Mouse and keyboard?

[BandicootPower]

You guys are going to think I'm bonkers but I'm having real issues using a mouse and keyboard. I'm predominantly a console gamer and haven't really used a mouse and keyboard setup since I played Blood, Doom or Duke3d back in the late 90s. I recently got smashed and thought it'd be a brilliant idea to re-live my early teenage years and download GTA San Andreas. No problems with installation (which is a miracle in itself as I'm totally technologically inept). My current issue is I absolutely cannot use a mouse and keyboard for shite. I just cannot play the game. I've tried playing with custom control schemes but I just can't find a loadout that suits me. It's not that the controls don't feel intuitive, they just don't feel practical. Anyone able to help me in anyway? Cheers.

Edit: Thanks for the feedback everyone, I really appreciate it. The controls just took a lot longer than I expected to get used to. I didn't expect it'd be so difficult learning to manipulate the camera not to stare at a particularly interesting bit of floor and simultaneously not walk into oncoming traffic.

 

[General Twinkletoes]

Mouse and keyboard on san andreas doesn't work too well. M&K works better on most things, but gta style games are often better on a pad.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Mouse and keyboard on san andreas doesn't work too well. M&K works better on most things, but gta style games are often better on a apd.

Also, whether the game works well with M+K or not[footnote]I've never played a GTA game on the PC, but I have heard that San Andreas had borked PC controls[/footnote], there's a definite learning curve. You pretty much have to go through the whole "looking at the floor" stage all over again when you first switch from controllers to M+K. It's /so/ worth it once you're used to it, though.

 

[General Twinkletoes]

Mouse and keyboard on san andreas doesn't work too well. M&K works better on most things, but gta style games are often better on a apd.

Also, whether the game works well with M+K or not[footnote]I've never played a GTA game on the PC, but I have heard that San Andreas had borked PC controls[/footnote], there's a definite learning curve. You pretty much have to go through the whole "looking at the floor" stage all over again when you first switch from controllers to M+K. It's /so/ worth it once you're used to it, though.

Yeah, there's that too. Everyone I know who has actually tried on PC to use the controls and stuck with it past the normal "Oh god wtf" stage said that they preferred it. Everyone I asked who said they preferred console controls had either played a game with terrible controls for PC or stopped after 10 minutes.
I'd just stick with a pad for gta. Honestly it does work better.

 

[AD-Stu]

It's like most things, stick with it for a little bit and it'll start to seem like second nature.

I've got a gamepad for my PC but driving games are the only thing I use it for - even games like Assassins Creed I play with M+K because it just feels more natural now.

 

[FilipJPhry]

I've always just plugged in my Xbox controller as well. I know it works well with Fallout and TF2, but I feel more comfortable with my joystick other than using the mouse/keyboard combo. Duke Nukem 3D is the only one I feel most at home with the mouse/keyboard thing.

 

[evilneko]

GTA SA horrible game with horrible controls anyway, get Saints Row 2 or 3. They get the game and the controls right.

 

[distortedreality]

GTA SA horrible game with horrible controls anyway, get Saints Row 2 or 3. They get the game and the controls right.

You obviously missed where the OP wasn't talking about the quality of the game he wanted to play, and that's probably because it has nothing to do with the discussion at hand. Not even mentioning how terrible SR2 is on a current Windows OS (read - pretty much unplayable).

OP - as others have said, it will definitely take a while to get back into it. I know when I've gone the other way (from M+KB to controller for the same game) its taken ages to get back in the groove. If you don't want to stick it out, you can just pick up a cheap logitech pad for GTA style games.

Tbh, for a game like GTA, I don't know if the effort is worth it. I don't think you'll gain anything by sticking with KB+M over a controller.

 

[evilneko]

GTA SA horrible game with horrible controls anyway, get Saints Row 2 or 3. They get the game and the controls right.

You obviously missed where the OP wasn't talking about the quality of the game he wanted to play, and that's probably because it has nothing to do with the discussion at hand. Not even mentioning how terrible SR2 is on a current Windows OS (read - pretty much unplayable).

You obviously missed the part where the OP's having trouble with using a mouse and keyboard while playing GTA:SA. I suggested games with better controls because perhaps, just perhaps, OP's troubles are being magnified by the shittiness of GTA:SA.

