Trying to play with WASD is AGONY! (DEBUNKED)

[Voros]

We're all freaks!
/jk
Why not post a picture of your hands or something? Maybe then everyone will understand why WASD hurts you. Just saying.

If you are looking to blame someone for the title change, blame Ling :P

[roadworx]

Voros said:

We're all freaks!
/jk
Why not post a picture of your hands or something? Maybe then everyone will understand why WASD hurts you. Just saying.

[illuknisaa]

Maybe OP you need to just face the fact that you are a degenerate. There nothing wrong being a degenerate (well technically there is ) and there are bunch of places in the internet where you can find like minded beings (Usually I would use the word "people" but I don't want to lie to you). Places like tumblr, twitter and Doom 2016 section of this forum.

[ranhcase]

i used to use the arrow keys, than i changed to WASD and never came back, i also don't understand how ESFD would be better

[Maes]

RanhDoomer said:

i used to use the arrow keys, than i changed to WASD and never came back, i also don't understand how ESFD would be better

Well, geometrically speaking it's pretty much the same. The only immediate advantage it has is that it gives you more accessible keys "around" it. E.g. to the left of the "A" key there's only Caps Lock, which you really can't use for anything since it interferes with other stuff like Always Run or, well, Caps Locking.

While to the left of "S" you have "A" (conveniently located on the pinky finger's natural resting place), and left of "E" you have two usable keys, "Q" and "W". I guess it might make a difference for people that rely on a lot of left-hand-fingertip bindings, spread around the ESDF "control pad".

[Gez]

From a weapon row access point of view, RDFG would be even better than WASD and ESDF. That puts your hand right in the middle of the 1-7 keys, which are used to select your weapon.

An often overlooked advantage of ESDF over WASD is that it's more international-friendly. On an AZERTY keyboard, WASD is about as handy as, well, ZQSD would be on a QWERTY keyboard. Try to configure your QWERTY to use ZQSD as your control scheme and see how you like it... ESDF on the other hand is the same on every keyboards (except DVORAK of course).

[Cynical]

dew said:

I use WASD because early indoctrination, but ESDF is objectively the master race option. You get good access to other keys and don't trip yourself on the goddamn capslock. Lefties should use numlock at the very least, tho honestly just move the keyboard and go for PL;' or something, heh.

Plus, ESDF puts your fingers right at home row. If you're comfortable typing, you're already used to ESDF. WASD moves your hand off from its "most natural" typing position.

(I still use WASD though because of early indoctrination.)

[Foebane72]

Voros said:

Why not post a picture of your hands or something? Maybe then everyone will understand why WASD hurts you. Just saying.

Fair enough, here ya go:

WASD



Ctrl-Alt-A-Z



Because I'm not used to WASD, notice how my fingers are more splayed out, compared to my preference, no doubt adding to the discomfort I felt. Compared to that, my fingers are closer together with my preference, but still comfortable, and because it's in the corner of the keyboard, more of my wrist rests on the desk compared to WASD.

Of course, I'm at a disadvantage with laptops and other keyboards with slightly different layouts, especially fancy ergonomic keyboards.

[Bauul]

I'm not sure if you have a tiny keyboard or huge hands, but how are you managing to cramp them together quite so much?

Here's me with WASD. This as close to a natural relaxed hand position as I think any position on the keyboard would be.

[Foebane72]

Bauul said:

I'm not sure if you have a tiny keyboard or huge hands, but how are you managing to cramp them together quite so much?

The keyboard is a Logitech K120, and my fingers have always seemed skinny to me. Maybe a clearer photo?

[Foebane72]

Here are the fingers on my left hand, they certainly look skinnier than yours, Bauul:

[roadworx]

maybe your hand hurts because your keyboard is so small?

[Foebane72]

roadworx said:

maybe your hand hurts because your keyboard is so small?

Do you think so? Is the K120 a small keyboard? Maybe it is a bit on the petite side. However, I figure that a larger keyboard with WASD would hurt me more?

[Bauul]

I think you just have a different hand position to most people. Most people lay their hand quite flat over the keyboard, but you seem to hunch it over in a claw shape.

I don't think a different keyboard will solve that. I think you're just in a situation where WASD hurts you because you hold your hand in a different position to most people.

[snapshot]

Foebane72 said:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v175/Foebane/Ctrl-Alt-A-Z.jpg

Uhhhhh, My eyes.

[Maes]

Maybe post a pic of your hand lying flat on a table with a ruler for scale/reference. You either have big hands or a tiny keyboard. What's your height/weight?

[Deleted_Account]

Maybe try some wrist exercises?

[MinerOfWorlds]

Bauul said:

http://i.imgur.com/V4Jz0GLl.jpg

That's how you are supposed to use WASD? i place my index finger on W.

[Blastfrog]

MinerOfWorlds said:

That's how you are supposed to use WASD?

Of course. That way, you have access to the strafe keys at the same time as the forward/backward keys.

MinerOfWorlds said:

i place my index finger on W.

What do you usually use on the D key, then?

[scifista42]

Pinky finger - left shift / left ctrl
Ring finger - A
Middle finger - W / S
Index finger - D
Thumb - Spacebar

[Foebane72]

Maes said:

Maybe post a pic of your hand lying flat on a table with a ruler for scale/reference. You either have big hands or a tiny keyboard. What's your height/weight?

None of your business.

[Maes]

Foebane72 said:

None of your business.

But it is relevant to this thread. If it turns out you're 8ft/300 lbs or something, well, no wonder you can't use normal keyboards with ease.

[fraggle]

Maes said:

But it is relevant to this thread. If it turns out you're 8ft/300 lbs or something, well, no wonder you can't use normal keyboards with ease.

Knock it off.

[MinerOfWorlds]

Blastfrog said:

What do you usually use on the D key, then?

I use my thumb for D and space.

[Bauul]

MinerOfWorlds said:

I use my thumb for D and space.

That's... unusual! How do you hit Use if you're strafing right? (Or jump to the right in any modern FPS?)

[MinerOfWorlds]

Bauul said:

That's... unusual! How do you hit Use if you're strafing right? (Or jump to the right in any modern FPS?)

I set E as use so i can use my index finger and i don't jump to the right.

[Bauul]

MinerOfWorlds said:

i don't jump to the right.

He's the hottest model in gaming right now. Introducing... Doomlander!

[Gez]

Well no, obviously you don't jump to the right. Everyone knows that you jump to the left, and then you step to the right.

[VGamingJunkie]

I usually just rest my wrist against the desk with my fingers over the keyboard.



My control scheme:
WADS - Move
Mouse - Aim
E - Use
F - Fire
R - Reload
C - Crouch
Q - Jump

If I need to switch weapons, I can either use the mouse wheel or simply use my left index finger to quickly tap the number I need.

[RjY]

I think it's down to the motor skills baked into your brain during early years playing games. For example I find WASD unusable due to having both axes of movement on the same hand. I believe this is because I grew up with BBC Micro games that used one hand for left/right and the other for up/down. The Repton keys ZX*/ were a standard adopted by many titles, while my favourite game Exile used QWPL. The latter I adopted for Doom - I still have QW mapped to turn left/right with AS below for strafe left/right, and when I keyboarded I had PL for forward/back.