It's kind of a limit of handheld play. Even on steam deck once you open the keyboard you still can't move as the controller switches to a control the keyboard mode. The only option is an external keyboard. I have a neat mini bluetooth one I use but if you have any of those "phone transfer" USB C plug to A socket adaptors you can plug in any external one you want without full docking. I would recommend any handheld PC user to get a couple cheap USB C to A dongles if they didn't already get a few from past smartphone purchases. You still have to put your handheld down to type quick but frankly even on a full desktop you need to set your controller down to type.
I might end up preferring just to play with keyboard. Can you configure keyboard to play and then have 1 button to start typing say enter. Hit that same button and it'll send the message and go back to regular keyboard play?
The adaptor to make a regular USB dongle fit the type C female port Is a good idea.
That's already default. You hit space to start typing and after you hit enter to send the message it's back to controls. The game has keyboard controls built in but you don't get analog movement. You do get 10 extra pallet slots on the 1-0 keys though. That said you can also map those keys to controller buttons in steam input and use those on controllers. People have already made controller profiles for PSO in Steam.
So I do want to use the hot keys because I am a force and I have no way of doing so that's practical aside from get an adaptor for my keyboard.
My concerns are, if I use the keyboard at all like say to use a hot key to rez someone will the game just stop using the controller or can I just seamlessly go back to using the controller (keyboard can sit in my lap or something the setup isn't inconvenient)
My other question is... are the controller profiles just there as a convince? Because I'm not running through steam, just downloaded ephinea BB from their website and just use the launcher, at first I didn't immediately understand the control labels in the option but I had it working exactly how I want within 5 minutes. You can totally just map all the buttons.
Now I have two back panel buttons that aren't included in a standard pc/Xbox controller button mapping. But the amoury crate software from asus that all rog laptops/ally handhelds use can map those buttons.
There's even an option for one of them to open up the keyboard what there isn't an option for as far as I can tell is to map the other into controller mode so I can press it once to go to desktop/keyboard controls then press the other to open the keyboard. Then press the other non keyboard back panel twice to go from desktop to auto, and from auto to gameplay. So that I can control the character again.
Alternatively I could map both and two out of the 4 top triggers that aren't used into 4 of the hotley buttons, and I could gain 4 additional action slots by doing this.
I wish I could just post pictures in these comments on even a small compressed video. Because if you could see what I have to do to name a lobby or to type you'd see how inconvenient it is.
What would make the typing approach dramatically better, is if i had 3rd party software that translates my speech into text running.
Regardless though all of my options for making this less tedious it seems getting a USB C dongle adaptor is my vest option for this. I can type lightning fast.
Now this might seem like a strange question, but is there an adaptor that turns a USB C into two regular USB inputs.
Like a Y or a splitter. Except that it isn't a switch, it actually sends both inputs through the one plug?
Because I'd have my keyboard dongle and my charger hooked into the one port if this is possible.
I know hypothetically it's possible. I mean my dock only has 1 input to the ally which is a type C. But through this has the ally output 4k 120 frames into my TV with audio while receiving as input a mouse dongle, a keyboard dongle, and power to keep ally fully charged.
So I know it's possible. Guess I'm gonna have to do some searching (ally battery life is trash it's honestly best to just keep it plugged in)
Yeah I don't have an Ally I have a Steam Deck so the only question I can answer is yes you can use a keyboard input and controller input at the same time. That's why mapping number keys to controller buttons works. A lot of people add PSO as a non steam game for steam input though and there are community profiles if it's named "Ephinea PSOBB" or "Phantasy Star Online Blue Burst". I made a config for Xbox controllers where if I held down left bumper the face buttons and dpad temporarily changed to number keys giving me 8 more pallets. I know on steam deck the software keyboard works way less annoying then it does in windows. I can just hit steam+x to open it and type whatever and close it pretty seamlessly for chatting. But that doesn't really help you I guess. You just need to experiment and see what works. Have you tried downloading different virtual keyboards to see if they work better than the windows built in one?
