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    XCOM: Enemy Unknown

    Game » consists of 19 releases. Released Oct 09, 2012

    The classic tactical turn-based combat returns in this modern re-imagining of X-COM: UFO Defense.

    KB&M or Gamepad?

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    Seppli

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    #1  Edited By Seppli


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    Seppli

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    #2  Edited By Seppli

    The XCOM: Enemy Unkown demo is out on Steam. The game supports the 360 gamepad natively, as well as a proper KB&M interface with hotkeys et all. What interface device did you prefer?

    I much prefer the gamepad. KB&M seemed too nervous. Since I've all the time in the world in a turnbased game, I don't need the split-second speed advantage of the KB&M setup - and the gamepad controls are well thought out and intuitive. At least for the combat centric content of the demo. Hopefully the management part will work equally well with the gamepad.

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    Tennmuerti

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    #3  Edited By Tennmuerti

    I've been playing turnbased strategy/tactics games with K&M since i started playing games so yeah K&M. Also the dexterity of shortcuts and menu navigation. TBS games are already slow enough, i don't want to slow them down even more with a gamepad. Speeding them up is the imperative for me.

    @Seppli: How can you be nervous in a turn based strategy games, they are like about the most mellow slow paced genre there is. You play shooters ffs. o.O

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    Seppli

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    #4  Edited By Seppli

    @Tennmuerti said:

    I've been playing turnbased strategy/tactics games with K&M since i started playing games so yeah K&M. Also the dexterity of shortcuts and menu navigation. TBS games are already slow enough, i don't want to slow them down even more with a gamepad. Speeding them up is the imperative for me.

    @Seppli: How can you be nervous in a turn based strategy games, they are like about the most mellow slow paced genre there is. You play shooters ffs. o.O

    With all the environmental elements fading in and out, when the mousecursor flying over the screen - the game's respond to my input is just too nervous for my taste. The picture becomes noisy. The movement jerky. I much prefer the smoothness of gamepad input, and the much cleaner picture. The gamepad is per default hotkey based, so there's really not much slowing down, other than cursor control.

    I am not stressed out by the game per se, if that's what you've been getting out of my opening post.

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    delta_ass

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    #5  Edited By delta_ass

    Demos are now... 5.5 gigs? wtf...

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    weltal

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    #6  Edited By weltal

    I didn't care for the KB&M controls so I suppose I'll have to go with the gamepad.

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    Spoonman671

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    #7  Edited By Spoonman671

    I clicked on the wrong one.  Sadness.

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    Justin258

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    #8  Edited By Justin258

    I'll probably do I like have done with most other PC games that have gamepad support. Sometimes I'll play with a gamepad, sometimes with a KBM. It all depends on which one I feel like using at the moment (and whether or not the game in question is a multiplayer shooter - sorry, BF3, can't play that with a gamepad)

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    kindgineer

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    #9  Edited By kindgineer

    If I can, I'll generally choose Game-pad over the KB+M. I like the ability to recline in my chair and play the game comfortably. Playing a game for 3-4 hours straight tends to wear on the back when you're sitting up straight in a chair the entire time.

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    chaser324

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    #10  Edited By chaser324  Moderator

    I tried both in the demo, and I think I prefer the gamepad. Keyboard and mouse is fine, but the controls just seem to have been put together with a gamepad first mentality.

    Having said that, I'll be playing the full game on 360 anyway, but even if I was playing on PC, I'd still use a 360 controller.

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    mak_wikus

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    #11  Edited By mak_wikus

    I've just played through the LA mission and I went with the gamepad. I tried K&M until they told me to shoot. I don't know why, but I didn't like the keyboard controls and found the UI too spread out for a mouse. Or something. I dunno...

    I restarted the game with a 360 controller and it was awesome. (Note: you can't change you control scheme during missions, which is a problem in the demo because of all the unskippable stuff.)

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    Giantstalker

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    #12  Edited By Giantstalker

    I've never played a single game where a controller was superior to a [properly supported] Keyboard+Mouse combo. Ever.

    BAD ports, on the other hand...

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    Samaritan

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    #13  Edited By Samaritan

    I was planning on playing keyboard & mouse all the way, but after playing the demo, they optimized that game so much for a controller that playing with a mouse feels like a port from a console game, which is kind of sad...

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    kishinfoulux

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    #14  Edited By kishinfoulux

    Controller worked great so that.

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    DJJoeJoe

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    #15  Edited By DJJoeJoe

    @Delta_Ass: There's no standards to demos on PC, if you want standards then check out what Live does with demos and stuff. Each game is very different, Skyrim for instance is something closer to 3GB total, where as Max Payne is closer to... 30GB. a 500mb or 1GB demo of Max Payne would be like 1 room or something (hyperbole! Yay!). 1Gb demo of Skyrim would be hours, or could be.

    What's your internet situation like, this demo took me under 20mins to grab at 5-6MB/S.

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    ChaosDent

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    #16  Edited By ChaosDent

    It's definitely not comfortable mouse-only, but with the keyboard binding it's pretty good.

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    Tennmuerti

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    #17  Edited By Tennmuerti

    @Seppli:

    I posted this in another thread. Try turning off vsync. (i also had framerate smoothing off) That completely fixed the mouse for me and made it go from a sluggish mess to a smooth buttery perfection after trying the demo for myself.

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    AhmadMetallic

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    #18  Edited By AhmadMetallic

    @Delta_Ass said:

    Demos are now... 5.5 gigs? wtf...

