifts by holding Right Bumper and pressing up and down on the DPad to scroll in and out.)
• In "Settings > Gameplay" turn off "Double Tap to Dodge" as controllers accidentally fire the double tap way too easily.
  

There are also some settings you might want to tweak to make your controller experience even more enjoyable in ESO:

• Increase the in-game look sensitivity (Controls > Camera) - I have mine set to 70
• Turn on "Look Smoothing" - I don’t know what this does exactly, but turning and looking around do seem less choppy with it on. /shrug
• Y-axis Inversion - this will invert your Y-axis while looking around, but keep it normal for use in menus - perfect for controller use*!

(* - If you invert the Y-axis in-game, using the mouse to look around will become very weird… so keep that in mind! )

Miscellaneous Bits of Information

• There are actually two different applications installed for ControllerMate - the ControllerMate UI and the ControllerMate Helper. The ControllerMate UI is what you use to set up and change your settings. The ControllerMate Helper application runs all the time so that whenever you plug your controller, your profile is ready to go!
• Be aware that when the ControllerMate UI is open, the Left and Right triggers (or anything mapped to a mouse button) will not work. This is a safety measure to make sure a misfire doesn’t accidentally delete everything on your hard drive. When you want to test anything that involves the virtual mouse buttons or you want to use the profile for real, you have to make changes, save, and then close so that only the ControllerMate Helper is running in the background.

Basic Troubleshooting

Here are some things to think about/check before you post a problem:

Are you using the latest version of ControllerMate? If you’re not sure if you have the latest, I recommend updating (ControllerMate menu > Check for Updates). If you just want to see what version you have check the ControllerMate > About ControllerMate menu and on the window that pops up you should see something like "Version 4.7.1" and "CMv4.7.1 Build 8D61" below it.

Are the group, the three pages, the virtual mouse, and the virtual mouse configuration I provided all enabled? If so, they will have checks next to them in the Programming Items list like this:


Do you have any existing mappings? If you do you might want to disable them! I don't know what having two pages with commands mapped to the same controller button will do...

Does your controller show up in the Controllers list on the Palette? My DS4 shows up as "Wireless Controller" even though I have it plugged in via USB:


When you push a button on your controller, does the associated Button Building Block light up in the Palette? For example, when I push the Square Button on my DS4, Button #1 Building Block lights up (albeit faintly...):

Disclaimer
I'm not a ControllerMate expert! I just started using this software for the first time a few months ago and only with ESO! If this process doesn't work, or if you don't understand why something is set up the way it is, let me know what's going on in the forums here and we'll work together to figure it all out. Which reminds me - please contact me in this thread, as opposed to via PM, so that everyone else on the forums can see our solutions.

I'm sure I'll be tweaking this profile as time goes on. Given the greater complexity in the ControllerMate export/import process between different controllers (as opposed to Xpadder, etc.), updates will have to be handled differently. I'll provide the import file via DropBox for anyone that comes along later, but for anyone already using the profile I'll provide steps to update it themselves so they won't have to repeat the process of transferring my buttons to their own.

Good luck and have fun!

Credits:
Thanks to my guildies @Rebelyn‌ and @justkdn‌ for helping me work through some of the more philosophical problems I had with this layout.

Djonzemiks

Hey, It's me again...!!
I have a xbox controllers for pc, I play on MacOs and my controller does not appear in the palette. Do I need the controllers drivers for mac or something else?
Thanks

swmccubbinb14_ESO

*Edit* - Nevermind...I still had Controllermate running in the background...its working now!

So I got a ps4 controller and am using your setup. The only thing i can't seem to do is get the left/right triggers working with the left/right mouse clicks. I changed the mapping to use buttons 7/8 as thats what was activating when i pressed the left/right triggers. It still doesn't seem to be registering in game. Any ideas?

decompiler

@Djonzemiks, it looks like a lot of people out there on the internets are recommending the XBOX 360 Controller Driver by Tattiebogle. Normally I would test this before recommending it to anyone else, but I traded in all of my 360 gear for credit towards my PlayStation 4, so I don't have a 360 controller to test it with. Also be aware that there appears to be a few people saying it doesn't work well with OS X Mavericks...

