How do you WASD

[strumpusplunket]

I've just been reading this article in PC Gamer.

There've been a few discussions on here about which key set-up people use, but it hadn't occurred to me that when some people were saying they went for WASD that they did it in the way this guy did - with little finger on A and ring finger moving between W and S for forward and backward movement. I've tried it and it feels incredibly uncomfortable to me.

I'm a lefty and it would be equivalent of me having my little finger on the right arrow key and using my right-hand ring finger for forward and backwards - weird and wrong!

Then I saw people talking about using all four fingers on WASD at once in some of strange vertical claw. That feels even worse to me.

If was a righty I'd have my little finger resting on left shift. As it is I have my resting position as: thumb on right control; index on left arrow; middle on up arrow, ring on right arrow, little on num_pad 0. This feels so natural to me after 20 years or so that I can't comfortably play any other way (I sometimes need to use Auto Hotkey to remap in games that don't allow use of the number keys or Del, End, Pg Dn). My hand just defaults that way often even if I just sit at a keyboard without gaming in mind.

I don't think my set-up is weird, but this has made me reflect on how much our muscle memory instils a certain natural resting position in our hands that just makes us think other ones are unnatural.

Any other unorthodox finger positions? (I'd be interested to hear how other lefties rest their hands on the board).

 

[strumpusplunket]

I'm with you! Little finger on num_pad 0, right? Thumb on right ctrl? Weapon swap/skill select with little finger num_pad 1-9?

Edit: I'd assumed you were a fellow lefty, but given reply below now I'm not so sure...

 

[strumpusplunket]

Snap.
Sometimes wished I had learned WASD back in the day, but im 20 years in now haha

Hang on - you're a righty who uses arrow keys to move? How does that work? Surely you can't reach all the num pad keys with your thumb?

 

[strumpusplunket]

I use a mouse with tonnes of buttons including sidescroll and use ins/del/home/end/pgup/pgdn for a lot of stuff. mainly use num pad 1/4 for nades and stuff. Convoluted I know, but it works for me!

Yeah, it's amazing how we get so used to such different set-ups. I've just tried your set-up with my right-hand and I swear I can't even reach 3 or 4 on the pad comfortably and keep my fingers on the arrow keys! Yet I've got a twitch reaction down whereby my little finger can flick out all the way up to num_pad - in the blink of an eye (I don't even have very long fingers).

There's a load of shade being thrown on the author's Twitter feed - and some even more out-there finger contortion set-ups!

 

[strumpusplunket]

How can you even use the arrow keys, like games with lean? How do you lean and move at the same time as well as gain access to grenades and other stuff, like flashlight and god know what else.

ESDF sounds pretty smart, might try that.

For games with lean, I map them to Del and Pg Dn. Index finger on Del to lean left, and thumb comes across to cover left arrow; ring finger on Pg Dn to lean right and thumb comes across to right arrow to cover (this is a bit awkward, but I'm so used to it that it actually feels quite natural to me - and it's not like you spend much time leaning anyway).

Depending on what other keys I need, flashlight can be End, Ins, Home or Pg Up - or one of the num_pad keys if I don't need them all. In really crowded set-ups I use #.

Nades are usually on the num_pad, sometimes Enter if I don't need that for anything else (often that's melee attack). Depending on how many weapons/skills I need mapped, they might be - or + on the pad, but I'm so used to flashing my little finger across to those keys it's second-nature. The only times I've had problems are games where I've ended up needing to spam nades on these keys (the Batman vs Clayface fight in whatever game that was was probably the worst I've experienced). In these situations my little finger can get quite fatigued. These situations are quite rare, though, really.

But yeah, this seems completely natural to me, and yet I could not get to grips with the right-hand orientation on the arrow keys at all. Muscle memory is a powerful thing!

 

[strumpusplunket]

Razer Orbweaver, every key right where you want it.

I've had a look at this and similar controllers over the years, but a couple of things put me off:

1. There don't seem to be enough keys. I see 15 keys apart from WASD and whatever the thumb wheel is. I can very easily access 19 on my keyboard, and stretch to 25 without too much extra effort if I need to.

2. They all seem to discriminate against us lefties by being right-handed layout only!

 

[strumpusplunket]

Mouse wheel left and right. I always go for a mouse with a wheel that does this. limits my choice a lot, but I like logitech anyway!

That's an option I'd not considered, but how do you lean and fire/zoom/alternate fire if one of your fingers is nudging the mouse wheel?

