Controller support

[ocybin]

Hey there,
I've been using Steam Controller for some time, but rarely made use of the gamepad controls, favoring KB&M bindings.

One thing that I think works well is enabling scrolling in and out using Gyro as a scrollwheel. I have a config that will do that, enabling gyro scroll, when I press Y and hold it. If I just press and release it will hit F9 to reset the camera. The trick is to have very high scroll sensitivity since you need a lot to do it without tilting the controller far.

The other thing I noticed in gamepad config is the LB menu. If you hold LB, you're looking at menu. During menu, the buttonpad bindings & the right stick could have a purpose. It would let you use both thumbs to navigate the menu, instead of switching your left over to dpad and stick.

[bobfromsales]

Hello,

I've been a pc gamer my whole life, but developed carpal tunnel syndrome a few years ago and i've been trying to learn to play many games with a controller, so i really appreciate all the work to make Factorio usable with a controller.

Recently I've been playing a ton of Elden Ring since the release of it's DLC, and I think it has one of the best methods of inventory management with a controller of any game i've seen so far, And i find myself wishing i could use many of it's features in Factorio:

• First off, inventory is controlled with the DPad, not the stick. I think this is much faster and less prone to mistakes. It is very easy to spam a dpad button and accurately count how many times you need to hit a button to reach the item you're looking for. As opposed to the stick, which must return to center each time.
• Elden ring also uses the trriggers to swap between different sections of the menu. In Factorio, I find myself intuitively trying to use the triggers to swap between my inventory and the crafting menu, or the entity panel, etc.
• Additionaly they use the shoulder buttons to page up and down through the inventory, and have buttons to quickly go to the top or botton of any section.

If you've not played Elden Ring or DS3, here is a pretty advanced guide on inventory management, that shows how pvpers utilize all these controls to navigate the inventory incredibly quickly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XiN_-qOkEc

Thanks again for the all hard work you put into these features, it has made the game accessible so many people!

[Phoscur]

Hi,
I believe I found at least one bug and created a ticket: viewtopic.php?t=127783, please have a look, @twinsen!

Also, generalising a bit, I'm looking for tips and tricks for XBOX Elite Controllers usage:
- Did you get paddles to work (without cable connected)?
- Do you use Steam Controller settings? To what end/merit?
- What did you bind the Ping, Cut, Undo and Redo Commands to?

[KillTheAlarm]

I just logged my 1st 500h on Factorio. I only ever played with a 3rd party Xbox Controller with gyro (Flydigi Vader 4 Pro), never with M&K. (Side note, due to the game not having implemented any gyro-to-mouse QoL, I'm barely using gyro).

Overall, the game is playable and enjoyable on a controller. Here are all my thoughts:

• Quick panel is fantastic. In fact, it could easily become THE central panel replacing most sub-menus. A nested radial menu structure with a couple extra layers of depth could potentially handle almost every in-game menu.
• Combat feels great overall! Only real complaint is nuclear rocket targeting - it occasionally locks onto a target at point-blank range, resulting in instant death. There should be a minimum distance threshold or priority filtering for close-range targets.
• Twinsen mentioned that with more resources, he would have completely reworked the controller GUI. I strongly agree this is where the biggest gains are left on the table. Moving from an adapted M&K interface to a controller-first philosophy would solve A LOT of friction. Here are some of the most painful examples (and suggestions/fixes) of navigating menus with a controller:
  • Managing logistics requests: After selecting an item, you currently have to scroll through the entire item grid just to reach the quantity slider/box.
  • Changing existing numbers: If you just want to tweak a request value, you still have to navigate through the whole item grid first. Having the cursor automatically jump to the quantity field upon selecting an item would instantly fix this.
  • Right-stick menu scrolling: R-stick scrolling is standard across controller-supported games and would make navigating long lists much faster.
  • Shoulder buttons (LB/RB / L1/R1) for tab switching in menus: Another staple QoL feature that would make UI navigation feel much more fluid.
  • On-screen keyboard & icon selection: Using the Steam OSK feels clunky when trying to insert item icons into text tags (you have to type, close OSK, navigate menus to pick an icon, etc.). An integrated OSK with a native icon selector would make naming/tagging stops and blueprints far less tedious.
• Over-reliance on Free Cursor Mode: Free cursor is fine as a fallback for niche/precise interactions (like complex circuit wiring), but basic UI navigation shouldn't force players onto a free cursor. Snapping and grid-based menu navigation should feel seamless on their own.
• Movement feel (Remote View vs. Direct Control): There's a noticeable disconnect between how movement feels in Remote View versus direct character control. Enabling full 360 movement for character traversal - and only locking to 8 directions when actively placing/building entities (implement it the exact same way in remote view) - would unify the feel across both modes, while making stuff placement easier.
• Vehicle controls: Right now, vehicle handling feels like something players have to fight to adapt to rather than something intuitive from the start. The friction was high enough that I felt forced to rush high-tier exoskeletons early just to avoid driving the car/tank, which is a shame given how cool vehicles are.
• Control settings readability: The binding customization is deep (which hardcore players will love), but it gets overwhelming fast. Some keybinds aren't explained or referenced anywhere in tips/tricks, requiring trial and error to figure out. Additionally, the menu allows conflicting actions to be mapped to the same button even when they overlap and trigger simultaneously.
• Time based missions (or any mild speed-running) aren't really possible with a controller, due to how long you have to spend in menus.

In short, controller support currently feels like a translation layer over an M&K interface rather than a native, controller-first experience. Given how famously polished every other aspect of Factorio is, giving controller UX a dedicated design pass would make a huge difference.

There are some great RTS/RPG systems to draw inspiration from (Stardew Valley handles cursor/snapping balance well, and Empires of the Undergrowth has one of the best controller schemes of any RTS game), so I really hope to see this area get some love!