One thing that annoys me in almost every modern console game is large analog stick dead zones. It makes fine aiming (especially diagonal) pretty hard. What do you think about adding optional dead zone customization?
Inb4: adapt. I’ve already adapted. But a possibility to have 0-1% DZ would be just awesome. E.g., post-patch alternative aiming with no dead zones in Uncharted 3 made the gameplay both smooth and responsive.
Get a new controller. If you’re noticing issues in every game, it’s probably your controller.
I go through controllers like no other. As soon as I notice anything deteriorating, such as analog stick precision, slow-turn, buttons requiring too much push, etc. that cannot be fixed from opening the controller and cleaning it, I replace the controller.
Right now, I have been using the MLG controller for a little over 4 months now, and it is amazing. Best part of all is that every component is removable and replaceable. You can change the joysticks to be how you want them, be it convex like PS3 style, or concave like Xbox style, you can get long or short joysticks, and joysticks with wider or smaller heads. You will also be able to get joysticks of different tensions.
OP, please clarify what you understand as “dead zone”.
Dead zone is a controller problem, not a game problem. If you want a small deadzone, I recommend buying a Razer Onza or some other high quality third party controller. They tend to have small dead zones.
> Get a new controller. If you’re noticing issues in every game, it’s probably your controller.
>
> I go through controllers like no other. As soon as I notice anything deteriorating, such as analog stick precision, slow-turn, buttons requiring too much push, etc. that cannot be fixed from opening the controller and cleaning it, I replace the controller.
>
> Right now, I have been using the MLG controller for a little over 4 months now, and it is amazing. Best part of all is that every component is removable and replaceable. You can change the joysticks to be how you want them, be it convex like PS3 style, or concave like Xbox style, you can get long or short joysticks, and joysticks with wider or smaller heads. You will also be able to get joysticks of different tensions.
I have 3 xbox controllers (and 2 dual shocks). One of them is brand new. When I plug them in my PC I can adjust 0 DZ. So there’s nothing wrong with controllers. The problem is in DZ scripted in games’s code. Every game has its own dead zone for analog sticks. It differs in shape (usually square or circle) and size.
> OP, please clarify what you understand as “dead zone”.
Deadzone is the area of the analogue stick at which the controller doesn’t register the stick movement. In other words, if you turn the analogue stick just slightly to one direction, there is a certain area at which your character doesn’t turn/move even though your analogue stick is clearly tilted.
> Dead zone is a controller problem, not a game problem. If you want a small deadzone, I recommend buying a Razer Onza or some other high quality third party controller. They tend to have small dead zones.
Dead zone is both a controller issue and game aiming setup along with sensitivity, acceleration, and smoothing. In my case in-game dead zones are much bigger than a controller DZ which is almost non-existent.
> > Dead zone is a controller problem, not a game problem. If you want a small deadzone, I recommend buying a Razer Onza or some other high quality third party controller. They tend to have small dead zones.
>
> Dead zone is both a controller issue and game aiming setup along with sensitivity, acceleration, and smoothing. In my case in-game dead zones are much bigger than a controller DZ which is almost non-existent.
The deadzone on my Razer Onza is some 1 mm to each direction, in any game. It’s not really noticeable. The only times I actually notice the problem is when I’m sniping in Battlefield 3 from over twohundred meters and that’s only because the adjustements I have to make are so tiny and I play on maximum sensitivity. So, personally I don’t experience it a problem at all.
It never really bothered me, but there doesnt seem like a reason why you wouldnt be able to change it.
> > OP, please clarify what you understand as “dead zone”.
>
> Deadzone is the area of the analogue stick at which the controller doesn’t register the stick movement. In other words, if you turn the analogue stick just slightly to one direction, there is a certain area at which your character doesn’t turn/move even though your analogue stick is clearly tilted.
Oh, I see.
Even though it’s possible and simple to create artificial dead zones through software, I’d say that the exaggerated effect OP’s experiencing is most likely due to a hardware fault on his controller’s analog stick sensors.
Don’t forget that dead zones are always needed, otherwise you couldn’t ever rest your thumbs on the sticks.
The problem with 0% deadzones is that anologs get lose after a while on pretty much every frequently used controller (2-6 years). That means they won’t return to position 0, but will stay at 5% in any direction (for example).
As for third party controllers, Onza has incredible failure rate (at least the Turnament Edition, nobody seems to be sure about the regular one) and anything from MadCatz is low quality (material, build, ergonomics… pretty much everything). I’ve had about a dozen of them in my hands and it was true for all of them. The only advantage 3rd party controllers add imho is extra buttons.