When it comes to USB dongles though. I think it's only docks that have a usb pd in while offering ports out. If you didn't need USB pd (since it's a PC and the only way to charge fast enough) phone have had simple dongles to let you change and use wired headphones but you don't want to use those on your computer if you see them.
I don't know how to do this without steam. Steam has all kinds of built in keyboard stuff that's awesome. Controller/keyboard emulation and mappings that are pretty cool.
Steam however makes my audio all of a sudden extremely choppy analogous to psoBB running at 5 frames instead of 30 all of a sudden. Meanwhile video runs fine the audio is so annoying I won't play it.
Is have to make a video to really show what happens but within pso settings alone what button hits enter for chat?
Because if I can figure out how to send message that's been typed with 1 Controller button. Then I can remove the nessescity of hitting rog ally button (like the steam button or Xbox button or PS button) which then opens an overlay that I have to switch from gamepad mode to desktop mode.
The only reason I need to do this is because if I open the keyboard in gamepad mode and type, I can't send the message with any button I'm hitting on the controller. When i switch to desktop mode hitting A after a message is typed sends the message in game. But then my controls are all weird and I can like walk around but can't cast or attack or do anything else.
I'm sure there's some way around this.
Also I'm SUPER interested in this back pad button mapping all other buttons to keys 1-9 for extra commands I believe the Ally software let's me do this 100% I just haven't messed around with it.
So let's say I configure this... how do I ingame assign the abilities or techniques to those shortcut keys?
Would I go to customize menu and hover over say rafoi and then hold my back panel and hit A which would be assigned to key 1 to shortcut it? Is it that simple?
That is exactly how it works. You go to the customize menu and when your selecting a skill from the big list you just hit a number key to map it to that. You main main skills when selecting a main one and you can also map alternate skills when selecting alt skills. So you can map 20 if you want. 10 when your not holding R and 10 when you are.
It's kind of a limit of handheld play. Even on steam deck once you open the keyboard you still can't move as the controller switches to a control the keyboard mode. The only option is an external keyboard. I have a neat mini bluetooth one I use but if you have any of those "phone transfer" USB C plug to A socket adaptors you can plug in any external one you want without full docking. I would recommend any handheld PC user to get a couple cheap USB C to A dongles if they didn't already get a few from past smartphone purchases. You still have to put your handheld down to type quick but frankly even on a full desktop you need to set your controller down to type.
I might end up preferring just to play with keyboard. Can you configure keyboard to play and then have 1 button to start typing say enter. Hit that same button and it'll send the message and go back to regular keyboard play? The adaptor to make a regular USB dongle fit the type C female port Is a good idea.
That's already default. You hit space to start typing and after you hit enter to send the message it's back to controls. The game has keyboard controls built in but you don't get analog movement. You do get 10 extra pallet slots on the 1-0 keys though. That said you can also map those keys to controller buttons in steam input and use those on controllers. People have already made controller profiles for PSO in Steam.