I wish I could be of more specific help here, @Djonzemiks. Please keep me up to date with your findings. If you/we figure it out we can potentially help anyone else trying to get that setup running.

decompiler

swmccubbinb14_ESO wrote: »

The only thing i can't seem to do is get the left/right triggers working with the left/right mouse clicks. I changed the mapping to use buttons 7/8 as thats what was activating when i pressed the left/right triggers. It still doesn't seem to be registering in game. Any ideas?

@swmccubbinb14_ESO, are you running the ControllerMate UI at the same time that you're testing/using the controller? If so, the triggers will not work - ControllerMate was purposefully designed this way (check the "Miscellaneous Bits of Information" section above). If the ControllerMate UI is not still running, let me know and we'll look into this further.

As for using the Building Blocks for buttons #7 and #8, while it is technically possible to play that way, I would advise you not to do so. The reason is dead zones. Buttons #7 and #8 report the pure "on/off" values for the triggers, using them means you will not be able to set dead zones and the triggers will be way too sensitive. On the other hand, the Rx-Rotation and Ry-Rotation Building Blocks for the triggers report a value between 0 (not pressed) and 255 (pressed all the way in); this allows you to set a threshold value which you can use to tweak the trigger "action" to suit your own maximum performance and comfort.

swmccubbinb14_ESO

The left trigger is not capturing anything other than button 7. Nothing is popping up for the Ry-Rotation thing. The Rx-Rotation is working fine for the right trigger

decompiler

@swmccubbinb14_ESO, that is definitely weird. My first thought is to completely reboot the machine in case something just hiccuped somewhere - that probably won't help anything, but it's the sort of thing you do first just to rule it out.

My next thought after rebooting would be open up the ControllerMate UI, go to a new page, and pull the Building Blocks for #7, #8, Rx-Rotation, and Ry-Rotation onto it, then pull the triggers and see if the appropriate two blocks are lighting up for each trigger. If they are, awesome - proceed. If they're not then I'm really not sure what the problem might be... it could be a fault with the controller, but I hate to jump straight to that - do you have a PS4 to test it on?

SEANisTheGOAT

@decompiler , @swmccubbinb14_ESO , I just ran into this issue myself and fixed the problem. This left trigger issue is due to using the PS4 controller with a bluetooth connection. Plug the controller in via USB. The problem has been solved but you have to fix one more thing. When connected via USB, pressing L2 triggers the L2 button & the R2 axis. Pressing R2 triggers the R2 button & the L2 axis. Simply swap the Ry-Rotation for the Rx-Rotation and vice versa. Odd enough I realized that the setup @decompiler has provided actually has these swapped already.

Here's another user who has also noticed the same thing and he explains it much better. (Read the 3rd comment from the top.)

http://www.controllermate.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2153&sid=7f0d8b48ad83ba744282d0490efd8c8a

decompiler

@SEANisTheGOAT, Thanks! I wish I could give you both an "awesome" and an "insightful" for that! I guess I'll have to settle for just awesome.

I've always plugged in via USB and I didn't know the axis-swapping issue even existed - I just used the axis Building Blocks that lit up when I pressed the triggers!

ccannon

@decompiler I am trying to set up controls using an xbox 360 controller, running into confusion with the hatswitch/dpad blocks. When looking at the dpad in the xbox controller pane its just setup as button 12-15 for up, down, left, right. Wondering if you could clear up some of the confusion with the value selector building blocks and having a single dpad block instead of 4 different blocks for the buttons. Also wondering what the alt dpad is for.

decompiler

@ccannon, ok the hatswitch is definitely a little strange - I looked at the examples on the ControllerMate site, but they don't really reflect how the DualShock 4 works, so I still had to play around to figure it out.

Basically, the DS4's DPad acts like a single button that reports 9 values, 0 through 8, like so:

• 0 = up
• 1 = up-right
• 2 = right
• 3 = down-right
• etc... (clockwise through 7)
• 8 = nothing is pressed

I have no idea why it's called a hatswitch (maybe something from electrical engineering?) and this information isn't helping you anyway. Moving along...

