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Full Version: Can I bind multiple gamepad buttons to one PS2 button?
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I'm trying to play Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater using an Xbox 360 controller. My problem is that this is one of the few games that relies on pressure-sensitive face buttons -- if you lightly press circle, you'll hold an enemy hostage, but if you press firmly you'll slit their throat, and likewise if you press the square button lightly you'll aim, and pressing it down firmly will fire. The 360 controller doesn't have any pressure sensitivity in its face buttons so a simple Y-->Triangle, B-->Circle, etc mapping does not work. I gave away my real DualShock 2 when I passed my PS2 onto my younger siblings, and buying a new DualShock controller + adapter is $50+, which is an expense I'd really like to avoid if at all possible.

I thought that maybe I could bind L-Trigger+X to 'hard square press', L-Trigger+B to 'hard circle press', etc. But I can't see an option to do anything like that within the PCSX2 controller settings. Is there an option somewhere I'm missing, or an alternative controller plugin that supports this? Failing that, is there some third-party application that'll let me map controller configurations like this?
If you use lilypad, try adjusting the "Sensitivity" slider in the "Pad 1" tab. You have to do this for each button. So you select whichever button is mapped to PS2 buttons Cross, Circle, Square Triangle. Try lowering that Sensitivity slider for each face button and you should get the "pressing the button lightly" effect instead of the "pressing down firmly effect".

In addition to the Sensitivity slider, for the analog sticks (and technically for L2 and R2) you can also adjust the dead zone, which can phenomenally improve various games where the default dead zone / sensitivity is not adjusted properly. (remember to adjust the analog sticks you have to make these values the same it for each of the 4 analog stick directions) These sensitivity options are something not easily adjustable on an actual PS2 so this is one of the benefits of pcsx2. There are a handful of games where using these methods have made all the difference in the world when it comes to control.

Please report back if that sensitivity slider works for you and if it solved that issue. FYI I think this feature (ability to adjust the sensitivity slider in Lilypad) only works in PCSX2 when a controller is in x-input mode (not direct input mode). Otherwise it is grayed out IIRC.
Thanks for the tip, planetps2. Adjusting the sensitivity that way works perfectly, the problem is that, unless I'm missing something, you can only do one-to-one button mappings. This means that I could make "X" low-pressure square, and "Y" high-pressure square... but there aren't enough buttons on the controller to do that. What I'm trying to do is set button combos to individual buttons -- so L-Trigger + X to 'Square', for example. Does PCSX2/Lilypad not support that?
(01-01-2015, 02:52 PM)froggo Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks for the tip, planetps2. Adjusting the sensitivity that way works perfectly, the problem is that, unless I'm missing something, you can only do one-to-one button mappings. This means that I could make "X" low-pressure square, and "Y" high-pressure square... but there aren't enough buttons on the controller to do that. What I'm trying to do is set button combos to individual buttons -- so L-Trigger + X to 'Square', for example. Does PCSX2/Lilypad not support that?

I haven't tried it, but there is an option in the General tab that says "Allow binding multiple PS2 controls to one PC control". You could try checking that box, but I haven't tested that yet.

However, you might not even need to check that box, because by default you are allowed to bind multiple PC controls to one PS2 control. And you can make each PC control have a different sensitivity. You are only limited by the number of buttons on your gamepad and by how many unused buttons said game has. So, you could bind a second set of face buttons to the d-pad, for example, with a different emulated pressure sensitivity on them. This is best to do for games where the left analog and d-pad do the same thing (movement) and you just replace the d-pad with that 2nd set, or if that game does not utilize the d-pad at all. Some games might not use the L3 or R3 click in buttons, so depending on the controls of said game you could re-map certain controls to make room for a 2nd set of face buttons.

As far as doing an L-Trigger + X combo modifiers for a different pressure sensitivity, that's a great idea. It's definitely worth trying and could be very useful in a game like MGS3. Come to think of it, when playing MGS3 on an actual PS2 years ago, I recall it being hard to only press those buttons lightly at times. Pressure sensitive face buttons are one of the greatest features about the PS2 controller, something that makes PS2 superior to the digital-only face buttons on other consoles like the 360 or PS4 controller. However only some developers took advantage of this feature. This is one area though where PCSX2 and Lilypad really can help alleviate these sensitivity issues that aren't adjustable on an actual PS2. The idea of using controller buttons as modifiers for different emulated pressure sensitivities is something that interests me greatly.