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How do you set up your keyboard? Use a gaming one?
darnapkin
Member UncommonPosts: 146
I've played WOW, AOC, and a few others
the hardest part for me, is finding space for all my abilities and being able to click them when I need too.
Some people are clickers, they click icons with there mouse
some only move with the mouse, and use left hand for combos
some move with keyboard and use left hand for combos
some move with asdw and ect ect ect
so what is the best way? I need some help here, what can i do to improve my playing style on the keyboard?
Comments
i do a bit of everything. I mostly move with wasd and click icons when i am on the move. If i am stationary or need to pull off a combo quickly (like when healing) i push the numbered buttons just above the move keys.
I recently purchased a G15 and have yet to use it effectively in any game. So far the extra keys were only used to select members of the group quickly (i was going to stick a macro that selected and cast some sort of heal quickly but was too lazy to do it).
So yeah, i do a bit of everything.
MMO wish list:
-Changeable worlds
-Solid non level based game
-Sharks with lasers attached to their heads
I keybind everything. Move with WSAD (although in some MMOs I tend to get into a habit of doing QWSE, with Q/E as strafe) and keybind all of my skills.
if the game lets me i use the wasd to move and 123456 and then bind any skill to the other keys around wasd like eqrfvcxz then use alt + the keys listed for 2nd row of skill then ctrl for 3rd row and shift for 4th if there is then others i click on cause most are none combat.
I use the keyboard mostly. Left side for all hotkeys and movement is the WASD standard. I don't navigate UIs and menus with the keyboard (usually) though, but I might use hotkeys to bring up the menus. Of course I use the mouse for aiming in shooters, percise targetting in RPGs (use tab and function keys for targetting when able though), and clicking certain skills with long cooldowns or buffs that I don't feel the need to waste hotkey space.
Oh, and I have a G15 gaming keyboard. The LCD panel can be really helpful at times. The macro keys not so much, but I have used them before. The keys are sturdy and the placement is a bit better than a standard keyboard for someone who has large fingers like me.
WSAD is weak. Use ASDF. F and SPACE for forward and back, A and S for strafe, D for jump. It's called home-row for a reason. Keyboards are designed for you to comfortably place your hand there, not curl it up into an arthritic claw. It's no contest.
Also, it's great for hotbars and whatnot...
I stack three hotbars on top of each other and then...
qwert = first hotbar 12345
12345 = second hotbar 12345
F1F2F3F4F5 = third hotbar 12345
zxcv Could also be good for another hotbar stack but that's always used for stuff like sitstand, take out weapons, c for character window, v for inventory, b for spells, ect, ect
"It is in your nature to do one thing correctly; Before me, you rightfully tremble. But, fear is not what you owe me. You owe me awe." ~Francis Dolarhyde
I'm a healer in WOW, I use:
Movement: Q, W, E, S
Trinkets proc: A, D
Shield: R
Protective Guardian: T
Attack: 1
Circle of Healing (heals a little but everyone in a small circle): 2
Big Heal: 3
Renew: 4
Flash Heal: 5
Party Heal: 6
Divine Hymn (big party heal): 7
Prayer of Mending (heal that jumps from one member to another): 8, middle mouse button
Bind Heal (heals tank and me): 9
Fade (lessens agro): mouse button #3
Insant self heal: mouse button #4
Inner Focus (free mana for next spell): V
Shadowfiend (a pet that gives mana while attacking): G
Hymn of Hope (gives mana while channeling): H
Arcane Torren (takes a bit of mana from casters): click.
Assist (targets your target's target): F
Focus (targets a predetermined player): C
You have to use all of those spells in a dungeon/raid, most of them in every medium to big battle. Oh I forgot to mention, it requires no skill at all. It's WOW you know, just push them randomly.
I am mostly a mouse clicker on the abilities. But I also have a Z-merc keyboard that comes in handy too.
I move with my mouse with auto run on my mouse button 4 and mainly click that on and off as I need to move.
As for abilities I bind asdfg ect. as hot bar one, qwert ect for hot bar two 12345 for hotbar three seems to work well for me.
I have a Saitek Cyborg Mouse, and a Saitek Cyborg Command Unit. The command unit has a small thumb stick which I use for movement, which frees up all of my left hand fingers for macros. The problem with any key movement setup is the need to constantly move your fingers, which often hampers movement while using hotkeys. Having a thumb stick eliminates that. Then, the command unit has 25 buttons all close together so that a hand can operate them. I only use about 12-15 of them though, as some are hard to get to without moving the hand. Anyway, I use the "wing" button on my mouse for jumping, scroll wheel click for mounting, mouse 4 for tab targeting, and mouse 5 for whatever my opening skill is. This means that I can tab target and engage mobs with one hand, while the other hand steers and uses the rest of my hotkeys.
For all MMOs similar to WoW I use:
W, A, S, D for movement. A, S are set for strafe as I turn with the mouse.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Q, E, T, F, V are used for those spells and abilities I use more frequent.
6, 7, 8, 9, 0 keys are used for either situational abilities or those abilities I don't use as often.
Meh, it is just a less functional gamepad that is built into the keyboard. I guess if you want an all in one, it works, but for the price, an actual game pad would have been better.
Get a Nostromo n52 Speed Pad, I really don't know how I used to play without one.
Yeah, the n52 is nice. The downside though, is that it has a D Pad, rather than a thumb stick. I find the n52 to be more comfortable than the Cyborg Command Unit, but you just cant beat a thumb stick.
Regarding the OP's "best way" comment, it really boils down to what gets you the best results personally.
Worked as a profesional RTS balancer for a while with some extremely skilled RTS players. Most used hotkeys, but one coworker in particular didn't use hotkeys at all and survived purely through button clicking.
It impressed on me that each person can figure out what's most efficient for them, and that will be enough to play at a top level. Which doesn't rule out things like keyboard-turning being attrociously inefficient, but it does mean that button-clicking isn't as terrible as I used to always think it was in RTS gaming.
Personally I use a standard WASD setup and utilize every nearby key (and alt variations, and some shift variations) for hotkeys. I use a lot of hotkeys.
"What is truly revealing is his implication that believing something to be true is the same as it being true. [continue]" -John Oliver