Question for PC gamers.

[SpAc3man]

ESDF is actually used by a lot of people who like having more keys free for more functions in close proximity. Personally I prefer WASD but everything is still very usable with ESDF. I used a backlit keyboard for a long time which helped a lot. Red backlights are the easiest on the eyes when in the dark.

I must warn you though using any type of screen in the dark causes a lot of eye strain from the extreme contrast between the bright screen and dark surroundings. The area behind your screen should be lit up to reduce contrast.

 

[erykweb]

My reccomendation is getting a USB gamepad for games that you can't remap to esdf. As a console gamer you will be comfortable with the controls, and for some games it is actually better ( Skyrim, IMO, is way more intuitive with a gamepad). Logitech has some pretty good ones that will only run you about 15-20 dollars.

 

[Joccaren]

Hey, I've been a console gamer most of my life and I have only recently moved into PC waters.

Welcome to the Glorious PC Gaming Master... OK, I know someone is not going to realise I'm being sarcastic with this, so I'm not even going to bother. Welcome to PC gaming

My problem is that I have trouble playing in the dark, and since my computer is in the bedroom if the boy is asleep the lights are off. I'm still so new too keyboard controls that while I understand some fundamentals I never understood why wsda moves.

Well, there are a few solutions to this. One is that you could place your keyboard closer to the screen so its light shows you where things are, but I realise that's annoying and doesn't really work.
Another is to practice lots and learn the layout of the keyboard. I don't just mean games - type up massive word documents or forum posts as often as possible. Doing so quickly got me to the point where I know the layout of my keyboard by heart. I didn't even know the nubs were on the f and j keys until a touch typing teacher tried to make me type her way - I just knew where everything was by experience. I highly recommend this, but it will take a lot of time so another solution is likely needed for short term.
Get a red light to shine on the keyboard. Red lights provide excellent visibility in the dark, yet go largely unnoticed by the body's subconscious or W/E, so they are unlikely to wake anyone else in the room. With a small one of them you could illuminate your keyboard and not have to worry about waking the boy up.
As for the WASD layout:
Z is right beneath you for prone, Q and E are there for anything that requires such options, tab is to the left of Q for checking scores, Caps is there for auto run on/off, shift is there for run, ctrl is there for crouch, f is there for quick melee and 1,2,3,4,5 are in close reach for accessing weapons/spells/command groups quickly. Also, tradition.

How do you know your fingers are in the correct place to type? On most keyboards there is a nub you feel naturally on your index finger when your hands are in the correct position.

I personally know because I know the layout of my keyboard especially, and all QWERTY keyboards in general, by heart. I can, from looking away from both the screen and the keyboard, with my hands by my side, type up an entire paragraph without looking at either, including correctly placing my keys whilst completely ignoring those nubs on f and j. Hell, I did it to type all that. A good way of knowing where WASD is though is by the capslock, tab and shift keys. They are the three large keys on the left of the keyboard, and if your left hand pinky is on the middle of the three, the rest of your fingers will be on W, A, S and D - provided you've got the basic layout of movement keys right [Three fingers side by side on adjacent keys, middle moves up to move forward].

So why not have: edfs for movement instead? your hands find them vary naturally, the same amount of the keyboard is accessible and it may even open up more options with your pinkey now that if falls naturally on "A"

Eh, my hands find WASD more naturally thanks to having used it so often. That and ESDF is further away from shift, caps, tab, ctrl and makes it so that your more likely to hit 2 instead of 1 in a hurry when you need to use the number keys. It also then interferes with the normal quick melee/grenade key layout, with quick melee as F and grenade as G, and whilst z is especially effected it would take a bit of practice to get used to that afterwords.
Sure everything could be re-mapped, but why when everybody [Read: Most people] is used to WASD layout instead. Its why key remapping exists - so that you can change it if you're one of the people who doesn't like WASD layout.

I know that in most PC games you can remap the buttons but I'm afraid I wont recognize something and end up opening up the map every time I want to move. So I guess my question is: Is there a good reason for the current control scheme? and If I'm not the first one too think of this is there some preset control scheme in most games I can goto?

In general no. The preset control scheme will be WASD, with a couple of secondary keys [I.E: Up, Down, Left and Right, or numpad 8, numpad 4, numpad 6, numpad 2 as alternate movement keys]. However, you shouldn't need to worry about openning the map when you want to move. For one, the map is generally mapped to M or Enter. In addition, any conflicts in key designations [E.G: You have F set to strafe right and Quick Melee] will generally, but not always, be detected by the game and it will refuse to save the config until you set them to two different keys. Worst case, go through all the key mappings and change them to what seems logical to you. It will take a bit more time, but it will also get you your own, personal, optimal layout.

 

[FalloutJack]

Of course, eventually you'll get the hang of it through skin memory. The problem most gamers of either side have is that they poo-poo the other on the matter of controls at times and that's an invalid concern. The console-users and PC-users just need time and practice with the other side, as with everything. Because of this, I can consider myself some sortof Rennaissance Player.

Also, I splurged for an Alienware laptop, which has lit-up keys.

 

[SonicWaffle]

Hey, I've been a console gamer most of my life and I have only recently moved into PC waters.

What console do you have? Because if it's a 360, you can just plug your normal wired (because when the option for wired is there, who in there right mind goes for the heavier, battery munching wireless when the wired is lighter and has a wire that can reach halfway across the planet? /tangent) controller into the PC by removing the little clip-on adaptor at the end of the wire.

Much, much, much easier than playing with a keyboard, given that controllers are specifically designed for playing games while keyboards have merely been adapted to perform them as a secondary function. Especially if you're a long-time console gamer, the feel of the pad will be second nature to you.

