Jump to content

Does PZ play well with controller support?


Dillerin

Recommended Posts

I'm looking into making my Mac compatible with my xbox 360 controller, it doesn't seem to be too difficult to get up and running, and fairly inexpensive... But I'm concerned about how Project Zomboid plays with a controller.  Does anyone play with a game controller?  If so, does it play well with this game?  I imagine I'd have to fiddle around with the buttons until I get a good setup, but for the most part, it seems most keys should be mappable and may actually work pretty well. 

 

Anyway, I am curious how others experiences have been when trying to play PZ with a game controller?

 

Thanks,

 

~D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I play with a controller quite often and although it's a bit fiddly (took me some time to realize the bumpers moved between loot containers and backpacks, and you'll need a keyboard to access the character window and the health window as well as pause the game) it's typically my preferred method when I'm being a bum and want to connect my pc to my tv. You have to wait until after loading your save to enable the gamepad, otherwise it won't work.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting... glad I asked, I initially thought that you'd simply map the keyboard to the buttons on the controller... ie. WASD (up down left right, respectively) then make say 'A' button the E key for opening doors and windows, etc.   Map ctrl key to a bumper button or something... anyway, now I'm a bit discouraged, anyone else have some insight to share? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i play with a controller, and absolutely love it. as pointed out above, the keyboard is still necessary for some things, but when i'm running from West Point to Bedford Falls, or fighting a group of zombies it is so much better than having to rely on wasd to run/move, or the mouse to fight. i personally would never go back to hitting I to manage inventory either, and now that construction is possible, as is filling water containers from a barrel, it just makes it that much better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I join sfy on this point, playing with a controller is really cool and imersive.

 

This is a list of good and bad things I've experienced :

 

Good with controller :

 

+ Combat is so fucking intense, charge with trigger and release to smash + skeaking x2 joystick to turn around zombies, dodges, feels like in a boxing arena with zombies... it's just awesome

+ sneaking around zombies using two joystick feels good when you get how to do it properly

+ interact with items near you with "X" button and not clicking on it make it feels more imersive

+ In all point, not having a cursor in front of the screen make if feels more imersive

+ the inventory system, super-intuitive, I spend a lot less time managing inventory with controller

 

Bad with controller :

 
- The walking/running system is hard to take over and with a controller you're more prone to run than with keyboard
- The same for sneaking with two joystick, it's really nice but also strange to get use to if you're good with keyboard + mouse.
- Not all the informations are shown about items to check how much an item have food amount, you need to drop the controller, take the mouse and check it. (also a bit realistic because when I grab an apple I dont tell myself "hummm it's 15 hunger reduction" so I now force myself to roleplay it and don't check every food value but it's a flaw for the controller anyway)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awesome insight folks!  I appreciate your opinions, sounds like I need to get me a controller that my Mac will read.  Was hoping my xbox 360 controller would work, but I would need to get a usb reader to catch the wireless signal and though I may order one later, I can't find one in town.  Thinking of just getting a used wired xbox controller but am unsure the compatibility considering xbox is microsoft and I plan on using it with a Mac.  

 

Anyway, thanks again, I have high hopes, because my lame a$$ sucks at WASD =\

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great!  From googling, looks like I'll have to download some drivers, but that will be a breeze. 

 

Anyone feel like posting a button map guide of an xbox 360 controller, or can you link to one already available? 

 

I'm heading to the game store after work to get myself set up!  *excited*

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use semi-controller and mouse using Xpadder.

 

Controller in one hand for joystick movement and most other functions.

 

Mouse in the other for directional attack and using the menus.

 

It probably looks and sounds unusual but it works pretty well.

 

The gamepad controls for PZ are broken or something.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmm, Rikashey that sounds a bit odd indeed...  I imagine I'll have to mess around with my options until I find a suitable solution. 

 

Currently I'm just trying to get the controller recognized by the game.  MirzaGhalib mentions having to load your save before 'enabling' the controller, I'm not sure if this means to plug the controller in after you're in game, or if there is something I'm missing.  I've got the controller up and running on my Mac, it's functional outside of PZ, but when i'm in game, it does not do anything... I've tried starting my save and while in game pluging in the controller, but still no luck...

 

Okay, so while typing the above text on trying to get my controller to work, I figured I should check options for controller enabling... yay!  Only now, I'm not sure how to enable the game controller while in game...  I've tried searching for previous posts on this matter, but have either overlooked it or it's not there, how do you access the user options in game to enable controller support? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hmm, Rikashey that sounds a bit odd indeed...  I imagine I'll have to mess around with my options until I find a suitable solution. 

 

Currently I'm just trying to get the controller recognized by the game.  MirzaGhalib mentions having to load your save before 'enabling' the controller, I'm not sure if this means to plug the controller in after you're in game, or if there is something I'm missing.  I've got the controller up and running on my Mac, it's functional outside of PZ, but when i'm in game, it does not do anything... I've tried starting my save and while in game pluging in the controller, but still no luck...

 

Okay, so while typing the above text on trying to get my controller to work, I figured I should check options for controller enabling... yay!  Only now, I'm not sure how to enable the game controller while in game...  I've tried searching for previous posts on this matter, but have either overlooked it or it's not there, how do you access the user options in game to enable controller support? 

 

The built-in gamepad support for PZ doesn't work or at least has never worked for me.

 

It's always been broken even though other people say they've used it.

 

My method is pretty weird but it does work well.

 

0Ka9MWR.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The built-in gamepad support for PZ doesn't work or at least has never worked for me.

