Your best keyboard remapping tips

[imported_Rumple9]

Re: Your best keyboard remapping tips

I can definately recommend a nostromo (they arent that expensive and I got mine off ebay) - coupled with a logitech mx1000 mouse.

[Harmor]

Re: Your best keyboard remapping tips

Nostromo n52!!!

That's a great product!!! I used it to make a heal bot account that would follow me around in WoW. Press 1 button, group heal and auto follow me, etc...


Remap '9' to 'Backspace' for your Parachute. Or if you have a mouse with extra buttons use Mouse Button 5 or something that is on your thumb.

[evilzucchini]

Re: Your best keyboard remapping tips

If you want to just use the default keyboard, my set up is far superior to anyone that I have read.

First, if anyone is using WASD, they are immediately wrong. Switch it over to UHJK. This way, considering you can map the windows key, you have three keys right under your thumb.

I also have 8 buttons on my mouse. setting everything up requires some thought.

What do you use the most? What do you need to be able to do in the heat of battle? What things do you need to do at the same time (sprint and jump, for example)?

I have my primary and secondary weapons on the buttons of my mouse. I use the keys surrounding UHJK that are accesible by my "best" finger (pointer), (Y, I, O, L, ,, .,) to switch to other weapons, like my knife pistol and ammo/health and shock paddles. I have my emergency parachute button ';' easily within reach as well.

I use the three buttons under my thumb, from left to right, as sprint, crouch and jump (I can also hit jump with my pinkie, if I need to). The 'v' key, which is right under my pinkie, I use for prone.

I spot and talk with the middle buttons on my mouse.

My setup works damn good too. I don't understand how people can have all of their weapons on the number keys because you have to move your hand from you movement keys to reach some weapons. . .this is such a bad idea.

Sorry, I am a little egotistical about my setup, I have given it a lot of thought and continually change it when I find things I want to do more. So, whenever I have a chance to rant about it, I rant about it

[chknbone]

Re: Your best keyboard remapping tips

Well the blame for my weird setup is all because of "Neal the intern" at IBM who first introduced me to the FPS world in one of the break rooms. He routinely pwned everybody there and using his config is how I learned to play.

It turned out to be a really good setup for me because trying to use W and S keys while keeping my other fingers on the home row is very awkward for me. For some reason when my ring finger goes up to "W" my pinky goes up and the other two fingers come of the keyboard too. Anyway, here the main of it:

right mouse = walk
left mouse = primary shoot

A = backwards
S = left strafe
D = right strafe
F = Prone
G = Alternate fire
X = crouch
R = reload
T = enter / exit
Space = jump
Q = talk/spot
C = grab kit
V = change view
B = VoIP

Now I can see zucchini's point about having to use the same fingers to control the weapon selections and movements being not the ideal situation, but in my setup it's really only the strafe movements that are affected. I can walk/run in any direction I want by using the right mouse button for the (less than) split second it takes me to change weapons. Plus I would say that 97% of the time I've already got out the weapon I want to use.

[Talus]

Re: Your best keyboard remapping tips

Trust Talus to be first in with the Nostromo N52 / MX1000 combination for BF2 hehe

Anyway I heartily second his recommendation, I've been using them both for the last year.

Am I THAT predictable?

[Heous]

Re: Your best keyboard remapping tips

Everybody's different. I prefer mapping my crouch key to C and leaving prone at Z. Using my pinky finger disorients me too much.

I have parachute mapped to backspace, MUCH easier to reach than 9. For Special Forces I have my middle mouse button mapped to weapon 7 (night vision) and grey minus (the minus key on your number pad) mapped to weapon 8 (which is your gas mask).

Even though this isnt' a re-map, if you have your primary weapon armed you can switch to grenades with the F key. This is useful if you need to get a grenade out quickly.

[Skwurl]

Re: Your best keyboard remapping tips

I use the arrow keys.

Begin the crucifixion...now.

[Jacky]

Re: Your best keyboard remapping tips

Hehe...my apologies, but I just find using WASD far too cumbersome now that I've switched to a speedpad...been using one for YEARS.

They aren't too expensive, but if you're looking for a free solution, then hopefully somebody will post some interesting keyboard layouts.

My suggestion:

-map both jump and parachute to the SPACE bar (by editing controls.con)

Good idea thanks

[Talus]

Re: Your best keyboard remapping tips

I think that is the default key config in BF2142 .. I think I saw it in one of the screenshots recently..

[AlphaNut]

Re: Your best keyboard remapping tips

I have a G15 keyboard, and a Razer Copperhead mouse.
I prefer WASD, and I know that some disagree strongly with me on this, but I find WASD perfectly fine AS LONG AS you don't have your primary and secondary weapons bound to the number keys.

