I Added Controller Support to PC (No Modding Required!)
Hey, Commanders!
As someone who couch games on a PC, I've been working for some time on a controller profile for Nikke that would actually be usable enough to make me not miss a mouse or touchscreen. After a fair bit of tweaking, I feel I've finally gotten there, and I figured it would be worth sharing with the community in case someone else out there finds it useful!
First, I must stress that this is not a mοd and does not work natively within the game engine. While nothing beats native integration, the good thing is that my method bears no risk of being considered cheating or simply breaking with updates.
With that out of the way, here's how it works:
Setup:
- First, you will need to download an application called AntiMicroX to translate gamepad inputs into keyboard/mouse. No installation is necessary, so store it wherever you like.
- Note that you must run AntiMicroX as admin for translated inputs to be recognized by Nikke.
- Next, download and import my controller profile into AntiMicroX.
- You may also wish to configure the application to automatically switch to this profile when nikke.exe is running--see Options > Settings > Auto Profile to set this up.
- If your controller is not in a standard Xinput layout, click the Controller Mapping button in the bottom left corner of the main window to map the buttons to the correct counterparts.
- Next, launch Nikke and navigate to the controller options. Use your keyboard to enter the keys as follows:
- Skill Shortcut:
- Use Burst Skill No. 1: Arrow Up
- Use Burst Skill No. 2: Arrow Left
- Use Burst Skill No. 3: Arrow Down
- Use Burst Skill No. 4: Arrow Right
- Use Burst Skill No. 5: Numpad Plus
- Nikke Switch Shortcut:
- Switch to Nikke No. 1: Y
- Switch to Nikke No. 2: X
- Switch to Nikke No. 3: A
- Switch to Nikke No. 4: B
- Switch to Nikke No. 5: Numpad Star
- Other Shortcuts:
- Auto Aim: Left Shift
- Auto Skill Use: Tab
- All Units Take Cover: Spacebar
- Skill Shortcut:
This mapping will give you as close to controller-accurate button prompt icons as possible. (Unfortunately, some buttons simply don't have a logical keyboard counterpart, and cutscene controls cannot be remapped.) For example:
Controls:
With this setup complete, gamepad inputs work as follows:
- Left Stick: Scroll (vertical and horizontal)
- Left Stick Click: Switch scroll mode (experimental; only intended for map overview)
- Right Stick: Mouse (aim)
- Right Stick Click: Defend/Take Cover
- Note that mouse sensitivity is DPI-unaware and has been calibrated for a 4K display at 150% scaling. At lower resolutions, you may prefer to reduce sensitivity in the controller profile.
- D-Pad:
- Up: Use Burst Skill No. 1
- Left: Use Burst Skill No. 2
- Down: Use Burst Skill No. 3
- Right: Use Burst Skill No. 4
- Hold ANY: Use Burst Skill No. 5
- Face Buttons:
- Y: Switch to Nikke No. 1
- X: Switch to Nikke No. 2
- A: Switch to Nikke No. 3
- B: Switch to Nikke No. 4
- Hold ANY: Switch to Nikke No. 5
- View/Select: Skip Cutscene
- Menu/Start: Menu/Back (Escape)
- Shoulder Buttons:
- LB: Toggle Auto Battle/Auto Text
- RB: Toggle Auto Skill/View Log
- Triggers:
- LT: Precision Aim (analog; reduces mouse sensitivity while held)
- RT: Fire/Click
After landing on this configuration, I honestly found it surprisingly natural and got used to it almost immediately. Even intense Interception battles are perfectly playable thanks to finely tuned mouse translation that is neither circular nor square. Some might scoff at using a controller for this game, but to that I say, don't knock it 'til you try it!
And if you do try it, I hope you enjoy this as much as I have!
Posted May 17, 2024, 1:35 AM UTC