Microsoft Strategic Commander

Introduction

Over the last few months there have been quite a few reviews in magazines and on the Web about the new line of Microsoft controllers. I have had an interest in the Microsoft Strategic Commander ever since I saw the first press release, and got a chance to use it at last year's E3 computer show.

The Microsoft Strategic Commander is meant for use as a game controller for Real Time Strategy computer games. The idea is that it can be substituted for your keyboard. Profiles can be created for the SC which map your favorite actions to any of it's 6 buttons. In addition there are 3 "shift" buttons, giving you in effect 24 buttons to assign to different actions. But wait, there is more! A slider switch on the right side which can be used to toggle between 3 different sets of profiles which are saved in the SC's memory. With a total of 72 actions within easy reach who cares if the Strategic Commander won't make Julian Fries?

The Strategic Commander can also be used to control scrolling around a map or rotating the view in a 3D RTS game. The pad that your hand rests on will rotate left and right, as well as move forward and backward. A zoom in and zoom out switch appears just to the right of the 6 action buttons.

Next to the profile switch on the right side of the base is a record button. To assign a new task to an action button on the fly you press the record button. The record button will then start flashing red. Next you press the keys on the keyboard that you want to assign to the action button. After you are finished selecting keys just press the record button again and your are done.

Do not buy the Strategic Commander for use with a First Person Shooter game like Quake or Unreal Tournament. Even at last year's E3 Microsoft representatives quickly distanced themselves from using the SC in that fashion. Yes, it can be used to move in 4 axis or directions, and to twist left/right. Unfortunately movement is somewhat erratic, even though the degree of response is highly configurable from the Strategic Commander software. I tried out Unreal Tournament with the SC, and found myself veering off ledges and having a hard time quickly changing directions. Even forward and backward movement was problematic.

Installation

I installed the Strategic Commander on my current system, a custom built AMD Thunderbird Athlon 1.1 GHz running Windows Me. For the full specs on my system you can read about it here.

Like many newer hardware devices you need to install the driver software before you actually connect the Strategic Commander to the required USB port. Just pop in the supplied CD and it will take you through the entire process.

The only glitch I experienced was when it asked me to connect the Strategic Commander to the USB port. Windows Me had no problem detecting and installing the SC, but when it was done I received an error message. I closed the pop up window for the error message, and the rest of the process went without a hitch.

Profile Editor

The Strategic Commander profile editor comes up after you are finished installing the device. It does not appear to need to run all the time in the Windows System Tray, like other Microsoft controller devices. A shortcut to run the profile editor appears on the Windows desktop when you are done.

Here is a screenshot of the profile editor in action from the Microsoft Sidewinder Strategic Commander Page.

To assign a command to a button all you need to do is select the button slot you want to assign an action to, and then press the keys on the keyboard. You can also assign "special" events and actions such as waiting for 0.1, 0.3,0.5, or 1.0 seconds before the next key command is executed. Microsoft has has some time to perfect it's Sidewinder controller software, and it really shows. This is as slick and easy an interface as you will find for a game controller.

Game Play

After I first purchased the Strategic Commander some months ago I was quite eager to use it with my favorite games. I had just started to play Age of Kings 2: Conquerors via my Local Area Network with some friends. After spending a few hours with the SC, it became obvious that it would require a fairly substantial learning curve to use effectively. I was quite comfortable using the mouse, and found it to be faster to use then the Strategic Commander. I was a beginner AOE:2 player, and I barely used more then 2 or 3 hot keys on the keyboard as it was.

If you are used to using many hot keys in a game it could be even more of a challenge to switch to using the Strategic Commander, since you need to learn once again where all the keys are for the actions that you want to carry out.

There is an upside to using the Strategic Commander. Once you are used to using it you can carry out multiple scripted actions very quickly. For example one of the included Age of Empires:2 profiles "Turbo Start" has a scripted series of actions that will:

• Set up your game display to show game statistics (F4) and the game time (F11).
• Assigns your Town Center to the '9' key.
• Assigns your Scout to Alt+1.
• Builds 3 villagers at the Town Center.

As you can see using the scripting action can become quite powerful once you learn how to use it. You can print out a very nice copy of the profile showing the buttons un-shifted and shifted actions, as well as a second page with notes about how to use the profile by it's author.

Another advantage to using the Strategic Commander is that you also can free up the mouse from use as a scrolling device. Just as using rudder pedals in a flight simulator gives you more options and better control, using the SC allows you to carry out actions with your mouse while scrolling around or moving instantly to a unit or structure with the SC. Since one of the most tiresome aspects of an RTS is the constant scrolling and moving in order to keep track of your units, it does add a bit to be able to assign that task to the Strategic Commander.

Conclusions

The Microsoft is a quality controller that can work well with many Real Time Strategy games. It is not for use with action First Person Shooter games.

The learning curve can be steep, and old habits can be hard to break. If you are already quite comfortable with using the keyboard you will have to put some effort and time into re-training yourself to use the Strategic Commander.

The payoff from using the Strategic Commander depends on the individual. A skilled user can easily do more, and do it faster by using the SC.

Another point to remember is that it is designed for use in the left hand. Lefties who are used to using their left hand for the mouse are out of luck.

It is highly recommended that you try out the Strategic Commander before you buy it. At the very least give it a whirl at the local computer store. If possible try to find a friend who already has one to try out. As with most controllers what works best for you may not work well for others.

Overall I would have to say that the Microsoft Strategic Commander delivers what it promises. At a street price of around $55 from the Microsoft web site it's not a bad deal. Just make sure it's the right controller for you.

RATING: Good

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