Keyboard or Controller

[Rubett]

Keyboard only.

WSAD for movement, Q menu, E autorun, R maximize log, F accept, C cancel. All in one hand, baby. Now if F8 wasn't that far...

Spoiler: show

Yeah, I'm lazy.

[Chen]

i don't know how people can use controller, having to scroll across to use macros, way to slow ;;

then the dropping to type is a whole other problem..

[ramp]

Keyboard only, compact mode (and keys assigned to swift between alliance members). wasd to move, arrow keys for camera. Autorun and typing can be abit annoying, but that can be easily remedied by using vent.

Can't imagine playing with the mouse or a controller only. Just the idea of loosing all my custom defined macro keys, no thanks

[Zellgadiss]

Good point, I forgot to mention, most of the time we use Skype or Vent. There's no need to type. I type pretty fast so I usually relay the information to the people who can't use Skype/new people for whatever reason.

Many of us pay the 3 bucks a month to have unlimited skype calls so even PS2/3 Xbox only people get in on the action as long as they have a home phone/cell phone.

[hypnotizd]

Compact Keyboard only.

[Asmoranomar]

When your used/forced to doing it one way, you adapt. I have multiple systems I play FFXI on (mules, travel laptop, etc.), and only one of them has a controller that I like.

I find that I play well using both methods, and I've developed different routines in playing. But when I tried to play the game using my other controller, it was horrible.

But, not all controllers are equal, FFXI doesn't seem to like the controller I have on my other desktop at all. It lags horribly. Buttons don't register. Sometimes it repeats button presses. The vibration is way off at times. Strangely, the controller works fine in any other game. It only acts bad in FFXI.

So, I'm forced to use my keyboard when I'm ever using that PC. But I've even met people that play with the keyboard in different ways. Some use the mouse and point-click, or pan. Others don't use the mouse at all. Some use keyboard shortcuts, others type commands in directly. Some people use the menu/macro system, others dont.

Of course, my preference is using a controller, mainly because I like to lean back, kick my feet up and actually enjoy the game; and I still can't shake the feeling of having a keyboard in my lap, even if it is wireless - not to mention its a pain in the ass to type on in that position.

But at the end of the day, all I care is that people play the game the way they find comfortable. It's not like this game requires people to play with a compact keyboard without using macros and a wpm type rate of Over 9000! so you can type out every command, and damned if you don't. SE designed this game to be played many different ways - and damn it suprises me they got something right.

[Yugl]

if by correct you mean mentally handicapped, i agree

No, I mean handicapable!

[RyaWHM]

is there a way to customize the controller on an actual PS2 (or I guess 360, just out of curiosity)?

I always hated PS2 having "rest" as L3, because I had a couple of PS1 controllers that were very old, where just walking will randomly "click" the analog in (so you randomly rest, grrrrrrr!)

I had a seizure any time I would 2box PS2+PC because the controls were different from one controller to the other

[Tagus]

Controller all the way. It took a little effort to map out the buttons to match from the 360 to PC, but it's worth it. Don't you guys that use keyboards for everything ever get carpal tunnel or however you spell it? That shit would fuck me up for sure.

[hypnotizd]

Don't you guys that use keyboards for everything ever get carpal tunnel or however you spell it? That shit would fuck me up for sure.

Only when fishing The constant A or D key-mashing hurts after about the 100th fish.

[Rocl]

Don't you guys that use keyboards for everything ever get carpal tunnel or however you spell it? That shit would fuck me up for sure.

Nah I'm not a bitch.

[EagleCeres]

Controller primarily + keyboard.

Movement and most actions off controler, keyboard for text/tells/messaging.
I swap the conrtoller between my desktop and laptop depending on where I want to play.

Although, if I ever forget to pack the controller when going out and about with the lappy, no choice but full keyb.

[njitjk68]

Long story short, I got ps3 controller working on PC and I can't seem to figure out how to target things. In the FFXI gamepad configuration tool there doesn't seem to be an option to map a button to select a npc/pc or to tab through them. How do you guys go about this?

[Julian]

Long story short, I got ps3 controller working on PC and I can't seem to figure out how to target things. In the FFXI gamepad configuration tool there doesn't seem to be an option to map a button to select a npc/pc or to tab through them. How do you guys go about this?

d-pad...?

[Mojo]

I don't think that answers the question he asked...

There is a keyboard/command section in configuration menu in FFXI. You'll have to map them that way, maybe with PGP, although they should work that way already (with the d-pad.)

[Eole]

Compact Keyboard Mode on a Full Keyboard (No mouse, No controller).

[bungiefan]

is there a way to customize the controller on an actual PS2 (or I guess 360, just out of curiosity)?

I always hated PS2 having "rest" as L3, because I had a couple of PS1 controllers that were very old, where just walking will randomly "click" the analog in (so you randomly rest, grrrrrrr!)

I had a seizure any time I would 2box PS2+PC because the controls were different from one controller to the other

No, console controls are noncustomizable unless you are editing keyboard controls. Only PC lets you edit controls, and mainly because different controllers will have their buttons numbered differently. Even just using different PS2-USB adapters, my shape buttons get different numbers and have to be reconfigured in my programs.

It's a pain too, becuase the JP version of FFXI uses Circle for Accept and Cross for Cancel (like makes sense to anyone that moved to PS1 from SNES, and early PS1 games used that layout in North America before SCEA changed it between FFT and FFVIII's releases), while the NA version swaps those button functions, leading to several minutes of clumsy control when I switch versions so I have JP text input, or so I can more easily read cutscene text and item descriptions.

[RyaWHM]

No, console controls are noncustomizable

LAME!

thank you for confirming this, though!

[Rydir]

Keyboard + Controller

When I am running around or just meriting I prefer the controller

When I am soloing on RDM or durring challenging battles that require quick timing I set the controller down and pretty much use keyboard 100%.

both have their advantages and I like to take advantage of both.

[Pendulum]

Poll is exactly 50:50 lol.

I can move as precisely as required with compact keyboard layout. No experience of playing with a controller but I can't see it being very practical for me.

I just tried it on my mule and it's typing 46428428428646 into the chat window)

I get around this by hitting tab to bring up the auto-translator ([Greetings], [Questions] etc.), do my navigational thing with the numpad, hit esc to exit the translator and continue writing.

Sometimes I just fragment the sentence though.