The idea that keyboard > other input devices

[Elixir]

Stick to what you're most comfortable with, be either a keyboard, pad or stick. What matters is your own skill, not how you control your ship. No input device is superior to the other.

Peace.

Actually, it's a mix of skill plus whatever you're most adjusted to. Control is important.

There's no point using some foreign device that you have no experience with, and trying to use that with skill and memorization alone.

[Keade]

Who cares, try every controller to get a good taste of them, and just stick with what is the best for you.
Every controller has pros and cons, be it comfort, price, personal habit, easy access, etc.

Didn't somebody 1cc DDP with a Guitar Hero controller or something? I can't 1cc it with a stick or a pad (yes I suck), thus plastic guitar = sanwa

When the hell did that happen?

This was Erhune for the french videogames channel Nolife, I don't remember how far in the game he got though.

[clp]

PROMETHEUS

'nuff said

Well if we're going to play that game I think I'll go with
EVERY JAPANESE PLAYER USING A STICK
and there's a lot of them. Should I add the "'nuff said" implying that I just destroyed the topic or whatnot?

aye ive always found it funny that one decent keyboard player seems to be the only pro keyboard ammo but really it does prove that whatever a player works with they will adapt to its all down to skill.

[captpain]

PROMETHEUS

'nuff said

Well if we're going to play that game I think I'll go with
EVERY JAPANESE PLAYER USING A STICK
and there's a lot of them. Should I add the "'nuff said" implying that I just destroyed the topic or whatnot?

i wasn't pretending like i destroyed the topic

and also, arcades. there are arcades in japan. arcade games have sticks....

[Jeneki]

I seem to recall some NES-era games that would introduce glitches when you hold left and right at the same time; not an issue when people use a pad or stick, but easy to do with a keyboard.

[shadowbringer]

I remember having posted on a similar thread, but imho, I'm not very used with pads anymore (since I've lost my SNES), and find it difficult to press multiple buttons on one (sometimes, depending on the pad *coughX360cough*, I would even press diagonals unintentionally -- the game in question was Raiden Fighters Aces). However I don't have problems with playing on an arcade stick (in arcades, since I don't have one :p). I'll admit to not have played on a japanese stick yet, though. (and it's said that MvC2 players prefer.. non-japanese sticks -- I've forgotten the name :p --, because it's better for this game, which demands fast inputs in succession, while japanese ST players prefer Sanwa, as it's more precise).

Finally, I'm more used with keyboards and arcade sticks (for shmups, and arcade for fighting games), so I don't have enough speed in my left thumb for the d-pad, however I don't have problems using my right hand (thumb on left, index for up/down and middle finger for right) in the directional keys (and I don't play FPSes much, so I don't exercise WASD-style :p)

[PROMETHEUS]

Keyboard is preferable for any game that doesn't require analog for 3D movement, in which case you go with a pad. Arcade sticks are pretty cool, but they're kind of fetishistic - nothing objectively better about them.

That's my personal opinion on the matter, glad to see someone else say exactly the same thing ! The only thing that's easier to do with a stick is circles, but it's sort of useless in shmups (not totally, it means it's just a little easier to very quickly change directions multiple time in a short time, which might be useful in a shmup but very rarely). In a couple of other ways keyboards just do a little better in my opinion, although it's so difficult to say objectively because I'm not quite as experienced with other inputs, just like anyone who got really good with sticks probably aren't truly experienced with keyboards.

Gungriffon, DDP Guitar Hero story is apocryphal, heard it somewhere and it's probably not true, but it's somewhat amusing

It's true! He did that on TV and beat the first loop with C-S that way.

[lgb]

I'm going to guess the top JP scorers used stick

you guessed right, because, you know, they have to use sticks

Stick to what you're most comfortable with, be either a keyboard, pad or stick. What matters is your own skill, not how you control your ship. No input device is superior to the other.

Peace.

thank you

[AraraSPAMWitch]

I'm going to guess the top JP scorers used stick

you guessed right, because, you know, they have to use sticks

Just like how the French have to use keyboards. I don't see what's stopping players in Japan from downloading MAME and playing the games on their superior keyboards, it'd save them quite a lot of yen and they'd never have to leave their mothers' houses.

[third_strike]

The only thing that's easier to do with a stick is circles, but it's sort of useless in shmups

Gluon I.U.
Cool!