 

It's always been broken even though other people say they've used it.

 

My method is pretty weird but it does work well.

 

0Ka9MWR.jpg

 

 

HAHA, here I was thinking you were playing with a controller in one hand and using the mouse with the other =P   NOW it all makes sense... I got an app for mac called joystick mapper and basically did the same layout you've got here, minus a couple of the menu button locations (You've got a couple of keys I've yet to make use of, also a couple; like 'B' that doesn't show what it does in PZ game options =o).  So anyway... Yes, I've got my xbox controller working with PZ now!!!  So far, I can tell I'm going to like it much better than using keyboard and mouse...  I may have to tweak the configuration some more. 

 

Thanks everyone, I've been getting great help on these forums you're all awesome!

 

~Dill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The built-in gamepad support for PZ doesn't work or at least has never worked for me.

 

It's always been broken even though other people say they've used it.

 

My method is pretty weird but it does work well.

 

0Ka9MWR.jpg

 

HAHA, here I was thinking you were playing with a controller in one hand and using the mouse with the other =P

 

Hehe.... that is how I play...

i play with a controller, and absolutely love it. as pointed out above, the keyboard is still necessary for some things, but when i'm running from West Point to Bedford Falls, or fighting a group of zombies it is so much better than having to rely on wasd to run/move, or the mouse to fight. i personally would never go back to hitting I to manage inventory either, and now that construction is possible, as is filling water containers from a barrel, it just makes it that much better.

How did you get your controller to work?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i use an old logitech rumble pad 2. just plugged it in, wait for the game to start, and press the button on the controller to activate it....the one that would be the X on an xbox controller. if i push it before the game has completely loaded and started, it wont work and i have to restart.

 

thats it. and of course, i make sure my controller is active in the options menu. i cannot map any of the controls though, but i don't think that is an option anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Same here when my comptuter make the noise that notify that i have my controller pluged in - I launch zomboid - launch a game, wait for it to be loaded and when I see my character i push one of the controller's button and a little box appaers on the top left of the screen with writen "take over player 1"

Not sure but you may have to enable contoller function in the options

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Hehe.... that is how I play...

 

 

 

I mean, like physically be holding a game controller in one hand and then holding a computer mouse in the other, but I notice you've mapped the mouse to the right analoge and right bumpers. 

 

I had successfully got the game to recognize my controller for a minute, but movement was all turned around, up was still up but left and right were inverted, when I went to try and adjust the inversion in my mac settings, it failed to work, so I restarted the game in hopes that it'd fix it, and I hadn't got it to recognize the controller again since. 

But, using a button mapping application seems to work just fine, so no worries I guess, but I did like how the game was displaying which buttons I could press to perform actions at the bottom of the screen, I may try and get the game to recognize my controller again sometime soon, for now, I still need to learn how to play the game =P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

 

Hehe.... that is how I play...

 

 

 

I mean, like physically be holding a game controller in one hand and then holding a computer mouse in the other, but I notice you've mapped the mouse to the right analoge and right bumpers.

 

 

Yeah.

 

I have the mouse mapped to the controller only for when I'm feeling lazy and want to sit back.

 

It's not very effective and a bit slow.

 

Like I said, it sounds and probably looks unusual but it works.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't get how som any of you are playing with a controller and enjoying it, i can't seem to get it straight, using the inventory zooms out, fighting zombies is barely doable because you have to aim with the right stick to put your weapon above your head, aim at the zombie with the left stick to actually move your character and then hold the right triger and release to do a hit, this is WAY to many actions to fight one zombie, forget bout fighting more.

 

anybody a good xpadder profile for the 360 that i can use i'm dieng to play this with my controller on my bigscreen! 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't get how som any of you are playing with a controller and enjoying it, i can't seem to get it straight, using the inventory zooms out, fighting zombies is barely doable because you have to aim with the right stick to put your weapon above your head, aim at the zombie with the left stick to actually move your character and then hold the right triger and release to do a hit, this is WAY to many actions to fight one zombie, forget bout fighting more.

 

anybody a good xpadder profile for the 360 that i can use i'm dieng to play this with my controller on my bigscreen! 

I'm using Joystick Mapper app from the Mac app store for $5  It's fairly straight forward, but also there are a few youtubers who've posted how-to's... not the best but good enough to get you going in the right direction.  The controls I have set up are very effective and am happy with playability via my xbox 360 controller.  I can post a basic mapping concept that matches my layout later if you're interested, but I'm at work now and can't get to it till later tonight

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

The ingame controller support dont work for me, i can press A in the menu and start a game with the controller but after the loading screen, its gone, only mouse and keyboard. That sucks.

 

As mentioned before it's something that will be looked into and updated by the developers at some point, since the game isn't really designed for the controller right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

you cannot activate the controller until you have actually started the game, and your character is standing there looking at you.

 

trying to activate it any time prior to that will result in the controller not working unless you restart the game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Yeah... controller support still isn't working.

 

All it says in-game is "Player 1 take control" or something like that. But no matter what you push nothing happens.

 

You're just stuck standing there with that stupid message.

 

What's the point in checking the 360 gamepad option in the menu when it doesn't work?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah... controller support still isn't working.

 

All it says in-game is "Player 1 take control" or something like that. But no matter what you push nothing happens.

 

You're just stuck standing there with that stupid message.

 

What's the point in checking the 360 gamepad option in the menu when it doesn't work?

and did you do as i posted above? i say it again, pushing ANY button on the controller prior to the game being 100% loaded, with your character standing there looking at you, will result in it NOT working.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...