Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Keyboard & Mouse control

  1. #1

    Keyboard & Mouse control

    I'm trying to figure out what would be the best keyboard & mouse control compination for a game that needs the following actions:

    Character Movement
    --------------------
    -Move normal (forward, backward, turn left, turn right, strafe left, strafe right)
    -Move fast (forward, backward, turn left, turn right, strafe left, strafe right)

    Character Actions
    -----------------
    -Jump
    -Attack
    -Use/Interact

    So far I came up with:


    Character Movement
    --------------------
    -normal
    <forward> -> up arrow, "W", hold pressesed middle mouse button
    <backward> -> down arrow, "S"
    <turn left> -> left arrow, mouse movement
    <turn right> -> right arrow, mouse movement
    <strafe left> -> ALT + left arrow, "A"
    <strafe right> -> ALT + right arrow, "D"

    -fast
    hold pressed the shift key + <forward> / <backward> etc

    Character Actions
    -----------------
    <Jump> -> "Q", "Z", right mouse button
    <Attack> -> Ctrl, left mouse button
    <Use/Interact> -> SPACE, dblclick middle mouse button


    Do the above bindings define a good control method or is there another compination that can be considered easier for the gamer?

  2. #2
    Many games use SPACE for jumping. It can also come in handy if your game alows ability for side jumping like in Tomb Rider.
    Also if your game controls are Keyboard + Mouse then I asume that most users would rather have A and D for strafing left and right instead for turing (just like in FPS). You do turning with mouse.
    As for interaction many games use either E or F, some even Q.

    But best way is to alow player to reasign controls on its own.

  3. #3
    Default controls:
    - Jump: Space
    - Attack: Left mouse button (usually there isn't even default key set for keyboard)
    - (alternate fire or something special: Right mouse button)
    - Use/Interact: "E", or in rare cases "F". (Personally i prefer "E", it is in a bit more convenient spot)

  4. #4
    Co-Founder / PGD Elder WILL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    6,107
    Blog Entries
    25
    Mouse & Keyboard:

    I have always felt the "best" is to have arrow keys (or wasd for NA keyboard keys) for forward/back and strafing left/right. Then use your mouse for looking around and turning on the move. This for me personally offers the best controls. It's exactly what all the Unreal engine games and modern computer FPS game do these days.

    For running you could do "holding shift down," but what do you think of this idea? double tap forward/back arrows for running forward or back? This can act like a sprint. Let go and you can single press forward or back to just walk as per normal.

    Jumping with the above config could be either space and/or the middle or right mouse button.

    Use/Interact would be the left-click on the mouse.

    I'd feel most comfortable with those controls on either first or third person, personally. But keep in mind I'm NOT a judge so if you end up doing something better to can brag it up to me lots and lots.
    Jason McMillen
    Pascal Game Development
    Co-Founder





  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by WILL View Post
    For running you could do "holding shift down," but what do you think of this idea? double tap forward/back arrows for running forward or back? This can act like a sprint. Let go and you can single press forward or back to just walk as per normal.
    I personaly don't think double tap is good for running. Minecraft uses double tap for sprint but many times you double tap might be to slow, so you instead of sepding up end up being slower (you don't move during the time between taps). Also sometimes you might start running when you don't want to.
    Double tap can be especialy problematic for those with low end computers on wich the game can't run with full speed. On these computers it is posible for double tap to be recognized as constant press.

  6. #6
    Having second thoughts I must agree that SPACE for jumping is the best choice, indeed

    Quote Originally Posted by WILL View Post
    to have arrow keys (or wasd for NA keyboard keys) for forward/back and strafing left/right.
    Using mouse and arrows simultaneously seems a bit awkward, personally when using the mouse I prefer WASD for keyboard, that's why I use turn left / right for arrows (not strafing with arrows) and leave strafing to "A" and "D", so that I will be able to turn left/right with the mouse movement and also be able strafing. When not using the mouse I prefer the arrows for turn left/right and <ALT> + arrows for strafing.
    Last edited by Jimmy Valavanis; 20-04-2012 at 06:07 AM. Reason: Correct spelling mistakes

  7. #7
    Alt + arrows creates the necessity of holding the key and also alters all keys, so You will have to make all other bindings work regardless of whetver alt is held or not. I've been playing DOOM recently and found it quite nice to have shooting on Lshift and strafing with Z+X, and interacting on del (which, on my laptop's keyboard, it adjacent to the arrows). In this combination jump could be left on space, or maybe Lctrl could be better...

    As for fast movement, why not make an "autorun" button? This should not replace the "hold-to-run/walk" button, but a toggle button could be quite nice. And if You mean fast movement to be used only in certain situations - well, if someone will want to speedrun, they can arrange their keys so that holding "run" will not hinder them, or put something heavy on the key - not having autorun will not be a problem. An in-game solution, like stamina, would be required.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •