Emails: PC gamepad

Don’t buy a 360 controller. These Logitech controllers are compatible with any game that uses the 360 controller, and they have a good (a bit unusual, but effective) d-pad which is in the correct position: http://www.logitech.com/en-us/gaming/controllers. I’m sure you can find other PC controllers that will work too, since Xinput (the gamepad API for the 360 controller) is apparently becoming a standard for new PC controllers.

Hmm….

I do intend on buying a logitech joystick soon (to play those Wing Commander, Descent, and Freespace games I have on my GOG account…). I’ll look into this.

Another email says:

Logitech has a nice PC gamepad. I’ve had one for a few years, and it works well. The analog sticks count as their own button, and the d-pad is pretty sweet (very similar to the kind used as early as Genesis controllers). The only apparent catch was when I tried to map functions to the d-pad on the PC version of San Andreas, it didn’t seem to take them. So that might be a problem if Dark Souls does that as well.

Dark Souls seems to be an atrocious port. One thing I never can understand with ports is why people can’t do the controls right. I’m still pissed off with the Mega Man collection on the Gamecube.

First of all, I feel your pain. I had to scramble to get a bluetooth dongle and work through driver installations to get my PS3 controller to work in order to play it, because the CC doesn’t have the analog clicking.

Another email:

I thought about this, and the only solution I can see is mapping lock-on to the Minus button (select), which in Dark Souls is the gesture menu, and the only novelty command not needed to play at all.
May be a bit awkward to lock-on using select, but it’s really the only button you can free, so try it out.

I’ll give it a try.