Xbox 360 Controller for World of Warcraft

tehpmd · 10-19-2007, 06:23 AM

From Curse:

Quote:

Blue Orb unveiled its new free software package on Wednesday, only available through Xfire – SwitchBlade. The SwitchBlade software will allow Xbox 360 gamers to configure their controllers to work with their PC, specifically for the game World of Warcraft.

Whilst World of Warcraft is currently the only supported game, Blue Orb have plans to add other games as time goes by.

As well as supporting the standard wired Xbox 360 controller it also supports the wireless controller as long as you have a windows-supported wireless receiver.

In addition to its 'plug and play' pre-configured options, SwitchBlade is a highly customizable application. Experienced World of Warcraft players get extensive opportunities to reconfigure button mappings to match their unique style of play.

We all know that World of Warcraft is popular, but a lot of gamers are just hooked on the console controller experience.

This software has the potential to drag in gamers who may have been waiting for console-like solutions and answers to the control aspects of World of Warcraft.

The new software is available here.

My 2c: Interesting but you'd be at a significant disadvantage when it comes to targeting, PvP or pretty much anything else. I can only see this being useful for solo grinding while watching tv or something.

Zerai · 10-19-2007, 07:35 AM

That's pretty awesome. I fully agree this would only be useful in a PVE environment. Friend has the USB receiver (we've been playing SoM on emulator with 360 controllers) so I'll get him to check it out. Could be interesting to play with when you're not doing anything important.

kaid · 10-19-2007, 08:23 AM

An xbox controller would have nowheres near enough buttons for me as a tank I would wind up still having to use keyboard which would probably be more annoying. Some classes though I can see playing pretty well with a controller.

Zerai · 10-19-2007, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaid

An xbox controller would have nowheres near enough buttons for me as a tank I would wind up still having to use keyboard which would probably be more annoying. Some classes though I can see playing pretty well with a controller.

Tank anything important you mean. General instance though? np. Sunder, Instant strike (MS, BT or SS), demo/battle shout, thunderclap, heroic strike, auto attack, blood rage, shield block, shield bash pretty much all you need unless it's heroic. Really though there are 2 triggers, RB, LB, joystick clicks x2, 4 buttons, and the D-pad (so 4 more buttons) more than enough for anything low intensity.

Reptor Darkfiend · 10-19-2007, 08:51 AM

Long post but. . .

The best prog i've found for using any style contoller for any game at all is xpadder. The Official Xpadder Homepage. I prefer to use a PS2 control so that I can use 2 triggers as shift mods. For 12$ at Radio Shack you can pick up a USB adapter for those old PS2 controllers laying around. I have set this up for the WoW flophouse crew, and have laid out profiles for a warlock, pally, spriest and mage. Quite doable, and fun to pass around. Very handy with a custom 1 button tailored cast sequence macro for farmage. Just to give you an idea of how do-able this is here is some examplage.

Set yourself up a blank control scheme, Left Analog=movement, Right analog=mouse simulated camera, L1=mouse1, R1=mouse2, L2=(shift modifier1), R2=(shift mod2), L3=tab targetting, R3=jump. Fiddle with analog/mouse sensitivity settings till you find a comfy ratio. Save that up. Bust out ye olde pencil and paper and layout your scheme, you have 24+ functions to assign. macro's go a long way here. You may have to keybind your hotbars or revise them slightly. This set up will allow you to contol the mouse pointer for flag turnovers/looting/manual targets.

Example demolock layout. Offense: Square=pet attack triple/quad Dot stack macro with reset on target/combat etc, Triangle=Fear, Circle=shadowbolt, X=drain soul, L2+Square=seed of corruption, L2+Triangle=deathcoil, L2+Circle=shadowburn, L2+X=drain life, R2+Square=searing pain, R2+Triangle=howl of terror, R2+Circle=soulfire, R2+X=drain mana, L2+L3=escape trinket/wotf, L2+R3=dmg burst trinket.

Beneficial/buffs: I use the D pad for these. Up=shadow ward, Right=summon felguard/soul link/fel dom macro, Left=fancy random air or land mount macro, Down=armor buff, Select=make healthstone, Start=use healthstone. L2+Up=lifetap, L2+Right=eat, L2+Left=drink, L2+Down=cannibalize. L2+Select=score, L2+Start=map.

Few tips, one of your keybinds will most likely use the Shift button, hold this down and hit R1 to loot all. Don't be a button masher, pressing too many at once will cause you cast random things, such as, if one of your buttons uses ctrl and another uses (q), this will cause you to cast whatever ctrl+q is bound to leaving you to wonder how that was cast/blown/wasted. Be patient, with a little practice you will be able to control the mouse pointer with the joystick well enough to que up for BG, bank, or shuffle inventory.

Enjoy.

Reptor Darkfiend · 10-19-2007, 08:51 AM

Dam you double post, dam you all to hell!!

p.s. Poor Dagga bro, you're gonna hear "This could turn it around for Vanguard a long,long time.

