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Keyboard Controls
Deolus
Member UncommonPosts: 392
in Guild Wars 2
I'll admit I've always been a 'clicker' in past games, but I've also never been a big fan of PvP either.
I really want to try out everything this game has to offer though and I don't want to be gimped by poor keyboard control.
So, what I really want to know is: what is your keyboard set-up for PvE/PvP and/or do you use a controller even? (Personally I hate hand-held controllers).
What hot-keys have you set up?
What is the best way to move and cast at the same time? I can't help feeling I need three hands for this game 
Thanks in advance.
Comments
Controlers are a terrible idea for this game, and really, almost any MMO. It hink Tera is working to make that happen, but usually, gamepads are a no-go with MMOs.
I am using left-handed keyboard and mouse. Movement is key in this game. So you want to move with the mouse and use the keyboard for abilities, or vice versa. Just clicking is going to leave you less able to respond quickly, and this game has a greater need for that than other MMOs. You need to be dodging and generally moving out of the way of things, repositioning yourself for advantage, chasing down enemies, places aoe marks on the ground, etc. There is a lot going on.
My suggesting would be a combination of mouse to control direction and run sometimes + arrow keys for strafing and dodging + hotkeys on the mouse and/or keyboard for your abilities.
Personally, I move forward and turn with the mouse buttons most of the time. I use the arrow keys for strafing and have my weapon, utility, and class skills bound to nearby keys for quick, eyes-free use.
In truth, you can probably use the same basic schema you have used in past MMOs, with only minor changes to make yourself more mobile.
The best answer for you is to not do what I do, or do what others do or tell you to do,but rather, use the default controls and play the game a bit. Change what you don't like, and try it a different way. If you don't like that, change it a little more. Change it until you are comfortable with the controls and with how responsive you are in a fight. The only person whose opinion is worth anything when it comes to how to control your character is your own. You can rebind whatever you want to whatever you want, so just make it what feels intuitive and right to you. You'll play better if it is intuitive and you don't have to think about what you are doing.
"There are two great powers, and they've been fighting since time began. Every advance in human life, every scrap of knowledge and wisdom and decency we have has been torn by one side from the teeth of the other. Every little increase in human freedom has been fought over ferociously between those who want us to know more and be wiser and stronger, and those who want us to obey and be humble and submit."
John Parry, to his son Will; "The Subtle Knife," by Phillip Pullman
move and cast at the same time?
idk, just use mouse to move camera and pan around while using straff keys on A and D.
this is my setup
"I am not a robot. I am a unicorn."
I use the Logitech G13:
Logitech G13 Programable Gameboard
Thumb stick for movement. G10-G14 for 1-5, G3-G7 for 6-0, G1, G2, G8, G9 for the F1-F4 keys. Other frequently used keys at convenient spots on the gameboard.
Took a little practice, but the thumbstick makes it worth the effort. I spend a lot of time mouselooking with the right mouse button depressed as I move through out the game and on combat.
It's a very efficient way to play this game, since with movement on the stick, you only have your skills, function keys, tab, dodge, F and Jump to worry about most of the time. (I put the Tab on the G15 and I use a couple self advesive, clear rubber bumper pads, that are designed to muffle the sound of closing a cabinet door, on some of the keys I need to reach with my pinky, so I can feel where I'm at with out looking).
Want to know more about GW2 and why there is so much buzz? Start here: Guild Wars 2 Mass Info for the Uninitiated
I play with a gamepad for any MMO I can get full functionality from using one (except typing). I have even played WoW fully with a controller before and got so good with it that I was defaintely able to hold my on in most PvP situations.
I set up a pinnacle profile for GW2 and tried it out for a bit. I hated using a controller for this game. It didn't feel right at all. That's coming from a guy whos first point of business in MMOs is to try get it set up with a gamepad.
I did this with the keyboard:
E = skill 1
2345 = skills 2-5
ZXC = skills 7-9
A side mouse button = skill 6 (heal)
1 = Skill 0 (elite)
Shift = Dodge
Q = Cycle targets
Tab = World Map
R = Swap Weapons
Worked for me.
