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DuckReconMajor

Keyboarders, how do you configure your keys?

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I know several people around here like to play keyboard only, and some are quite good at it. I'm a WASD guy myself, but I'm curious, what kind of key configuration do you find best? Do the default Doom bindings work well, or do you have your own special setup?

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When I keyboard (usually on my laptop) I setup normal WASD for strafing and moving around, but I use the arrows to turn left and right as if it was my mouse. I use CTRL to fire and just use the number keys to switch weapons. This is all surprisingly effective, as I played through Scythe X with this setup and did fine (for the most part).

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up/down arrow = forward/backpedal
left/right arrow = turn
left shift = run
left alt = strafe
left ctrl = fire
space = open
1 - 7 = weapons
home = screenshot

I am not a speedrunner, but I keep:
,/. = strafe left/right

Although I rarely use it:
/ = quick about face (180 degree turn) *fixed

I have tried the mouse, but it just doesn't feel right for classic Doom. I suppose it is from all the years I played on DOS without a mouse driver. I know some people make very effective use of the mouse, but I am too clumsy with it.

For Quake however, I absolutely must have a mouse.

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Back when I used keyboard I never changed from the original binds. Krispavera's binds seem like a good idea though.

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Krispavera said:

When I keyboard (usually on my laptop) I setup normal WASD for strafing and moving around, but I use the arrows to turn left and right as if it was my mouse. I use CTRL to fire and just use the number keys to switch weapons. This is all surprisingly effective, as I played through Scythe X with this setup and did fine (for the most part).

This is what I do.

sparerib1968 said:

/ = quick about face

What is this? 180 turn?

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Krispavera said:

When I keyboard (usually on my laptop) I setup normal WASD for strafing and moving around, but I use the arrows to turn left and right as if it was my mouse. I use CTRL to fire and just use the number keys to switch weapons. This is all surprisingly effective, as I played through Scythe X with this setup and did fine (for the most part).


Mines the same except spacebar is shoot and E is to open doors and activate switches. It works very well, and I can be pretty tough competition in CTF and Deathmatches on Skulltag even when 90% of the people are using mouselook to aim.

You'd think that not using the mouse would be a disadvantage because you can't really control how quickly you turn, but it's more the opposite because the aiming is more precise if you can time your shots with the speed of your turning well.

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Oh yeah, E is activate for me too. Spacebar for shoot actually sounds better, as I won't have to reach my pinky down to CTRL. I'll try that.

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I'm a keyboarder when playing in DOS, I learned that way. I use the default binds, and I'm pretty good I'd have to say. Though now I cramp up a little sooner...out of practice I guess!

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Krispavera said:
Oh yeah, E is activate for me too. Spacebar for shoot actually sounds better, as I won't have to reach my pinky down to CTRL.

Well, if you're using the left and right arrow keys to turn as if it were a mouse, why not use the up and down keys to fire and use? They would be like the mouse buttons.

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myk said:

Well, if you're using the left and right arrow keys to turn as if it were a mouse, why not use the up and down keys to fire and use? They would be like the mouse buttons.


I've always used E as use, right mouse button is weird for me. Up arrow key sounds like a good idea.

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arrows moves
ctarl fires
period coma strafes
space opens
enter uses item
shit activates run
brackets select items

I can't adjust myself from this, though more modern keyboards jam with this layout a lot

Sometims I even do Quake keyboard only. It's beautiful.

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Arrows - Move
Control - Fire
Alt - Strafe
Space - Activates switches and doors
Shift - Run

If I am using one of the newer ports then I use X to jump and C to crawl. That's all you really need for Doom.

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WADS for movement
Right-click for use
Left click for primary fire
Center click for alternate fire
Q for Skulltag taunts
Space for jump
Control for crouch

This is my favorite layout as I can keep my hands relatively still without reaching all over the keyboard (my left thumb hits space and my right pinky hits crouch, leaving me able to move at the same time).