Jahooty · 10-19-2007, 09:12 AM

I havent played WoW since launch so unsure about this....

MS already makes an adapter for 360 wireless to be used in conjunction with games. Course it wouldnt work on EQ for me, but did work for LoTRO.

Kylax · 10-19-2007, 09:40 AM

Are there any programmable 360 controllers out yet? Would there be the same restraints as a Logitech g15?

Lowk · 10-19-2007, 11:01 AM

I didn't think it was possible to be worse than a clicker.

Vardisk · 10-19-2007, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lowk

I didn't think it was possible to be worse than a clicker.

Had a tank in my guild a couple years ago, his turning/targetting/skill usage was so bad that we joked he played WoW with a racing simulator steering wheel and pedals.

Jubee · 10-19-2007, 01:39 PM

I could see saving a config for this. Obviously not for arenas or anything important. Just for farming motes on my Warrior or something. Hook my PC up to my 50 inch tv. Bind charge, hamstring, MS, battle shout and cannibalize. Lay in bed while farming. Profit.

rukidding · 10-19-2007, 03:41 PM

I have some wrist pain from time to time. Raiding a few days a week is ok, but more than that usually wears me out. With my 360 controller I use this:

Add gamepad / joystick support to any game - Pinnacle Game Profiler

With ctrl and shift bound to the two paddle buttons, I get a total of about 24 keybinds for spells. I just use it for 5-mans, or grinding, but I wouldn't raid with it.

Visions · 10-21-2007, 12:15 AM

Been using a xbox controller for WoW for a long time nothing new.

There is actually far more buttons than you think because you can make one of the bumpers a shift key so button x can be an ability and then shift x another one. Only disadvantage is mobility. Small price to pay for the advantage of playing on my big screen in my recliner. If we met in the arena you probably couldn't even tell, I do just fine.

Yukuri Fresh · 10-21-2007, 02:14 AM

It's already been mentioned by rukidding but to reiterate a controller is better for hand ergonomics than a mouse and keyboard setup. It's not perfect, but as we're on the tip of an RSI/Carpel Tunnel/Tendonitis explosion anything to alleviate that is welcome. That shit heals very slowly, if at all. Without taking months off work for rehabilitation there isn't a chance of recovery.
How many of our kids are going to have an overuse condition before they even enter the workforce, due to over playing games?
How many of us now have slightly aching hands after playing games, or even work? If you do, you're on your way to qualifying as disabled.

Northerner · 10-21-2007, 03:04 AM

I can personally never leave my ESDF + mouse for moving. It's a kludge at this point but I need it to move around in a good manner. That "good manner" is pretty fps native at least.

If I were to retrain though and for specific classes (rog/war pvp are ideal) then this makes sense. For my Mage though, I can't cut my keys available down unless I go more chording and while that works, I also like to be able to type text easily.

I guess that's the end thing really, go for a perfect interface and lose text or kludge it around typing for information occasionally. I'm thinking I am the dinosaur and that's all fine too. Damn man, I still save my precious "r" key as much as I'd like to bind it.

10-19-2007, 08:51 AM	#5 (permalink)
Reptor Darkfiend Registered User Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Under a rock deep in Kunark Posts: 11 +0 Internets	Long post but. . . The best prog i've found for using any style contoller for any game at all is xpadder. The Official Xpadder Homepage. I prefer to use a PS2 control so that I can use 2 triggers as shift mods. For 12$ at Radio Shack you can pick up a USB adapter for those old PS2 controllers laying around. I have set this up for the WoW flophouse crew, and have laid out profiles for a warlock, pally, spriest and mage. Quite doable, and fun to pass around. Very handy with a custom 1 button tailored cast sequence macro for farmage. Just to give you an idea of how do-able this is here is some examplage. Set yourself up a blank control scheme, Left Analog=movement, Right analog=mouse simulated camera, L1=mouse1, R1=mouse2, L2=(shift modifier1), R2=(shift mod2), L3=tab targetting, R3=jump. Fiddle with analog/mouse sensitivity settings till you find a comfy ratio. Save that up. Bust out ye olde pencil and paper and layout your scheme, you have 24+ functions to assign. macro's go a long way here. You may have to keybind your hotbars or revise them slightly. This set up will allow you to contol the mouse pointer for flag turnovers/looting/manual targets. Example demolock layout. Offense: Square=pet attack triple/quad Dot stack macro with reset on target/combat etc, Triangle=Fear, Circle=shadowbolt, X=drain soul, L2+Square=seed of corruption, L2+Triangle=deathcoil, L2+Circle=shadowburn, L2+X=drain life, R2+Square=searing pain, R2+Triangle=howl of terror, R2+Circle=soulfire, R2+X=drain mana, L2+L3=escape trinket/wotf, L2+R3=dmg burst trinket. Beneficial/buffs: I use the D pad for these. Up=shadow ward, Right=summon felguard/soul link/fel dom macro, Left=fancy random air or land mount macro, Down=armor buff, Select=make healthstone, Start=use healthstone. L2+Up=lifetap, L2+Right=eat, L2+Left=drink, L2+Down=cannibalize. L2+Select=score, L2+Start=map. Few tips, one of your keybinds will most likely use the Shift button, hold this down and hit R1 to loot all. Don't be a button masher, pressing too many at once will cause you cast random things, such as, if one of your buttons uses ctrl and another uses (q), this will cause you to cast whatever ctrl+q is bound to leaving you to wonder how that was cast/blown/wasted. Be patient, with a little practice you will be able to control the mouse pointer with the joystick well enough to que up for BG, bank, or shuffle inventory. Enjoy. __________________ The_Lich_Reptor_Darkfiend_of_Cabilis Last edited by Reptor Darkfiend : 10-19-2007 at 09:08 AM.

