Playing Doom with just the keyboard

Well, when I started playing Doom, I already used Doom95, which did have mouse support. But how did playing in DOS look? Is it even possible to circle-strafe with just the keyboard? I'd imagine that due to the default control settings it would be very difficult. Which I find ironic, seeing that the game Descent (also a wonderful classic) which is a 3dof game, can be played with keyboard alone no problem.

I imagine that even the first three episodes played with just the keyboard would be very difficult. Does anyone have any experience that can be shared?

Back in the glorious 90's, I played with just the keyboard. Yes, it is very difficult, but you get used to it, and after a while it starts feeling "normal". Of course, once I started using the mouse, I never got back to keyboard-only. And Doom95 mouse support is far from good, and was one of the main reasons I switched to ZDoom/PrBoom. There are still people who play with keyboard, even some notable speed runners, but the obvious advantages of the mouse mean that they are a minority.

EDIT: Are you a "keyboarder" or planning to become one?

At first I also used only keyboard then upgraded to keyboard+mouse. It would be hard to go back to old style, it would be like losing a limp. You would again handle the old playstyle just like you would do well without second arm after some time has passed. Humans are very adaptable if you are forced to adapt something

DOS did have mouse support, assuming you had a mouse to use. You could circle-strafe with the keyboard if you used the , and . keys, along with the arrow keys. Or you just got used to dodging left and right and only turning when you needed to make a run for it. It was more than enough for the stock Doom/Doom2 levels, you would have gotten killed in DM against a good mouse user but if you were just playing against your friends usually everyone was on more or less the same footing.

I used a Gravis Gamepad when I started playing, that thing was awesome. I actually have another one around here somewhere but no serial port to plug it in to. I wasn't until Quake that I switched to a mouse. Something I've always been proud of is that I came up with WASD movement on my own, before it became a standard. (I'm not saying I'm responsible for the standard, just that I thought it up independently.)

I'm utter crap at playing with the mouse. Heh.

I started playing with keyboard only and still do. I had to switch at some point to keyboard and mouse when playing Doom 3, and kept at that for a while when playing Doom. But I don't know - at some point I just got back to keyboard only.

As for how hard it is; I played lots of WADs, including hard ones, like the Plutonia and Scythe series, and Epic 2 on UV difficulty setting - I managed.

With original Doom/Doom 2, no problem at all (except Hell Beneath and Perfect Hatred of Ultimate Doom's episode 4, though these are difficult regardless).

Back in the day when I first started playing Doom on computer I used just the keyboard and got to where I was fairly decent with it. Then I discovered ZDoom and keyboard and mouse playing, and I never went back.

As a keyboarder, I can't actually play Doom with a mouse unless the levels absolutely require freelook throughout. The only time I remember using mouse was for an attempt at Brutal Doom. As for circle-strafing it's pretty easy with a keyboard and I might add that I use the original controls (comma and full stop for strafing) and the only trouble is in a bit of a wrist sprain if you play for hours on end.

keyboard only is the way to go, unless playing online hehe. I've always been a keyboarder but when I got into zdaemon I knew I would have to use the mouse, but whenever I play single player I use the keyboard only. But yeah circle strafing is easy as hell just use the strafe buttons plus the arrow keys. The biggest downfall of being a keyboarder only though is now with USB keyboards, they only register up to 5 or 6 keys at a time I don't remember, so I get kind of fucked sometimes, I'm so used to playing the original executable I always forget to turn on always run, which is why this happens lol. I usually play the original executable anyway which doesn't have that option, but I always have my PS/2 keyboard so I never run into problems there either when I play in DOS, its really only when I play on my up to date computer when I play custom wads and don't feel like transferring them to my old dos computer when this becomes a problem, however.

