Using a gaming-mouse for combat (and more)?

[Edgar7]

I am not a hardcore gamer and I never owned a gaming mouse.

When I am building with Factorio I am happy with the keyboard/mouse. But for combat I am not happy with the c button or tab button and I don't think changing the mapping will make a difference. I want to keep my fingers on the movement keys.
For that reason I consider a gaming-mouse. Maybe something like the Logitech G502 with a couple of buttons.

What is your experience with a gaming mouse? Do you use one? Does it make combat easier?

Until now I could kill all the nests, mostly with the turret combat method. But sometimes I need a long time and sometimes I get killed and I try again. I hope that should be a lot easier with a gaming-mouse.

[Koub]

But for combat I am not happy with the c button or tab button and I don't think changing the mapping will make a difference. I want to keep my fingers on the movement keys.

I use a G502. To fight, I use ZQSD (the French WASD) for direction and ... space (with my thumb). My fingers don't leave the movement keys, and I'm happy for the little fight I have to do early game. As soon as possible, I graduate from small scale close combat range to long combat range (rockets, nukes, artillery), and if need to come close, pld in a mk2 armor with a few exoskelettons, with poison capsules for the worms. Ridiculously effective. I think a gaming mouse is not useful here.

[Edgar7]

Thanks
Do you ever use the C button to aim at a specific enemy instead of space with automatic aiming?
I like to kill those annoying spitters and that often requires to aim at them.

[astroshak]

Generally, you don’t miss. Instead, you target anything (closest first I believe) in a cone centered around the mouse pointer.

If I put my mouse over the nearest spawner, I’ll shoot at it with Spacebar. When something spawns (either that spawner or another one) and its within that cone, it is automatically targeted as it approaches, and it usually dies (unless its a Big Biter and I’m still using yellow or low-tech red ammo), switching back to the spawner after the biter(s) is dead. No muss, no fuss, little mouse movement. The only time I have to move the mouse is if biters from other spawners are approaching from outside that cone.

I tend to use grenades on the approach, to clear trees to give me more freedom of movement, and not in combat itself. I should probably give the poison capsules and combat bots a try some time, I’ve never used them.

Really not sure why you need to use the C button. TAB I can see using if you’re going at it with rockets and the SMG. I’ve never found the shotgun useful. Fortunately, TAB is located within easy pinky range when the bulk of the hand is on WASD; I use my middle finger for both the W and the S, my ring finger for the A and my index finger for the D, leaving my thumb for Space and my pinky for Tab, if needed.

[Koub]

Never, but I'm not a combat expert (or even lover). My preferred balance is overkill. If I can't kill them by facerolling on my keyboard, the odds are insufficiently in my favor .

By the way, if you prefer aiming, nothing prevents you rebinding space to "aimed shot", or even middle-mouse click if you wish. I think a gaming mouse is not necessary for combat in Factorio.

[MassiveDynamic]

I use a gaming mouse because I am a terrible keyboarder. I use buttons 4 and 5 for combat they are on my thumb that way aiming and shooting are all done with my mouse hand and navigation is handled by my left hand. It works for me. Like Koub I am neither good at nor a fan of the combat.