Since coming back to GD, I’ve started playing a lot with controller, both to try out the controller support and to mitigate physical issues I have with prolonged M+KB usage. I also have been absorbing a lot of YT videos and articles about video game accessibility. This feedback will reflect these factors.
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Option for text error message for trying to pick an item up when inventory full.
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Separate options for Audio → Error Voice Over Message into “Error Voice Over Message (Skills)” and “Error Voice Over Message (Inventory)”. Primarily addresses playing masteries that involve a lot of active ability binds for users who still want an audio cue for when trying to pick up items while inventory is full. This is something I noticed when I started playing Nightblade.
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Controller inventory management kinda sucks. Virtual mouse cursor is fundamentally bad but I accept it as a necessary evil. However, D-pad cursor movement can definitely be better: when not holding an item with cursor, D-pad cursor movement should try to track to the next item in the direction pressed. (It should not track to the next grid space.) This is to address shopping on a controller. Potentially, such a feature would make shopping easier than mouse and keyboard, since you could easily clear out your inventory with a few button presses with an effective implementation.
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Controller menu movement could be slightly improved by including RT and LT (trigger buttons) in the UI menu changing. Ex. in the Skills menu, RT and LT could swap between Mastery/Devotion tabs. Ex. in the inventory, RT/LT could swap between active inventory bag, or be contextually sensitive to the cursor’s environment, ex. RT/LT navigating tabs in the Codex/journal. Same with Factions (could swap between factions).
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Colour-blind options for health, energy bars, both of the player in the UI overlay and also the overhead bars for enemies and players (and their pets). Also, options to change the size of overhead bars, separately for enemies and players, would be greatly appreciated.
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Binding skills on a controller is somewhat of a hassle. When I use the RS to quickly scroll through the available options, and then use the D-pad to select the ability I want, the highlighted ability is still stuck on whatever was the last skill I highlighted (typically the first skill since I don’t usually use the LS for this), so I have to bring the highlighted option all the way down with multiple D-pad clicks. This could be improved by simply making the D-pad highlight the next-most appropriate option currently displayed in the skills menu, skipping any that are hidden.
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Option to add a bright ground sprite surrounding the player character that can indicate direction. (Like a circle with an arrow pointing in the character’s current facing direction.) Would help immensely with readability while playing with a controller. (Prevents situations of thinking auto-targeting selected the next valid enemy, but in reality my character is still swinging thru thin air facing the opposite direction.)
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Devotions screen D-pad movement is really finicky. Some stars are outright impossible to navigate to using any D-pad combination from an adjacent star. I don’t know how much this can be addressed, but it’s definitely been a source of amusement and mild frustration to have to resort to the mouse cursor. (I can only imagine the nightmare that is using the virtual cursor.)
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Devotions screen zoom-out limit is pretty low compared to the span of the constellations. Higher zoom-out limit would be a tremendous benefit, esp to controller players. It would also mitigate the previous issue if zooming in/out was relative to the centre of the screen. (i.e. it would be faster to scroll to a desired area in a zoomed out view, and then zoom in.)
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(BONUS) I can’t help but feel like the controller (also M+KB to be fair) implementation would benefit from a modifier key to select more skills. ex. button A could be one bound ability, LB+A could be another bound ability, and so on for the other bindable keys. Such a system would also be friendlier to players with physical disabilities, given that RS/LS button inputs can be difficult given certain mobility limitations. Obviously it would simply be a more robust system for everyone else out there.
I want to mention that to avoid having to toggle my ability bar, I often find myself selecting skills and masteries, and gearing up in ways to specifically minimize the number of active binds I might have to push at any given time (ex. giving much higher priority to gear that grant passive or toggled bonus abilities vs. gear that grant active bonus abilities). I want to then give extra attention to the bonus issue (10): it is an issue that can actively influence (i.e. limit) how a player chooses to interact with Grim Dawn.
- I have no idea if this is just a me thing, but in the Options → Keybinds menu, I have to scroll with both the RS and LS. But the RS is what chooses the direction. idk.