I use keyboard only on my laptop. It's more convient than finding a random surface somewhere for my mouse and it's easy to get used to. When I play ZDoom stuff like Brutal Doom I have to use the mouse as the aiming is knocked off when firing certain weapons. If BD et al didn't add this weapon 'reality' I would just use keyboard al the time. :)

I wasn't a mouse-aimer until Q2/HL/UT. I suppose that was mostly because my dad was a cheapskate who couldn't buy a mouse with proper DOS drivers, so I had to wait for Win9x native games.

I still come back to using just the keys when I'm on the laptop. It's challenging.

Average said:

I use keyboard only on my laptop. It's more convient than finding a random surface somewhere for my mouse and it's easy to get used to. When I play ZDoom stuff like Brutal Doom I have to use the mouse as the aiming is knocked off when firing certain weapons. If BD et al didn't add this weapon 'reality' I would just use keyboard al the time. :)

What if you bind a key to 'centerview'?

Ok, so is there a possibility to change the controls? If not, what are the default ones? Can you move/turn with WSAD? I think maybe I should consider giving keyboard only a try, as some maintain that it is THE proper way to play the game.

I occasionally still play Doom 2 through the Steam version with classic controls just for that nostalgia boner instead of having modernised controls in Zandronum.

If you're looking to rebind them, look in the installation folder for a config, then Google what all the numbers mean for each key, or copy and paste it from another one that has it set up for what you want.

Xfing said:

as some maintain that it is THE proper way to play the game.

eh I wouldn't say that, they had mouse support on the DOS exe, now I'm just a teenager so I wouldn't know how it was back in the day, but I'm pretty sure that most people didn't have mice back in the day so most people played it with keyboard only. Also the default are keyboard only, so its pretty easy to figure that. But is it the "true" way to play, eh maybe maybe not though

Just remembered funny thing from childhood: Playing triplane with 3 friends using only one keyboard and one monitor was spastic experience. Imagine 4 kids using same keyboard to fly planes. Too many keystrokes always jammed someones controls and raging started when their plane crashed or could't do evasive moves when others shooted the sitting duck plane. Oh the memories.

You can tell the original Doom maps were designed with 'keyboard only' players in mind. Ever since I got the classic Doom games for my PC, I've been playing with a mouse and it didn't take long before I could go through the first three episodes of Ultimate Doom on Ultra Violence without much problem. But there's a big step up in difficulty when it comes to Thy Flesh Consumed, Doom II and all the maps after that. It wouldn't surprise me if this was done due to the rise in mouse and keyboard users. I remember when I first tried to play Chocolate Doom with the old controls and I just couldn't get used to them (Though I have gotten used to playing Wolfenstein 3D with just the keyboard and now, I find it awkward to play that game with a mouse). I just feel that playing with a mouse just offers a greater amount of accuracy and speed.

Anyone who can play the more complex levels of Doom II and Final Doom with just a keyboard, I tip my hat to you.

terminus12 said:

I'm pretty sure that most people didn't have mice back in the day

Incorrect.

terminus12 said:

the default are keyboard only

Also incorrects.

Luke Dacote said:

You can tell the original Doom maps were designed with 'keyboard only' players in mind. Ever since I got the classic Doom games for my PC, I've been playing with a mouse and it didn't take long before I could go through the first three episodes of Ultimate Doom on Ultra Violence without much problem. But there's a big step up in difficulty when it comes to Thy Flesh Consumed, Doom II and all the maps after that. It wouldn't surprise me if this was done due to the rise in mouse and keyboard users. I remember when I first tried to play Chocolate Doom with the old controls and I just couldn't get used to them (Though I have gotten used to playing Wolfenstein 3D with just the keyboard and now, I find it awkward to play that game with a mouse). I just feel that playing with a mouse just offers a greater amount of accuracy and speed.

Anyone who can play the more complex levels of Doom II and Final Doom with just a keyboard, I tip my hat to you.

Who cares about Final Doom, it's non-canon anyway :P

But yeah, there's no way you can do Plutonia or Hell Revealed with just the keyboard, not in a long shot.

