Final Fantasy XIV's Controller Problem
Final Fantasy XIV has a working controller scheme that allows players of the game to actually play the game on console or on PC using a controller, rather than the tried and true keyboard+mouse that most every other MMORPG has. Of course, saying that it works is all that I can say about it. The controller system...having experienced it firsthand and tried very hard to work with it, is very flawed. Some might disagree, but I tend to think that if there were fewer buttons that needed to be pushed and abilities that needed to be used, the controller wouldn't be so bad.
Now, of course, this comes to a point about MMORPG's and the fact that most thrive on the fact that there are lots of buttons to push, lots of abilities to use, and what have you. It defines classes, it defines the MMORPG genre as a whole, and opens up quite a few freedoms. However, that being said, it also comes at a severe handicap for trying to make any of these games work for a controller. Could one imagine World of Warcraft being redesigned around the Xbox One controller? I mean, I could, if WoW didn't have the extensive list of abilities that it does, as well as the targeting system, the various user interface complexities, and other things that add to a controller being a rather unpleasant experience.
Now, that being said, it has been done before. An X-Input add-on for WoW has managed to create a rather respectable controller input for this beloved MMO, but I haven't confirmed whether it came out before the current iteration of FFXIV or not, or I might say one influenced the other. However, this being a digression, I will continue on talking about Final Fantasy XIV and its controller system, in the fact that it is one of very few MMO's, and certainly the only highest rated one so far, that has chosen to incorporate the controller system at all.
Personally, I find that the controller works amazing, if the player doesn't have to worry about an extensive rotation beyond 16 button presses. For the sake of explanation, I'm including cooldowns (abilities that offer buffs or are otherwise extra moves, that are not tied to any other ability but themselves) as well as global cooldown moves, or rather moves that when one is used, all of the others of the same type enter cooldown, often used for primary attacks.
Final Fantasy XIV maps its buttons to a face plate down at the bottom. It is divided into two sides, with four panels arranged in a compass-direction format. To access either side, a player holds down the corresponding trigger for the side, and presses either a direction on the directional pad or a button on the other side of controller, corresponding to the sides within the category selected by the trigger. This can all be done while moving and, after some practice, comes to be second nature. Were it not for its limitations, I would hazard this to be the pinnacle of design for an MMO, in finally simplyfing the MMO enough to allow for a controller. TERA, DFO, and some other Korean MMO's have similar designs that work well on a controller, but this is the first one that has been something that isn't Korean, that I've seen.
However, this quickly becomes painful once the number of required buttons exceeds 16. There is an option to switch through different categories in numeric order. This is simply done by hitting the right bumper, or R1 (depending on which controller) that is on the controller and either tapping it to cycle through, or holding it and hitting the button corresponding to the desired set. This brings up a whole new menu with more available spaces.
Most classes have enough moves that, to hold their full rotation, multiple controller categories are used. This is where the extreme of the controller learning curve comes into play, because now, not only does a player have to learn how to manage which trigger and which face buttons do which, a player also has to learn to switch back and forth between categories as needed to access their full moveset and complete their rotation as needed. This is where the controller ultimately fails compared to the MMO standard of keyboard+mouse, which...with the addition of another hotbar if necessary, can hold all of the abilities a player needs and then some, allowing for free reign without having to click a button to switch categories.
This makes me rather disappointed, as there have been multiple times where I wish I could just play with the controller, rather than defaulting to keyboard and mouse for the game. I would love to play the game on just a controller, but there is so much that needs to be done that a keyboard and mouse are just better at, that a controller is just a fun thought that I usually ditch about an hour into trying to work with it on any class that isn't starting out on its own.
Square Enix, if for some reason you end up coming across this, please listen and consider making the game usable via controller. You already have a complex game with the movement, the boss mechanics, and other clever features. Stop giving players too many buttons, let the controller become its own. Is it streamlining it and isn't that a bad thing? Not all streamlining is a bad thing, and I think this would be something worthwhile if it were taken into consideration.
Now, of course, this comes to a point about MMORPG's and the fact that most thrive on the fact that there are lots of buttons to push, lots of abilities to use, and what have you. It defines classes, it defines the MMORPG genre as a whole, and opens up quite a few freedoms. However, that being said, it also comes at a severe handicap for trying to make any of these games work for a controller. Could one imagine World of Warcraft being redesigned around the Xbox One controller? I mean, I could, if WoW didn't have the extensive list of abilities that it does, as well as the targeting system, the various user interface complexities, and other things that add to a controller being a rather unpleasant experience.
Now, that being said, it has been done before. An X-Input add-on for WoW has managed to create a rather respectable controller input for this beloved MMO, but I haven't confirmed whether it came out before the current iteration of FFXIV or not, or I might say one influenced the other. However, this being a digression, I will continue on talking about Final Fantasy XIV and its controller system, in the fact that it is one of very few MMO's, and certainly the only highest rated one so far, that has chosen to incorporate the controller system at all.
Personally, I find that the controller works amazing, if the player doesn't have to worry about an extensive rotation beyond 16 button presses. For the sake of explanation, I'm including cooldowns (abilities that offer buffs or are otherwise extra moves, that are not tied to any other ability but themselves) as well as global cooldown moves, or rather moves that when one is used, all of the others of the same type enter cooldown, often used for primary attacks.
Final Fantasy XIV maps its buttons to a face plate down at the bottom. It is divided into two sides, with four panels arranged in a compass-direction format. To access either side, a player holds down the corresponding trigger for the side, and presses either a direction on the directional pad or a button on the other side of controller, corresponding to the sides within the category selected by the trigger. This can all be done while moving and, after some practice, comes to be second nature. Were it not for its limitations, I would hazard this to be the pinnacle of design for an MMO, in finally simplyfing the MMO enough to allow for a controller. TERA, DFO, and some other Korean MMO's have similar designs that work well on a controller, but this is the first one that has been something that isn't Korean, that I've seen.
However, this quickly becomes painful once the number of required buttons exceeds 16. There is an option to switch through different categories in numeric order. This is simply done by hitting the right bumper, or R1 (depending on which controller) that is on the controller and either tapping it to cycle through, or holding it and hitting the button corresponding to the desired set. This brings up a whole new menu with more available spaces.
Most classes have enough moves that, to hold their full rotation, multiple controller categories are used. This is where the extreme of the controller learning curve comes into play, because now, not only does a player have to learn how to manage which trigger and which face buttons do which, a player also has to learn to switch back and forth between categories as needed to access their full moveset and complete their rotation as needed. This is where the controller ultimately fails compared to the MMO standard of keyboard+mouse, which...with the addition of another hotbar if necessary, can hold all of the abilities a player needs and then some, allowing for free reign without having to click a button to switch categories.
This makes me rather disappointed, as there have been multiple times where I wish I could just play with the controller, rather than defaulting to keyboard and mouse for the game. I would love to play the game on just a controller, but there is so much that needs to be done that a keyboard and mouse are just better at, that a controller is just a fun thought that I usually ditch about an hour into trying to work with it on any class that isn't starting out on its own.
Square Enix, if for some reason you end up coming across this, please listen and consider making the game usable via controller. You already have a complex game with the movement, the boss mechanics, and other clever features. Stop giving players too many buttons, let the controller become its own. Is it streamlining it and isn't that a bad thing? Not all streamlining is a bad thing, and I think this would be something worthwhile if it were taken into consideration.
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