 

[Rastien]

You guys are going to think I'm bonkers but I'm having real issues using a mouse and keyboard. I'm predominantly a console gamer and haven't really used a mouse and keyboard setup since I played Blood, Doom or Duke3d back in the late 90s. I recently got smashed and thought it'd be a brilliant idea to re-live my early teenage years and download GTA San Andreas. No problems with installation (which is a miracle in itself as I'm totally technologically inept). My current issue is I absolutely cannot use a mouse and keyboard for shite. I just cannot play the game. I've tried playing with custom control schemes but I just can't find a loadout that suits me. It's not that the controls don't feel intuitive, they just don't feel practical. Anyone able to help me in anyway? Cheers

If you have an Xbox 3shitty wired controller plug that into your PC it will be plug and play and most games are xbox 360 controller compatible

 

[Anti Nudist Cupcake]

You could get a programmable pc game controller like one of those Saitek Cyborg v3's. Can also be used as a console controller but you have to either buy the xbox or playstation version to work with the appropriate console and your pc. They work with any pc game because you map keyboard and mouse buttons to it.

Or you could just learn to get used to the keyboard and mouse.

 

[WaysideMaze]

Mouse and keyboard on san andreas doesn't work too well. M&K works better on most things, but gta style games are often better on a pad.

I disagree. I recently played through GTA4 again on my pc, having originally played it on PS3, and I found M&K controls to be vastly superior. My car handling was much better, and shooting accuracy is always much better with an M&K setup.

It's probably just a case of getting used to it. I play both consoles and PC regularly so get plenty of practice with them.

 

[GoaThief]

I bought http://pinnaclegameprofiler.com/ years ago just for the likes of GTA:SA, it really does play so much better with a pad.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Mouse and keyboard on san andreas doesn't work too well. M&K works better on most things, but gta style games are often better on a pad.

I disagree. I recently played through GTA4 again on my pc, having originally played it on PS3, and I found M&K controls to be vastly superior. My car handling was much better, and shooting accuracy is always much better with an M&K setup.

It's probably just a case of getting used to it. I play both consoles and PC regularly so get plenty of practice with them.

GTA 4 isn't San Andreas. From what I've heard, the controls were poorly implemented. Porting issues, not game type issues.

 

[WaysideMaze]

Mouse and keyboard on san andreas doesn't work too well. M&K works better on most things, but gta style games are often better on a pad.

I disagree. I recently played through GTA4 again on my pc, having originally played it on PS3, and I found M&K controls to be vastly superior. My car handling was much better, and shooting accuracy is always much better with an M&K setup.

It's probably just a case of getting used to it. I play both consoles and PC regularly so get plenty of practice with them.

GTA 4 isn't San Andreas. From what I've heard, the controls were poorly implemented. Porting issues, not game type issues.

Yes, you're right. I'd just seen the GTA part of his post and latched onto that. Apologies.

I've not tried san andreas on pc yet, but I have it on good authority that it is a pretty terrible port. I'll give it a try sometime.

 

[Meatspinner]

You guys are going to think I'm bonkers but I'm having real issues using a mouse and keyboard. I'm predominantly a console gamer and haven't really used a mouse and keyboard setup since I played Blood, Doom or Duke3d back in the late 90s. [HEADING=3]I recently got smashed [/HEADING] and thought it'd be a brilliant idea to re-live my early teenage years and [HEADING=3]download GTA San Andreas[/HEADING]. No problems with installation (which is a miracle in itself as I'm totally technologically inept). My current issue is I absolutely cannot use a mouse and keyboard for shite. I just cannot play the game. I've tried playing with custom control schemes but I just can't find a loadout that suits me. It's not that the controls don't feel intuitive, they just don't feel practical. Anyone able to help me in anyway? Cheers

Have you tried playing a different game sober? Maybe you are just that accustomed to playing with a game pad

 

[saintdane05]

M&C for third person games is usually annoying in general. FPS' or RTS', on the other hand...

 

[The Lunatic]

Some games are badly ported.

Fortunately, PCs give you the option of using your controller of choice.

 

[sethisjimmy]

I don't think you being a console gamer has anything to do with it, it's just a port with bad controls. I would recommend either plugging an xbox or playstation controller into your pc or just getting a cheap gamepad if you don't have either of those.
I was mainly a console gamer too, and it took me about 5 minutes to get used to PC controls. However some games just tend to do better with a gamepad, such as 3D third person games. In those situations it's nice that you always have the option of a gamepad and whatever configuration you like.

 

[TheCommanders]

I find some games just work better with consoles, and some work better with PC. I wouldn't ever want to play an RTS on a console, but for most third person action games, I find I have better control with a console. The fact that I own one of every console and rarely favor any over the others (possibly the 360, but that's just because I have the most games for it) causes me to be annoyed by the apparent raging schism that is supposed to exist between owners of certain consoles or platforms. It's like they made their purchase, and feel that anything good on another platform is an attempt to mock their choice, and therefore they lash out brutally at any and all who try to point out honest flaws with sticking exclusively to one console for reasons other than budget.