Nashor Arkkenclaid
Royal Uhlans
Amarr Empire
5
   |
Posted - 2012.07.28 17:00:00 -
[1] - Quote
GIMX can require both technical skill and lots of money.
You will need:
Quote:A gaming mouse capable of doing 2000 DPI or more, 5600 recommended. $20-70.
Bluetooth:
Another computer capable of running Ubuntu, such as a laptop. (You might already have one, but then again you might not)
A compatible bluetooth adapter that can have it's Bluetooth Address changed. ($5-$20)
Appropriate skill to get Ubuntu running, working, and configured properly.
Enough knowledge so that you don't wipe out your hard drive when installing it. (Important if you want to keep Windows around.)
USB:
Any computer with USB ports. (XP and 7 recommended.)
Materials for USB board. ($10-$20)
Tools to build USB board.
Appropriate skill to get firmware ONTO USB board.
Skills at maniacal laughter as you realize that you can reprogram the breadboard to use it on a 360. (5 skill levels mandatory)
Granted that GIMX is the best way to use your KB/M on a console at the moment, it's very daunting to people who aren't that skilled in computer use.... not to mention that the price point, especially for that mouse, can drive people away. Of course, if they REALLY want to use it, the many PC players getting into this game that can do it, will do it. The only people that lose are the people without the skills and/or money to set it up for themselves.
Also, if CCP gimps KB/M for the sake of DS3ers, serious KB/Mers will go this route. If they buff DS3, GIMX and adapter users will get the same bonuses that the DS3 does.
Talk about those catch-22s.
All this campaigning against the KB/M is doing is limiting the control scheme to specific groups of players; it's not eliminating it. It's only going to get worse as the control scheme becomes more and more mainstream on consoles. As the minority gets larger and manufacturers/developers start deeming it profitable to cater to KB/M users, you are going to start seeing KB/M support appear in console titles. At this point, it's only a matter of becoming a large minority.
At least native support gives normal players the ability to try the scheme for themselves without having to spend insane amounts of money to purchase the adapter or set up the program necessary to get KB/M working in the first place. |
Nashor Arkkenclaid
Royal Uhlans
Amarr Empire
5
|
Posted - 2012.07.29 02:41:00 -
[2] - Quote
This whole debate has bothered me from the very beginning because I knew it was going to be a debate that would set fire to the delicate boundaries between the PC and console cultures. Two cultures that are very much on-edge to begin with, and constantly flinging mud at each other in their constant attempt to defame the other as much as possible.
It's fascinating at how unique two sides of GAMING represent themselves as cultural entities.
But here's our problem. These two cultures are now meeting at a digital crossroad.
This crossroad is DUST 514. One universe, one war.
CCP is trying to balance two distinctly incompatible cultures with each other; console users who are drawn to the game because it's a console FPS that is far more complex then the generic, modern, military arcade FPS that are out there, and PC gamers because of it's intricate connection to EVE and because the game is, once again, far more interesting and complex then a majority of the PC FPS titles that are out.
Of course, one could practically expect thread upon thread in these forums to be dedicated to these constant forum battles. They're everywhere. Hell; we're in one right now, arguing in a debate over which tools should be included in this game. And suddenly, the console FPS community is in an uproar because of how it would suddenly 'unbalance' the game. PC users don't want to have to relearn how to play an FPS just for ONE GAME. Cultural war ensues.
I see your point. The Keyboard and Mouse, as a control scheme, is far better for FPS then a controller, and against DS3ers, it isn't balanced. You can aim, place shots, and zero-in on targets much faster and much more accurately with a keyboard and mouse then you can when you use a gamepad. The primary disadvantage of the Keyboard and Mouse is that it does have a steeper learning curve, no aim compensation, and until you get used to the way the mouse 'snaps' to the center of the screen, it's going to feel a bit awkward.
However, this sort of control imbalance is nothing new, and the other subcultures have been dealing with these control imbalances for far longer. For example, fighting games and fight-sticks. (Believe me, I can go into a list with the typical issues people would have with fight sticks, and they would all be similar to the common complaints I have read on these forums.)
If this is the case, why complain about KB/M at all?
It's because control schemes are something sort of religion. Controllers have been the console norm for FPS since the N64 days (which is when the first truly popular console FPS, Goldeneye, was in it's hayday.) and most players are not going to want to move to a different control scheme, no matter how much better it may be then what they are used to using. Many fighting game fans grew up playing their fighting games in arcades, and as a result many of the fighting game players have sort of 'forced' acceptance of the fight stick into the fighting game scene. For the console players, KB/M is an absolutely alien device, and they associate it with the typical PC gamer stereotyping. Additionally, console manufacturers can make a killing selling four controllers to console fans (Which retail at $50-$60, netting them $200 in sales) and licencing to third-party controller manufacturers to make a profit. KB/M is an open standard and thus practically anyone can manufacture one for a low price, and sell them cheap. It also opens the gate for high-performance equipment that exceeds stock equipment. (It's sort of like the difference between Standard, Advanced, and Prototype gear.)
Everyone knows that I've been in support of KB/M. It's practically a given at this point. But why?
In actuality, I feel that it's only fair for KB/Mers to learn to adapt on the PS3. CCP is trying to cater to the console gamer market, it only makes sense, for the sake of keeping the game (relatively) balanced. However, I found rather quickly that I couldn't look at this situation without factoring everything involved into an equation that should, in theory, be relatively simple.
First, this is EVE. Stabber McShank has put this into retrospect perfectly. EVE Players are ruthless and cutthroat gamers that will go to the farthest extremes to win, and they have plenty of pull over CCP. Lots of console gamers are coming into DUST without understanding the nature of the EVE universe, and they are going to learn how the EVE universe treats honor, fairness, and balance the hard way.
Second, they already have ways around a KB/M absence, and since this is EVE, these alternatives can and will be used more then in any other console game.
Third, the way the game could potentially interact with EVE has the potential to be a metagame disaster if the playing field can't be COMPLETELY EQUAL AT THE TOP. Yes, these adapters and GIMX we keep talking about can break the alliance metagame if one alliance gets enough of them in one group. At that level, you should practically be expecting that only the most hardcore players will be fighting with and against you. (There are plenty more complications that can arise with the metagame; this is just one of them.)
Let the culture wars carry on. They aren't going to be ending any time soon unless some sort of miracle happens and the two communities decide to agree on compromises and deals. (Good luck.)
If this was any other game, then nobody would care. But this DUST, one of the most ambitious projects I've ever seen.
I wish CCP luck; they're going to need it. |