| Author |
Message |
klasodeth
Trandoshan
Joined: 03 Mar 2008
|
 Posted: Jul 15, 2008 04:24 Post subject: Preferred control scheme for Dark Forces? |
   |
|
When I first purchased Dark Forces back in the days of DOS, I played the game exclusively with keyboard. That arrangement worked well in Doom, but Dark Forces had enough controls that it was difficult for me to come up with an optimal control scheme. Anyway, in anticipation of DarkXL, I decided to try to play through Dark Forces on Hard, and found myself struggling somewhat with the keyboard controls. Then I rememberd my Saitek P2500 gamepad, and I configured it for use in Dark Forces. I was able to map the movement controls to the gamepad in such a way that it does a pretty good job of mimicking modern console shooters. I have the left stick mapped for analog forward/back movement and strafing, and I have the right stick mapped for analog rotation, and keyboard look up/look down. I don't play console games too much, so I'm not really proficient with a gamepad, but the gamepad immediately improved my performance in Dark Forces.
So, with my life's story out of the way, what control schemes do people like to use when playing Dark Forces?
|
|
Magic_Al
Gamorrean
Joined: 22 Mar 2005
|
| Posted: Jul 15, 2008 04:47 Post subject: |
|
|
It was always keyboard only because the mouse control available was pretty useless. I tended to use the keypad to move and the left side of the keyboard for everything else.
_________________
----- MagicAl`s DARK FORCES Niche -----
http://homepage.mac.com/anewmanagn/magic_al/
Armed only with a blaster pistol and an intimate knowledge of
Imperial methods, MagicAl prepares to go to lunch.... |
|
Weregoose
Gamorrean
Joined: 05 May 2008
|
| Posted: Jul 15, 2008 05:18 Post subject: |
|
|
I'm a keyboard junkie. I even made sure to use an older model as I did my speed run, as a typical modern keyboard tends to falter when several keys are held down simultaneously.
|
|
klasodeth
Trandoshan
Joined: 03 Mar 2008
|
| Posted: Jul 15, 2008 06:03 Post subject: |
|
|
Weregoose wrote:
I'm a keyboard junkie. I even made sure to use an older model as I did my speed run, as a typical modern keyboard tends to falter when several keys are held down simultaneously.
That's not necessarily an age-related problem. I had that problem myself once first-person shooters started requiring running and jumping. I ended up buying a fairly expensive keyboard simply because the circuitry design was compatible with my chosen keyboard control schemes.
The real issue is that each key on a keyboard isn't wired separately to the controller board inside the keyboard. There are two membranes inside that each have a limited number of traces that connect multiple key positions together. They act kind of like a 2D grig. When a key is pressed, the controller board can determine which two traces have been shorted. The design can handle every 2-key combination, but 3-key combinations can sometimes produce a conflict. Whether by luck or intentional design, some keyboards are better than others at handling 3-key combinations.
Here's an example of what I'm talking about. Let's say that there are four traces total. Two on the upper layer and two on the bottom layer. So we have traces 'A' and 'B' for the top and traces '1' and '2' for the bottom. Now let's say that your forward key utilizes traces 'A' and '1'. Let's also say that your run key utilized traces 'B' and '2'. And finally, let's say that your jump key uses traces 'A' and '2'.
You're about to do a running jump, so you hold down your run key, using traces 'B' and '2'. Then you press the forward key to gain some speed, using traces 'A' and '1'. Now it's time to jump. You hit your jump key, but nothing happens! Why? Trace 'A' is already being used for the forward key, and trace '2' is already being used for the run key. Since both traces are already in active use, it cannot detect the change caused by pressing jump. But if you release either the run or forward key, one of the traces needed for jump is now available. Even though one trace is still in use, the activation of the other trace lets the controller realize that the other trace is being shared between two keys. But if both necessary traces are already in use, there's no way for the keyboard to detect the change.
The design of most keyboards inherently limits the number of 3-key combinations that are supported. Until keyboards that treat each key as a separate circuit are widely available, this will continue to be a problem. Being left-handed, keyboards that worked fine for most people often did not fully support my unusual control schemes. So I had to be selective when shopping for keyboards. Thanks to features like autorun, toggles for crouch or run, and mice with more and more buttons, 3-key combinations are much less of a concern than they used to be.
|
|
Weregoose
Gamorrean
Joined: 05 May 2008
|
| Posted: Jul 15, 2008 06:18 Post subject: |
|
|
Interesting. Any idea why holding down three keys and releasing two of them followed by a third would in certain scenarios keep on pressing said third, even when the key itself was not held down? This flaw in function is what made me change.
|
|
sheepandshepherd
Trandoshan
Joined: 01 Apr 2008
|
| Posted: Jul 15, 2008 10:47 Post subject: |
|
|
Before playing DarkXL, I used the arrow keys to move, KP 1 to jump, KP 0 to crouch, shift to run, space to nudge, and mouse to look . . . I used that in pretty much every fps game I owned . . . then I played DarkXL, and for some reason, I couldn't press 3 keys (forward, run, and jump) at a time, so I was severly limited in getting past long jump areas in DarkXL. That's what finally made me switch over to the WASD keys. I still use E to jump and C to crouch, it feels more like the way I used to have it.
Of course, now, Outlaws won't let me use W, E, and Shift at the same time . . . so I'm screwed . . . any idea why it does that? I know it's a problem with the keyboard, I just wish there was a way to fix it . . . do all keyboards suffer from this, or just certain ones?
I sure hope the Razer Tarantula doesn't . . . that's the one I'm planning on getting with my new computer in a few months . . .
|
|
LawgSkrak
Dianoga
Joined: 15 Jan 2004
|
| Posted: Sep 18, 2008 14:33 Post subject: |
|
|
My question is, how do you look up and down? usually you use the mouse, but that isn't working for me.
Help?
|
|
Burning Gundam
Kell Dragon
Joined: 28 Sep 2003
|
| Posted: Sep 18, 2008 15:24 Post subject: |
 |
|
You can't.
_________________
I don't think outside the box... I customize it. |
|
sheepandshepherd
Trandoshan
Joined: 01 Apr 2008
|
| Posted: Sep 18, 2008 22:13 Post subject: |
|
|
Yeah, one of the biggest limitations of Dark Forces. I think they may have done it on purpose because of the "fake" 3D sector geometry.
Of course, DarkXL will feature full mouse look.
|
|
klasodeth
Trandoshan
Joined: 03 Mar 2008
|
|
Tom Manning
Trandoshan
Joined: 27 Sep 2003
|
| Posted: Sep 24, 2008 16:18 Post subject: |
|
|
on mac you could look up and down, it was either page up and down or the numbers on the number pad.
_________________
Tom Manning
For all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you, Stand, Men of the West!
Aragorn: Return of the King |
|
|
