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"Joypads/keyboards/mice"

I've noticed that I prefer keyboard/mouse over joypad when playing 1st person shooters (as do a lot of people), and strangely I've noticed I'm a lot better at THPS2 wiht a keyboard, too.

Why?

Here's my reasoning...

Joypad:
>2-4 triggers, each operated by one finger
>one d-pad/analogue stick, operated by one opposable thumb
>4-6 'normal' buttons, operated by one opposable thumb

keyboard:
>2-3 mouse buttons + scroller, each operated by one finger
>mouse itself, direction controlled by the palm (0 fingers)
>the keyboard - many keys, generally one per finger will suffice, if any keys are needed.


Efficiency.

The keyboard/mouse combo is more efficient.
~Fewer redundant fingers
The last 2 or three fingers on each hand will not be used on a pad - therefore you have 4-6 redundant fingers, miniumum. On a mouse, you will likely have the thumb and little finger unused - but even they help control the mouse - and potentiall none on the keyboard hand. This gives a total of 2 redundant fingers, minimum.
~One thumb can't easily operate any combination of 4-6 normal buttons
Try it. Do any combo of three buttons, or two, or four, etc. All a lot harder than the one button, one finger approach you get on the keyboard/mouse combo. Additionally, if you have a depressable scrollbar, you effectively have three actions easily available with one finger.
~Palm control of mouse is more accurate than thumb control of 3D stick
If it wasn't, then it's likely 3D sticks woulc have become popular GUI manipulating devices, instead of mice.

So there you go. More fingers used, and more control with the fingers that are used. Conclusive evidence that keyboard/mouse combo is superior.

It takes a bit of getting used to when you first start, but it's better.

Yes, I suppose it is easier. The reason I find it difficult to play games using more than 10 keys on a keyboard is because I have 8 fingers and two thumbs, so I can only press ten keys at a time, if I have to press them all at the same time.

Spelling mistake I'd better correct...

VenomByte wrote:
Now try on a keyboard. Choose 4 keys easy to
> reach, eg the CURSOR keys. Press two of them, then a different two.
> Use you fingers.

..so Gamingboy that means you have problems using a pad when you have more than 8 buttons needed, but problems with the keyboard and mouse only when you need more than 10.


Now, for the 'four buttons with your thumb' thing.

One thumb. Four buttons. I'm not saying that it is at all hard to control, I'm saying that it is easier when you have four fingers controlling four buttons.

Try pressing the top and bottom two buttons on the four buttons of your pad, then press the two sidemost buttons. It can be awkward. How fast can you do it?

Now try on a keyboard. Choose 4 keys easy to reach, eg the sursor keys. Press two of them, then a different two. Use you fingers.

It's a lot faster. You have more control with one finger per button than with one thumb for four buttons. You can't deny that.

VenomByte wrote:
> How many buttons does your joypad have?

The one for my PC has four buttons + 2 shoulder buttons + start + select + D-pad = 8 buttons and a D-Pad

I also prefere the joypad, mainly because it is what i have always used, but also its a lot easier. Everything you need is in one place and you soon get used to having your thumb controlling 4 buttons and so on. Plus for that little added realism you have the rumble feature that you cant get with the mouse and keybored. Althought the mouse has got the advantage on first person shooters.

keyboards aren't really designed for games,anyone who's pressed three or more keys during a game would hear the all too familiar sound from the built in speaker. Quake and unreal on the PC use the keyboard and mouse method but I still think a joystick is far more reliable and efficient.

How many buttons does your joypad have?

But then there are games that have more than ten different things to control. I can handle ten or less, but no more.

The thing about games that use keyboard commands, is that you can reconfigure them. There's no need to be stretching across the keyboards and looking at the keys, searching for the 'L' or the 'Q' button, when you can set them to something easy like control or shift. Once you've found a setting where you can reach all the necessary keys easily, then it's just a matter of getting used to them, and then you're sorted.

I prefer joypads because, with a keyboard, if you're looking atthe computer screen trying to avoid getting blown to bits, it's quite likely you'll press the wrong key. With a joypad, the buttons are more spread out and there are less buttons, so t's easier to control.