 

[Bvenged]

I'm left handed for gaming (and home computer use), and right handed for everything else (college/uni computers, otehr people's computers, laptops). I have an exception with MMO's as I use WASD when playing them so I have easy access to the number and function keys, but alas I still play all other genres of games with the arrow keys.

I place my left hand on the mouse and my right hand on the arrow keys, with my thumb near right-CTRL (Jump); my little finger near NumP 0 & NumP 1 for crouch and prone/grab respectively; Enter key for ... well... use/enter; reload is generally "/"; the numbers stay as hotlinks/weapon swaps; and I reach up with my index finger towards the command keys (Home, Insert, End) for journals, objectives, etc.

So to answer your question, you just get used to it. Practice makes perfect, unless you're a natural. When it comes to PC gaming, I'm a jack of all trades, master of all inputs

Ambidexterity FTW!

- Predominately console gamer, old-school PC gamer, currently designing a new 2012 PC.
...and I don't use southpaw controller layout. That's not for left-handed people, that's for weirdos.

 

[The White Hunter]

MY slow transitioning to PC gaming has been aided greatly by my capacity to type largely by touch only, I know where I start and can easily find all the keys from that initial typing position, so wasd is hardly difficult for me to find. The biggest problem comes when I have to look at the keyboard and it throws me off, because the only keys I don't find naturally are ctrl and caps. Which is kind of a pain but you adapt and get used to it.

But as I said to my friend who hasn't touched a console since the SNES, the best thing about the PC ios flexibility of control, use whatever you want, for a lot of games a controller can be a much better input source. With some coding I'm pretty sure you can make anything into a control input anyway, given it communicates on a bluetooth channel. (So yeah, if you really wanted you could use a wii remote.)

Ordering my new PC this week :3 Likely will do so on Friday. High end opulence here I come!

 

[The White Hunter]

Ambidexterity FTW!

I love being ambidextrous :3 Doesn't come into gaming much for me though I just do it the normal way.
At work it means I carry around a left and right handed knife at all times though. B ecause why the fuck should I awkwardly twist when my other hand can do it just as well?

Should make ambidextrous safety knives...

 

[hermes]

Practice... The same way writing this down without looking at the keyboard is just practice.

 

[TheComfyChair]

Indeed, it is just practice in the end. Keep at it and you'll get used to it quickly enough.

 

[Bertylicious]

I use a wolfking gaming keyboard and have memorized it's layout. I only look at it when keybinding things in a new game.

It's a shame they stopped making them.

That looks badass and I am tempted to find something similar. Do you reckon it'd be possible to set up dual keyboards so you could have that and a regular keyboard?

 

[Zeren]

I use a wolfking gaming keyboard and have memorized it's layout. I only look at it when keybinding things in a new game.

It's a shame they stopped making them.

That looks badass and I am tempted to find something similar. Do you reckon it'd be possible to set up dual keyboards so you could have that and a regular keyboard?

It's a usb keyboard so yes it works with a standard keyboard. I have it plugged in along with my Logitech G15 so I can type as well.

 

[blackrave]

I suppose the reason for the wasd setup is because of 2 reasons, tradition and ctrl.
The "ctrl" key has been used for quite a while for crouching, a pretty useful thing in some games.
Then there is "tab" being used for scoreboard and "shift" for running (all varies on the game but you get the idea)
There's also "q" and "e" being used for weapon switch.

So your suggested "esdf" layout would require remapping a lot of keys and for everyone to have to re adjust to this change. But mostly the reason is tradition.

I actually find esdf much more efficient
And anyone starting new game should at least check options and key mapping anyway
I personally end up remapping a lot of keys

 

[JEBWrench]

How do you know your fingers are in the correct place to type? On most keyboards there is a nub you feel naturally on your index finger when your hands are in the correct position.

Personally, (and like the gaming mouse thread, this may be because of my short fingers), but since my pinkie finger falls naturally on the Caps-lock key when I use WASD, I find WASD to be useful. Your mileage may vary; though given that another person pointed out about theirs landing on the Shift key, getting used to where you pinkie falls may help. All the keys over yonder tend to be very uniquely shaped, so with a bit of practice you may find that you can identify how your fingers are placed.

 

[VladG]

Hey, I've been a console gamer most of my life and I have only recently moved into PC waters.

My problem is that I have trouble playing in the dark, and since my computer is in the bedroom if the boy is asleep the lights are off. I'm still so new too keyboard controls that while I understand some fundamentals I never understood why wsda moves.

How do you know your fingers are in the correct place to type? On most keyboards there is a nub you feel naturally on your index finger when your hands are in the correct position.

So why not have: edfs for movement instead? your hands find them vary naturally, the same amount of the keyboard is accessible and it may even open up more options with your pinkey now that if falls naturally on "A"

I know that in most PC games you can remap the buttons but I'm afraid I wont recognize something and end up opening up the map every time I want to move. So I guess my question is: Is there a good reason for the current control scheme? and If I'm not the first one too think of this is there some preset control scheme in most games I can goto?

Thank you!

the F and J keys have tactile nubs to help with positioning.

WASD is used because the CTRL, SHIFT, SPACE, ALT and TAB keys are more distinctive because of their shape and the larger spacing makes your hand rest much more comfortably. Using ESDF forces your fingers to be either too cramped together to reach the A Q keys or too spread out to reach CTRL, SHIFT, etc. Basically WASD is the most comfortable and useful position to have for gaming.

Visibility can be solved with an illuminated keyboard.

It might be worth looking into a higher-end keyboard because the better tactile feedback makes such a huge difference (make sure you reseach this point though... price isn't a guarantee that they got it right). I'm using a Logitech G15 and I find it great (though I barely use all the features) Spacing, tactile feedback, level of illumination... even audio feedback (it's the kind that makes quite a bit of noise while typing. Some people don't like it. I find the feedback welcome)