    Finally, we're in the fucking future!! It's exciting isn't it :D

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    skittles

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    #19  Edited By skittles

    I might try this with both. Keyboard and mouse seems more appropriate, but damn if I don't like sitting on my couch playing PC games with a controller.

    I might mix it up depending on how serious I'm playing. Laying back on my couch with a controller for the casual game, hunched over a screen with a keyboard and mouse for the Ironman play through.

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    Freshbandito

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    #20  Edited By Freshbandito

    @Giantstalker said:

    I've never played a single game where a controller was superior to a [properly supported] Keyboard+Mouse combo. Ever.

    BAD ports, on the other hand...

    Depends on the game I'd say, platformers like super meat boy always feel better with a controller even if keyboard and mouse are catered for properly.

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    deactivated-630479c20dfaa

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    The day I play an x-com game with a gamepad is the day I remove all mirrors from my apartment.

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    Terramagi

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    #22  Edited By Terramagi

    If the demo is anything to go by, the KB/M controls are fucking GARBAGE. It's like it's emulating a goddamn analog stick.

    I'm actually really surprised the company that made fucking Civilization managed to fuck up mouse control.

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    Loafsmooch

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    #23  Edited By Loafsmooch

    @Terramagi said:

    If the demo is anything to go by, the KB/M controls are fucking GARBAGE. It's like it's emulating a goddamn analog stick.

    I'm actually really surprised the company that made fucking Civilization managed to fuck up mouse control.

    I totally agree. Probably getting this on 360 instead of PC just because of those poor KB/M controls, (also I'll have more friends to play with on 360). Maybe if we're able to rebind some of the stuff to the extra mouse buttons (thumb buttons, etc), it might work for me.

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    deactivated-5e49e9175da37

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    @Giantstalker said:

    I've never played a single game where a controller was superior to a [properly supported] Keyboard+Mouse combo. Ever.

    BAD ports, on the other hand...

    Street Fighter.

    Assassin's Creed.

    Burnout Paradise.

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    Nentisys

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    #25  Edited By Nentisys

    KB&M all the way. I only really prefer the controller for action games like Dark Souls.

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    Tennmuerti

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    #26  Edited By Tennmuerti

    @Loafsmooch said:

    @Terramagi said:

    If the demo is anything to go by, the KB/M controls are fucking GARBAGE. It's like it's emulating a goddamn analog stick.

    I'm actually really surprised the company that made fucking Civilization managed to fuck up mouse control.

    I totally agree. Probably getting this on 360 instead of PC just because of those poor KB/M controls, (also I'll have more friends to play with on 360). Maybe if we're able to rebind some of the stuff to the extra mouse buttons (thumb buttons, etc), it might work for me.

    Turn off vsync. Mouse will become super responsive and smooth.

    With that i found the K&M controls to work perfectly. There are tons of shortcuts for all actions.

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    Funkydupe

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    #27  Edited By Funkydupe

    @Tennmuerti: Does the in-game UI change at all when swapping between keyboard/mouse and the controller?

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    Tennmuerti

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    #28  Edited By Tennmuerti

    @Funkydupe: Yes a bit, when using the K&M you will see the old school Xcom grid around your cursor and the rectangular selection box. Also every UI action has a keyboard shortcut, you can tab between squaddies real fast, double tap a space bar for example to enter engage mode and then perform the shoot action.

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    Loafsmooch

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    #29  Edited By Loafsmooch

    @Tennmuerti said:

    @Loafsmooch said:

    @Terramagi said:

    If the demo is anything to go by, the KB/M controls are fucking GARBAGE. It's like it's emulating a goddamn analog stick.

    I'm actually really surprised the company that made fucking Civilization managed to fuck up mouse control.

    I totally agree. Probably getting this on 360 instead of PC just because of those poor KB/M controls, (also I'll have more friends to play with on 360). Maybe if we're able to rebind some of the stuff to the extra mouse buttons (thumb buttons, etc), it might work for me.

    Turn off vsync. Mouse will become super responsive and smooth.

    With that i found the K&M controls to work perfectly. There are tons of shortcuts for all actions.

    I always turn off vsync. It's not the responsiveness. It's how the interface works with the keyboard. It just feels designed for a gamepad, then ported over to PC.

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    Tennmuerti

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    #30  Edited By Tennmuerti

    @Loafsmooch: Yes I agree it feels that way (designed for controller first). But that did not impair it's functionality for me in any way, once i got the hang of the keyboard shortcuts. The K&M controls are far from "total garbage".

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    AlexW00d

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    #31  Edited By AlexW00d

    I only ever choose gamepad for driving games (I have no room for a wheel) or for super meat boy. Analogue sticks are like the plague.

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    Loafsmooch

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    #32  Edited By Loafsmooch

    @Tennmuerti: Well yeah, "garbage" might be exaggerating it. I mean, I just didn't like it.

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    Sunjammer

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    #33  Edited By Sunjammer

    I'd play it kb&m if it didn't suck to play that way. Which it does.

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    WarlockEngineerMoreDakka

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    @Delta_Ass said:

    Demos are now... 5.5 gigs? wtf...

    You haven't seen any Total War demos recently have you? Several PC demos have been that size or larger in recent years. :P

    As for the question itself- KB&M for me, since I don't have a 360 controller. >_>

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    YoThatLimp

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    #35  Edited By YoThatLimp

    Gamepad on the PC through my TV in the living room. I am going to turn my wife to the dark side and then pick us up two 360 version copies so we can fight each other. She was already kind of digging the demo.

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