[lgb]

I'm going to guess the top JP scorers used stick

you guessed right, because, you know, they have to use sticks

Just like how the French have to use keyboards. I don't see what's stopping players in Japan from downloading MAME and playing the games on their superior keyboards, it'd save them quite a lot of yen and they'd never have to leave their mothers' houses.

protip: they do, it's called garemame

it's just that world records are taken in arcades because that actually makes sense

[sunburstbasser]

My suck level went down using a pad instead of a keyboard, and playing Aero Fighters 2 on an MVS setup vs. MAME, the stick there was 10x easier to use than my keyboard.

Problem for me is that on any pad or stick, the left thumb moves and the right shoots. Using arrow keys to move switches the hands around. I can't mash as fast with my left hand, which is the big problem for me.

[t0yrobo]

I wouldn't say that keyboards are better or worse. I've seen people play fighting games really damn well on a keyboard before, I can't say much about shmups though.
Personally I find it dreadfully uncomfortable to play on a keyboard, having a laptop doesn't help that either. The ergonomics just suck. Plus a fair number of keyboards limit the maximum number of key presses registered at once, so it just isn't practical. It's nice for convenience though.

[MathU]

Problem for me is that on any pad or stick, the left thumb moves and the right shoots. Using arrow keys to move switches the hands around. I can't mash as fast with my left hand, which is the big problem for me.

I force myself to play cross-armed for those stupid shooters where the developer didn't put in keyboard configuration. Otherwise I just remap movement to WASD.

[Keade]

Just like how the French have to use keyboards.

? Not that I care, but stop generalizing please, Prometheus doing very high scores on keyboard doesn't mean playing arcade games on keyboard is a "french thing"

[gray117]

Use what you want ... but if you're interested in 'improving' maybe consider the following a bit further:

When using a stick I use four fingers, my thumb, and my wrist.

Less coordinated players may well find a keyboard easier/better (notice I'm not saying mal-coordinated) - perhaps they always will depending on how they're wired - their movements/hand size/comfort might simply mesh better with a keyboard.

As ever I'm sure there's a degree of training in either paradigm; essentially what do you have fun with most?

[AraraSPAMWitch]

Just like how the French have to use keyboards.

? Not that I care, but stop generalizing please, Prometheus doing very high scores on keyboard doesn't mean playing arcade games on keyboard is a "french thing"

I don't see why you read this obviously intentionally absurd comment as literal...

[Pulsewidth]

I 1CCed DoDonPachi 1st loop with both keyboard and stick, and I don't think there's much difference in accuracy. Keyboard is slightly better for repeated tapping of the same direction, stick is slightly better for circular movements. But I find stick more fun and it's the only choice in arcades so I'll keep using it.

[PROMETHEUS]

Keyboard is slightly better for repeated tapping of the same direction, stick is slightly better for circular movements.

Ya agreed. Maybe keyboard is slightly better for short taps too (it's more difficult to make a really small movement in one direction and stop with stick). That is my main issue whenever I play with a stick and it does bother me a lot and make me feel a lot less accurate.

[captpain]

Keyboard is slightly better for repeated tapping of the same direction, stick is slightly better for circular movements.

Ya agreed. Maybe keyboard is slightly better for short taps too (it's more difficult to make a really small movement in one direction and stop with stick). That is my main issue whenever I play with a stick and it does bother me a lot and make me feel a lot less accurate.

What sticks have you played with? I wonder if it'd make any difference if the stick had a super-short throw and engage distance like the Suzo 500.

[PROMETHEUS]

Keyboard is slightly better for repeated tapping of the same direction, stick is slightly better for circular movements.

Ya agreed. Maybe keyboard is slightly better for short taps too (it's more difficult to make a really small movement in one direction and stop with stick). That is my main issue whenever I play with a stick and it does bother me a lot and make me feel a lot less accurate.

What sticks have you played with? I wonder if it'd make any difference if the stick had a super-short throw and engage distance like the Suzo 500.

I had bought a "virtua stick high grade", didn't like it, and I played on a lot of different sticks @meets, I remember every time I got a pretty good feeling they told me it was a Seimitsu. Don't like Sanwa, and still prefer Keyboard to Seimitsu stick by a long shot.