Not Just for SWTOR Anymore!

Hey, folks!  So if you've been to this blog before, you know it started out exclusively as a tutorial for Star Wars: The Old Republic players interested in playing their new favorite MMO with a controller.  Since then, my interest in that particular game has waned, and several people have pointed out the usefulness of this blog for other PC games.  Thus I've decided to change the title to make it more easily searchable for folks interested in PC controller use beyond SWTOR.  More details after the jump.

Downloadable Files

I've been promising this one for a while, so here ya go: a comprehensive list of files and weblinks featured in this blog.  The profiles offered are intended as examples to help get you started: I highly recommend you tweak them to find a configuration that best suits your playstyle.

Configuring XPadder for SWTOR

The typical response to playing SWTOR with a controller is "You're gimping yourself. This game has over 25+ abilities you need access to at any one time.  The camera can't rotate fast enough in PvP!  How can you live with the knowledge that you're teaching people to play MMOs wrong?" (Okay, that last one is atypical, but it made me laugh when they said it.)

These responses are normally the result of an uninformed opinion on the utilities available to a controller user.  The bottom line is you can map 25+ abilities to a controller, and you'll find you can configure the camera to rotate as fast as you want.  I'll explain how to do this using XPadder and show you some sample SWTOR configurations after the jump.

PS3 Controller/Keypad Installation Instructions

NOTE: You do NOT need Bluetooth or the keypad to use your PS3 controller with your PC: you can follow the same instructions below to play via USB.

You don't need it, but you know you want it.

These instructions summarize how to set up your PS3 controller/keypad for use with Windows.  You have two driver options: MotioninJoy and Tamamy's drivers. MiJ is by far the most common option, but as some have expressed concerns about viruses (see warning below), I've provided links to Tamamy's drivers as an alternative.