First Person controll, WSAD or Arrow Keys?

[the dark side]

hey guys, i was talking about a few old first person games with freind of mine, and i stated that i prefer to contoll the charachter's movement using the Arrow keys at the bottom right of the keyboard, were as my freind stated he prefers to use the WSAD keys. something i personally find Impossible!

so i wonder, what do you prefer to use for movement in first person, WSAD? Arrows? or a custom layout?

[Oscar House]

WSAD, of course. Pinky for shift (sprint), thumb for space (jump), C (crouch) in reach.

Using arrow keys seems awfully inefficient.

[Adny]

It's terribly impractical to use arrow keys unless you operate the mouse with your left hand. Using WASD is superior in the sense that every (common) hotkey is within a reasonable distance and is much more accessible than keys adjacent (if you could even consider them adjacent) to the arrow keys

As a matter of fact, almost all computer games are based around WASD movement. There are a few zany games such as Happy Wheels that (I think) use arrow keys instead.

I keep my left hand hand like:

Spoiler below!

Pinky - Shift
Ring - A
Middle - W
Index - D
Thumb - Spacebar

It's a very natural way to rest your hand on the keys.

World of Warcraft was the first real PC game I played, so that probably had a significant impact on how I moved (keybinders ftw!).

It ultimately breaks down to muscle memory; if you're capable of hitting the adjacent keys while moving using arrows simultaneously, more power to you.

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Edit: Doh, just remembered not all keyboards are layed out in the same fashion as those found in the U.S. Even with that in consideration, I think my idea still stands.

[the dark side]

ok. its just i cant do WSAD personally, i just cant get my hand to feel right and i keep plipping the wrong keys, probably an Autism/Dyspraxia issue on my part causing the odd hand feeling and totally screwed co-ordination, thank goodness Most FP games let you rebind you keys, as many do default to WSAD with either hand. if it doesn't let you rebind, then, i have to buy on console. because i simply just cannot co-ordinate for WSAD. its like trying to tie shoelaces blindfolded.

my own layout is. Arrows for movement and straffe, < and > for Lean, numpad7 for Jump, Numpad 4 for action. Numpad 1 for crouch, Return for alt action, and Right Shift for sprint, and mouse to look around. i just find my hand feels right that way and i can perfectly co-ordinate my actions so i dont keep plipping the wrong keys.

PS. i find i can move the mouse much more precisely and faster with my left hand than my right, despite being right handed. so i use my left hand for mouse and right for keys.

[Yuhaney]

I used to play games with arrow keys when I was a kid, but these days it's WASD-only.

I believe there is no 'right' or 'wrong' with these kind of things.
What works for me doesn't mean it'll work for you. The same goes another way around, when something works for you it might not work for me.
But mostly it seems that it's just matter of getting used to new layout.

[the dark side]

adapting to a new layout is probably true for most people scraper. i simply just cant use WSAD, with either hand, i have tried, but, it makes my hands hurt like a swine, and i keep mis-co-ordinating, its horrible, its why, as i said, if a game uses WSAD and doesn't let you rebind the keys, i have to buy it on console, as much as the innacurate responses of a gamepad wind me up, i can at least use them without mis-co-ordinating or getting pain in my hands. i also have to use an aftermarket PS3 pad for that system (2 words.. gran turismo) wich has trigger surrounds like the old PS2 and PSX pads, as the exposed triggers of the official pad make my fingers hurt. sometimes games companies just dont think.

thats a point, does anyone else here have Pain or Mis-co-ordination issues with WSAD key layouts or the PS3 controller, or just me?

by the way, my keyboard is lain out with the Numpad 1 key only 1 inch north east of the right arrow key, directly aligned with the Up arrow, as the keyboard has 2 number imputs, a pad on the right of the keboard, and a bar above the main keys. as its a DELL USB keyboard rather than an inbuilt one.

this is my keyboard. it also has a plastic plate for my wrist as i find it stops my wrist hurting.



i hope the image helps you visualise my controll layout.

[Bridge]

adapting to a new layout is probably true for most people scraper. i simply just cant use WSAD, with either hand, i have tried, but, it makes my hands hurt like a swine, and i keep mis-co-ordinating, its horrible, its why, as i said, if a game uses WSAD and doesn't let you rebind the keys, i have to buy it on console, as much as the innacurate responses of a gamepad wind me up, i can at least use them without mis-co-ordinating or getting pain in my hands. i also have to use an aftermarket PS3 pad for that system (2 words.. gran turismo) wich has trigger surrounds like the old PS2 and PSX pads, as the exposed triggers of the official pad make my fingers hurt. sometimes games companies just dont think.

thats a point, does anyone else here have Pain or Mis-co-ordination issues with WSAD key layouts or the PS3 controller, or just me?

by the way, my keyboard is lain out with the Numpad 1 key only 1 inch north east of the right arrow key, directly aligned with the Up arrow, as the keyboard has 2 number imputs, a pad on the right of the keboard, and a bar above the main keys. as its a DELL USB keyboard rather than an inbuilt one.

this is my keyboard. it also has a plastic plate for my wrist as i find it stops my wrist hurting.



i hope the image helps you visualise my controll layout.

How do you reload and change weapons without having to stop?

[Yuhaney]

That keyboard... I would hate to use WASD on that.
Just look at how weird the design is with between Windows button and right Alt. My left hand would simply feel like it's out of place the whole time.

[Bridge]

That keyboard... I would hate to use WASD on that.
Just look at how weird the design is with between Windows button and right Alt. My left hand would simply feel like it's out of place the whole time.

I used to have one of those; it's really not that noticeable.

[Yuhaney]

Don't really know, but it just looks it's going to be noticeable.