[Video] Analyze This: Improving Your Game Through Efficient Keybinds

[ItZMuRdA]

The second episode in my Analyze This series is out and it focuses on keybinds -- with some added attention to using MMO mice and the ESDF movement layout, so if you play with either or both of those or are interested in hearing about them then this video should be especially useful to you. That said, the first episode on scopes and sensitivity received really good feedback and I've been wanting to put out a follow-up on the ever-so-important keybinds as well.

I hope you all enjoy and thank you for your feedback and support. If you like what you see please comment/rate/subscribe and follow the daily live stream in the link in my signature. I will also link a recent video commentary on my thoughts on improving SCU and spawn room design and mechanics that you can find below.

Thanks everyone, see you ingame!

PlanetSide 2 - Analyze This: Improving Your Game Through Efficient Keybinds

PlanetSide 2 - Improving SCU and Spawn Room Design and Mechanics

[Galron]

I use a Naga Hex from back in my wow days, but hadn't really assigned anything yet except for push to talk. Thanks for the sweet tips I'll try some of these out.

[ItZMuRdA]

I use a Naga Hex from back in my wow days, but hadn't really assigned anything yet except for push to talk. Thanks for the sweet tips I'll try some of these out.

Cool, I know someone with the Hex but haven't used it myself. Only 6 of my 12 buttons (crouch, sprint, melee, ability, primary, secondary) are things I really feel like make the biggest difference having on there, though, so you can probably still do a lot with the hex.

[Ghoest9]

If you arent using a Razer Nostromo or some similar pad you are gimping yourself.
The majority of players are least somewhat limited by the awkwardness of using a qwert keyboard with one hand. Many are greatly limited.

[Shogun]

anyone with a logitech g13 pad here who would share his planetside 2 profile?

[ItZMuRdA]

If you arent using a Razer Nostromo or some similar pad you are gimping yourself.
The majority of players are least somewhat limited by the awkwardness of using a qwert keyboard with one hand. Many are greatly limited.

Those pads are definitely pretty useful, though maybe it's the old fashioned FPS gamer in me but I feel very comfortable with the ESDF+Naga setup and don't feel like I find myself looking for additional binds that I don't have room for with my current layout.

That's not to discount them, though, it's certainly good advice. I may cave and try one for real some day if I feel like I'd truly benefit from switching a system I've used successfully for so many years.

[Soothsayer]

Before I switched over to Nostoromo I used TFGH because of the nub on the f key providing a good "home" location to get back to when I was reaching farther out of my movement keys. WASD is so bad because you've got so few keys to hit with your pinky.

[Boildown]

I like SDFC, I use my thumb for backwards movement and middle finger for forwards instead of same finger for backwards & forwards. They can switch roles if I need to switch weapons with middle finger or hit the X, V, or spacebar with the thumb. But all in all very similar to what you do.

As for my mouse, I use the $36.00 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005S0KHIC) Logitech G9x Call of Duty Edition. Same thing as the normal G9x, but nearly half the price. I used a G9 for many years, and when the no-slick pads on the bottom finally wore out recently, at this price point, this was a no-brainer.

[Will Pstwo]

I've had to rebind a LOT of stuff. Most games I don't have to, but in Ps2 it's very necessary, lol

[Snydenthur]

I've never understood the need to bind many things to mouse on shooters. I've always kept the mouse buttons to minimum amount. I've always used left button to shoot, right button to ads (or in cs, zoom and "alternative fire"). Mouse wheel has primary and secondary weapon. I do have mouse wheel button as a melee, but I almost never use it anyways and there's nothing I would definately need there. The point of that is to always be prepared to have the best aim with best grip possible.

For keyboard, I use the default wasd. Shift is always sprint (or in cs walk), crouch is ctrl and space jump. Even if a game has prone, I don't usually even use it, but I bind it to x or c, depending on the game. There's never been enough things to use in game that I would've needed to change my keybinds to have more available.

For a completely new gamer, test a few configurations to see what suits you. If you've played like a month or more, stick with the one you've been using, since you will not gain anything by changing, you just limit your capability by starting to learn new keys. My veteran fps player opinion is, that keep things simple. Essential actions near your moving buttons, everything else can be anywhere as long as you remember what does what.

[ThatGoatGuy]

I have basically entirely rerouted my keyboard according to my push to talk button for Teamspeak being left CTRL. I've also made the more important keybinds closer to my hands (except the eject button, so glad a changed that). I have WSAD, but Q is my crouch, E is my ability use, C is knife, F is spot, Z is prox chat, and X is for flares and cloak. Shift is still AB but Caps lock is my crouch hold button (Where you press it once and you continue crouching).

[Lonehunter]

I like the ESDF idea, but I just don't feel like spending a couple weeks in frustration getting used to it right now, but totally understand the advantages.

