Allow us to bind 2 keys to the same action?

[Tim]

I fumble controls a lot, so sometimes I like to bind nearby keys to the same function, like having both E and R reload.

[Stegosaur]

The problem with allowing that is folks would immediately tie movement and other functions to the same keys. If you let two keys activate the same action, then you can also tie multiple actions to the same key. I suspect the work to piecemeal out which actions can share multiple keys (like reload) and which ones cannot (like movement or fire) was too much to make it in before launch, but if there's enough demand from the accessibility community then it might be possible eventually.

[Tim]

Stegosaur님이 먼저 게시:

The problem with allowing that is folks would immediately tie movement and other functions to the same keys. If you let two keys activate the same action, then you can also tie multiple actions to the same key. I suspect the work to piecemeal out which actions can share multiple keys (like reload) and which ones cannot (like movement or fire) was too much to make it in before launch, but if there's enough demand from the accessibility community then it might be possible eventually.

I don't play a lot of shooters, but is it usual for them to have actions that can exploited that way? Shouldn't they just have internal windows where the action can't be repeated no matter the source? Is anything stopping players from using external software to perform exploits like that?

[Stegosaur]

Tim님이 먼저 게시:

I don't play a lot of shooters, but is it usual for them to have actions that can exploited that way? Shouldn't they just have internal windows where the action can't be repeated no matter the source? Is anything stopping players from using external software to perform exploits like that?

It's super common from an accessibility perspective, especially in single-player or PvE-structured games. Binding move forward with use is super handy for speedrunning, for instance, since you can activate doors or buttons as soon as they're in range without having to spam the key. It's also handy in competitive/arena shooters where ammo is plentiful. I've seen crazy keybinds where W was their move forward/shoot combination key, but E was their move forward without firing key; they'd simply rollover to the correct key depending on their tactical situation.

The problem is how computers and software process keystrokes vs mouse clicks. Holding down a PC key is often interpreted as a repeated press of the same key (hold any key down in notepad to see this in action; there's a delay, but then it repeats) for accessibility purposes, and essentially every major modern operating system functions this way out of the box. Mice, on the other hand, have been built for both click and hold functions, to allow for selecting content versus activating content. Keyboards aren't really setup this way since they don't move along a 2D axis, and instead are simple on/off mechanisms.

As for external software stopping them? No, there isn't. Some operating systems support remapping functions like that directly, while others require third-party libraries or applications to replicate the effects of those mappings. Heck, some keyboards or speedpads (like the Nostromo) will even let you macro keybindings together into a fully-custom arrangement, if that's your jam. This is why it's important for games to implement rate checks and limits to constrain macros or autofires into their intended use cases, although diehard cheaters will always find ways around any restrictions.

This is partly why accessibility in games - especially competitive ones - is a crapshoot. Implementing key accessibility tools like autofire or custom key mappings also makes it easier for griefers, hackers, or cheaters to exploit those tools for their own ends. It doesn't mean that's a good excuse to ignore accessibility needs, but it does help demonstrate the precarious balance developers have to maintain during implementation.

[Magenta]

Stegosaur님이 먼저 게시:

Tim님이 먼저 게시:

I don't play a lot of shooters, but is it usual for them to have actions that can exploited that way? Shouldn't they just have internal windows where the action can't be repeated no matter the source? Is anything stopping players from using external software to perform exploits like that?

It's super common from an accessibility perspective, especially in single-player or PvE-structured games. Binding move forward with use is super handy for speedrunning, for instance, since you can activate doors or buttons as soon as they're in range without having to spam the key. It's also handy in competitive/arena shooters where ammo is plentiful. I've seen crazy keybinds where W was their move forward/shoot combination key, but E was their move forward without firing key; they'd simply rollover to the correct key depending on their tactical situation.

The problem is how computers and software process keystrokes vs mouse clicks. Holding down a PC key is often interpreted as a repeated press of the same key (hold any key down in notepad to see this in action; there's a delay, but then it repeats) for accessibility purposes, and essentially every major modern operating system functions this way out of the box. Mice, on the other hand, have been built for both click and hold functions, to allow for selecting content versus activating content. Keyboards aren't really setup this way since they don't move along a 2D axis, and instead are simple on/off mechanisms.

As for external software stopping them? No, there isn't. Some operating systems support remapping functions like that directly, while others require third-party libraries or applications to replicate the effects of those mappings. Heck, some keyboards or speedpads (like the Nostromo) will even let you macro keybindings together into a fully-custom arrangement, if that's your jam. This is why it's important for games to implement rate checks and limits to constrain macros or autofires into their intended use cases, although diehard cheaters will always find ways around any restrictions.

This is partly why accessibility in games - especially competitive ones - is a crapshoot. Implementing key accessibility tools like autofire or custom key mappings also makes it easier for griefers, hackers, or cheaters to exploit those tools for their own ends. It doesn't mean that's a good excuse to ignore accessibility needs, but it does help demonstrate the precarious balance developers have to maintain during implementation.

People can just open Auto Hot Key and do it themselves if they REALLY want to, Nothing is stopping them from doing this so everything you're talking about is ridiculous.

"Custom key mapping make it easier for griefers and hackers"

Holy heck lmao.