Hey everyone, I have pretty severe tendon/wrist issues that make a gamepad the only way to enjoy a PC game. I know there are some of you out there that suffer from the same issues and I thought I'd share my Xpadder profile. D3 plays really nicely with a gamepad once programmed correctly.
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The mouse movement take some time getting used to but even the harder difficulties are no problem after a bit of time. Here's the program you need to use to map the gamepad commands: Xpadder And the profile I made for D3: The profile should work for any gamepad that has the same configuration as the XBOX 360 controller or the Logitech Rumblepad series (I use the F710). Hope you guys find it useful! Let me know if any of you need the controller profiles as well (I have both).
So how does this work? Playing a game using Xpadder requires 2 files: a controller layout and a game profile. The controller layout tells Xpadder what kind of controller you have, what buttons and sticks it has, etc, but has nothing to do with individual games.
You only need to make this file one time, and can use it for any game you play. The game profile contains customized controls for a specific game.
The button assignments in the game profile probably won't be useful for any other game, so you'll want to have a separate one for each game you play. What you will find in each section of the guide: The Basics: Gives you a general idea of the control scheme, to make it easier to work with. Standard Controls: Control list for the default functions. Toolbar Controls: Control list for toolbar and contruction functions. Block Controls: Control list for block rotation and advanced functions.
Setting Up The Controller Layout: Instructions on how to copy the controller layout code into Xpadder. Not neccessary if you already have a controller layout for Xpadder. Xpadder Controller Layout Code: The code for the controller layout file.
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Not neccessary if you already have a controller layout for Xpadder. Setting Up The Game Profile: Instructions on how to copy the Space Engineers custom control scheme into Xpadder.
This part is neccessary, unless you are familiar with Xpadder profiles. Space Engineers Game Profile Code: The code for the Space Engineers custom layout. This part is neccessary. Advanced Features & Known Issues: Things you might need to know, or issues you might experience. Troubleshooting: Problems you may come across when following the guide, and how to fix them.
F.A.Q.: Please check the questions here before posting yours. I've done my best to anticipate (and include) the most common to save us both time and frustration. In this section I will cover the basic gist of the control scheme, to give you a general understanding of it before assaulting you with the minutiae. This controller setup was designed with two goals in mind: First, as a versatile, intuitive configuration that makes it easy to use. Second, as a layout reminiscent of FPS games. In order to keep it simple, the most common functions are mapped to the most accessible locations.
Which means some of the more obscure functions are less accessible, and will require a small measure of patience. The controls are divided into three areas, which those of you familiar with Xpadder will recognize as three separate Sets. These three are Default Controls, Toolbar Controls, and Block Controls. Some of the functions will overlap, due to the fact that Xpadder does not control the game directly - it only simulates your mouse and keyboard's inputs. Bear in mind that this fact can affect the functionality of some controls. Default Controls are selected automatically when starting Xpadder (Set1).
The most critical assignments are:. Basic movement is the left stick. Look is the right stick. A and B are vertical movement.
The bumpers control roll. Right Trigger fires weapons / uses tools. X is interact. Y is landing gear / connector lock switch. Control Panel, Inventory, and menu scrolling are on the D-Pad. Holding D-Pad Left turns reactors on / off.
Start serves as cancel, ESC menu, and pause (note: must bind pause to Numpad.). Holding the Left Trigger accesses the Toolbar Controls. Holding Back accesses the Block Controls Toolbar Controls are accessed by holding the Left Trigger(Set 2). They deal mainly with the toolbar, G-menu, and adding / removing blocks in Creative mode. Basic movement of both sticks is uninterrupted, but A, B, and both bumpers no longer control movement and orientation. The most critical assignments are:. Basic movement is the left stick.
Look is the right stick. Fire Weapon / Use Tool / Place Block is the Right Trigger. Secondary Mode / Remove Block is the Right Bumper. Toolbar Assignments 0-9 are mapped to A,X,Y,B, and Start. Back opens the G-Menu. D-pad controls toolbar selection and menu scrolling Block Controls are accessed by holding Back (Set3).
They deal primarily with block placement, but also include advanced options like saving and loading. The Left Stick currently remains mapped to W A S D, but this will ikely change in the future as it seems a bit unneccessary. No other movement or orientation controls are available within the Block Controls. The most critical assignments are:. Block Rotation is controlled by the Right Stick and both bumpers.
