[agentmouthwash]

hey folks, I recently bought Halo and an iShock2 game controller. Well the controller
stinks and i'm returning it to the Apple store today. I was wondering
what controller you guys use, or if you just use a mouse and keyboard.

Please let me know. Thanks!

[Forte]

I didn't think Halo for Mac even supported controllers yet. The only choice I've had is to use the mouse and keyboard.

[agentmouthwash]

I got the iShock to work using the software it came with, but
it was very choppy and unplayable.

do you use a mouse and keyboard? how does it work?

I dont have a mouse, I use a powerbook but i'm thinking I might have to buy one.

[Ryan Becker]

First Person Shooters on the computer and console-style controllers just plain don't work. You are better off getting used to using the keyboard and mouse... trust me, it's better that way anyway.

I did the same as you when I started playing games on my Mac... bought the iShock II. Well, now it sits around collecting dust until the times I feel like playing Nascar 2003 or Wipeout 2097. Those two games are great for using a controller. But, FPS's just don't work well with controllers.

And, yes, like someone else said, Halo doesn't even support controllers, and seeing how the "support" for that game has been going, it never will.

-Ryan

[agentmouthwash]

Thanks for your help. After digging around the internet
doing some research i came to the conclusion that
i'll use a keyboard and mouse. Well I have the keyboard on my powerbook,
now I just need to buy a good gaming mouse!

I wish Apple would release a multi-button bluetooth mouse
and just be done with it!! Now I have to give my
money to some other company.

[Ryan Becker]

Originally posted by agentmouthwash:
Thanks for your help. After digging around the internet
doing some research i came to the conclusion that
i'll use a keyboard and mouse. Well I have the keyboard on my powerbook,
now I just need to buy a good gaming mouse!

I wish Apple would release a multi-button bluetooth mouse
and just be done with it!! Now I have to give my
money to some other company.

Yeah, definitely get a multi-button mouse, and wireless is always nice.

I highly recommend anything from Kensington. Call me crazy, but I actually use their Turbo Mouse Pro wireless track ball! It's awesome for games like Tiger Woods golf, but took a bit of getting used to for FPS's, but I love it now. It has a total of like 12 or so different buttons and button combos, so I have those all programmed for each of my games, and it's just great.

Have fun, and you might want to keep that iShock around anyway.

-Ryan

[Caesar2099]

Originally posted by Ryan Becker:
First Person Shooters on the computer and console-style controllers just plain don't work. You are better off getting used to using the keyboard and mouse... trust me, it's better that way anyway.

I don't mean to argue with you but it really depends on what you're used to. If you'r used to a mouse and keyboard the controller will be like a whole 'nother world. If you're used to a controller the mouse will seem to sensative and hard to navigate.

[Ryan Becker]

Originally posted by Caesar2099:
I don't mean to argue with you but it really depends on what you're used to. If you'r used to a mouse and keyboard the controller will be like a whole 'nother world. If you're used to a controller the mouse will seem to sensative and hard to navigate.

It has nothing to do with what you are used to.... it has to do with what actually works!

When I started out gaming on my Mac, I was used to console style controllers, so that's what I wanted. Well, it just plain never works with FPS's, so I was forced to get used to the keyboard and mouse. Now that I'm used to keyboard and mouse, I want that set up for playing console games too! You have so much more control and accuracy with a mouse, as compared to a gamepad... once you get used to it.

-Ryan

[agentmouthwash]

like i said, i've been doing some research on a lot of mac gaming sites and
it seems like poeple do have most fun playing this game with keyboard and
controller. It's odd because it is on the xbox and nobody with an xbox
complains about the game play with a controller.

I used to play marathon with mouse and keyboard and that was loads of fun.
I ended up buying the Logitech MX510 mouse which is brand new and got rave
reviews. I can't wait to go home and try it out!

I'm going to keep the iShock and wait until Halo fully supports controllers
just to see the difference.

[eyevaan]

I used to believe that you can only fly by keyboard in "Star Trek" . . .

so I spent a silly amount of time - a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away - programming my Mach 1 joystick and throttle set-up for DarkForces... then more for Quake 2 and all the flight sims . . . to this date the only games that it really works on are the flight sims. It was cool to use the trottle to control my run and switch through weapons, flashlight on a pinky button and have the hat switch contol the look around but in the end it was the keyboard and mouse that won out.

Recently watch a movie trailer for "Gamers"
http://www.arkhamfilms.com/gamers.html

All you see from these completely wacked FPS fiends is keyboard and mouse... so I suppose the original thought about flying by keyboard was wrong. Buy a couple of wrist braces instead.

[agentmouthwash]

I've been playing Halo with the keyboard and mouse and the game is just awesome.
it reminds me of all the fun I had playing Marathon.

[Luca Rescigno]

You know, a standard XBox controller uses USB. They just make the connector a different shape to prevent people from using keyboards and mice interchangably with XBoxes, but there is probably information out there somewhere on how to modify an XBox controller to use a standard computer USB port.

[agentmouthwash]

the problem was the Halo for the Mac doesn't support controllers yet,
so if you want to use a controller, you have to use software to configure it
to act like a keyboard and mouse.

but I found the keyboard and mouse setup works better.