Currently, it is obvious that a lot of work remains to be done implementing good gamepad controls for Zomboid. One simple change that would greatly improve gamepad play would be a dedicated cancel-and-close button. Currently, the game arbitrarily decides whether Circle/B will close menus or activate context-dependent actions. This is especially problematic when a player is stuck in one of those odd situations where circle does not cancel menus and zombies attack. It would be much more intuitive and better received by most new players if ALL pop-up menus closed in sequence when we spammed Circle/B.
Also, letting us shove or swing melee in the direction of our bodies without first raising our arm using the joystick would make gameplay feel much smoother and more intuitive to more players. Please just let me press right trigger while running to swing at what's in front of me.
Third and final one for now: let us jiggle the joystick to activate controller focus when navigating a menu... Pressing a button is highly counterintuitive and makes people think they'll accidentally activate a non-obvious button.
{Aiming guns with a lookstick (right joystick) makes more sense. However, people are accustomed to aiming melee (shoves and swings and stabs) in large part with their movestick (left joystick), so needing the right joystick feels awkward and unnecessary. I would be fine with optional right-stick aiming, but needing the right stick to continue swinging in the same direction feels unintuitive and wrong.}
EDITS: For clarity and alignment with style of other posts.