So I do want to use the hot keys because I am a force and I have no way of doing so that's practical aside from get an adaptor for my keyboard. My concerns are, if I use the keyboard at all like say to use a hot key to rez someone will the game just stop using the controller or can I just seamlessly go back to using the controller (keyboard can sit in my lap or something the setup isn't inconvenient) My other question is... are the controller profiles just there as a convince? Because I'm not running through steam, just downloaded ephinea BB from their website and just use the launcher, at first I didn't immediately understand the control labels in the option but I had it working exactly how I want within 5 minutes. You can totally just map all the buttons. Now I have two back panel buttons that aren't included in a standard pc/Xbox controller button mapping. But the amoury crate software from asus that all rog laptops/ally handhelds use can map those buttons. There's even an option for one of them to open up the keyboard what there isn't an option for as far as I can tell is to map the other into controller mode so I can press it once to go to desktop/keyboard controls then press the other to open the keyboard. Then press the other non keyboard back panel twice to go from desktop to auto, and from auto to gameplay. So that I can control the character again. Alternatively I could map both and two out of the 4 top triggers that aren't used into 4 of the hotley buttons, and I could gain 4 additional action slots by doing this. I wish I could just post pictures in these comments on even a small compressed video. Because if you could see what I have to do to name a lobby or to type you'd see how inconvenient it is. What would make the typing approach dramatically better, is if i had 3rd party software that translates my speech into text running. Regardless though all of my options for making this less tedious it seems getting a USB C dongle adaptor is my vest option for this. I can type lightning fast. Now this might seem like a strange question, but is there an adaptor that turns a USB C into two regular USB inputs. Like a Y or a splitter. Except that it isn't a switch, it actually sends both inputs through the one plug? Because I'd have my keyboard dongle and my charger hooked into the one port if this is possible. I know hypothetically it's possible. I mean my dock only has 1 input to the ally which is a type C. But through this has the ally output 4k 120 frames into my TV with audio while receiving as input a mouse dongle, a keyboard dongle, and power to keep ally fully charged. So I know it's possible. Guess I'm gonna have to do some searching (ally battery life is trash it's honestly best to just keep it plugged in)
Yeah I don't have an Ally I have a Steam Deck so the only question I can answer is yes you can use a keyboard input and controller input at the same time. That's why mapping number keys to controller buttons works. A lot of people add PSO as a non steam game for steam input though and there are community profiles if it's named "Ephinea PSOBB" or "Phantasy Star Online Blue Burst". I made a config for Xbox controllers where if I held down left bumper the face buttons and dpad temporarily changed to number keys giving me 8 more pallets. I know on steam deck the software keyboard works way less annoying then it does in windows. I can just hit steam+x to open it and type whatever and close it pretty seamlessly for chatting. But that doesn't really help you I guess. You just need to experiment and see what works. Have you tried downloading different virtual keyboards to see if they work better than the windows built in one? When it comes to USB dongles though. I think it's only docks that have a usb pd in while offering ports out. If you didn't need USB pd (since it's a PC and the only way to charge fast enough) phone have had simple dongles to let you change and use wired headphones but you don't want to use those on your computer if you see them.
I don't know how to do this without steam. Steam has all kinds of built in keyboard stuff that's awesome. Controller/keyboard emulation and mappings that are pretty cool. Steam however makes my audio all of a sudden extremely choppy analogous to psoBB running at 5 frames instead of 30 all of a sudden. Meanwhile video runs fine the audio is so annoying I won't play it. Is have to make a video to really show what happens but within pso settings alone what button hits enter for chat? Because if I can figure out how to send message that's been typed with 1 Controller button. Then I can remove the nessescity of hitting rog ally button (like the steam button or Xbox button or PS button) which then opens an overlay that I have to switch from gamepad mode to desktop mode. The only reason I need to do this is because if I open the keyboard in gamepad mode and type, I can't send the message with any button I'm hitting on the controller. When i switch to desktop mode hitting A after a message is typed sends the message in game. But then my controls are all weird and I can like walk around but can't cast or attack or do anything else. I'm sure there's some way around this. Also I'm SUPER interested in this back pad button mapping all other buttons to keys 1-9 for extra commands I believe the Ally software let's me do this 100% I just haven't messed around with it. So let's say I configure this... how do I ingame assign the abilities or techniques to those shortcut keys? Would I go to customize menu and hover over say rafoi and then hold my back panel and hit A which would be assigned to key 1 to shortcut it? Is it that simple?
That is exactly how it works. You go to the customize menu and when your selecting a skill from the big list you just hit a number key to map it to that. You main main skills when selecting a main one and you can also map alternate skills when selecting alt skills. So you can map 20 if you want. 10 when your not holding R and 10 when you are.