While testing Hadephobia (so a while ago) my mouse stopped working, you can use the buttons and scrollwheel but can't move the pointer with it. Because I'm both cheap and lazy I decided to not bother getting another one and just starting playing with the keyboard only, and have basically stuck with it ever since. It's worth noting that I have a Wacom tablet for my regular mouse needs so I only used the mouse for gaming anyway.

Unfortunately when mapping my tablet doesn't play well with 3D editing mode, so instead I use my laptop's touchpad for that. So when mapping I use my tablet for editing, my touchpad for 3D mode and my mouse when I want to raise/lower sectors with the scrollwheel, and then the keyboard for playing. So I'm constantly juggling between 4 different inputs while mapping because I'm a huge idiot.

You get used to playing with the keyboard after a while, but my aim still suffers (not that I was good at aiming anyway).

Xfing said:
Who cares about Final Doom, it's non-canon anyway :P

Why is it non-canon? Is it because it was mostly done by TeamTNT or is there something 'plot-wise' that I'm unaware of?

Xfing said:

But yeah, there's no way you can do Plutonia or Hell Revealed with just the keyboard, not in a long shot.

I got up to map16 of HR on UV using just the keyboard and without strafing.

(Reason: I started playing HR when it came out in 1997 while away from home and with just a small laptop computer that only had a 'nipple' mouse.)

But more to the point, there are keyboard-only players who have done those and far more difficult things in Doom, such as the full-game Doom2 Nightmare run (Ryback).

Grazza said:

Also incorrects.

I didn't know about the mouse stuff considering I was about a month old when Doom came out, i was just speculating, but I do know for a fact that the default controls are arrow keys to move, alt to strafe, control is use, and space is shoot.

gggmork and SAV88 as well are superb keyboard players.
I still play with just the keyboard, I don't suffer too badly for it as I do have a tendency to be rather clumsy with movements anyway as anyone who joins in on the TNS fun will find out :P

terminus12 said:

I didn't know about the mouse stuff considering I was about a month old when Doom came out, i was just speculating, but I do know for a fact that the default controls are arrow keys to move, alt to strafe, control is use, and space is shoot.

Space for use and CTRL for shoot, but you probably knew that and just mixed that up while writing. It was certainly a better control scheme in the days before Windows keys.

What's funny is that Doom supported mouse only setups. If you had a 3-button mouse, you could have fire, strafe, and move forward all on different buttons, and use was double-clicking the RMB. The only keyboard keys needed were to switch weapons. Don't know of anyone who played that way seriously though.

As far as I recall, the demos that came in the original game were recorded using a mouse (you could tell by the player smooth movement).

PS: actually, even Wolf3D demos were recorded with a mouse, now that I recall.

plums said:

Space for use and CTRL for shoot, but you probably knew that and just mixed that up while writing. It was certainly a better control scheme in the days before Windows keys.

ah yeah thanks for the correction, the control scheme i usually use is really goofy and I use space to shoot and control as use so I get it mixed up.

Xfing said:

Well, when I started playing Doom, I already used Doom95, which did have mouse support. But how did playing in DOS look? Is it even possible to circle-strafe with just the keyboard? I'd imagine that due to the default control settings it would be very difficult. Which I find ironic, seeing that the game Descent (also a wonderful classic) which is a 3dof game, can be played with keyboard alone no problem.

I imagine that even the first three episodes played with just the keyboard would be very difficult. Does anyone have any experience that can be shared?

I use a keyboard in DOSBox and keyboard+mouse in a source port, though I think doing it in DOSBox with the original controls is a gorgeous blast of nostalgia from a Mancubus flamecannon.

I started playing in the 90's with the keyboard because the default mouse controls were horrible. Took a long time to discover how to change mouse controls (Linux shareware version on Slackware), .. and my mouse was a trackball. Your fingers get trained. I do remember this one keyboard that I discovered was only 2-key rollover.