Why do they stick with WASD?

Shiminay

OK, since we finally have a place where we can talk about grown up gaming issues and not have to worry about the console scrubs not understanding, here is a serious question... :pac:

So, why do people stick with WASD? I use RDFG cause that means I have quick access to more keys It's been that way since I started playing Quakeworld back in the day. I was writing up a config file and realised that with WASD I couldn't move past TAB if I needed to so I slid over a couple of keys and have never looked back since

It's frustrating as all hell that I have to reconfigure everything every time I start a new game (and for some reasons, lots of games reset control configs when they patch - I'm looking at you Battlefield you cant), but at this stage now, it's a 15 year habit

TheChrisD

I stick with WASD owing to it being the default. But as well as that, I find that long periods of play where I've made extensive use of LCtrl for crouching make my pinkie finger quite sore, so I'd shudder to think how sore it would be if I was to move over a key or two and then have a lot more potential work for the pinkie.

If I need to have that many buttons within immediate reach to play a game, then I'm obviously not playing a competitive shooter or some other similar game that requires a lot of fast and reactionary movement; so there's really no need to move over, and I can more safely lift off of WASD to reach the key I really need.

And then there's the case of having extra buttons on my mouse that I can use in place of the keyboard. Generally my mouse's back and forward buttons are instead used for quick-melee and voice chat.

Cravez

Ergonomically I would find WASD to be more comfortable in regards elbow, forearm and hand alignment. That being said, regardless of the keyboard layout if it was QWERTY or another layout where WASD were different keys it wouldn't matter.

humanji

I find that WASD is easier to find blind because of the position of the shift key. If I moved further over, it's hard to guage the right position without looking, because all the keys are the same size.

Other than that, I never really had a need to have access to more keys than I currently have around me. It might be an issue if I played a more technical game that had more controls. But I find I adapt fairly well to whatever layout is given to me. I can't actually remember the last time I changed keyboard commands for a game.

ScumLord

Never really thought about it. You do seem to pick up an extra two keys for your pinky though.

What I really want is an easy way to do keyboard and mouse from the couch. I want to use my projector but controllers are just annoyingly slow to react to anything and woefully inaccurate.

Antar Bolaeisk

I used to use the cursor keys (:o) but reverted to WASD due to laziness when it came to key re-binds.

degrassinoel

Antar Bolaeisk wrote: »

I used to use the cursor keys (:o) but reverted to WASD due to laziness when it came to key re-binds.

Same as me, and wasd are just handy when you're used to them

CastorTroy

I just use them by default, though they're an improvement over the old days of QAOP+Space. (I was always player 2 on the spectrum so no joystick)

KilOit

Mostly just got used to it because it was default but got much more efficient at using the keys when raiding in WoW, THE Ctrl and Alt key when held allowed all keys to have a second function allowing a **** tonne of spells to be keybound to all keys around WASD
Couldn't do that with RDFG, plus i love the TAB key

Skerries

when I first started playing on a pc keyboard I used to use the cursor keys and so had to redefine all the keys for every game, where now it is so handy to just load and go
Also have a gaming keybiard and so there are more keys to the left of the main keys to use

ShadowHearth

Just got used to it as it default. I really like that a lot of newer strategy games started to use WSAD for camera controls. Such a fantastic idea.

Shiminay

ShadowHearth wrote: »

Just got used to it as it default. I really like that a lot of newer strategy games started to use WSAD for camera controls. Such a fantastic idea.

Yea, it's fierce handy. I was playing some Tropico 4 last night and having to use arrow keys for camera having been playing so many other things that have WASD recently (Prison Architect, X-Com being the most recent that are "similar" enough) was jarring. I hope they've looked at that in Tropico 5.

Sierra Oscar

Good question, not something I have really thought about. I don't think I have ever played an FPS game on a non WASD setup, just wouldn't feel right. I'd say a lot of it just has to do with people being used to the current default.

Kiith

My brother always used the keypad for gaming. I thought he was crazy, but i was using the cursor keys at the time, so that's worse.

Back to using wasd now though, and have been for ages. I still like to use middle mouse for jumping.

ScumLord

I think I might have to give RDFG a go, I got Chivalry recently and there's just too many buttons to press on the default setup.

dreamers75

WASD and i learn the controls for each game and never rebind. As then I always forget what I had X bound to.

SWAT4 is a must bind game as it places commands in strange places, main bind is "GET FCUK DOWN" to middle mouse and squad command to space.