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Symmetry optons are available through RS. Block Color is controlled through X and B. D-Pad Down is quick save (Hold). D-Pad Up is quick load (Hold). D-Pad Right is Blueprints. This section will show you how to set up your controller layout using the code in the next section.
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Once you have Xpadder opened, you should see a window like this: Please note the giant red arrows showing you the small icons for the controller menu, profile menu, and set buttons. Create a controller file: Click the controller menu icon, and select 'Save As'. This will be your Xpadder controller file, so be sure to remember where you save it and what you name it. If 'Save As' is greyed out, click 'New', click 'Ok' in the bottom-right corner of the window that pops up, and then try to save.
Open the file in Notepad: We need to open the controller layout file so we can replace its contents with the code I have provided you. Open the folder where you have saved it, right-click the file, and choose 'Open With.' A dialog box should pop up. Depending on your version of Windows, your choices may vary, but in Windows 7 it's labeled 'Search Through Windows', and in XP I believe it is 'Choose Program'. From the list of available programs, double-click Notepad. You should be able to use any text editor, but I use Notepad for its simplicity.
Replace the file contents: Highlight everything in this file and delete it. We only need the file type that Xpadder created when you saved earlier. Scroll down in the guide to 'Xpadder Controller Layout Code', highlight the entire section, and copy it into the file in Notepad. Save the file, then close Notepad. Do not work in Xpadder and Notepad at the same time. Saving the file in one program while working in the other can cause you to lose your changes. Re-load the controller layout: In Xpadder, open the controller menu.
Click 'Open', and double click the controller layout file. You will probably get a pop-up box about this file being the default for your controller. Click 'Ok', and you should see something like this: Go ahead and test out some of the buttons and the sticks.
Make sure they cause the on-screen buttons to light up green. If they do, Xpadder is reading your controller correctly. If they don't, repeat steps 1-4 or check the Troubleshooting section for more help. Copy the controller image (Optional): This step is mostly cosmetic, but it will provide a visual aid for button assignments, which I find very useful. I used this image: Which can also be located xpadder.com At the time of writing this guide, it is the 8th one down. Right-click the image in your browser and click 'Copy Image'. In Xpadder, open the controller menu and click 'Settings'.
You should see something like this: Click 'Paste'. Then click 'Ok' in the bottom-right corner. You should now see this: Notice the controller layout file name is highlighted in yellow.
This means we have made changes that haven't been saved yet. You can click the small disk icon to the right of the file name, or open the controller menu and click 'Save'.
Now you have a controller file that you can use in Xpadder, which can be used for any game you play on your PC. All we need now is the Space Engineers game profile. This section will show you how to set up the Space Engineers game profile using the code in the next section. The steps to do this are nearly identical to setting up the controller layout, the only difference being that we're going to use the profile menu, profile file, and profile code. Your Xpadder should look something like this to start with: 1.
Create a game profile: Open the profile menu, and click 'New'. Then open the profile menu and click 'Save As'. This will be your Space Engineers game profile, so be sure to remember where you save it and what you name it.
Open the file in Notepad: We need to open the game profile so we can replace its contents with the code I have provided you. Open the folder where you have saved it, right-click the file, and choose 'Open With.' A dialog box should pop up.
Depending on your version of Windows, your choices may vary, but in Windows 7 it's labeled 'Search Through Windows', and in XP I believe it is 'Choose Program'. From the list of available programs, double-click Notepad.
You should be able to use any text editor, but I use Notepad for its simplicity. Replace the file contents: Highlight everything in this file and delete it.
We only need the file type that Xpadder created when you saved earlier. Scroll down in the guide to 'Space Engineers Game Profile Code', highlight the entire section, and copy it into the file in Notepad. Save the file, then close Notepad. Do not work in Xpadder and Notepad at the same time. Saving the file in one program while working in the other can cause you to lose your changes. Re-load the game profile: In Xpadder, open the profile menu. Click 'Open', locate your file, and double-click it.
