Is the gamepad support of PC games still that worse these days?!

[Bonny]

I'am actually playing 90% of my games on consoles since 25 years, but in the last few weeks i started to use my i core5 - Laptop to play some PC games that i was intrested in, and i have to ask: Is it still common that nearly all games have issues with gamepads?

I know that many people play their PC games with Mouse/Keyboard, but i've connected my laptop via HDMI to a TV screen, and i really prefer playing with a gamepad. I'am using an Thrustmaster 3 in 1 Controller (can be used for PC, PS3 and also PS2 - http://www.thrustmaster.com/de_DE/produkte/t-wireless-3-1-rumble-force ).

Games i've tested:

DreadOut - Looks like this game has no controller support at all, but you can actually play it with a gamepad, still, the button mapping is so horrible, that the game becomes unplayable.

Among the Sleep - Has controller support, you have to assign ever button on your own, the buttons work, but the controll sticks are doing nothing. Not playable with my Controller.

A Story about my Uncle - Has Controller support. A Xbox 360 Pad is shown in the option menu, but the game refuses to take any command of my Controller.

Monochroma - Seems also to have no controller support. My Gamepad is not working.

Well, DreadOut and Monochroma are not supporting Gamepads at the moment (in 2014... unbelievable ), but why are the other 2 games are not working with my Gamepad? Will a Xbox360 PC Pad work better? Am i doing something wrong? Is it still common in these days that games do not, or just poorly supporting Gamepads?

P.S. I'am also playing Octodad Deadlist Catch, it works with my Controller, the controls are horrible, but i know that in this game it should be that way

 

[Minox]

Most PC games just support the Xbox 360 controller since it's the most standardised controller available. To make your controller work as it should you might need to use x360ce - an Xbox 360 controller emulator which makes your controller appear as a 360 controller to the game.

 

[Bonny]

Uhh... thanks a lot. Good to know. I'll sure try this.

Will post if it works.

 

[Ericthegreat]

Yea that should help a bit, but I've played none of the games you mentioned.

 

[Sicklyboy]

For games that have no controller support period, you could try mapping your controller to mouse and keyboard buttions/clicks/movements with a program called xpadder. It's a paid program now, but it used to be freeware. The old freeware versions can be found if you're handy with Google, and that's as far as I'm going with that also, the old ones need to be run in compatibility mode on more recent versions of Windows.

 

[Minox]

For games that have no controller support period, you could try mapping your controller to mouse and keyboard buttions/clicks/movements with a program called xpadder. It's a paid program now, but it used to be freeware. The old freeware versions can be found if you're handy with Google, and that's as far as I'm going with that also, the old ones need to be run in compatibility mode on more recent versions of Windows.

There's also Joy2Key if you want a free alternative that does the same thing.

 

[Bonny]

x360ce didn't work for me... but XPadder is excellent! Solves nearly all my problems! Joy2Key is a good alternative and also working like a charm. Thanks Sicklyboy and Minox!

 

[migles]

Bonny

xinput is the new standard xbox controller introduced, if you get a xinput controller almost every game will support it and it will be plug and play with keys already mapped and ready... (some games let you configure it)

if you own a directinput controller, the old standard, a lot of new games doesn't support it and you will have a lot of work configuring it, since there are thousand of different controllers games usually never have the correct keys configuration so you need to do a lot of work...


for games which ONLY supports xinput you need to know how to work with x360ce, you need to replace DLLS on every game you play... you open the program, configure your gamepad, then you copy the dlls + ini files into the game fodler where the xinput dlls are located, this will replace xinput for an emulator to support your gamepad...

if you got some money to spare and want to get yourself rid of work, i suggest you to buy a xinput gamepad, like the logitech F series, they are very good gamepads (i have the wireless one) which let you select xinput or directinput so if the game doesnt support one, you just use the switch...

 

[Mario92]

x360ce didn't work for me... but XPadder is excellent! Solves nearly all my problems! Joy2Key is a good alternative and also working like a charm. Thanks Sicklyboy and Minox!

Only problem with Xpadder is that if you bind stick to WASD and mouse it's worse than actual gamepad support. Left stick becomes digital instead of analog input, you may need to enable mouse smoothing/acceleration to make stick behave bit better and some games won't give you option to toggle those.

Xpadder, Joy2Key, etc. should be last solution if game has zero compatibility with controllers.

This may sound pretty douchey but just get wired 360 controller. Even if I hate relying for single company with something 360 controller just simply works with everything directly, gives proper prompts, easier to plug several controllers, etc.

Also tiny tip: put every game you own to steam library. When you plug in HDMI you can simply press home button from controller and play any game from big picture.

 

[Black-Ice]

I use a ps3 controller with the drivers of an xbox controller.
So the pc thinks its an xbox controller.

Works perfectly for all the games and emulators i've tried

 

[Hells Malice]

Any game with gamepad support typically only supports the good ones.

AKA a 360 pad, as has been mentioned. It's just the easiest and best thing to use.

 

[Bonny]

@ migles: Thanks for the explanation. As much as i know and this site says (http://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/12682/compatibility-of-controllers-for-pc-games), the Thrustmaster - Wireless 3 in 1 Rumble Force is xinput compatible.

Only problem with Xpadder is that if you bind stick to WASD and mouse it's worse than actual gamepad support. Left stick becomes digital instead of analog input, you may need to enable mouse smoothing/acceleration to make stick behave bit better and some games won't give you option to toggle those.

Xpadder, Joy2Key, etc. should be last solution if game has zero compatibility with controllers.

You're sure right. But i only play smaller "outsider" titles on my Laptop. The machine is sure too weak for real big titles. So many of the games i play have either no controller support or it is no problem that the stick becomes digital, cause the games do not use the analog sensivity.

Also tiny tip: put every game you own to steam library. When you plug in HDMI you can simply press home button from controller and play any game from big picture.

It's a Laptop, i just have to press a hotkey and the game appears on my TV Screen

AKA a 360 pad, as has been mentioned. It's just the easiest and best thing to use.

Correct. But as long as i'am happy with xpadder, i'll go on with that. Recently a nice purple Xbox 360 controller came out here in Europe. A shame, that he works only with the 360, and not with the PC. Is there a way to make wireless 360 Controllers working with a PC?

 

[Sicklyboy]

[...]Correct. But as long as i'am happy with xpadder, i'll go on with that. Recently a nice purple Xbox 360 controller came out here in Europe. A shame, that he works only with the 360, and not with the PC. Is there a way to make wireless 360 Controllers working with a PC?

http://www.tmart.com/Wireless-Gaming-Receiver-for-Windows-black-XBOX-360_p101147.html

Own one and it works great. Just have to go into device manager and force it to use the driver for the "Xbox 360 Wireless Controller Receiver for Windows", it's a knockoff one and doesn't install the drivers automagically.