One button layout to rule them all?
One button layout to rule them all?
I like to play console games like Halo and CoD, but I had trouble switching back and forth between them because of the different button layouts that they use. This would often result in me pressing the wrong buttons and sometimes getting killed in games. Wouldn’t it be great if all games used the same button layout, so then there wouldn’t be any more confusion about which buttons to press?
Well, I had a small revelation during the Halo 5 beta. One thing that surprised me about the beta was the H5 Default button layout. It’s very different from H4 Default. For me, the most remarkable change 343 made to H5 Default was that they put zoom on the left trigger just like in CoD. That change along with the move to add zoom to assault rifles and SMGs tells me that 343 has decided to embrace CoD-style left trigger zoom for Halo in order to be more like CoD.
Because of this, I decided to start using the Fishstick button layout. Fishstick is the Halo version of the CoD button layout. These days it seems like most console games include a CoD button layout for players to use. The Halo MCC version is called ‘Universal Zoom & Shoot’, and the Destiny version is called ‘Cold Shoulder’. I tested these button layouts in the H5 beta, MCC, and Destiny to see how usable they are. I find that they work well enough that I should be able to use them full time going forward. The console games all seem to be including this CoD button layout now, so why not use it? I figure it should be a lot easier for me to use the same controller setup for everything, so then I won’t be pressing the wrong buttons anymore.
I’m still getting the hang of using Fishstick in Halo. Probably the most difficult thing to get used to is pressing the right bumper to throw grenades. I’ve been throwing Halo grenades with the left trigger for many years, so that’s a hard habit to break. But we have zoom on the left trigger now, so I suppose I’ll just have to accept that change. I believe it will be well worth it in the end.
Now before all of you switch to Universal Zoom & Shoot, I should tell you about some minor quirks that you may encounter while using this button layout in MCC. The early Halo games were never designed to have zoom on the left trigger, though it seems to work fine most of the time. However, sniper rifles are a special case since they have 2 levels of zoom. You can enter the first level of zoom by pressing and holding the left trigger, and then letting go takes you out of zoom just as you would expect. In order to get to the 2nd level of zoom you need to quickly press the left trigger twice, and then you do the same thing again to get out of it. I rarely use the 2nd level of sniper zoom anyway, so for me this is actually an easier way to do it than using the right stick to zoom. With left trigger zoom, I never even need to see that 2nd level of sniper zoom unless I really want to use it.
Another minor issue with having zoom on the left trigger in Halo games before H4 is that if you try going into zoom while performing another action like reloading that prohibits you from using zoom, it won’t zoom in even if you continue to hold down the trigger. So, you need to release the left trigger and press it again if it doesn’t work the first time. That can be a little annoying, but not that big of a deal really. Halo 4 is the exception here since it comes with a built-in Fishstick button layout which has left trigger zoom. So if you hold down the left trigger in H4 while waiting for your reload to finish, it will eventually go into zoom after the reload animation completes and you won’t need to press it again. It’d be nice if it always worked this way, but previous Halo games before H4 weren’t built that way unfortunately.
Also, dual-wielding in Halo 3 can be a little strange because H3 uses 2 reload buttons. With Universal Zoom & Shoot, you always use the X button to reload. But when you’re dual-wielding in H3, pressing X does not reload your left-side dual weapon. However, you can reload it by pressing down on the left stick. Again, I don’t think this is a big deal. You just need to remember what to press in order to reload your left-side weapon if you ever find yourself dual-wielding in H3.
I forgot H3 even had dual wielding. I don't remember ever using it, ha ha.
Here is my thread about the Universal Zoom & Shoot button layout in Halo MCC. I've been using this button layout myself for several months now and I still really like it a lot.
Funny I was just reading this right before you made your way back to the site. I switched to universal bumper jumper a couple months back. It's great for me. It allows you to jump and aim at the same time. I'm not sure if it the layout will change much in Halo 5 though as I didn't use it in the beta.