You should then see something like this: Or if the 'Abc' button in the lower-right corner is highlighted in green, you might see this: The button assignments and colors may vary as I update the code, so don't worry if the image doesn't exactly match what you have. As long as there are a bunch of letters, arrows, or words assigned to the on-screen buttons, you're probably good. Your game profile for Space Engineers is ready to go. Make sure the #1 Set Button in the lower-left is highlighted in green, and be sure to open Xpadder each time you play Space Engineers. (Or if you want you can set Xpadder to start with Windows in the options screen.). Menu, Camera, and Clipboard Scrolling All scrolling features are available through D-pad up and D-pad down. Standard Controls are set to Ctrl+Mouse Wheel, and will control menu scrolling and clipboard scrolling.
Toolbar Controls are set to Mouse Wheel only, and will control menu scrolling and Third-Person Camera scrolling. I have yet to experience an issue where the Control binding interferred with block or group selection in the control panel, despite my best attempts to cause it. So both control sets should navigate the menus without incident. American headway second edition. Shift and Control Functions Shift and Control are available from the Toolbar controls (Hold Left Trigger). Due to their infrequent use, they have been delegated to LS and RS, respectively. Since holding either LS or RS while attempting to add / remove / paint blocks would be somewhat ridiculous, I have assigned them as a toggle.
Clicking the stick once will turn it on, a second time will turn it off. Because of the finicky nature of some Xbox controllers' registering the input (especially well-used ones), I have also included a slight rumble to indicate when either the Shift or Control toggle is on. The Shift or Control toggle will not remain on when the Set is switched in Xpadder. In other words, releasing the Left Trigger will effectively turn them both off. I find this easier than fighting the LS or RS button if I don't have to. It is also the best way to avoid confusion if you have turned them both on.
Because these two functions are only available in the Toolbar Controls, I have bound them in button combinations in the other two Sets when neccessary. For example, in Block Controls, quick-save is D-pad down (Shift-F5), copy selection is A (Ctrl-C), and so on. If they become neccessary for new features in the future, I will assign and include them as best I can. Using The A Button In The Menus The A button works for dialog boxes and menu selections, but not in the way you might think.
It is not a 'confirmation' button. It is bound to the spacebar, meaning it will select the currently highlighted option in the menu, not your mouse cursor's selection. For example, in the main menu if you move the mouse cursor over 'Load' and press A, the game will ask you to choose a new start scenario. This is because 'New World' is the default highlighted menu option.
This is actually quite handy, as you can press A immediately following a quick-save or quick-load to confirm it, as Yes is the defeault highlighted option in both cases. Any drop-down menu items will also remain selected once you've clicked them. So if you move the mouse cursor to your assembler drop-down selector and press the Right Trigger, you can make selections elsewhere, press A to open the drop-down selection, D-pad up or down to the next one, and press A to select it.
Numerical Inputs Since in the Toolbar Controls the face buttons A, X, Y, B, and Start are bound to the numbers 0-9, you can use these to input amounts in inventory screens and the control panel. D-pad right functions as the decimal point. You can click RS, then use the Right Trigger as a Ctrl+Left Click to manually input values into control panel sliders, all without using the keyboard. Backspace is a bit harder to use, but can be accessed be releasing the Left Trigger, holding Back, and holding Start. Aiming Character Weapons This one's a bit ironic. In a control scheme based around a generic FPS layout, it's a bit harder to aim your gun than your would expect. Shouldering your weapon requires you to hold both the Left Trigger and the Right Bumper, using the Right Trigger to fire.
It's not ideal, but since most of the game (and combat) revolves around constructing things (and blowing each other up with them), aiming your assault rifle didn't get the highest priority. You can still fire off the hip with the Right Trigger in any control set.
Right now this issue only affects the Assault Rifle, until we can start modding character weapons. Stick 'Drift' If you have a controller that's seen some serious use, you know what this is. Even when you aren't touching the stick, your controller will register an input, and will drift slowly to one side. The slightest movement can cause it to stay stuck in one direction. I have compensated for this using the deadzone settings in Xpadder.
The original settings I have included should prevent most stick drift, and it can be increased if you are still experiencing the problem. Which means not only should your controller be exempt from this issue, but any old controllers that have been decomissioned due to stick drift may be usable again, depending on how high you set the deadzone. (If you need to change the deadzone size, refer to the Troubleshooting section about changing the sensitivity.). Unable To Change A Button Assignment When attempting to change a key binding in Xpadder using the on-screen assignment keyboard, you may experience a black circle with a line through it, and be unable to click on anything. If this happens, the button you tried to change has advanced settings.
