DOOM Eternal

DOOM Eternal

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Smart Slayer NEXT/ARSENAL: Instant Weapon Swapper for Controllers
By InmaDjinn Samalik
Say goodbye to pace killing weapon wheels as I introduce you to a new, more effective way to play Doom Eternal on controller via the "NEXT/ARSENAL" system. (Now updated for patch 6.66 with even better controls!!!)
   
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ARE YOU A SMART SLAYER?!
Of course you are! Why else are ya reading this. You're probably having fun, sitting on your couch, ripping cyberdemons in half when suddenly, you fight your first Marauder...
And then it hits ya....

"God danm it! There's too many pace killers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHY DOES THE GAME HAVE TO FEEL SO SLOW?!"

Rest assured it ain't the first Marauder causing most of them when you fight him. (much)
It's the weapon wheel your stuck with. Use it for too long and the world goes slow-mo. Pick a direction outta 8 and your camera goes flying that way, screwing your aim. It's a mess...

But what if I told you.....
There's a better way to swap your weapons
NEXT/ARSENAL
Behold my secret!



"Now hang on!" you may say. "How the hell are ya suppose to play like that?! The weapon wheel is down there! Now how the F@#$ am I gonna doom like DOOM? Also why is Jump and dash down there?! Are you playing with your [redacted]"

Why no I am not playing with my redacted, thank you very much. And as for the weapon wheel, arn'cha noticing what's highlighted? "N/A."

"But that does nothing!" You respond. "It means "Not Acknowledged"

Right you are....normally. But in this case, with the support magic of steam controller configs, I effectively rename this button to be called the "NEXT/ARSENAL" system. And it's very simple too.

All you have to do is hold the button down to activate "NEXT/ARSENAL" mode. As you do that, press another button, like LB or LT or the face buttons, to bring out a very specific weapon of your choice.

How to Set Up
For starters, if you wanna be a very effective Slayer, I recommend binding your controls like mine the tee. There is some leeway in swapping launchers under your sticks or melees on the face buttons with each other. But at then end of the day, Doom is a very movement driven game so because of that, you can't be dragged down by managing commands on the D-pad (or face buttons. Hi lefties!). That thumb has to remain on that stick at all times.

"But the aerial buttons are bound to your D-pad."
More on that later.

Ultimately
  • N/A is critical for NEXT/ARSENAL to work no matter what. So bind it above your shoot button as I did. If your not gonna shoot, your gonna swap. That's the general idea.
  • Next after binding, you gotta go into your steam controller config. Just press "Home" or whatever you call that non-gaming button on your controller and go in
  • After that, press the button that sends you to "Browse Configs" and search in community. and look for the Smart Slayer config
    Side note: Steam filters what configs you'll see based on the controller you use. Since I use DualShock 4, you may have to press the north button on your face buttons to turn off that filter
  • After selecting, apply with the left button on the face buttons
  • Take that baby for a spin! (And when you're done, upload that for me if you're using non-DS4 controllers for me)


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


  • Alternatively, (which I just found out) you can also copypasta the following link into your browser. Afterwards, it should take you to your steam client.
    steam://controllerconfig/782330/2637945707
    It should look something like this



    Pick your Shotgun. The former if your in Big Picture/in game as is, or the latter in Desktop mode.

    The best part about this is that it requires no real installation. So as long as you don't forget your account, this set-up will follow you
Notes
  • In NEXT/ARSENAL mode, button mashing the Super Shotgun (RB+LT) will also shoot the Meathook. This is why it's bound to LT. The Meaty is one of the vital tools for toying with your enemies so take advantage of it if you got sticky fingers. The less finger work, the better you're in control. And on top of that, the Meaty will always be available even if you run out of Shotgun ammo, proving how vital it is to getting around.

  • The Chaingun (RB+LB) will also activate it's mod in NEXT/ARSENAL mode if held down. This is so that defence is only a few buttons away with the shield mod. These are the only two guns that do this.

  • The Ballista, unfortunately, requires double tapping NEXT/ARSENAL to bring out (RB+RB) as a workaround. I tried to come up with a way so that pressing it once would bring Ballista out and make the input cancelable if it detected another gun, but it always ended in pulling out two guns in sequence, making getting back into the fight longer even with the rapid gun swap upgrade.
    Update 6.66 has addressed this issue. As such I would kindly ask you to mimic the new in-game screenshot I have posted above to get effective results. In turn, RB+RB has since been changed to Mod Swapping, to stay in line with the NEXT/ARSENAL motif.

  • Similarly, I tried doing this with grenades too. Since there's only two grenades, it makes sense to turn the grenade swaper into an Ice Grenade button, similar to the Flame Belch. In certain control schemes, especially on keyboard, the grenade swapper is redundant as is. But alas, it received the worser fate of getting canned since it never worked. Maybe idSoft should make everything here a new in-game feature.