 

[strumpusplunket]

If games allow toggle lean, it helps a lot. If not, then muddle by. I'm not a big leaner in most games

Yeah, toggle is easier in some instances and I do sometimes select that option depending on the game (wouldn't work in more twitch games, for examples, but fine for most stealth games). But, yeah, who spends large portions of the game leaning and moving? You lean to peek around a corner and then move, don't you? Never found this a problem with my key set-up anyway. (I'm getting defensive of my set-up now! )

 

[strumpusplunket]

WASD with little finger on Shift / Control. I remember back when I first started Counter-Strike I used a very weird layout:
RMB - move forward
, - step left
. - step right
M - crouch
N - walk

Didn't even have move backwards bound, retreating is for the weak!

Do you have large hands? For me the stretch of the thumb over to the M whilst still touching WASD is too much.

Also - I could never get my head around RMB move forward! I know it used to be the default set-up just before I starting playing games, but it really seems alien!

Yarr godamn right! Cursors+numpad ftw.

So, finally another lefty with pinky using the keypad?

The other thing is, before I got into using Auto Hotkey when needed, I tried IJKL with my right hand, thumb on space and pinky on / (WASD is just too close to my mouse). Despite this being the closest thing to a mirror-image of the right-hander's WASD I just didn't like it. The keys are all so close together I was constantly mis-pressing keys. Also, when my hand had to move too much, to reach a number bar key for instance, I found my hand returning to the wrong keys (like OKL; ) (this is just lack of muscle memory I guess). With arrow keys, Del, End, Pg Dn and the num_pad I hardly ever mis-press a key (occasionally I'll select the wrong weapon or skill with my pinky in a fast-pitched moment, but not too often) and there's no other position my hand can be in when returning to rest. I don't think there's any way I can ever change now!

 

[strumpusplunket]

Exactly this.

Yes - a fellow traveller at last!

Right shift for sprint, right ctrl for crouch, num_pad 0 for jump, num_pad . for reload?

Do you have any difficulties with this set-up? I sometimes find I run low on keys in games with lots of actions, skills or weapons. And I don't really like using Ins, Home and Pg Up unless I really need to. I can't really do much with my thumb other than keep it on crouch or cover arrow keys when needed. My pinky ends up doing a lot of work.

I converted from the arrow keys, which for me was first finger on left, middle on up/down, ring finger on right, little finger on Num0. I just lifted this but reversed when I converted to WASD. Ring on A, middle on W/S, first on D, little finger on shift.

Wait - that sounds like you converted from a left-handed to a right-handed set-up? How did you manage that? I can use a mouse in my right hand, but it's way too inaccurate and clumsy for gaming. Perhaps you're more ambidextrous than I am?

 

[strumpusplunket]

I like the setup, never usually run out of keys on the number pad, as most of the action/skill buttons were setup for the 1 - 10 keys on the keyboard anyway. I als tend to use right shift/num_pad_0 for jumping/sprinting and right crtl crouching, then del & page down for leaning left & right & end for zoom, if not the right mouse button.

Ah yeah, exactly the same finger layout as I use. I think it works great as well - for 99% of games. There is the odd one where the number of required keys has been ridiculous and I've been stretching for [ ] ; ' etc. But putting the least-used controls on those means I don't have to use them too often.

As a lefty I use index finger on the up arrow, the other two fingers on left and right arrows and the pinky on numpad 0 which I use for sprint. numpad one for crouch or prone, and then the block of six keys - insert ,home, page up etc for various other stuff

So, index finger on the up arrow? I can't figure that one out! And what's jump in this set-up?

 

[strumpusplunket]

Correct! With the right hand obviously using the mouse for mouselook. I bind Run and Jump to my mouse's (Logitech G502) sidebuttons and utilise the numpad and the 6 keys in the Page Up/Down/Ins/Del area too. I've used this combo since the HL Deathmatch days iirc.

Hold on, if your right hand is using the mouse that's a righty set-up! So you have mouse in right hand and use left hand on the keypad for movement? I don't think that's one I've heard of before, but it's interesting how different people get used to different set-ups.

 

[strumpusplunket]

There was me thinking I was the only person who still uses the Arrow keys!

My mates often take the **** about me using them but I have tried many times switching to WASD and I just can't so left hand uses the Arrow keys and numpad and right Shift, Ctrl, and Enter and right hand using the mouse.

There are definite strengths and weaknesses to my right-hand-on-the-arrow-keys set-up - most notably my pinky can end up doing a lot of work, and my thumb can't reach many keys. But, for those right-handers using their left hands on the arrow keys - how do you manage to map enough keys you can hit? Isn't most of the number pad (like about the 1,2,3 line) too difficult to hit with your thumb? Or does the index finger hit the keypad keys? And you don't have as many keys within reach of the pinky, do you?

 

[strumpusplunket]

They often move the keyboard to accommodate. It's then awkward typing however not an issue with voice coms.