On the assignment keyboard window, click 'advanced' in the lower-right corner. At the top of the advanced window you will see a small row of boxes, white for keyboard and mouse inputs, green / yellow / blue / etc. For advanced functions.
Click on the white box you want to change, and press the desired key on the keyboard or use the on-screen assignment keyboard. Stuck In The Wrong Controls Toolbar / Block controls are selected even though Left Trigger / Back is not being held. This means Xpadder is in the wrong set. This can sometimes happen when using the Left Trigger and Back in combination (most likely when accessing the G-menu or Free Look). It's similar in many ways to 'Buttons Register Right After Switching Sets', below, except instead of a button press you get stuck in a different Set.
The immediate fix is to cycle the Sets together. The most effective method so far is to hold Back, hold Left Trigger, release Back, and then release Left Trigger. If that does not work, try the reverse. Hold Left Trigger, hold Back, release Left Trigger, and release Back. You can prevent this issue by ensuring you aren't holding any other buttons down when releasing the Set button (for example, after using Free Look, make sure you release the Back button well before you release Left Trigger). If you are in the wrong controls when you first start the game, Xpadder probably wasn't in the right Set to start with.
The program defaults to Set 1 when it is opened, but if you click one of the other set buttons at the bottom (numbers 2-8) you will manually change the set. It will remain in the Set you chose until Xpadder is minimized or closed and re-opened. If you start the game in any Set other than Set 1, you will experience control issues. This usually happens when you look at or tweak a control in Set 2 or 3, and don't return to Set 1 prior to launching the game.
Just make sure the number 1 in the lower-left corner is highlighted green and you're good to go. Buttons Register Right After Switching Sets When moving quickly from one Set to another, you may find that certain controls are being activated that you did not intend to press.
For example, when activating toolbar slot #2 and releasing the Left Trigger, you may accidentally exit the cockpit of your ship. This can be a bit of a problem, depending on the circumstance. It happens when you release the Set switch button (Left Trigger in this case) slightly before the other button (X). When the Set changes (releasing Left Trigger) Xpadder is triggering the function assigned to the button that is still held down (X). The best way to avoid this issue right now is to ensure you aren't holding any buttons when you release the Left Trigger or Back.
I'm still looking into alternative solutions for this problem in Xpadder. Unfortunately the only solutions I can apply to the control scheme right now are actually worse than the original problem. No Controls If the controls are completely unresponsive, check Xpadder to see if the on-screen buttons are blank, and if they light up green when you press buttons on the controller or move the sticks. If the on-screen buttons don't light up when you use the controller, your controller is not being recognized. Open the controller menu, and click 'Properties'. Click 'Control Panel' in the lower-left corner of the window that opens, then click 'Properties' on the right side of the next window.
This opens the Windows controller test tab. If the controller is unresponsive here, your Windows is not recognizing your controller. You can try to update your drivers, but if that doesn't work you'll need to seek assistance from someone more knowledgable on the subject than me. If your controller does work in the test tab, but not in Xpadder, try reloading the controller layout.
After that, try restarting Xpadder. If that doesn't help, repeat the steps outlined in 'Setting Up The Controller Layout', and remember to reload the layout when you are finished. If the on-screen buttons are blank, reload the game profile. If that doesn't fix it, try restarting Xpadder. If you still have no button assignments, repeat the steps outlined in 'Setting Up The Game Profile', being sure to reload the profile when you're done. Changing The Sensitivity There are two things in Xpadder affecting sensitivity: stick deadzone size and mouse emulation speed.
Stick deadzone determines how far you have to move the stick before it starts registering. Mouse emulation speed regulates how fast the input is once it registers. Each of these settings must be changed for each stick in each Set that you want affected. For example, changing the deadzone or mouse emulation for the right stick in Set 1 has no effect on either stick in any other Set. Note: I do not recommend lowering the deadzone size past 20%, as it is compensating for stick drift. Do so at your own peril.
To change the deadzone size, click the small wrench icon to the lower-right of the stick layout (on Standard Controls, this is between 'S' and 'D', or between the down and right arrows.) Click 'Settings' at the very top. Deadzone size is the slider at the top-center.
Deadzones can be changed for any stick in any set. To change mouse speed, click the small wrench icon to the lower-right of the stick layout, and choose 'Mouse Settings' at the very bottom. There are two sliders under 'Emulation Speed' in the center. I suggest checking the box marked 'Move Together' to make adjusting them easier.