Monotype

IJKL is where it's at!

Calhoun

Back in the days of quake 2 i started off on arrows and normal look, i played really crappy until i met a guy that used to post on boards and he introduced me to WASD and inverted look.

I have never looked back since but in recent years i was wondering if these buttons were the best assignments because i was running out of keys. Thanks to control/shift modifiers, a razor naga and use of key real estate (Q,E,R,T,F,C,V,Z,X) i have opened up allot more.

Yeti Beast

I'm currently using a Merc Stealth keyboard, which has it's own gaming area with a WASD layout "butterfly" (as well as other often used keys).





It was a gift, and I probably wouldn't have bought it myself. But now that I'm used to it (have had it for 5+ years), I don't know how I'll cope when I have to go back to a regular keyboard. I guess that will be my new excuse for sucking at MP. :pac:

moc moc a moc

Shiminay wrote: »

RDFG cause that means I have quick access to more keys

I use ESDF for the same reason, plus it's a natural fit for a touch-typer.

Overheal

I think I originally tried arrow keys because my older brother did that, but realized quickly that WASD was the way to go. The winning factor is really the universal convention. Same reason any time I see a console port I first try to play it on the 360 pad. It's really dead space'a fault, they hard-coded joystick resistance into the camera control which became rage inducing when trying to play with a mouse.
He still uses arrow keys. He wonders why he is terrible at shooters. Seems to kill it at strategy games though, but I think that was half the reason for his initial setup, the arrows let him fly around the battlefield. Games have adapted now but he picked up the rest of the games' finer points in the meantime.

abbir

I use OLK and ; I'm left handed so my right hand is on the keyboard, if I use WASD my thumb is in the wrong place.

Nody

Numpad here but I got big hands so WASD would be to narrow for my taste

john the one

Only started PC gaming very recently and i like the WASD set up but think i would feel more comfortable with a gap between the strafe buttons. Mind you, now i look at it, its not too much effort!

Im new enough that i am afraid to set new buttons on my mouse so need to stick to the rule book!

nesf

Logitech G13 for me: http://gaming.logitech.com/en-us/product/g13-advanced-gameboard

Moar keys! (actually, in WoW style MMOs I preferred the thumbstick for movement and leaving the keys for actions etc)

wayne040576

I used to use the arrow keys but as the years went on and games required more buttons, I had to force myself to use WASD. I still have problems with it sometimes.

Overheal

The bigger problem is more keys implies that there is something wrong in your games design. Even RTS gets by with a few keys; mostly only MMO seems to suffer button overload

Shiminay

Well lets take a game like Battlefield. Quite a bit going on so here's my config (from memory):

RDFG for movement.
Space - Jump
Z - crouch/prone toggle
B - gun mode (auto/single shot)
1-5 weapons & equipment
E - Use
T - Reload
U - Speak Squad
I - Speak Team
Enter - Speak All

Then the mouse - I have a *LOT* of buttons and a specific profile for my FPS play.
LMB - shoot
RMB - aim toggle
Scrollwheel - cycle weapons/equipment
MB4 - Sprint toggle
MB5 - Melee
MB6 - Commo Rose/Spot
MB7 - Grenade
MB8 - 3 keypress (handy for throwing out ammo/medkit)
MB9 - DPI down
MB10 - DPI up (I have dpi profiles set for piloting aircraft and one set for tank turrets)

Now, without my super mouse, all that functionality has to be moved to keys. If you have to move your finger more than one key left or right from movement, you're dead This is and has always been my argument for having a more "centralised" position for your default movement keys.

wayne040576

Overheal wrote: »

The bigger problem is more keys implies that there is something wrong in your games design. Even RTS gets by with a few keys; mostly only MMO seems to suffer button overload

Savage 2 was the breaking point with me and the arrow keys.
Up until that I was able to use them with the CTRL, Shift and 0 keys.
It had too many buttons needed for abilities.

nesf

Overheal wrote: »

The bigger problem is more keys implies that there is something wrong in your games design. Even RTS gets by with a few keys; mostly only MMO seems to suffer button overload

My keybinds for SCII were more complicated and numerous than my keybinds for any MMO I've played. What exactly do you mean by a "few?"

Digital Solitude

john the one wrote: »

Only started PC gaming very recently and i like the WASD set up but think i would feel more comfortable with a gap between the strafe buttons. Mind you, now i look at it, its not too much effort!

Im new enough that i am afraid to set new buttons on my mouse so need to stick to the rule book!

