Super Effective Ergonomic Keyboard Remapping (SEEKR)

A guide for remapping Stardew Valley's keyboard controls to a configuration that is more comfortable, closer and consequently reduces execution time.
BONUS FEATURE: Dvorak configuration

Introduction

Welcome to the Stardew Valley - Super Effective Ergonomic Keyboard Remapping guide, SEEKR for short. It is the second in what is now a series of guides.

The purpose of this guide is to remap Stardew Valley's controls to what I, the author have personally selected and playtested, and deem a significant improvement to comfort, reach and by extension execution time.

Even the most obscure actions such as accessing the map, and the most difficult to reach such as Inventory Slot #12 can now be performed without moving your hands off of the home position. And in the case of multiplayer chat messages, the chat action is mapped to the home position of touch typing itself. However, it would be possible to find the bump and press this key (J) from WASD using one's left thumb if desired.

Usage

For optimum results I recommend that one has the centre of the monitor aligned with their nose, WASD aligned to the left arm rest and the mouse aligned to the right arm rest.

By extension, when playing certain minigames that make use of the cursor keys, such as Journey of the Prairie King, and the Fall Fair Slingshot Game it is best to center the keyboard such that WASD aligns with the left arm rest and the cursor keys align with the right arm rest.

The Remapping

∎NOTE: With the implementation of multiplayer, the Chat action can now be remapped in-game from the Options menu, I recommend J. Consequently, Inventory Slot #7 can now be mapped to T without having to remap the Chat action from within the save file itself.

The modified keyboard controls are as follows:

Check/Do Action: Right-Click, Space
Use Tool: Left-Click, LeftAlt
Access Menu: Escape, E
Access Journal: Z
Access Map: Q
Move Up: W
Move Left: A
Move Down: S
Move Right: D
Chat Box: J
Run: LeftShift
Inventory Slot #1: 1
Inventory Slot #2: 2
Inventory Slot #3: 3
Inventory Slot #4: 4
Inventory Slot #5: 5
Inventory Slot #6: R
Inventory Slot #7: T
Inventory Slot #8: F
Inventory Slot #9: G
Inventory Slot #10: X
Inventory Slot #11: C
Inventory Slot #12: V

Rebinding T

The multiplayer Chat action can now be remapped from the Options menu, consequently T can now be remapped in-game. This subsection is retained for continuity:

By default T is bound to the multiplayer Chat action. This process details remapping T to another action from within the save file:

1. Open the save file with your text editor, such as Notepad (For Windows I recommend Notepad++). On Windows the save file is located in: %Appdata%\StardewValley\Saves

Keep in mind, the file will likely be massive at over a million characters in length, so it may be a little slow.

The save file is easier to read with Word Wrap turned on.

2. Hit CTRL+F (or equivalent) and search for: <key>T</key>

If bound to the Chat action you will see similar to the following:

<chatButton><InputButton><key>T</key><mouseLeft>false</mouseLeft><mouseRight>false</mouseRight></InputButton><InputButton><key>OemQuestion</key><mouseLeft>false</mouseLeft><mouseRight>false</mouseRight></InputButton></chatButton>

3. Change <key>T</key> to an unused key, I recommend <key>J</key> then save the file. For those using the Dvorak keyboard layout I recommend <key>H</key> as being the equivalent of J on QWERTY, its placement is slightly more optimal than T on the Dvorak keyboard -- especially if one desired to enter chat messages with the hand still on WASD. This can be achieved by finding the bump on the key with one's left thumb, and then pressing the key.

The Chat action is now rebinded.

Dvorak Compatibility

Stardew Valley is fully compatible with the Dvorak keyboard layout, however, keys will have to be remapped to their Dvorak equivalents. The Dvorak remapping of the above section's controls are as follows:

∎NOTE: It is slightly more optimal to remap the multiplayer Chat action from T to H and so is recommended. The Chat action can now be remapped in the Options menu. Alternatively, it can still be remapped in the save file itself and this process is detailed in the previous subsection.

Check/Do Action: Right-Click, Space
Use Tool: Left-Click, LeftAlt
Access Menu: Escape, Period
Access Journal: Semicolon
Access Map: Quotes
Move Up: Comma
Move Left: A
Move Down: O
Move Right: E
Chat Box: H
Run: LeftShift
Inventory Slot #1: 1
Inventory Slot #2: 2
Inventory Slot #3: 3
Inventory Slot #4: 4
Inventory Slot #5: 5
Inventory Slot #6: P
Inventory Slot #7: Y
Inventory Slot #8: U
Inventory Slot #9: I
Inventory Slot #10: Q
Inventory Slot #11: J
Inventory Slot #12: K

Also in This Series

• Electronic Super Joy - Super Effective Ergonomic Keyboard Remapping
  http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1227141208
  
• Puzzle Dimension - Super Effective Ergonomic Keyboard Remapping
  http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1230293760
  
• TrackMania Turbo - Super Effective Ergonomic Keyboard Remapping
  http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1115875561

More⋯

Have fun[i.imgur.com]

[Rhetticus]

==UPDATE==
Updated the guide for mulitplayer.
The multiplayer Chat action is now optimised as such.
The T key can now be rebinded from the Options menu in-game instead of from within the save file itself.

[Rhetticus]

:D

Updated the guide with the new information.

[wofelof]

Thanks!

[Rhetticus]

Sorry guys, I never encountered this issue because in Dvorak T is on the other side of the keyboard. The solution in the previous comment below will resolve it. That is, opening the save file, searching for the chat action <key>T</key> and changing it to an unused key, say: <key>K</key>.

[Rhetticus]

You could open the save file itself in Notepad (I highly reccomend Notepad++) then hit CTRL+F and search for: <key>T</key>

If T is found you could set it to something else such as K

Keep in mind, the file will likely be massive at over a million characters in length, so it may be little slow.

It is a lot easier to read the save file with word wrap turned on

The save file location is: %Appdata%\StardewValley\Saves

In my case T is bound to chat:
<chatButton><InputButton><key>T</key><mouseLeft>false</mouseLeft><mouseRight>false</mouseRight></InputButton><InputButton><key>OemQuestion</key><mouseLeft>false</mouseLeft><mouseRight>false</mouseRight></InputButton></chatButton>

I think we may have discovered the solution, as well a really neat improvement for later on :D

[HiJynxs]

I've tried that as well, but to no avail. It's rather odd, since pressing T in-game doesn't do anything.

[wofelof]

Already tried and didn't work for me.

[Rhetticus]

Bizarre. In that case, how about clicking the "Reset Controls to Default" button in the Options menu?

[HiJynxs]

There isn't an action bound to T that I could find. If there was one, I'd have remapped it already.

[wofelof]

There isn't one rhetticus