Since your 360 controller is reporting only Up, Down, Left, Right - and that's all we really want anyway - we shouldn't have a problem setting this up. Here are the basic steps to go through (all on the "DPad and Sticks" page of the profile):

1. Remove the two Hatswitch Building Blocks (just select them and hit delete)
2. Remove the six Value Selector Building Blocks that were connected to them (0, 2, 4, and 6 that were connected to the "DPad" Hatswitch and 0 and 4 that were connected to the "DPad (alt)" Hatswitch)
3. Drag and Drop the Button Building Block #12 (I'm going to assume that's DPad Up on your controller) from the Palette onto the page and connect it's output (the "OFF" at the bottom) to the "i" Single Key Building Block's input (the empty oval at the top).
4. Repeat this process to connect your Button Building Blocks #13, #14, and #15 to the appropriate places:
   • DPad Right connects to "x"
   • DPad Down will connect to three different Building Blocks - "NOT", "ON/OFF Latch", and "Delay" - you can pull multiple output lines from the bottom of the Button Building Block.
   • DPad Left connects to "q"
5. Now you need to add a second copy of your DPad Up and DPad down Button Building Blocks and attach them to the following places where my "DPad (alt)" Hatswitch was attached:
   • the second DPad Up connects to the Auto-Repeater that's connected to "Vertical Wheel: Up"
   • the second DPad Down connects to the other Auto-Repeater ("Vertical Wheel: Down")

Alright, now we've got all of the blocks moved around the way we need them, but we still need to set up the modifiers for DPad Up and DPad Down. To do that I need to answer your final question - "Also wondering what the alt dpad is for".

In ControllerMate, if you want holding one button to change the behavior of another button, you set up what's called a modifier. If you look at the layout diagram in the original post above, you'll see that holding down the Right Bumper is a modifier to several other buttons (all of the commands highlighted in light blue). Here are the steps to set your new DPad Up and DPad Down Button Building Blocks so that they do something different depending on if the Right Bumper is pressed:

1. First, take note of the little black sphere on the left side of the Button Building Blocks you've added. That will be changing in a moment.
2. Alright, now select your DPad Up Button Building Block that's connected to the "i" Single Key Building Block and look in the "Properties" section of the Inspector pane.*
3. Select the "Modifiers" tab in the Inspector and you should only see one listed, called "Alternate Key", and it should currently be set to "ANY".
4. Change that to "OFF". This is telling ControllerMate, "If I'm not holding the right bumper and I hit DPad Up, I want you to press the i key."
5. Also, uncheck the "Update when any modifier changes" checkbox below the list on the Inspector pane.
6. Notice that now the little black sphere on your Building Block has lit up green - that means this Block has a modifier and it's conditions are currently met.
7. Now go through the same process for your DPad Up Button Building Block that's connected to the Auto-Repeater/Vertical Wheel: Up Blocks, only this time change the "Alternate Key" value from "ANY" to "ON". That's telling ControllerMate, "If I am holding the right bumper and I hit DPad Up, I want you to scroll up with the Mouse Wheel."
8. Again, uncheck the "Update when any modifier changes" checkbox.
9. Notice that the little black sphere for this Building Block has lit up red - that means this Block has a modifier and it's conditions are not currently met.
10. If you now pick up your controller and press the Right Bumper you should see the green sphere turn red and the red one turn green. Release it and they'll go back.
11. Now repeat these steps for the two DPad Down Building Blocks you added. You don't need to do it for DPad Right and Left because they don't have a modified use (but now you know how to add one if you want!)

(* - If you don't see the Inspector, hit ⌘1 to open a new one.)

That turned out to be a fairly lengthy set of instructions... I hope it's not too confusing. If you need any part clarified, just let me know!

PS - If you wouldn't mind, since you're using an XBOX 360 controller with Mac OS, perhaps you could check with @Djonzemiks to see if they still need help getting Mac OS to recognize their 360 controller? I haven't used one with my Mac before so I wasn't really able to answer their question.

ccannon

@decompiler @Djonzemiks Thanks for the info. Once I reached the alt button in the layout I realized like an idiot what they were for after I had posted that but your info is MUCH appreciated my friend, it started me on the learning curve that is controllermate. As for getting it set up with a mac. You have to have a wired xbox 360 controller, the Tattiebogle driver that you mentioned (check the website for their requirements and make sure you download the newest one), and once you install Tattiebogle and restart you should be able to plug in the xbox without anything running, hop into the system pref and check the Tattiebogle pane to see it the controller inputs are reading. If so you're good to go ahead and setup the controllermate. If you have any trouble getting the controller to read try reseting the dram since Ive had people tell me that worked for them. just turn it off, hold down the cmd, option, P, and R buttons and turn the computer on. Keep holding until you hear the restart sound TWICE and then let go. It will reboot like normal and you can try plugging the controller in again.