My curiosity over how they manage this is how it works ergonomically even if you discount proximity to the mouse - like how are enough keys pressable when the thumb is at the bottom of the keypad and so surely can't use and the pinky only has seven or eight keys it can easily hit

1) Orbweaver has 25 keys on the keypad for your fingers, which is more than enough but if not you can have 3 overlays that you can switch between giving you ~75 programmable keys, plus you have 2 buttons and a D-Pad for your thumb. I generally map the thumb buttons for 'reload' and 'use' then the D-Pad for jump / sprint / crouch which with the WSAD keys in the centre of the pad give you the basics with quite a few buttons left over for the rest. I also have a Logitech G700s mouse which has extra buttons which I tend to use for weapon options.

2) Agreed, that sucks - maybe take it up with Razer !?!

Ah, right that's way more than it looked at first glance. That's really good.

But yeah, I've seen lots of complaints to Razer and lots of inquiries about when they'll release one for lefties - the answer is always "no plans at present"

 

[strumpusplunket]

They can reach enough keys plus a mouse with extra buttons is enough. It's normally the fps lot doing it. There's a pro overwatch player who I've seen with a keyboard rotated 45 degrees. It kind of makes sense as the wrist is then straight.

Ah right, yeah. I've seen CS:GO players doing that too (though not with that key set-up I don't think). It does make a difference to the ergonomics. Didn't think of that.

(Plus I've always hated having the extra buttons on my mouse as my grip means I could never reach them reliably or quickly and I kept accidentally pressing them. I now have a Razer Abyssus, and one of the reasons I got it was it doesn't have any side buttons I can screw up with )

 

[strumpusplunket]

My error I use my middle finger for the up arrow, index on the left arrow etc, jump is sometimes the spacebar or right shift depending on the game,

Ah, I always use numpad 0 for jump, with my pinky. It it difficult to reach the space bar with your thumb? What do you use right ctrl for?

 

[strumpusplunket]

I often find I need to run more often than I need to jump so holding numpad 0 is more convenient for me as my fingers are still all on the arrow keys, I used to have a side button for jump but lots of games won't recognise it now so I use r/shift. as for right cntrl- I generally set it for mellee.

I think left handers have more convenient options by using the arrow keys, there are approx 16 keys in easy reach without moving your hand along the board because you can utilise the block of six keys directly above .
The main board has three rows of letter keys to utilise but the numpad end has 5

Yeah, I actually thinks it's a good set-up and definintely prefer it to the possible alternatives. Interesting what you say about needing to run more than jump. I'd not really thought of that, but I guess it's probably true. Probablty more than crouch even more so. But I am so set in my ways of having 0 for jump and ctrl for crouch it would take me ages to readjust. When I move my index finger to right shift to sprint, my thumb comes across to cover the left arrow, so I do still have all four arrow keys cvered even it's not ergonomically ideal.

I'm basically screwed, Not only am I a Lefty (I use the Lefties Deathadder) but I also took a head injury years back that lost me the use of my right hand. I have some movement back but no sense of touch other than in the thumb and 1st finger so I have to use just them, It's why I don't bother with fast paced twitch games, anything that needs ultra fast movements is out, I've tried them but I look like a fraggle (on screen) the sort of fella you wouldn't want on your squad.

Ah, that sucks!

No chance of any further recovery?

 

[strumpusplunket]

Its a very odd setup key wise that I use but I have been using it since pffffft Windows 95 so am very used to it, the only real issue is I need to remap all the keys on every single game and some games don't allow me to remap the Enter button which I normally assign to "Use" and also the numpad keys in games like Destiny 2 I can't rebind ingame for some reason the numpad just doesn't work so need to use my Corsair software, a lot of hassle but once done I am great

Pro's to the Corsair keyboards is that a different profile can be set to load on a per executable file so as soon as Destiny 2 launches it loads a new profile etc.

Are you saying that the Corsair software lets you map keys to the keypad even in games that don't allow this by default (this is one of my biggest bugbears with games!)? Is this all Corsair keyboards? That would be something relevant to my interests.

 

[strumpusplunket]

it's a macro system built into the keyboard drivers, you can rebind any key to do any other key function or series of functions.

for example i had one set up that would turn toggle aim in bioshock infinite into hold to aim because there was no in-game way of doing it.

the corsair system works on executables, so you tie your mapping, macros, key colours and default mouse dpi settings to the specific application and it automatically applies them when tabbed into that application.

Ah right, like the by-app sensitivty settings on Razer mice?

That does sound useful though for key bindings. I am considering getting a new keyboard soon and was looking at Ducky ones, but might take a look at Corsair now.

 

[strumpusplunket]

yeah, it even works with alt+tabbing and if you have an rgb board it'll change the colour scheme as well.

only downside is if you're playing an fps at 1600dpi then tab out to the desktop at 6800dpi it can take a second or two to adjust.

I could live with that.

Once I feel more certain whether I'm going to get back into gaming or not, I might well check out a Corsair board based on that. Cheers.