  • The BIG☆Friendship♥GUN 9000 is mapped to the Start/Options button. This way, it's always available even without NEXT/ARSENAL.
    "HOLD IT!!!" You shout epiclly like an over-the-top Japamerican lawyer "Now how the hell am I gonna pause the game now?! Or upgrade myself?!?!" Easy.
    Everything is mapped to the select button now. If you press it, you'll pause normally. If you hold it, you'll see the map. And If you wanna swap these bindings, go into cotroller configs, pick the select button on your controller and swap the two bindings.

  • If you want to rebind your guns, you will have to go into your keyboard Slayer Bindings and change them from there. Guns are reliant on the number row on your keyboard in the default scheme.

  • Also unfortunately, there is no left handed version of this. (Sorry lefties)

  • NEXT/ARSENAL is also available for DOOM '16. URL to install here:
    steam://controllerconfig/379720/2259573680
    Update 12/22/2020: Now also avalable for DOOM 3 BFG Edition:
    steam://controllerconfig/208200/2329453496
Bonus Round!: Back Buttons
"More on that later" I said

It's later.

Back buttons are a new, revolutionary way to do more on a controller. Once I got a hold of them at a demo kiosk, I knew this was the future of controllers. Especially vital in action games. AND ESPECIALLY in games like DOOM. This is why I recommended following my scheme, as it really invests better finger real estate into how you attack

With Back Buttons you can keep your fingers on the important stuff while on the move, whether it's jumping, dashing, running, aiming or even shooting.... while flame belching a grenade in mid air while no scoping, weapon swapping and bunny hopping around a corner in the same 2 seconds.
It. Is. Amazing.
In comparison, you have to take your fingers off the aim or move stick in order to jump (among other things) in the default scheme, limiting your human options. And that makes DOOMing with controllers inferior without this guide.

I can't give any discounts nor am I getting any money. I have no power to do that. But I can help by offering a olive branch. Below are just some stepping stones for you to get started on these.



https://www.amazon.com/DualShock-Back-Button-Attachment-PlayStation-4/dp/B082VX16VJ
Complete with rebindable paddles, this is the most cost effective upgrade. Even compared to the Xbox Elite series, this, plus a DualShock 4 V2, will only cost around 90 bucks. And that's if you already don't own a DS4, slashing the price drastically. The only problem is, most PC games keep forgetting to add Playstation buttons to their releases. (A simple toggle in the options menu. Like, C'mon devs.) So the controller will work, but it will read like Xbox. Still, it's my prefered choice.


https://www.amazon.com/Elite-2-Controller-Black-Xbox-One/dp/B07SFKTLZM/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=%EF%BC%B8%EF%BD%82%EF%BD%8F%EF%BD%98+%EF%BC%A5%EF%BD%8C%EF%BD%89%EF%BD%94%EF%BD%85&qid=1602582975&sr=8-1
Next is the more generic choice. It comes with 4 back buttons and swappable parts, such as D-pads and sticks. But it may feel a little heavier to handle with its weight and it's price tag almost feels doubled the previous choice. Still, many people seem to like this controller for a reason so, options yours.



https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Controller-Nintendo-Programmable-Customized/dp/B081DV6SN4
Finally is a more off-brand stepping stone, but one you might want if you own a Switch. I don't have much to say about it because it's off-brand. But if your a Nintendo owner, then have at it.
10 Comments
Exshack 6 Nov, 2020 @ 4:04am 
Genuinely surprised this wasn't a "get a mouse and keyboard" "guide"
The Red Baron 4 Nov, 2020 @ 4:27am 
I beat it on UN, controller, the problem is sometimes the wheel wont give me the weapon i want in time when its really stressful, so it will just do nothing. Once I learned to calm down though and learn certain weapon combos (ballista x precision bolt, SSG x ballista) and aim for headshots, the game becomes that much easier
The Red Baron 4 Nov, 2020 @ 4:23am 
Or, you know..... git gud
BlueJay 30 Oct, 2020 @ 2:20pm 
I tried it and didn't really like it aside from the fact that I could crank down the difficulty, lean back, and rip n tear. there's definitely an appeal, just not for everyone
Wehzy 30 Oct, 2020 @ 6:09am 
Who plays doom with a Controller... Yikes.
BlueJay 29 Oct, 2020 @ 5:23am 
can confirm tried playing doom on the toilet with m+kb and got an imp stuck up my ass
Spat856 28 Oct, 2020 @ 9:16pm 
If this works, power to you. I'll just keep playing with mouse and keyboard xD
InmaDjinn Samalik  [author] 27 Oct, 2020 @ 11:57pm 
Good luck doing that on the couch. Or in bed. Or on the toilet.Ever tried playing Doom Eternal with a M+KB on a toilet? Trust me, it's not ideal.
Backwardsm 27 Oct, 2020 @ 12:56pm 
Or play with mouse and keyboard
InmaDjinn Samalik  [author] 16 Oct, 2020 @ 2:31pm 
And just in time for The Ancient Gods. Phew.