WASD is Too Cramped - Time For New Gaming Input

[swillfly]

I'm not sure why this trend took off as the de facto standard either. Quite possibly due to convenience (at first) because those keys are all adjacent and laziness to change it later.

My hands aren't big mitts yet WASD setup is too close together for my comfort. I typically bind E forward, C back, S strafe left, and F strafe right instead because it allows me to cover each key with a finger/thumb and isn't -as- cramped. Not perfect but neither are regular keyboards for gaming. The most comfortable key binding scheme I've used (not as much for fps but other games) involves binding QWER for the fingers and thumb reserved for SPACEBAR and lower keys.

Do people just use 3 fingers for WASD (ring, middle, & index)? Or maybe people cover every key with WASD by tucking their thumb up under scrunched and arched fingers?

The ideal input IMHO would be a hand-sized fitted neoprene resting pad with sensors under the digit areas and additional sensors (for more key bindings & shifters) to the left or right of the hand pad indents. I thought about wireless IR or visual sensors as input but dismissed it as twitches/etc. would register as false-positive keystrokes. And wearing an input glove seems restrictive and sweaty.

What are your preferred keyboard input bindings or alternative input ideas?

** Also, this isn't for controllers. Controllers are a wholly different can of input worms.

[Killerwhale]

Use a Mac keyboard, the keys are further apart.

[swillfly]

Originally posted by Killerwhale:

Use a Mac keyboard, the keys are further apart.

Good idea -only caveat I can see is that as soon as something is branded with apple the price skyrockets. The only really Huge advantage why I love qwerty keyboards is that when one goes bad I can toss it in the can and retrieve a fresh one from the closet. Dirt cheap dynamics.

[🍋 Lemonfed 🍋]

keyboards are fine , if you're not comfortable with your current keyboard just try a different one.

the size of the keys might be different , how far they are from each other too.

[Mathius]

Why would you not use 3 fingers? When are you ever going to go forwards and backwards at the same time?

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by swillfly:

Do people just use 3 fingers for WASD (ring, middle, & index)?

Yes, with the middlefinger on the W. And I have my thumb on the Space, the pinky on the left shift and my right hand on the mouse.

It has come to the point that it's the natural position for me when using a computer, so even in rest when I'm reading something on the screen. Or when I'm at work, where I can't play games.

[swillfly]

Originally posted by Mathius:

Why would you not use 3 fingers? When are you ever going to go forwards and backwards at the same time?

It's more with covering the keys with the least amount of finger movement involved because it takes less than a fraction of a second it takes to shift a finger to another key to die.

[Factorio]

are your fingers the size of baseballs how is it too cramped

[Zekiran]

If you're on a laptop or crappy little keyboard, maybe.

Use a proper mechanical keyboard. Learn to type properly. The keys are absolutely spaced perfectly.

Also of note: the QWERTY keyboard layout is well over 150 years old now, so like 5 generations of typing this way will be difficult at best to get around.

There are other keyboard layouts, but they are used by such a tiny percentage of the English typing population that it doesn't really feature here. If your fingers aren't reaching the right keys in specific games, look for rebinds.

But overall: get a proper sized mechanical keyboard and learn to use it properly, that's ... why we have standardized keys for things at all. Right-handed people use this with a mouse, left handers sometimes are forced to use the arrow keys but those are also typically 'secondary' binds on most games even now.

[swillfly]

Originally posted by Factorio:

are your fingers the size of baseballs how is it too cramped

They're not small and if I were to attempt WASD the finger knuckles would be cracking and stressed versus a more generous spread.

[Mathius]

Originally posted by swillfly:

It's more with covering the keys with the least amount of finger movement involved because it takes less than a fraction of a second it takes to shift a finger to another key to die.

It sounds like you're creating your own problem.

But everyone is different. If you can find a new setup that works for you fine, but they don't need to change anything to accommodate a minor % of players.

Personally I will never go back to a non ergonomic keyboard because it puts so much less stress on my wrists. But some people act like typing is different on an ergonomic keyboard.

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by swillfly:

Originally posted by Mathius:

Why would you not use 3 fingers? When are you ever going to go forwards and backwards at the same time?

It's more with covering the keys with the least amount of finger movement involved because it takes less than a fraction of a second it takes to shift a finger to another key to die.

Can't say I ever had issues with that, not even when I played online with some high competitive dudes.

The way I hold my hand I have quick access to movement (WASD), Jump (Space) and crouching (Left Shift). Keys like Q, E, R, F and such were easily used for other actions.

It all comes down to getting used to it. The keys I use, I simply don't even have to think about them. Like I said, it has become a natural position for me.

But, what works for me doesn't necessarily work for you. Use a control scheme that suits you, that's the most important.

[Zekiran]

^^ I absolutely cannot use ergo keyboards. I am very ... animated when I type, for my talk of learning properly I do a lot more crossing over of keys then some folks probably should. Though not as much as I used to. But that's impossible for an ergo because the keys are way too far apart. Maybe that WOULD be the right solution, OP.

[swillfly]

Originally posted by Zekiran:

If you're on a laptop or crappy little keyboard, maybe.

Use a proper mechanical keyboard. Learn to type properly. The keys are absolutely spaced perfectly.

Also of note: the QWERTY keyboard layout is well over 150 years old now, so like 5 generations of typing this way will be difficult at best to get around.

There are other keyboard layouts, but they are used by such a tiny percentage of the English typing population that it doesn't really feature here. If your fingers aren't reaching the right keys in specific games, look for rebinds.

But overall: get a proper sized mechanical keyboard and learn to use it properly, that's ... why we have standardized keys for things at all. Right-handed people use this with a mouse, left handers sometimes are forced to use the arrow keys but those are also typically 'secondary' binds on most games even now.

I can type fine and did so quite a bit with real typewriters - which I'm not even sure if they exist nowadays. Gaming demands are quite different than document generation. So for gaming I adapt my stance from typing style to a more lazy/comfortable stance. I wouldn't dream of trying to change qwerty keyboarding for typists - only for gaming.

Originally posted by Zekiran:

^^ I absolutely cannot use ergo keyboards. I am very ... animated when I type, for my talk of learning properly I do a lot more crossing over of keys then some folks probably should. Though not as much as I used to. But that's impossible for an ergo because the keys are way too far apart. Maybe that WOULD be the right solution, OP.

I considered ergo keyboards but they like to jack up the price on anything not considered standard, so that messes with my disposable keyboard disposition.

[Crazy Tiger]

Typewriters. Found one in the attic at a friends house not so long ago, my and his kids were like "WTF is that, that looks ancient.".

[Zekiran]

Any game that doesn't have key binding is a poor game, IMO. So I mean, I still feel you on this, but I use wasd. I think I've had to rebind some weird crouch or sprint combo at one point, one game had a combo you had to use basically ... two pinkies, on one hand. >_> like, have they ever used a keyboard ever?!