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Mr. Freeze said:

WADS for movement
Right-click for use
Left click for primary fire
Center click for alternate fire
Q for Skulltag taunts
Space for jump
Control for crouch

This is my favorite layout as I can keep my hands relatively still without reaching all over the keyboard (my left thumb hits space and my right pinky hits crouch, leaving me able to move at the same time).

Thread Title said:

Keyboarders, how do you configure your keys?


Your kind isn't allowed here.

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Back in the 90s, I never used the keyboard properly. Default controls, but I used left ctrl and alt to strafe, never used < or > to strafe. I just couldn't comfortably put my hands together like that.

These days I'm a typical WASD user

WASD= Forward/backward and strafe

Space to open, left ctrl to fire. I use auto run.
I find myself using joy_speed 29 when running vanilla.


That said, I primarily use my mouse for aiming and firing, but my left hand's actions remain the same.

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myk said:

Well, if you're using the left and right arrow keys to turn as if it were a mouse, why not use the up and down keys to fire and use? They would be like the mouse buttons.


That's what I do when I play keyboard-only, except space has always been and will always be the use key.

EDIT: Oh and I switched to ESDF shortly after switching to WASD.

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phi108 said:

EDIT: Oh and I switched to ESDF shortly after switching to WASD.

That makes sense. Then at least your left hand is in the home position.

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w - forward
a - backward
s - strafe left
d - strafe right

up - look up
down - look down
left - turn left
right - turn right

ctrl - fire
space - jump
alt - crouch

who uses the mouse for FPSes anyways?

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Patrick said:

w - forward
a - backward
s - strafe left
d - strafe right

up - look up
down - look down
left - turn left
right - turn right

ctrl - fire
space - jump
alt - crouch

who uses the mouse for FPSes anyways?


I'm amazed you get by without a use key. :P

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Mike.Reiner said:

I'm amazed you get by without a use key. :P


I open Doors WITH MY MIND. In the case of this setup, use is bound to 'E.'

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Mike.Reiner said:

I'm amazed you get by without a use key. :P


Isn't there a way to set up double tapping the button for moving forward to activate things?

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keyboard: compaq ku-9963
(just an average one but it does handle the following key setup without 'jamming/ghost keys' or whatever. 'n-key' keyboards are better, which i don't have).

(I use the number key pad, not arrow keys since those result in jamming = too many simultaneous keys so some don't register)



NUMBER KEYPAD:

up = move forward (middle finger)

down = move backward (thumb)I'm apparently one of the few that bothers using a different finger for backward)

left = turn left (pointer)

right = turn right (ring)

7 = shotgun (still referring to the number keypad, not the top number row)

9 = rocket launcher

1 = chaingun

3 = plasma gun

+ = bfg

0 = turn 180 degrees

'del' = fist

----
m = hold strafe (so I don't use 2 strafe keys unlike most people which is probably a bad idea since I can't turn/strafe simultaneously. I probably would alter the setup but more keys = jamming)

',' = hold run

space = use

right alt = shoot (and on this keyboard shift and ctrl are far away from space due to stupid windows keys. alt is right next to space. m and ',' are a bit up/left of alt)

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I forgot that one; I use '+' for bfg (just to the right of the number pad). I'll edit/add that to my previous post.
But I still use the normal upper number row '2' for pistol, but hardly ever use pistol.

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In prboom, I used esdf (instead of wasd), along with j (turn left), l (turn right), i (use), k (180-degree insta-turn), and space to fire. For selecting weapons, in addition to the default 1-7 keys, I bound z to the plasma gun, and r to the bfg9000. Also, the a key toggles auto-run.

One annoyance I found with prboom is that there doesn't seem to be a way to bind the normal shotgun to a key. If you already picked up the SSG, then that's what you'll get everytime you select the shotgun key, and you have to hit that key again to select the normal shotgun (which I prefer in most circumstances).

In chocolate doom, I use the same keys, except for k, because there is no concept of 180-degree turn.

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I have been contemplating switching to ESDF latey, simply because that's what DoomBuilder uses to get around 3D mode and I'm constantly hitting W to try and quit PrBoom :P

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