inselaffe on 26/8/2011 at 13:57
Okay so i just got an xbox cheap for gta and picked up timesplitters 2 but the analogue on the controller seems really really bad.
The controller i have is this wireless one
Inline Image:
http://multimedia.fnac.com/multimedia/images_produits/zoom/9/0/5/0663452570509.jpgwhich seems to be sold through a number of brands - for example this seems to be the same (
http://uk.gear.ign.com/dor/objects/546253/pelican-eclipse-wireless-xbox/images/pelican_eclipse_wireless_pad_big.html?page=mediaFull)
The problem with the analogue in timesplitters 2 is that when i move the right stick, in the centre there seems to be a reasonably large deadzone where nothing happens, and then there is a tiny amount of analogue movement, before reaching a HUGE part in the travel of the stick where you are basically moving the maximum in that direction with a lot of play while still being in that area.
What this means is that precise aiming is virtually impossible - you go from not moving at all to basically moving full speed - or even turning in aim mode in timesplitters 2.
Could anyone that has timesplitters 2 for the xbox give their opinion?
What i'm not really sure about is whether it is the game or the pad or both. It seems to do the same in terminator 3 rise of the machines too from what i can tell though.
So, i was thinking of getting another pad for the xbox - either official or non official and wondering what you could recommend.
A friend told me that the original fat controller has much better quality analogue sticks than the S controller and that the S controller does similar things like i have described with my wireless controller.
So i'm wondering which to get here as i worry the fat controller might be too big. But if it's the only one with decent analogue then i guess that's more important.
Or if anyone knows of any 3rd party controllers that are actually better (heresy, i know) as for example the one i have at the minute has the black and white buttons duplicated as shoulder buttons which is helpful (but unhelpful as they are quite unreliable to press).
Also want to avoid wireless ones as xbox era wireless seem a bit precarious / i can't be arsed sorting out batteries.
That aside, you can tell timesplitters 2 is made by the same people that made goldeneye and perfect dark, and those 2 games i've always found controlled really well, even turning off autoaim - using c buttons to move and stick to aim. So just hoping it's only the controller. In contrast, when my brother borrowed call of duty 3 on the xbox 360, that didn't control very well at all - a bit loose and imprecise from what i remember.
Thanks
Aerothorn on 26/8/2011 at 16:35
I haven't played it since it came out, so I can't talk specifically about the deadzone, but I can say that I recall Timesplitters 2 having AWFUL aiming controls - it's why I never finished it. It had nothing to do with the controller (I used first-party ones) and everything to do with their system. It's incredibly loose and floaty unless you "aim" (click in the right stick) which is not so great in and of itself.
So it's possible it's your controller, but it's likely just the game.
Incidentally, I have three extra fat Xbox controllers lying around, so if you're willing to pay shipping I'd be happy to give one. Not sure if the analog sticks are any better, honestly can't remember. They are pretty big but I enjoyed them quite a bit back in the day.
Edit: Except I just realized you're in England. Offer still stands, but it would probably cost more to ship it than it would to just get a free extra one over there.
inselaffe on 26/8/2011 at 23:34
Thanks for the offer, but yer you're right, distance is a problem really. Nice thought though :)
I haven't found it loose and floaty unless you "aim" - i have been setting aim to be on at all / most times, as unlike perfect dark or golden eye, there is no crosshair in movement mode.
The problem is more to do with the huge outer deadzone (and to a lesser extent the inner (normal) deadzone). This means that very little of the analogue stick's movement is actually "analogue".
So yer it could be the game but i dunno, that means the xbox port must be horrendous. From the videos i've seen it didn't look like there were these aiming problems on ps2.
But then it could be the pad too. Unless i can try something else it's hard for me to know, but i can't actually get hold of controllers for it anywhere anymore except off of ebay as nowhere else has them.
catbarf on 27/8/2011 at 00:33
The analog sticks on the original 'duke' controllers are noticeably better than on the smaller controllers that replaced it. I just dug out my Xbox to play Crimson Skies (thanks again, Aerothorn) and tried my two controllers, finding the older one to be significantly easier to use.
I have Timesplitters 2 on Xbox and never had any significant problems with control, so it could be the gamepad.
inselaffe on 27/8/2011 at 20:12
Thanks, yer i think it's probably the controller then. At least that's positive news then. Took it apart and measured the potentiometers and they seem to jump at certain places, while not changing a lot towards the edge which would make sense from what i was experiencing. Thing is the springs on the analogue sticks are quite stiff still so i don't really get it. Wasn't aware that i would be able to measure it that way but now i have done it kind of suggests it's the pad.
So yer, now to try some more second hand shops and hope by some magic they've got some considering me local game shops don't.
Need to get a component cable for it too which should be quite cool :)
Aerothorn on 27/8/2011 at 21:33
Component cables are absolutely necessary if you have to play an SD console on and HD - I'm staying with the folks and they recently got rid of the last CRT, and my PS2 was nigh-unplayable until I switched to component.
inselaffe on 27/8/2011 at 21:49
Yes, and the higher resolution will make things look a hell of a lot better too.
Just a shame pal regions were screwed regarding the gamecube (and even the games, so playing them on a wii won't help). In fact even on ps2, more ntsc games support high definition outputs than pal ones, which i don't really get.
Still, where possible it really is better.
Sulphur on 27/8/2011 at 21:56
No, things look a hell of a lot worse when it's SD->HD. Component cables are necessary because there's less noise in the signal than with SCART or composite or whatever, and you get progressive scan out of it. The game resolution doesn't change, though - if the game supports 480p, you get 480p. Now blow that up to the number of pixels on a standard >40" HD screen, and you get smeary awfulness. And that's not even talking about the games that don't support progressive scan or run at a lower native res.
inselaffe on 27/8/2011 at 22:12
What are you talking about? The game resolution does change - for a start you get progressive scan so you get the whole frame rendered rather than every other line, which makes a huge difference and also some games support 720p and a lot only support proper widescreen (as opposed to just changing the fov and messing about with the output horribly) with component cables.
Sulphur on 27/8/2011 at 22:16
Even if you get the whole frame rendered, it's rendering at 480p on a big-ass HD screen with way more pixels and a higher native res, which means that the TV has to scale the image up internally, and that just ends up looking horrible no matter how you slice it. Widescreen/lack thereof is a non-issue in that context.
And 720p? The only SD console title I recall that's actually worth playing and does that is GT4.