ccannon

@decompiler @Djonzemiks‌

Since I'm working on the xbox controller I figured I would make it easier and share my finished Controllermate profile based on your button mappings. I hope thats ok with you. The only thing is that the up down left right movement using the left stick is a little jumpy when changing directions. Any suggestions?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/10z4vzpxnzg7n04/Elder Scrolls Online.cmate

decompiler

ccannon wrote: »

...I figured I would make it easier and share my finished Controllermate profile based on your button mappings. I hope thats ok with you.

@ccannon, of course that's OK with me! We're here to help fellow players of ESO play the way they want to, aren't we?

ccannon wrote: »

The only thing is that the up down left right movement using the left stick is a little jumpy when changing directions. Any suggestions?

Hmm... one of the problems we have in mapping WASD to a thumbstick is that we're taking digital-style, keyboard-based movement controls and mapping them to a control that usually gives us 360° full analog capability. There are two issues that arise from this:

1. With only eight distinct directions of movement (W = forward, W+D = forward-right, D = right, etc... like the Hatswitch) our analog stick essentially becomes a fancy DPad. You can only move in one of those eight directions.
2. Now think about how we're used to the left stick working in most console games - like movement in Skyrim: you can just barely push that left stick to creep up on something super-slow. But with keyboard movement you completely loose all subtlety of motion because there's no way to "barely push" the W key - it's either "Go" or "Stop".

What we end up with is movement that essentially feels like it comes from an 8-bit Nintendo game. (Yes, desktop gamers... tell me again how your keyboard and mouse are so superior to my controller. )

Anyway, take a look at this here diagram:

If you think of where you move the left thumbstick to as a single dot somewhere in this circle, you'll get an idea of how this mapping works. Whenever the dot is inside the "W" square, you are moving forward; if the dot happens to also be inside the "D" square, you're moving forward-right; etc.

I also added to this diagram the values I used to set up these boxes, using the Y axis as the example (the X axis is set up the same for left/right). The left stick reports it's position along the Y axis to ControllerMate as a value between 0 (all the way up) and 255 (all the way down). I set the top 96 to press "W" and the bottom 96 to press "S", leaving the middle 64 as a dead zone. (Just like triggers, dead zones are essential for making sure controls aren't too sensitive).

In the profile, you can find those numbers in the Range Building Blocks that are connected between the X axis and Y axis Building Blocks and the W, A, S, and D Single Key Building Blocks. I tweaked those values extensively to get the best movement for me - try adjusting those numbers to suit your tastes.

kivenkantaja8

All I have is an XBOX 360 controller, so I mapped it. If anybody wants to use my mapping, here it is.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-as0tMW04zJTV9taDRnd0NCVlE/edit?usp=sharing

It is as of yet untested... as every time I actually have the time to play, the megaserver is down. I miss the days of server hopping when mine was down.

Anyways, here is a crude and hopefully understandable map of the controls I used.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-as0tMW04zJNGZDOUZXUGVpQ2s/edit?usp=sharing

Feel free to share everything, and PM me any issues you have with it. As stated earlier, it's untested, so it may have bugs and/or be impossible to use.

Deidriana

would it be possible to have a "menu mode" set as a second custom settings group and activate it somehow? like holding down start? I am playing with this but I just wanted to check. It would be nice for the lay out I am going with. Mine is a ps3 controller but I am mapping closer to the skyrim 360 controls.

Edit:
I just figured out a possibility. If you create "menu mode" options on a single page or group you can then drag that(page or group) from the left menu to the other one(combat page or group) and set up a keybind for it to be toggled on or off. I am going to make a menu mode and play with it. I just wish there was a way to switch through the different interface items in ESO with a keybind. (so I could set it up as RB/LB)

I had another thought though. I know there is an addon that changes the ingame prompts to brighter more colorful things, would it be possible to make one that shows custom stuff.... like instead of right click to block it would say right trigger or w/e we want to set it to?