Microsoft actually did very good job with the controller; ergonomics years ahead of Onza and quality millennium ahead of MadCatz.
> > > OP, please clarify what you understand as “dead zone”.
> >
> > Deadzone is the area of the analogue stick at which the controller doesn’t register the stick movement. In other words, if you turn the analogue stick just slightly to one direction, there is a certain area at which your character doesn’t turn/move even though your analogue stick is clearly tilted.
>
> Oh, I see.
> Even though it’s possible and simple to create artificial dead zones through software, I’d say that the exaggerated effect OP’s experiencing is most likely due to a hardware fault on his controller’s analog stick sensors.
>
> Don’t forget that dead zones are always needed, otherwise you couldn’t ever rest your thumbs on the sticks.
Every game has artificial dead zones. It’s highly unlikely that I experience hardware faults on both xbox and ps3 with all 5 controllers from 4 different brands. At the same time they work fine on PC and in Uncharted 3 with alternative aiming settings. I just prefer tiny DZ. It’s enough to rest my finger on the stick.
Like I said in OP it’s not that much of a problem for me. Nevertheless, I would love to see that option in the game.
The fact that controller DZs still exist 15+ years after the introduction of Analog sticks is pretty depressing. We need Keyboard+mouse support for modern consoles. Hell, the 360 has three USB ports. I’ve been dying to play my favorite console shooters with the vastly superior aswd controls.
There are no dead zones on a mouse…
> The problem with 0% deadzones is that anologs get lose after a while on pretty much every frequently used controller (2-6 years). That means they won’t return to position 0, but will stay at 5% in any direction (for example).
That’s why having an adjustable DZ in-game would be awesome. You can increase it for used controllers and decrease for new ones.
> The fact that controller DZs still exist 15+ years after the introduction of Analog sticks is pretty depressing. We need Keyboard+mouse support for modern consoles. Hell, the 360 has three USB ports. I’ve been dying to play my favorite console shooters with the vastly superior aswd controls.
Agree 100%. Will never happen though…
Why not? Because -Yoink!- can’t slap a logo on the things and jack the price up $40?
> The fact that controller DZs still exist 15+ years after the introduction of Analog sticks is pretty depressing. We need Keyboard+mouse support for modern consoles. Hell, the 360 has three USB ports. I’ve been dying to play my favorite console shooters with the vastly superior aswd controls.
>
>
>
> There are no dead zones on a mouse…
As long as the mouse and keyboard are standardized and as long as I don’t have to play against people with K&M, I’m fine with that.
People want maximum competition but are fine with unbalanced hardware. All of my what.
> Why not? Because -Yoink!- can’t slap a logo on the things and jack the price up $40?
They don’t want to split population. K/M destroys gamepads.
> > Why not? Because -Yoink!- can’t slap a logo on the things and jack the price up $40?
>
> They don’t want to split population. K/M destroys gamepads.
Also because the demand for it is low. Withing the competitive part of hardcore base, pretty high, but overall very low.
As for the deadzones, customizable would be cool.
> > > Why not? Because -Yoink!- can’t slap a logo on the things and jack the price up $40?
> >
> > They don’t want to split population. K/M destroys gamepads.
>
> Also because the demand for it is low. Withing the competitive part of hardcore base, pretty high, but overall very low.
>
> As for the deadzones, customizable would be cool.
Shouldn’t they be catering to as many communities and players as possible? Instead of the lowest common denominator? There’s no tangible reason to not support it. The skill gap between K+M and controllers isn’t THAT big, and it would help draw in more gamers.
> The problem with 0% deadzones is that anologs get lose after a while on pretty much every frequently used controller (2-6 years). That means they won’t return to position 0, but will stay at 5% in any direction (for example).
> As for third party controllers, Onza has incredible failure rate (at least the Turnament Edition, nobody seems to be sure about the regular one) and anything from MadCatz is low quality (material, build, ergonomics… pretty much everything). I’ve had about a dozen of them in my hands and it was true for all of them. The only advantage 3rd party controllers add imho is extra buttons.
> Microsoft actually did very good job with the controller; ergonomics years ahead of Onza and quality millennium ahead of MadCatz.
I did have one Onza Tournament Edition failing in the first weeks but got a new one that has soon worked for a year. Although, I must admit that the right bumper seems like it’s going to fail soon and the rubber has rubbed off the left analogue stick. But what comes to the looseness, they practically have none after a year of use. So personally, I’d say the Onza has been worth the money I put into it (and the ten months of waiting after all the delayed releases and lack of availablity).