Confused about how to hold the controller.

[Schwer-Muta]

So I bought P4A, and then read somewhere you're not supposed to use your thumb to push the attack buttons because it's slow and shitty or something. So I thought I would try using my other fingers out.

However, as far as I can tell, there is no configuration of fingers that will allow me to press A+B or C+D in a way that's not super awkward and two hours of trying have basically destroyed my right hand. It's the most painful thing I've ever put my hand through and I played Stepmania for two years.

What am I not getting?

[Airk]

So I bought P4A, and then read somewhere you're not supposed to use your thumb to push the attack buttons because it's slow and shitty or something. So I thought I would try using my other fingers out.

However, as far as I can tell, there is no configuration of fingers that will allow me to press A+B or C+D in a way that's not super awkward and two hours of trying have basically destroyed my right hand. It's the most painful thing I've ever put my hand through and I played Stepmania for two years.

What am I not getting?

I'm not a pad player, but my experience from other games that ask for multiple simultaneous button presses is that -sometimes- it's more convenient to move your hand so you can press the buttons you need with your index and middle finger, but GENERALLY you're going to want to play with your thumb.

But really? Who cares what you 'read somewhere'? Play however it works for you. I can tell you that you're not supposed to hurt your hand. :P

(What you're not getting is a stick, obviously.)

[WolfCrimson]

You can assign button combinations as macros on the shoulder buttons: eg. A+B on R1/RB, C+D on L1/LB etc. And that way, you can use your thumb for the face buttons.

[Airk]

You can assign button combinations as macros on the shoulder buttons: eg. A+B on R1/RB, C+D on L1/LB etc. And that way, you can use your thumb for the face buttons.

Duh, right, mappings. Listen to this man.

I did say I wasn't a pad player. :P

[Agni]

If you're not planning on getting a stick or you can't afford one, then I highly suggest getting a PDP Fightpad. It's far better than the standard pad, in both its stick and button configuration.

[Kyosuke Kagami]

Using a pad with chars like Zato or Carl is a pain in the ass.

[Shazam]

Every pad player Carl I've ever met has had the D button mapped to R1.

I've been suggesting to people to try out different combinations regarding mapping, like this:
A (X)
B ([])
C (R1)
D (R2)

This layout or any variation of it is to avoid having to make any awkward thumb changes while you play. Some people don't mind tapping two buttons at once but for others it's too much trouble.

After trying it out on pad myself, IMO it's pretty well translated with just the default settings. I think the game maps B+D to L1 and A+C to R1 for you and the other multi-taps are easy to do if you just adjust your thumb (or map to r2/l2) - buy a different pad if you want to use your fingers for buttons, I played BB on pad for about a year and just played with my thumb. DS3/Xbox360 pad buttons are just way too small to try and overhand it for me and my hands are already small.