Would like to get into gaming

papadan said:

Hi, I've been thinking of giving gaming a try. Will have to say right up front that probably the last time I've played any computer games was when my kids were growing up. I believe they were space invaders & pacman on an Atari. So you can see I know nothing about the current gaming hardware & games.

Initially when I visited this section I expected to see a sticky for new gammers or maybe a thread Gamming for Dummies but I really haven't seen too many threads geared to the new person. I suppose I'll just have to start asking questions.

It looks like to me from reading through posts that the majority of people think that Keyboard & Mouse is the best way to go for playing on a PC.... WHY is THIS??? Thoughts please. Before reading in here I really hadn't given it a thought about using the keyboard & mouse. I just thought I would have to buy a controller & away I go.

When using a keyboard & mouse are you having to navigate both at the same time??

This should get me started Thanks Dan

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Janus67 said:

Welcome to the gaming section (notice one m, not two)!

Keyboard and mouse is preferable depending on the type of game that is being played. For a game like a first person shooter (fps) where accuracy to consistently aim for head shots and such really matters a mouse is far more accurate than an analog stick on a controller (because of the sensitivity and ease of turning around and such).

For a real time strategy (rts) such as age of empires or starcraft again being able to quickly access shortcuts for building units and quickly accurately traverse the map and assign work to units a mouse is highly preferable.

When it comes to third person games, driving games, sports games, and fighting games a controller works very well for these as pinpoint accuracy isn't necessary nor are a lot of key binds (generally, there are always exceptions)

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Robert17 said:

I discovered from the same type of history of gaming as yourself that there are certain types of games I prefer, others that I can live without. That said, there are a number of games that have free download demos that you can try to see what you like as much has changed over the years such as story lines but little has changed in overall themes. After checking out a few titles you'll quickly discover what peripherals you'll prefer to buy/upgrade vs. just throwing money at them.

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papadan said:

Thanks, good info. I would think that most input while in a game is with a mouse. What is the keyboard for?

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Janus67 said:

The keyboard generally controls your movement for first/3rd person games -- WASD (w - up, a - left, s - backwards, d - right) [although some people prefer using the arrow keys, I did for quite some time before switching to WASD). With normal WASD controls spacebar is jump, left ctrl is crouch, shift is run/sprint, 1/2/3/4/5/6 is generally shortcuts to abilities or weapons.

In games like starcraft you use the keyboard for shortcuts to building objects and units, for example: click on a worker unit with your mouse, then quickly hit b on your keyboard to open the build menu, then hit n to select the building you want to make (n is nexus [home base for one of the races in the game]) then click the spot in the map where you want it to go.

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Janus67 said:

Absolutely! Check out the civilization games (the newest one is civilization 5) or any turn-based real time strategy. With those games you have all the time in the world and can essentially be played mouse-only

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papadan said:

Hi, yes but there needs to be a starting point, would you also say that the keyboard & mouse is that point?

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motherboard1 said:

I played Metro 2033 and Last light 100% Controller. BF3 100% keyboard and mouse.

I just downloaded a free trial of pinnacle controller mapper. Haven't tried it yet but love the concept of using left bumper (L2) as a shift function, effectively doubling your button count. Which I would rate as very important for PC gaming with a controller, as most PC games aren't designed with limited button count in mind.

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PicodeGallo said:

When I came into PC gaming many years ago, I was worried how I would transition from a controller. It was a bit different at first--just a matter of getting used to it--then it became very easy rather quickly, like second nature easy. I would start out slow, like the aforementioned Civilization games. A great fps game to get used to using the mouse & keyboard at the same time is Half Life 2 on easy. The game guides you along well, gives you some time to move around without being under constant fire, and has a great story.

One thing to remember, you can remap just about any key, and don't hesitate to do so! For example, the common movement keys are wasd, but I like qwes, as I find it more comfortable. Some games use left shift to crouch, but I like left shift to run and left control to crouch. I would also recommend a mouse with at least one side button for your thumb. I typically use mine for the primary 'interact' button, to talk to an npc or open doors. This will make gaming life dramatically easier with less reliance on the keyboard.

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Robert17 said:

Yes. I don't own a controller. As Janus mentioned, I lately have been playing Civilization V and only use a mouse. I know there are some keyboard commands but have never bothered to learn them. I've just started playing Sniper II but have yet to get the hang of it but it is a mouse + keyboard game. And also Star Citizen, same inputs. In fact I posted up a keyboard on which I added the game commands for Star Citizen. I'm sure that when the full Star Citizen game is released it will be time to consider a joystick, but so far the mouse + keyboard is working just fine.

Previous games over the past 15 years or more, mouse mostly. But then, the games I prefer and enjoy only require simple instructions to play apparently. Some mice have numerous buttons that can be programmed for certain games' inputs (macros) such that you can perform a function or series of functions within the game with one mouse button press. At this time I haven't utilized any of those high-end mice (meeses?) but would consider it depending on the game.

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MunkyTOS said:

Most important thing to look at is what type of games do you want to play. Some games like platformers/sidescrollers and RPGs are infinitely easier on a controller where first person shooters, real-time strategy and Massively Multiplayer Online RPGs can be much easier with a full keyboard and mouse.

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papadan said:

Yes I hear what you are saying & not knowing about the different games is making it harder. Any way you look at it they sure are a lot more involved than the old Atari.

Thanks

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