Deidriana

So, I just used this method to make a slew of emotes

edit again: It took some serious playing but I figured out how to have each mode selectable.

seansullivan

I downloaded the file you posted and when i go to import it it pops up in a window saying i have to select three things then drag and drop them in the controller types directory panel. when i go to drag and drop the files. nothing happens. any ideas?

decompiler

Deidriana wrote: »

I just wish there was a way to switch through the different interface items in ESO with a keybind. (so I could set it up as RB/LB)

I wanted the same thing, @Deidriana, but since it's not available I went with mapping the parts of the game UI I used the most (inventory, character sheet, map, journal) and just use the right stick and triggers to mouse other things out, resorting to mouse and keyboard for anything really involved (guild bank management, chat, mail, etc). It's a compromise, but one I'm willing to live with.

Deidriana wrote: »

I had another thought though. I know there is an addon that changes the ingame prompts to brighter more colorful things, would it be possible to make one that shows custom stuff.... like instead of right click to block it would say right trigger or w/e we want to set it to?

While I am a software developer, I'm not familiar in any way with MMO AddOn development with Lua. I'm sure that there is plenty of room for improvement via AddOns, and I've heard rumors that there are people working on that type of thing, but I haven't seen anything solid yet.

decompiler

seansullivan wrote: »

I downloaded the file you posted and when i go to import it it pops up in a window saying i have to select three things then drag and drop them in the controller types directory panel. when i go to drag and drop the files. nothing happens. any ideas?

well, @seansullivan, I haven't seen that before... If you can either attach some screenshots of the message you're getting, or at least give me the exact wording of the message, I might be able to figure out what's going on.

Vieks

Hi There,

I need some help setting up my ps4 controller on my new iMac. I am connecting via usb cable and downloaded the software (trial version only at this point) and pretty sure I imported your settings. when I go into the game it doesn't work. Are there specific drivers i'm supposed to install for the ps4 controller? it shows up in the controller mate software and when I push a button it highlights the controller. I'm really a newb when it comes to this and the controller mate software is very intimidating. I just want the easiest way to set up my ps4 controller and figure it would be easiest to import decompilers settings since he already went through all the hard work of mapping. Can you let me know what I am missing in getting this working? Is it because I didn't pay for the software yet? I definitely pay once I can get the trial version working but needs lots of help. much appreciated

decompiler

Hey there, @Vieks‌. Don't worry about being a newb, we'll get you sorted out.

The first thing I should point out here is the limitation built into the free trial version of ControllerMate. The following is from the main page of their site:

When ControllerMate is used without registration there will be a limit of 10 building blocks that generate output (keyboard or mouse activity, MIDI messages, AppleScripts, etc.). Building blocks that respond to controls or MIDI messages, perfom logic, math, or timing can be created in unlimited numbers.

Considering that there are 18 individual output-generating Building Blocks in my profile (and that's without using the PS button or the touchpad on the DS4), you're not really going to be able to use the trial version to effectively play ESO. I'm not exactly sure how they determine which 10 output-generating Building Blocks on an imported profile will function (if any), but let's check to see if we can figure it out, so you can at least see the software in action before you decide to buy.

Above you said, "it shows up in the controller mate software and when I push a button it highlights the controller." Doing anything on your DualShock 4 should light it up in the "controllers" list on ControllerMate's Palette window. If you select your controller in that list, any button you push/trigger you pull/stick you move should also light up in the Building Blocks list just below the controllers list. If all that is happening, your controller is recognized by both the Mac and ControllerMate.

Now look at the pages of my profile and try pushing the buttons you see listed on that page. For example, go to the "Face Buttons and Triggers" page, look at the Building Block labeled "Left Trigger" and then pull the left trigger (L2) on your DS4 a few times. Does the "0" at the bottom of the Building Block light up and change to higher numbers? Do the "OFF"s under the connected Range and Mouse Blocks light up and change to "ON"? If it's working, it should look something like this when you pull the trigger:

If this isn't working, there are three possibilities I can think of:

1. The left trigger is not one of the 10 Building Blocks that will work, given the limitations of the trial version. Try all of the other buttons on the three control pages ("Face Buttons and Triggers", "DPad and Sticks", and "All Other Controls") and see if any of them work.
2. If you try #1 and none of the controls light up, it could be that you have to transfer my various Key and Mouse Blocks to your own controller's Building Blocks. See the "Transferring the Button Mappings" section of my original post for instructions - I would test this with one button first, like the Left Stick Click.
3. If neither #1 nor #2 work, it's possible that you can't use imported profiles in the trial version of ControllerMate. To test this, create a new page and drop one of your controller's Building Blocks on it. If the Building Block you dropped on the page lights up when you push the corresponding button, then the problem is probably a limitation of the trial version.