Mouse emulation speed can only be set for sticks that are assigned to mouse movement. In this case, only the right stick in sets 1 and 2. I have set the mouse emulation speed for Set 2 (Toolbar Controls) to be slightly slower than the Default Controls. This should make it a little easier to navigate the menus when you hold the Left Trigger. Q: I don't have an Xbox 360 controller. Will this work with my insert controller name here?
A: I honestly don't know. If your controller has the same number of buttons, there's a good chance it will work, but there is a strong possibility that the commands will not be assigned to the same buttons, rendering the control list somewhat inaccurate.
If this does happen, it is the difference between your controller's software driver in Windows vs. The Xbox controller's driver.
It would be a Windows issue, completely unrelated to Xpadder. If you experience this problem, you can still use the control scheme, but would have to change button assignments in Xpadder to compensate. Q: The guide button doesn't do anything. Can I map it to something?
A: Yes and no. The official driver for the Xbox 360 controller does not recognize the guide button at all.
The unofficial driver does, if you wish to install it. I will not provide a link to it because I am not certain of the validity or security of its hosting sites.
I'm not saying the sites that host the file are malicious, I just haven't tried to find out where to get it from, and won't direct anyone to a site I haven't personally used. I have not included any function mapped to the guide button as I will not require anyone to install and replace Windows drivers to get full funtionality out of a controller profile. Q: Hey, I don't like where the insert control here is. Could you change it? A: Probably not, unless it happens to solve a particularly aggravating problem with the control scheme.
Moving one control means something else would have to give, and they are already laid out in terms of what is most useful / most efficient. If your suggestion is awesome enough, I might create a second set of controls that use it, but I make no promises. Q: Why didn't you put insert control here on insert button here? A: Yeah, I probably did, at some point. I've been through a number of layouts, everything from independant menu controls to radial selection to control set switch toggles. This one is the most solid, and feels the most natural. Some layouts had features that were better geared toward creative mode construction, others toward flight controls and survival mode, but this is the only one that struck a balance between the two with the fewest control issues.
Q: Can I have one of the profiles that's better for creative / survival? A: They were all works in progress, unfinished, and ultimately too broken in one area or another to be of any real use. I have taken the best aspects I could of each and combined them into this one, but I do not have the previous layouts any more. Q: I have a question about Xpadder in general / setting up custom controls in Xpadder.
A: I'm not an expert, but xpadder.com Q: Will you help me make a profile for insert game here? I have no interest in making Xpadder profiles for different games. I simply wanted to play Space Engineers with a controller, and thought it would be nice to share with those who are tormented by the mouse / keyboard combo.
Q: Do you plan to make any other control schemes for Space Engineers? If I can work out the kinks in one of the other ideas I have, I might upload a second scheme. That, or if the regular controls change enough over time to neccessitate an overhaul. Feel free to make suggestions for a new control scheme. Just understand that it's going to be a bit of a long shot for me to make any suggestion workable, as it can be very difficult to balance all of the controls. I meant translating mouse & keyboard controls & mapping them to gamepad using Xpadder, which I assume is what this guide is all about, mapping is a correct term. It would be very beneficial if you could provide a link to a already mapped Xpadder profile for Space Engineers.
Xpadder Game Profiles Download
I know you said you don't have a place to do that but there are plenty of free file hosting sites, for example Google Drive for cloud storage. All your effort that went into this guide would be more greatly appreciated & accessible by more people & everyone can modify or change certain things if need be to make it even better. Thanks & much respect.
Supported Devices. Xbox One Controller. PlayStation 4 / PS4 Controller. Xbox 360 Controller. PlayStation 3 / PS3 Controller. PlayStation / PSX / PS2 Controller. NVIDIA Shield.
Nintendo Wiimote / Wii Classic. Logitech Rumblepad 2. Mad Catz 360 Pro / MicroCon. Afterglow Gamepad (Xbox 360 / PS3). RockCandy Gamepad (Xbox 360 / PS3). Logitech F310 / F510 / F710.
Diablo 3 Xpadder Profile
Saitek Cyborg Rumble. Joytech 360 Joystick. Original Xbox Controller-S. Steel Series Gamepads.
Logitech Chillstream. practically ANY PC Controller!
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