10-19-2007, 08:51 AM	#6 (permalink)
Reptor Darkfiend Registered User Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Under a rock deep in Kunark Posts: 11 +0 Internets	Dam you double post, dam you all to hell!! p.s. Poor Dagga bro, you're gonna hear "This could turn it around for Vanguard a long,long time. __________________ The_Lich_Reptor_Darkfiend_of_Cabilis

10-21-2007, 03:04 AM	#15 (permalink)
Northerner Shiny Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Calgary Posts: 895 -11 Internets	I can personally never leave my ESDF + mouse for moving. It's a kludge at this point but I need it to move around in a good manner. That "good manner" is pretty fps native at least. If I were to retrain though and for specific classes (rog/war pvp are ideal) then this makes sense. For my Mage though, I can't cut my keys available down unless I go more chording and while that works, I also like to be able to type text easily. I guess that's the end thing really, go for a perfect interface and lose text or kludge it around typing for information occasionally. I'm thinking I am the dinosaur and that's all fine too. Damn man, I still save my precious "r" key as much as I'd like to bind it. __________________ ...

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10-19-2007, 07:35 AM	#2 (permalink)
Zerai ~ Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: An Igloo Posts: 2,272 -7 Internets	That's pretty awesome. I fully agree this would only be useful in a PVE environment. Friend has the USB receiver (we've been playing SoM on emulator with 360 controllers) so I'll get him to check it out. Could be interesting to play with when you're not doing anything important.

10-19-2007, 08:23 AM	#3 (permalink)
kaid Registered User Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 130 +0 Internets	An xbox controller would have nowheres near enough buttons for me as a tank I would wind up still having to use keyboard which would probably be more annoying. Some classes though I can see playing pretty well with a controller.

10-19-2007, 09:12 AM	#7 (permalink)
Jahooty Registered User Join Date: Mar 2003 Posts: 63 +1 Internets	I havent played WoW since launch so unsure about this.... MS already makes an adapter for 360 wireless to be used in conjunction with games. Course it wouldnt work on EQ for me, but did work for LoTRO.

10-19-2007, 09:40 AM	#8 (permalink)
Kylax Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 176 +0 Internets	Are there any programmable 360 controllers out yet? Would there be the same restraints as a Logitech g15?

10-19-2007, 11:01 AM	#9 (permalink)
Lowk Seeking Sereity in Sound Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 1,725 +3 Internets	I didn't think it was possible to be worse than a clicker.

10-19-2007, 03:41 PM	#12 (permalink)
rukidding Registered User Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 183 -1 Internets	I have some wrist pain from time to time. Raiding a few days a week is ok, but more than that usually wears me out. With my 360 controller I use this: Add gamepad / joystick support to any game - Pinnacle Game Profiler With ctrl and shift bound to the two paddle buttons, I get a total of about 24 keybinds for spells. I just use it for 5-mans, or grinding, but I wouldn't raid with it.

10-21-2007, 12:15 AM	#13 (permalink)
Visions Registered User Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 47 +0 Internets	Been using a xbox controller for WoW for a long time nothing new. There is actually far more buttons than you think because you can make one of the bumpers a shift key so button x can be an ability and then shift x another one. Only disadvantage is mobility. Small price to pay for the advantage of playing on my big screen in my recliner. If we met in the arena you probably couldn't even tell, I do just fine.

10-21-2007, 02:14 AM	#14 (permalink)
Yukuri Fresh Registered User Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Tokyo Posts: 14 +0 Internets	It's already been mentioned by rukidding but to reiterate a controller is better for hand ergonomics than a mouse and keyboard setup. It's not perfect, but as we're on the tip of an RSI/Carpel Tunnel/Tendonitis explosion anything to alleviate that is welcome. That shit heals very slowly, if at all. Without taking months off work for rehabilitation there isn't a chance of recovery. How many of our kids are going to have an overuse condition before they even enter the workforce, due to over playing games? How many of us now have slightly aching hands after playing games, or even work? If you do, you're on your way to qualifying as disabled.