Try the steps above and reply back with what did or didn't work, and if it didn't work, what happened instead. Also, don't forget to use my @ name in the reply so I get notified.

decompiler

BTW - I'm not playing ESO anymore, for reasons unrelated to the game itself. I intend to continue supporting this thread as much as I can, but if any of the other Mac+ControllerMate users out there want to pick it up and run with it, I'd really appreciate it.

I'm dreading the day someone has a gameplay-related question that I won't be able to answer because I'm not actually in-game!

Thanks, all!

Vieks

thanks @decompiler‌

OK. I purchased the registration key and now have the full controller mate software. everything you mentioned in your above post checked out and all buttons are being recognized as you describe. Basically nothing is working in the game so I must bee missing 1 or 2 steps. after I ran your tests, I minimized controller mate and launched ESO. started the game and went to use the controller and nothing is recognized. Do I need to turn on a setting somewhere in the game to let it know i'm using a controller? Do I have to point controller mate to the game directory before I launch so it is recognized? are there drivers I need to install? doI need to de select mouse and keyboard or something in the mac settings?. I also have a track pad if that matters. Think we are almost there....

decompiler

Vieks wrote: »

after I ran your tests, I minimized controller mate and launched ESO.

@Vieks‌, this is at least part of the problem. As I mentioned up in the Miscellaneous Bits of Information section of the original post, you have to completely close out of the ControllerMate UI before you can actually use the controller in other programs. There's a separate application called the ControllerMate Helper that should be running in the background - that's what actually makes your controller work with things like ESO.

Vieks wrote: »

Do I need to turn on a setting somewhere in the game to let it know i'm using a controller? Do I have to point controller mate to the game directory before I launch so it is recognized? are there drivers I need to install? doI need to de select mouse and keyboard or something in the mac settings?. I also have a track pad if that matters.

The answer to all of these is no. The game has no idea you're using a controller, as far as it can tell when you move the right stick it's actually the mouse moving, when you press the Square button it's actually the "1" key on the keyboard being pressed, etc. Other peripherals (trackpads, etc) shouldn't make any difference, and since ControllerMate is responding as expected to your controller input, there's no driver issues.

Let's test some things outside of ESO:

1. Completely close the ControllerMate UI (either Cmd+Q or choose "Quit" in the ControllerMate menu)
2. Plug in your controller.
3. Does moving the right stick on your controller move the mouse cursor around the screen?
4. Put the mouse cursor over your Mac OS desktop and pull the left trigger on your controller once - does that cause the right-click menu to appear?
5. Switch to your mouse to open up a text editor (like TextEdit), make sure it's ready to be typed in, and then go back to your controller and press the Square button, the X button, and the Circle button. Do you see "123" typed into the text editor window?

Vieks

@decompiler thanks for getting back to me and all the help. I will try all this later when I get home. in the mean time, for your eso profile for controllermate/ps4 that I imported, do you have a write up for which button combinations/etc do which specific functions in the game? Would be very helpful. Again, I will do these checks later when I am home. Much appreciated!

decompiler

@Vieks, yes, take a look at the "The Control Layout" section of my original post above for a diagram that relates button functions to key presses and in-game commands as well as a discussion of the layout and my thought processes when creating it.

Let me know how everything goes when you get home!

Vieks

@decompiler was having some issues connected wirelessly through bluetooth but now that I hooked up via usb all triggers are working as advertised. Left trigger and right trigger were reversed but left trigger was not working. Not sure if you can play wirelessly but at this point I don't care as its all good now. Thanks for all your help. My journey now begins....

decompiler

@Vieks, ah yes, DualShock 4 Bluetooth connectivity is not working properly, see this above comment from @SEANisTheGOAT‌ for more info: http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/discussion/comment/553240/#Comment_553240

Ashamam

I adapted a PS3 six axis from decompilers ds4 version, works perfectly via bluetooth.

decompiler

Thanks for letting us know @Ashamam, it's definitely good to hear this will work with other controller versions! I think the current DualShock 4 BlueTooth issue is just a bug in ControllerMate - hopefully they'll get that worked out soon.