Set 'Use' 'Carry' 'Open' and things like that (Basically the default E and F keys) the mouse keys! Difference is immense, and that's only with 2 buttons

TerrorFirmer

I still use the arrows, I don't like WASD and I've been playing nearly 20 years at this point so I know I'll never change.

wayne040576

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

I still use the arrows, I don't like WASD and I've been playing nearly 20 years at this point so I know I'll never change.

How do you handle ability keys?
I.E. RPGs use the number keys in a typical WASD configuration. I tried several mappings of them with the arrow keys but could not get it to work great.

After years of using lftctrl for crouch I recently remapped it to mouse button 4 and it's made a world of difference. No longer do I find my baby finger hurting like hell after an hour of so and it's made a number of titles far easier and more fluid to play.

Sulla Felix

Got used to it, then got used to asd in wow (if you're moving backwards you're doing something wrong :P )

Overheal

nesf wrote: »

My keybinds for SCII were more complicated and numerous than my keybinds for any MMO I've played. What exactly do you mean by a "few?"

how were they? no inventory screens, no 1-10 spellbar, etc. as I recall most commands were bound to QWER etc.

Skatedude

I use the arrow keys as games were using these for years, long before the use of wsad came around. but i do have long fingers so i can easily reach any keys around the arrow keys

shruikan2553

Overheal wrote: »

The bigger problem is more keys implies that there is something wrong in your games design. Even RTS gets by with a few keys; mostly only MMO seems to suffer button overload

WASD works for me but Ive been thinking of moving to ESDF for warcraft. You cant even keybind all your spells/abilities with that.

nesf wrote: »

Logitech G13 for me: http://gaming.logitech.com/en-us/product/g13-advanced-gameboard

Moar keys! (actually, in WoW style MMOs I preferred the thumbstick for movement and leaving the keys for actions etc)

Ive been tempted to get one of those but would want to try it out first. Theyre a bit too expensive for me to try out otherwise.

nesf

shruikan2553 wrote: »

Ive been tempted to get one of those but would want to try it out first. Theyre a bit too expensive for me to try out otherwise.

Where are you based? You might find someone/somewhere where you can use it. Shiminay tried it last time he was visiting my place and despite him not being a MMO player, he was tempted. :P

Shiminay

I certainly was, it was a lovely bit of kit, for MMOs and for FPS' I'd see it as being a really tasty choice.

Less so for an RTS. Taking SC2 as an example, even if you have the grid layout (Q-T, A-G, Z-B) for unit and building commands, you still need your 1-0 for control groups and your F1-F12 camera bindings (plus Control and Shift to access both).

Magill

When i first started gaming, I used the arrows... couple of years later I realised how much better wasd is. For me its just how the keys sit, just feels nicer than any other setup. Ample keys around for the vast majority of games, even WoW was fine and it required an probably more keys than any other game i've played.

shruikan2553

nesf wrote: »

Where are you based? You might find someone/somewhere where you can use it. Shiminay tried it last time he was visiting my place and despite him not being a MMO player, he was tempted. :P

Limerick for now, soon Galway. I seen one on currys before but they're not connected to anything. May just buy one now you've put the idea in my head! Thinking of getting a new mouse anyway.

shruikan2553

shruikan2553 wrote: »

Limerick for now, soon Galway. I seen one on currys before but they're not connected to anything. May just buy one now you've put the idea in my head! Thinking of getting a new mouse anyway.

It's the kind of thing you'd see for cheap in Curry's. Have had my eye on one for awhile, just waiting till it drops below €50

shruikan2553

Deleted User wrote: »

It's the kind of thing you'd see for cheap in Curry's. Have had my eye on one for awhile, just waiting till it drops below €50

Youre in luck. Found the one I was looking at although its out of stock online.
http://www.currys.ie/Product/razer-nostromo-gaming-keypad/307102/7.17.15

shruikan2553

shruikan2553 wrote: »

Youre in luck. Found the one I was looking at although its out of stock online.
http://www.currys.ie/Product/razer-nostromo-gaming-keypad/307102/7.17.15

There was one in the Galway store awhile back at that price but it was obviously second hand and looked the worse for wear

nesf

shruikan2553 wrote: »

Youre in luck. Found the one I was looking at although its out of stock online.
http://www.currys.ie/Product/razer-nostromo-gaming-keypad/307102/7.17.15

I had the previous Belkin version of that. The G13 is much more comfortable to use and that should be a lot cheaper imho given how much simpler it is compared to the G13.