If you’re a player of Resident Evil 4 who prefers to use a controller, then you may have noticed some issues with responsiveness and aim tuning. In this guide, we’ll take a look at some settings you can adjust to improve your controller aiming experience. Please note that this guide is based on the Launch Day Version of the game, before any potential patches to fix controller deadzone issues. We’ll update this guide if and when any such patches are released.
Intro
I wanted to talk about the settings I use on my Xbox Series controller that make combat in my favorite games consistently fun and responsive. And hey, feel free to share your own settings in the comments below!
With my settings, I found that I’m able to quickly respond to enemies coming from all directions without undershooting or overshooting. Essentially, my settings remove acceleration and very mildly slow down the reticle when going over an enemy, so I don’t overshoot them.
Now, I have to admit that right now, PlayStation reportedly has much better tuned acceleration and dead-zone values that haven’t translated to Xbox consoles or PC with controller. So, these issues listed may become less of a problem post-patch. However, some older REengine entries to the series, like 7&8, still have issues with aim acceleration. So, I would recommend trying out these settings even after a ‘fix’ is released.
The great thing about my guide is that its settings should not be negatively affected post-patch. By completely disabling aim acceleration, you should just get more granular control if and when they fix the deadzone issues. And of course, I’ll be sure to update you all if necessary. Thanks for reading!
TL:DR version… REMOVE AIM ACCELERATION
The most important setting is removing the aim acceleration by maxing their two sliders. The dial-in speed can be adjusted, and while it’s generally recommended to decelerate, it’s still mostly optional. However, every Resident Evil game since 7 has exhibited suboptimal acceleration performance or related problems when using a controller.
Options –> Camera (Acceleration and turning speed)
Maximum Camera Speed (Controller)
- Normal Gameplay = 6
- When Aiming = 1.4
Feel free to experiment with different Maximum Camera Speed settings, and I will update you as I fine-tune them. It’s important to note that with deceleration turned on, the cursor won’t be as sensitive during combat. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that the shooting gallery doesn’t apply reticle deceleration to its targets.
Camera Acceleration (MOST IMPORTANT SETTING)
- Both ‘Normal’ & ‘When Aiming’ = 10 (MAX)
By setting the acceleration values to their maximum, the cursor will reach its top speed immediately, rendering the acceleration function effectively useless. In this game, the maximum speeds for normal gameplay and aiming are 6 and 1.4, respectively.
However, reducing the acceleration value from 10 to 0 doesn’t disable it as it does in RE7 and RE8. Instead, it increases the time it takes for the cursor to reach its maximum speed.
Options –> Controls (Deceleration aka Mild Aim Assist)
Reticle Deceleration = 2
Reducing the acceleration value can slightly slow down your aim when passing over enemies. However, the effect is subtle enough that you won’t get stuck on a particular enemy in a group if you’re panning over them.
If you’re having trouble with stick sensitivity, and unless you’re confident in your stick discipline or able to adjust the game’s deadzones using Steam input settings (or waiting for Capcom to patch the game), I would recommend setting a small value for acceleration.
Optional additional settings i changed/use.
I made a few other tweaks in Options –> Controls:
- Control Type = A-2. This moves the crouch function to R3 instead of the B button. This makes it easier to dodge certain attacks while still being able to control the camera. It also brings the control layout closer to RE7 and RE8.
- Run Type = “Hold”. While you can still toggle running by clicking in the left stick, having one run button set to hold is useful in combat situations where you need to make small movements. This prevents the game from continuing to run when you actually want to stop and move slowly.
- Repeated Input Type = Hold. This helps reduce the need for button mashing, which can be hard on the fingers and joints, especially over longer play sessions.
Deceleration vs. Aim Assist and Deadzones.
Why not use acceleration?
While it may make sense in theory, in practice, it can cause overcorrection. For example, if you aim in one direction and need to make a mild correction, the acceleration may still apply even with a slight tilt back on the stick, resulting in an overcorrection. RE7 and RE8 only make this worse by stopping the cursor dead in its tracks instead of acknowledging the mild correction. Deceleration, on the other hand, brings the game closer in line with games like Crysis remastered, Halo, and Destiny. You can quickly find your target, but then the aim slows down to make more precise shots. This is especially important because even tightly tuned dead zones have limitations compared to a mouse and wrist.
Why not turn on Aim Assist instead?
While it does help to snap on targets, it may not always be reliable or smooth feeling. Aim Assist tends to stick too much before allowing finer aiming, and snap and follow may momentarily move the cursor to match the enemy’s movement before losing lock. In my testing, I found both options consistently threw me off when trying to land head/legs shots. While snap may work well for some people, I believe that reticle deceleration works best and is more consistent.
Finally, let’s talk about dead zones.
Digital Foundry released a video recently commenting on how the dead zone and acceleration curve on Xbox and subsequently PC is still broken on launch, as they reported in their chainsaw demo video. This could mean that in a future patch, this guide becomes less relevant if the default controls are fixed. However, I played through all RE engine entries in preparation for RE4 remake, and the acceleration issues, especially in RE7 and RE8, still make me think that this guide, outside of the dead zone issue, will remain helpful.
I also attempted to use community templates through big picture mode, but some did not properly adjust the dead-zone or made my aim behave strangely. After testing the game on the PS4 demo, it appears that a simple dead zone adjustment is not enough to fix the issue on PC. The game feels smoother on the PS4, despite its lower and uneven frame rate. If the PC controls can be fixed to feel like the default setup on PlayStation, I may consider switching back, but for now, I will stick with the settings I have recommended above until an official fix is released.
Wrapping Up
The game’s more agile and aggressive enemies accentuate the shortcomings of the controls that didn’t seem problematic in RE2/3. Personally, it made more sense to reverse the curve, allowing you to achieve maximum speed immediately when you press the stick hard in a direction, and helping to apply the brakes when you’re on target, rather than accelerating the cursor to catch the enemy in your sights. Capcom deserves credit for offering more adjustable options for acceleration than RE2/3, despite the aforementioned issues. Hopefully, I won’t have to mention acceleration so much now. Have fun!
That concludes our discussion on the optimal controller aim settings for Resident Evil 4. If you have any additional insights to share, please feel free to leave a comment below. You can also refer to the original article here by ZiggyPanda for more detailed information. All credit goes to the original author.