Keybinds

[TissuE]

This is the third game in a week that I've had an issue with keybinding. It amazes me that in 2022 we're stuck with such primitive keybind options and are not given freedom to completely tailor our keys to our play. I use Numpad, not wasd so having hotbar hardbound to 1-0 makes this borderline unplayable. WHY?!

[CrazyWithPower]

maybe they dont know how

[warrenchmobile]

Select "Settings" at the Valheim main menu. Ensure NumLock is off on your keyboard. You will note that Forward, Left, Back, and Right are set to W, A, S, and D respectively. Left click on W, then press the key on your Numpad that you wish to use to move forward. Left click on A, then press the key on your Numpad you wish to use to move Left. Do the same with S and then D. You may now use the Numpad in place of WASD without conflict from the hotbar as long as you leave NumLock off.

[TissuE]

I understand this, however, could you direct me to where I can remap the hotbar to anything but 1-8?

[warrenchmobile]

After some further experimentation, I find there is currently no way using Valheim to rebind the hotbar keys. Both my laptop and the external keyboard I use have small four-key arrow key pads just to the left of the Numpad. I had the idea of mapping WASD to the arrow key pad and using NumLock with keys 1 through 8 on the Numpad to activate the hotbar items.
Unfortunately, I could not get the Numpad keys to activate the hotbar.

Other threads in the past have featured players using AutoHotKey or another standalone keyboard mapping program to change hotbar activation keys. I don't know how much trouble that is. I personally would prefer not to use a separate program.

I have also heard of Valheim mods which supposedly make hotbar remapping possible. I prefer not to use mods.

I am supposing that your motivation stems from being left-handed. My older brother is left-handed and I remember at least one of his primary school teachers in the 1950s trying to get him to write with his right hand. It did not work. He did, however, learn to contort his left hand position so that he could achieve the lower-left-to-upper-right slant considered normal at that time for cursive writing.

Generally, I would prefer Iron Gate Studio finish Valheim before making any of the infinite number of changes many players want. For remapping the hotbar keys, however, I will make an exception.

[electricdawn]

I'm left handed too. After a bit of experimentation I found out that I can perfectly use the regular WASD scheme, if I move the keyboard to the far right of my little "desk" and map "jump" to "left-ctrl".

Works pretty well for me in most games.

[TissuE]

I'm right handed.
After playing PC games for the last nearly 30 years, it just seems that basic keybinding is generally lacking all around. I have always said, if the game is going to default bind something, the player should have the ability through the game interface, not backdoor config editing or mods, to re/unbind the function. I miss the days of console '/bind kp_pgup use itemslot3'. I'm not asking for luxurious new content, so the "infinite number of changes many players want" comment kind of made laugh. I'm asking for developers to consider basic accessibility features that I would have thought should be bare minimum by now. This is by no means the first game I've run into keybind issues and it surely won't be the last, it just seems silly to have critical game controls not be remappable regardless of the players reason for doing so.

[GinsengSamurai]

Originally posted by TissuE:

I'm not asking for luxurious new content, so the "infinite number of changes many players want" comment kind of made laugh. I'm asking for developers to consider basic accessibility features that I would have thought should be bare minimum by now.

You have a legitimate request for key bind changing. This is one of the things I would also strongly suggest. The reason I haven't yet, is because I know the developers released Valheim as an Early Access title, publishing only the basic fundamentals of their core game. So by this reasoning, I am pretty sure, like the other functions they have implemented over the last 16 months, key bind remapping, along with controller remapping will be a thing in the future. The question is "when will they implement it?" and not, "why don't they have it?"

[TissuE]

Originally posted by GinsengSamurai:

So by this reasoning, I am pretty sure, like the other functions they have implemented over the last 16 months, key bind remapping, along with controller remapping will be a thing in the future.

Here's hoping. I'm not trying to raise hell about this or talk ♥♥♥♥ about the game in any way, but being that you have the option to remap the movement keys, why not add the few extra fields it would take in the options menu to include hotbar. I'll keep playing either way :D

[Reprehensible Tail]

Originally posted by TissuE:

This is the third game in a week that I've had an issue with keybinding. It amazes me that in 2022 we're stuck with such primitive keybind options and are not given freedom to completely tailor our keys to our play. I use Numpad, not wasd so having hotbar hardbound to 1-0 makes this borderline unplayable. WHY?!

Man, I feel like you are a kindred spirit. Why would anybody still be using WASD when we have actual, proper arrow keys, surrounded by so many useful other keys. R-shift for run, and R-ctrl for jump is a fantastic layout. I use Num-0 for my interface button, Home for inventory, Del for reload, and (hopefully) Num 1-9 for quick select. I've been searching for mods that do this, but, so far, no luck.

However, I did just now discover a program called Auto Hot Key, which is a Windows-based app that seems to be able to remap your keyboard from the OS, so you can apply it to any game. What a game-changer, if I can make that work. No pun intended!

[Reprehensible Tail]

Originally posted by Reprehensible Tail:

Originally posted by TissuE:

However, I did just now discover a program called Auto Hot Key, which is a Windows-based app that seems to be able to remap your keyboard from the OS, so you can apply it to any game. What a game-changer, if I can make that work. No pun intended!

Update: PowerToys for Windows will fix you right up. Assign each NumPad # to the corresponding # on the top row. Shouldn't interfere with most applications unless you have the number pad specifically assigned to functions in other games.