Keyboard Mapping Suggestions

[george moromisato]

Keyboard Mapping.jpg (105.19 KiB) Viewed 11768 times

I'm adding some UI to allow players to remap their keyboard controls without editing XML. But I'd also like to provide a few canned keyboard layouts that people have found useful.

Please post your most commonly used keyboard mappings and I'll create some default layouts using them.

[Song]

Generally I play with the default keyboard of arrows keys/JKL for moving (I'm on a laptop so I need both methods in case of lock-up). However I think most people use the spacebar for firing the main gun, as it's an easier finger movement than using the left control key. The other common rebind (which I don't use) is to rebind "slow" to the down arrow. Personally I think that encourages using it too much, but a lot of people seem to disagree.

Edit: I would also strongly advise cross-posting this to the Steam forums, if you haven't already.

[DigaRW]

I ussually use
-Arrow key rather than JKL to moving.
-Spacebar than Ctrl to shooting
-Enter than Shift to launching missile.
And like Shrike said, I wanted to change default 'slow' key from period [.] to down arrow key.

[JohnBWatson]

The 'enter' key for launcher has done more harm than good for me due to accidental launches - I use shift exclusively. Putting the use and invoke keys closer to either the left or right of the keyboard would also be helpful.

Other than that, a WASD setup would definitely attract a larger playerbase, so it's something to think about setting up. There are people out there that really don't like using the arrow keys, and that would allow them to better enjoy the game. It'd also free up the player's mouse hand to access menus, if a few gestures or buttons were added to facilitate partial mouse control, which is something to think about down the road.

Personally I think that encourages using it too much, but a lot of people seem to disagree.

If 'slow' is unbalanced(and it may well be, given that the player can use it and the AI doesn't), the functionality ought to be altered rather than the controls. The user can already alter keybindings through 'settings', after all.

[Song]

Personally I think that encourages using it too much, but a lot of people seem to disagree.

If 'slow' is unbalanced(and it may well be, given that the player can use it and the AI doesn't), the functionality ought to be altered rather than the controls. The user can already alter keybindings through 'settings', after all.

Not in the "this is unbalanced" way. Generally speaking I consider that using the "slow down" key is worse than just turning the ship and thrusting..it's a secondary function for matching speed with an escorted ship or stopping to mine asteroids or lay explosives....not really something that you use all the time. Having it be a slightly awkward key (period) means it's more clear that it's a secondary control, not a primary flight control. But that's probably me being eccentric.

[NMS]

That kind of UI for remapping keys could be very useful. But I see some issues:
- The lines should stand out more against the color of the keys. Also, maybe lines that cross should be different colors?
- If the command labels move as you rebind the keys, it could be confusing. But if they don't, you could end up with lots of lines crossing each other, especially if a lot of commands are switched from the left side to the right and vice versa.
- Could it include the number pad?
- What if the user has a different keyboard layout?
- Could it handle binding multiple keys to the same command?
- Could it handle binding commands that aren't shown (the ones that aren't currently bound by default)?


Like a lot of people, I prefer to bind Space to FireWeapon, Shift to FireMissile, and Down Arrow to Stop. I bind Enter and Control to Stop because you can't currently unbind them, as far as I can tell. I also like to bind E to EnableAllDevices, V to TargetPreviousFriendly, and Y to TargetPreviousEnemy.

[PM]

Down Arrow should be able to slow or stop the ship. That way, people can use their right hand only to control movement. Also allowing [Ins] and [Enter] to use both weapons would let people use the number pad to control the ship mostly with one hand.

[TheLoneWolf]

Fixed UI ain't great. Do whatever you want. I wonder when will I be able to fire through LMB + RMB!

[gunship256]

I also like to bind E to EnableAllDevices, V to TargetPreviousFriendly, and Y to TargetPreviousEnemy.

I didn't know we could use EnableAllDevices. Is there documentation somewhere for keybindings so we can make our own custom setups?

EDIT: I just tested the (undocumented?) keybindings EnableAllDevices and DisableAllDevices, and they both work.

EDIT #2: It would also be nice if mods could read keybindings and change them on the fly. For example, an afterburner mod could check the 'Z' key and make a binding for it if none existed previously, and if a 'Z' binding already existed, it could pull up a dockscreen and allow the player to pick which key the afterburner should be tied to. This would allow mods to access the keyboard without having to go through the 'U'se menu.

[NMS]

To quote myself from this Ministry ticket: List all available commands in Settings.xml

I just discovered that these commands exist while skimming the source code:
TargetPreviousEnemy
TargetPreviousFriendly
PreviousWeapon
PreviousMissile
EnableAllDevices
DisableAllDevices

The first two seem particularly useful when cycling through a long list of targets.

The code also shows the following, which I haven't found the correct XML for:
keyEnableAllDevicesToggle
keyEnableDeviceToggle00 to 31

Edit: Ok, I found the XML names:
ToggleEnableAllDevices (This disables all devices if they're all enabled; otherwise it enables them all.)
ToggleEnableDevice00 (This toggles the first device.)

[AssumedPseudonym]

 The number pad definitely needs to be included on this. One of the settings I like using is Numpad8 to thrust, Numpad4 and Numpad6 to turn left and right, Numpad5 to stop, Numpad0 to fire the main weapon, and Enter for missiles. (I usually wind up reverting to vanilla and remap Enter to stop. I frequently hit Enter just a smidge too soon when I dock with something and put a Stiletto into whatever I’m trying to dock with.)

[PM]

The number pad definitely needs to be included on this. One of the settings I like using is Numpad8 to thrust, Numpad4 and Numpad6 to turn left and right, Numpad5 to stop, Numpad0 to fire the main weapon, and Enter for missiles.

For me, I use Numpad2, where down arrow is, instead of Numpad5. Everything else is the same. The reason is if the game supported diagonals, I could use Numpads 1, 3, 7, 9 for diagonal movement (or shooting in case of Robotron inspired games).

As for left hand, I tend to go WAXD, with QEZC for diagonals, instead of WASD thanks to my upbringing with Castle Wolfenstein for Apple][ (by MUSE software, not id), and later, Robotron 2084 or Smash TV style games.

[erwgd]

I bind V to fire primary, X to fire launcher and E for brakes.

[Atarlost]

I use the default layout with the switch set to use letters for invoke selection.

WASD is a horrible layout and no one should ever use it. ESDF is in the normal typing position or SDFZ as a mirror to the default setup. It should only ever be used by left handed people anyways because Transcendence doesn't need the dominant hand on the mouse. Left handed gamers should not be accustomed to WASD in the first place because it's just about the worst place it's possible to put your right hand if your left is on your mouse.

[relanat]

The only problem I have with the standard layout is hitting 'I'nvoke quite often when I'm trying to hit Ú'se. This needs an 'Esc' to get out of which can be fatal by the time you get to it.

I have tried putting 'Invoke' somewhere else but haven't been able to find a way to disable 'Í' as well which would fix the problem.