TaikOp-ed: Your Preferred Button Control Layout

We are back with the TaikOp-ed opinion piece! In addition to having our own opinions on the topic, we are also inviting input in advance from Discord, Twitter and so on. Stay tuned when we do more of these!

With Don-chan going back to the global scene with Taiko no Tatsujin PS4 and NS1, let's talk beginner support as basic as the control scheme. An absolute majority of console Taiko no Tatsujin allows for button control, in addition to the drum accessory, touchscreen drum or NS1's brand new Furi-furi Ensou motion control (lel). Traditionally there are three main button layouts for Donders to choose between:

• Layout A: D-pad and buttons are all dons only (so kats must be entered by the shoulder buttons)
• Layout B: D-pad and buttons are splits with the kats pointing top and outwards
• Layout C: D-pad and buttons are splits with the kats pointing top and inwards

To help all the newcomers to pick the best layout for them, we ask you what are your preferred button control layout, and especially for what reason: to optimize your performance, the status quo that you got used to, or other? (There are really no wrong answers as long as you can pull off the notecharts reliably with it.)

Oh, and for those who main on the various Taiko no Tatsujin simulators on PC, the keyboard should allow for more freedom in customization. Most default keybinds have don buttons between the kat buttons; osu! for example defaults to having X/C for don and Z/V for kat. There are some however that prefer to have dons and kats separated left and right. Do you have a preference there as well?

From Our Contributors

• nigelliusnitrox: "I started out with Layout A when I first got into Taiko on DS2 about 8 years ago, and then switched to Layout B (without using the shoulder buttons) around when I started to frequent the arcades. For me, Layout B's resemblance to the arcade drum's shape helps me visualize the hand-switching, and having don and kat presses more balanced (instead of having to reach up for the should buttons) makes it easier to pull off mixed streams too. And may I vent that I don't get one bit of how people separate dons and kats on either side on the keyboard, period (that is pretty much the reason I choose this topic for TaikOp-ed)."
• Lokamp: "When I'm not playing with the toy drums, my favorite button setup mimics what I imagine in my mind to be the view of a Taiko controller input... That is to say: two center buttons for Don notes and two buttons on the side as Kat notes, That's why I only pick a Type-1 button combination every time; it feels kinda odd for me to to set button inputs otherwise."

From Our Readers

We are unable to feature all responses we get, but feel free to check out other public responses we haven't featured on the Twitter thread or Facebook post.

• Martin (Discord): "+-pad and ABXY (or equivalent for PSP) for don, L/R (shoulder button) for kat [Layout A]. Keyboard DFJK for PC Taikojiro. It's what I've always used, most comfortable hand-switching using this layout."
• nyannurs (Discord): "Anything outside of kddk or the controller equivalents are dumb and anyone who plays like that is seriously weird (for some reason a good amount of top players on osu play like that?). Layouts such as kkdd or ddkk require you to basically stream single note streams with one hand which gets near impossible in higher BPMs. It seems almost unreal that people manage to set high scores like that."
• kyasarintsu (Discord): "I use whatever that button layout is that has right and down as don and left and up as kat, mirrored on the other side [Layout B], and I avoid using the shoulders."
• @kjell1408 (Twitter): "A, because that's the easiest for my hands :)"
• @SpottyGaming (Twitter): "A, because it's like the real Taiko"
• @TrimintTRF (Twitter): "I kinda like layout A because you can easily swipe the buttons for yellow note, but I prefer the layout B better."
• @JackiePengPlays (Twitter): "Layout C. It's similar to Layout B, but it's far easier for me to accurately switch vertically with my thumbs rather than horizontally + it's easier to do double hits with one finger, useful for things like Yugen's 95-stream. -written by a taiko player with consistent lv10 clears"
• @Pikaboi (Twitter): "I've stuck with layout B since the D-pad+buttons are the most comfy for me when playing rhythm games like DDR (the lazy way) and DJMax I guess; plus it reminds me of the drum!"
• @infectedpsyche (Twitter): "Been using layout B since the DS games. Just feels like I’m reaching outward on the buttons for blue notes like I’m hitting the rim of a TataCon."
• @DoKuNuKuN (Twitter): "Layout B, because I play with the pad on my lap, and play like a piano. I use only left, down, X and O (for PS4). I don't know if many people play like me but that's how I'm used to play 😅"

To round things up, here's how our lovely audience over our Facebook page has voted for this TaikOp-ed inquiry. Until the next time!

Layout A - 11 votes

Layout B - 29 votes

Layout C - 3 votes