Pickup Kit = G
Fire = Left MSB/Altenatively Left ALT (Depends on how steady a crosshair I need. I never use LMB as fire button for sniping. I always use a keyboard key because it is so easy to move by just a couple of pixels while hitting that LMB, and miss your target.
Reload = R
Pistol = Caps Lock
Rifle = Middle MB
Zoom = RMB
Parachute = Backspace/F
Enter/Exit = E
Crouch = Left CTRL
Prone = Thumb MB1 (Thumb button 2 is used for sensitivity setting)
Jump = Space
Sprint = Left Shift
Knife = Thumb MB3 (right side of mouse)

The rest is pretty much default as far as I can remember.
All that really matters is that you must be comfortable, and able to reach all keys easily without having to think where it is instantly.

[imported_{9thInf}Padre]

Re: Your best keyboard remapping tips

Another N52 user here! I'd recommend it in a heartbeat. Way more comfortable than a standard keyboard. I don't currently take advantage of any macros on it, but I had played with a macro to switch from Helo pilot to gunner, switch to TV missle view & fire TV missle. Couldn't get it right though. I tried the same with the bomber, minus the fire, couldn't get it right. I imagine I didn't have the proper delays between commands. But I don't do either often enough to make me motiviated to get them working. I also tried to do a macro that sent the parachute command 5-6 times when I pressed the key once, which also didn't work. Guess I don't have much in the way of macro luck...

That being said, I do sometimes have issues with the shift functions - my shifts run Infantry-->Land Vehicles-->Aircraft-->Helos & at times I have to look down to see what shift I'm in. I do wish there were a heads up display for this, ala TS Overlay. I also find that I don't have quite as many buttons as I'd like & that the thumb D-Pad isn't the best in reading diagonals.

When I get home, I'll try to post up screens from the N52 software showing what commands do what in the various modes, as there's too many items to detail them all out without the screens.

For a mouse, I like my MX518. I've got the Forward button as Command Channel VOIP, Back button as Teamspeak PTT, the Application Switch button as Map & the middle mouse button as Pistol.

After reading a post about voice command stuff, I emailed Lanserschrek and am getting Voice Activated Command up and running. Pretty exciting if it works the way I hope it can, especially the ability to do the commo rose items via voice! And vehicle positions, as there's just not enough buttons on the N52 to cover all of them in my setup.

I also have a Logitech Extreme 3d Pro, which has the standard axes controls (took a while before I warmed to the twist, but now I wouldn't give it up), has the POV tophat mapped for chase, forward, rearward & cockpit views, cycle bombs/missles, flares, map & Teamspeak PTT on the top of the joystick.

I'll be pretty happy with my setup, especially if I can get VAC up and running so I don't have to reach over to my regular keyboard for the vehicle positions, scores or squads keys.

Oh, the idea of mapping jump and parachute to the same key is genius. I'm definitely doing that! That'll free up a key on the N52 right there!

[Talus]

Re: Your best keyboard remapping tips

Good luck with voice activated commands..if you get it set up properly, I'd LOVE to hear from you!

[imported_Demize99]

Re: Your best keyboard remapping tips

I put parachute somewhere other than 9 as the first thing I do, my prefered button is Q. I also remap the Z X and C keys as the front, rear, and cockpit cameras for fast switching in vehicles. Space then becomes my flares/smoke key.

[Bungalow_Bill]

Re: Your best keyboard remapping tips

Everyone's a little different, but I feel I've found the "optimal" setup for myself.

Standard WASD for movement. Right above the W you've got 2 - 3 - 4 within easy reach, and as such I've got them mapped to my rifle, my medpack, and my shockpaddles in that order. I've got 1 for selecting grenades, I find 1 particularly nice because it's still pretty easy to reach but it's enough out of the way that I don't accidentally hit it. I don't even have my pistol or knife bound, as I never use either. Also, I exclusively play medic, so other classes and how the weapon bindings may effect them are of no concern to me. The final most important key adjustmnet is prone on ALT, as prone is very important in combat, and my thumb is constantly hovering over my prone key for a quick prone. My fingers don't have to move very far, and when reaction time is critical that's a good thing. Of course, space is also right next to LALT so my favorite combination "jump to prone" is very easy to perform as my thumb can hit space for just and move over slightly and hit alt to perform the prone. On shift I've got crouch, though I rarely use it, for sprinting I just double tap W. CAPS LOCK is for my ventrilo/VOIP, which my pinky hovers directly over. Two final tweaks I've made is I've unbound my mousewheel so it doesn't do that weapon change crap, and made it so the middle mouse button can function as an alternate reload key. Everything else is standard.

That's about it, and it works great for me. The most important thing I can stress with finding good key bindings is to experiement, but understand swapping around keys will take some time to get used to so don't judge any given layout too quickly. Also, make sure to put the most important functions (your main weapons, prone, jump, VOIP) on keys that your hand naturally hovers over when using the WASD configuration.

That's about it.

[troybob]

Re: Your best keyboard remapping tips

use your scroll-wheel button for something. i use it for parachute.