Some awesome ideas there guys.
Definitely need to move the strafe keys to A and D, dunno why I never did that. I probably would have eventually.
I presume the Logitech would normally be used with the left hand? Would feel a little strange to me I think, but I like the design. I could maybe get used to it.
The Razer looks a little complicated, but I like the idea of a mouse with a mini keypad. I need to see if there is something out there I can feel comfortable with.
So, I think I will probably go with a hybrid of your ideas: movement with WASD and find something like the Razer that has enough buttons for each of the abilities + dodge and maybe F1-4.
Will have to do some experimenting next BWE
[edit] Just looking at the Razer Naga. I think this would be more natural for me and has enough buttons for what I need.
what mouse with a keypad are you talking about? the one I link its not a mouse, its just keyboard kinda thing.
If you buy the Naga, save yourself some trouble and get the Naga Hex
"I am not a robot. I am a unicorn."
Yes, my fault, I got the wrong end of the stick with the Nostromo, but I have to admit it does look good
I agree the Naga Hex is probably less prone to hitting the wrong button but can't work out why it's more expensive than the Razer Naga.
If you buy the Naga, save yourself some trouble and get the Naga Hex
I would fight a man with a knife if I could have a left-handed naga.
"There are two great powers, and they've been fighting since time began. Every advance in human life, every scrap of knowledge and wisdom and decency we have has been torn by one side from the teeth of the other. Every little increase in human freedom has been fought over ferociously between those who want us to know more and be wiser and stronger, and those who want us to obey and be humble and submit."
John Parry, to his son Will; "The Subtle Knife," by Phillip Pullman
My advice is to get a Belkin Nostrom or Logitech G13 Game pad. I have the G13 (use to have the Nostromo) and love it!
Death is nothing to us, since when we are, Death has not come, and when death has come, we are not.
Yes for any game that need "skills" that question is a very good question, and it is even more with mmo with such combat, because they are a tons of stuff to use and you need to move all the time.
For example, no way for me to use the 5 to 0 key, i just know i can't do it so i won't even try. So for me i'll have to remap them around swad, use my 2 thumb mouse buttons for the most reactive stuff (i used dodge and self heal during beta). I will probably order a naga (the one with 6 thumb button seam a lot better to me). Since i played fps pretty well a long time ago i use a similar setting. First i got rid of the turn "s" and "a" and use them for skills, and i will turn with the mouse, but i usually only use strafe anyway. I couldn't rebind the middle weel mouse click for weapon switching and was a bit upset, but in all the games programers forget to let the middle click button rebindable, i don't know why. What i will do next is rebind the utility key like "f" and all the utility keys around to something else and keep it for combat skills. I will map them with a modifier.
So what i'm aiming for is to have all the 5-0 key bounded at the mouse and around swad.
The game want me to try the g13 and naga combo, just for the heck of it, and i might go for it at some point, i will see. The only concern is if i will be able to use the thumb joystick of the g13 for movement, as some people seam to say it doesn't work very well because the joystick isn't that good.
When I said i had "time", i meant virtual time, i got no RL "time" for you.
My set-up was built after trying out a range of professions and figuring out what I needed, so far, this is what I've come up with.
Q-E-R-T = F1-F4
TAB = Change Targets
F = change weapon swap (changed C to interact button or you can make C the swap button whichever one suits you)
1-0 = fingers and clicking.
EDIT: Also would have LOVED to see the centre scrolling button as a mappable button so that I could make it weapon swap.
This is not a game.
I have modified this a bit but basically I have my G13 setup like this. I don't use the joystick for movement but use my razer naga for that. The G13 It works well!
Death is nothing to us, since when we are, Death has not come, and when death has come, we are not.
I heard from fps world that the thumb controler is pretty bad and have only 4 direction, when it should have 8 or 16 like any console controler, this make moving very hard, since the corners are not trigered as up/right, up/left and so on. Is it right, and is it that bad? I'm on the fence to use this, all the reviews from fpser are bad.