One thing I am taking from you is the Pitch Up/Down on the mouse. Previously I had Descend and freelook by my thumb.

But with pitch up and down there I can see a huge advantage.
With moving my mouse forward it takes a moment to reach the maximum "pitch speed" that my aircraft can turn. But if I know I want to make a long backflip I can just start moving my mouse up and hold my pitch up key.

Then the best part happens, I can relocate my mouse to the center of the mousepad while still pitching up, and being able to roll of possible. The one problem I've had with mouse flying is the constant picking up of the mouse, even with my abnormally high sensitivity. But with this, it's almost like having a recentered axis like a controller joystick :)

Thank you sir

[Pella]

Im using Right click for jump. Spacebar to aimdown sights. Only things i have changed.

[ItZMuRdA]

A little late on the reply here but thanks for all the additional feedback! Been fun reading through the various setups; and glad to have been of any help to those of you who found some usefulness in this.

[Sifer2]

I found the defaults to be ok. I just can't get used to more buttons on my mouse. I have a Razer mouse with several buttons on the side but I can't get used to trying to use them I pretend they are not there lol. In fact I kind of wonder whether I should use Razers at all as the style of mouse holding i'm used to is to grip it with the fingers not even touching with my palm. And all the Razers are so damn big clearly designed for big handed people palming them. But I dunno what other gaming mice to try.

As far as keybindings the only thing I changed was on Vehicles I made third person camera switch on E, and eject from Vehicle on C. Just because in this game your gimped if your not constantly switching between third/first person view in vehicles, and T is too awkward to reach. Speaking of which I never melee for that reason. Can't really think of a better place to put it though unless maybe I could bind it to E as well. Anyone know if you bind melee to use if it will interfere with using terminals/getting in vehicles or will the command override the melee in those situations? That's how it should be by default IMO.

[coconut]

On the subject of optimizing the use of easy-to-reach keys: It's possible to use this big fat piece of plastic marked "Caps Lock". I have remapped mine to "right shift". See http://sharpkeys.codeplex.com/ for a utility to do that easily.

Note: the game still sees it as "caps lock", even after remapping. Doesn't really matter I guess, all I wanted was to disable the caps locking functionality, which I don't think I ever had a use for.

[ItZMuRdA]

I found the defaults to be ok. I just can't get used to more buttons on my mouse. I have a Razer mouse with several buttons on the side but I can't get used to trying to use them I pretend they are not there lol. In fact I kind of wonder whether I should use Razers at all as the style of mouse holding i'm used to is to grip it with the fingers not even touching with my palm. And all the Razers are so damn big clearly designed for big handed people palming them. But I dunno what other gaming mice to try.

As far as keybindings the only thing I changed was on Vehicles I made third person camera switch on E, and eject from Vehicle on C. Just because in this game your gimped if your not constantly switching between third/first person view in vehicles, and T is too awkward to reach. Speaking of which I never melee for that reason. Can't really think of a better place to put it though unless maybe I could bind it to E as well. Anyone know if you bind melee to use if it will interfere with using terminals/getting in vehicles or will the command override the melee in those situations? That's how it should be by default IMO.

I don't believe you can bind it to the same button as Interact as they would overlap circumstances where you would need to use them. You can have the same binds for infantry and vehicles that don't overlap, but not something like that. Try one of those mouse buttons you're avoiding, I love my melee on my mouse. :P

[ItZMuRdA]

On the subject of optimizing the use of easy-to-reach keys: It's possible to use this big fat piece of plastic marked "Caps Lock". I have remapped mine to "right shift". See http://sharpkeys.codeplex.com/ for a utility to do that easily.

Note: the game still sees it as "caps lock", even after remapping. Doesn't really matter I guess, all I wanted was to disable the caps locking functionality, which I don't think I ever had a use for.

Aye, I've messed with this before -- different programs treat it differently. Ultimately I was able to disable its functionality so when I press it it doesn't change my capitals, however, it is still not a bind I use in-game as you said, it functions pretty oddly depending on the program. I got it to work with various VOIP clients as a Mute Mic button so I've been using it for that in conjunction with streaming. Gives me an extra useful bind, but it's a tricky key to get working right.

[Soothsayer]

Hey Sifer, there's some lower traffic binds you could put on your mouse like map, fire mode, minimap zoom, etc. These work well with a thumb button.

[Sifer2]

Hey Sifer, there's some lower traffic binds you could put on your mouse like map, fire mode, minimap zoom, etc. These work well with a thumb button.


Yeah I could see putting the map on there. It's just like I said I don't think I grip the mouse the way Razer intended it to be held. I use my fingers and my palm never touches it. So trying to even reach the thumb buttons is awkward.