Steam Controller Build Recommendations

[StealthDragoon]

Hello DE.

I have been using the Steam Controller for several months now. My most played game with it is Warframe. I think it's pretty cool you guys invested some time in coding the in-game actions inside BPM. However, some time has passed and now, your configuration is a little outdated, given all the new updates that were added lately. Here's a few recommendations that could make your SC build a little more awesome.

---

1 - No Gyro-aiming: One of the best redeeming feature of the SC isn't even activated. For those you wondering what this is, it's like playing WF with a Wii remote. Move the controller up, camera goes up, etc.

Best setup is to use the L4D2 method: Gyro is activated when touching the right trackpad. Gyro is used for slower aiming, while right trackpad is faster for easier 180's and quick response.

2 - No Haptic Feedback: Added in an update after you made your build, haptic feedback is a replacement for regular controller vibration. Having some haptic feedback while playing WF would be a nice addition. Note that I tried Rumble Emulation /w Vibration On in WF and it doesn't work, so I'm guessing it's something only you can fix.

3 - No Touch Menus: Touch Menus are BPM-bound graphic menus where touching/clicking one specific part of a touchpad will fire an action. You can have a maximum of 16 key in 1 single touch menu. Now add Mode Shifting(see below) to that and you can hide a second touch menu under the 1st. That means 1 trackpad can hold up to 32 keys. Considering how many functions aren't mapped to your build, Touch Menus are a must for WF.

My Left Trackpad is a 13 key touch menu. All Gear Hotkeys are mapped there, as well as Item Popup, Switch Camera Side, Show Player List, Inspect and Show Map. My Right Trackpad is Camera move, but when I hold Right Bumper, it changes into a 5 key touch menu for WF abilities (uses a 9-key setup, only uses 5 actions, shaped in a cross).

4 - No Activators: Added last June in the Steam Beta, Activators is the new hot fuzz. Basically,it works exactly like how we change weapons in WF. Tap the button, you switch guns. Hold the button and you switch to melee. Activators work exactly like that, allowing you to customize any action on top of another in a single button.

This update also allows macro bindings, which means complicated sequences of key presses can be programmed into a single key. (i.e. You can program a 1-key hadouken button for Street Fighter, etc) And yes, that means I can Bullet Jump, Slide Attack and Backflip at the click of a button.

5 - No Mode Shifting: Not really a big issue, but the way I see it, using Mode shifting goes hand-in-hand with touch menus. Like explained in item #3, holding a key can change how certain other keys can work. Not all keys can be shifted on the SC, but the most important to use are mostly Trackpads for touch menus shifting. Here's an example of how mode shifting "fixed" one problem I had with WF.

The Outer Ring binding of the joystick triggers Sprint. Good idea, but when you aim a weapon and move, your aim toggles off in favor of sprinting. So to remedy this, I added a mode shift to the Joystick which is just another Joystick mode without sprinting bound to outer ring. This mode is triggered when my Left Trigger is fully pressed. This way, I can move around while shooting without accidentally triggering sprint.

---

All in all, I think that sums up the missing features of the Warframe SC build, excluding controller-related bugs of course...

When I got my SC, I never EVER thought Warframe would become my most played game with. The SC redefined how I play WF, hek, any game I play now and has had an undeniable impact, mostly because of Gyro-aiming and touch menus.

If any of you out there want to see what a polished and optimized Steam Controller build for Warframe looks like, check out my build. It's called "Gyro / T-Menus / Activators v2.8". I uploaded it to the community and anyone can check it out. As the version number indicates, I update and tweak it often, with the most edit done after the Activator update.

If you're still here and read the whole thing, sorry for the wall of text but if no one talks about it, nothing will be done. Peace.