• Another CRAP Poll: When Did You WASD?

    From Spalls Hurgenson@21:1/5 to All on Mon Oct 23 17:37:35 2023
    (I friend and I discussed this IRL. I thought it was a fun topic so I
    brought it here. Besides, CRAP Polls are usually a popular topic, even
    if this is the second one this month...)



    It may be hard for some people to imagine, but WASD wasn't always the
    standard for movement controls in video games (especially FPS games).
    Prior to that, arrow keys ruled the roost, and before that - back when
    many keyboards lacked arrow keys! - things were even worse (with
    things along the lines of QWOL being disturbingly common).

    But at some point the industry coalesced around WASD and these days -
    while there are some heretics - most people use this new standard. But
    at one point or another, we all had to learn it, so the question is:
    when did that happen for you?


    Press the appropriate control key to select:

    W) I've never played a game before WASD was the
    standard, so that's just what I learned from the
    start.

    A) I was WASDing before it was cool; I remapped
    Pac-Man to WASD, that's how old-school I am!

    S) I started using WASD as soon as it started
    becoming popular. Wolf3D? Doom? WASD all the way.

    D) It took me a while to warm up to it, but by the
    time Half-Life rolled around, I had acclimatized
    myself to the schema

    Q) I was a late-bloomer; I didn't make the switch-
    over until after the 2000s and games started using
    WASD as the predefined controls

    *CursorUp*) I still don't use WASD; old-school
    arrow keys all the way!

    *E*) I am a heretic; EDSF (or similar alternative)
    is the way I roll!

    *LT3*) I am a heathen! I use a joystick or
    gamepad or other similar monstrosity

    ~) Keyboard controls? Bah! I hack the inodes
    directly using tiny magnets.


    I remember I myself came to WASD fairly late. I had some experience
    with it earlier, but for the longest time I stuck with the arrow keys.
    I remember playing "Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight" with the arrow keys
    (which means I was still using them in 1998 at least). That's not to
    say I wasn't using the mouse (although it took me a long while to get
    used to that too!) but for the longest time I kept my fingers on the
    right-hand side of the keyboard.

    Still, eventually I decided I had to make the switch-over, if only
    because I was getting tired of constantly remapping the keys (some
    games didn't even allow that!) It was a very conscious and purposeful
    effort, and while I disliked the new schema at first, I very quickly
    became a fan after using it for a while. It was just so much more
    comfortable than cramping the fingers around the cursor keys! I can't
    say with any accuracy when I made the transition, but by 2000 I think
    I was pretty much WASD exclusively (and cursing any older games that
    made me revert to cursor-key controls).

    So, when did you convert?

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  • From Dimensional Traveler@21:1/5 to Spalls Hurgenson on Mon Oct 23 17:32:36 2023
    On 10/23/2023 2:37 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

    So, when did you convert?

    ?) I have no idea, just whenever I got my first game that used that
    layout, in between dodging velociraptors and large meteors.

    --
    I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
    dirty old man.

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  • From candycanearter07@21:1/5 to Spalls Hurgenson on Mon Oct 23 20:33:14 2023
    On 10/23/23 16:37, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
    W) I've never played a game before WASD was the
    standard, so that's just what I learned from the
    start.

    I'm pretty sure this one? I don't remember that well.
    --
    user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

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  • From Justisaur@21:1/5 to Dimensional Traveler on Mon Oct 23 19:49:11 2023
    On Monday, October 23, 2023 at 5:32:38 PM UTC-7, Dimensional Traveler wrote:
    On 10/23/2023 2:37 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

    So, when did you convert?

    ?) I have no idea, just whenever I got my first game that used that
    layout, in between dodging velociraptors and large meteors.

    Same here, IDK. I'm also a EDSF heretic, though I've mostly given
    up because I don't want to spend my first hour of a game I may
    not even like trying to track down and change the keys, which also
    means I have to change all the other keys that displaces, etc. in a
    domino effect.

    Doom? Nope, that was arrow keys. Dungeon Master? Arrow keys.
    WCIII - Arrow keys.

    I broke down and looked it up, Half Life was the first big game to
    use WASD, as I did play HL, that's probably it, but I may have went
    ESDF there if it was configurable.

    - Justisaur

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  • From H1M3M@21:1/5 to Spalls Hurgenson on Tue Oct 24 09:16:51 2023
    Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

    So, when did you convert?

    Probably between S and D. I struggled with Doom and Duke Nukem 3d
    playing with the cursors, and got a bit better after attempting circle
    strafing in Heretic with the keys next to right shift.


    I began playing with WSAD in 1997, when Quake II released, but I was
    doing it on Quake I since I could . A Magazine came with a free Quake II strategy guide booklet, that detailed how to play with WSAD and enabling
    free mouse look with console commands, and that changed everything.

    It was fairly easy to adapt, taking me less than a week to become
    proficient.

    When it comes to consoles, I have never been able to play with dual
    analogs. On some games like Megaman Legends and Tron Ni Kobun I would
    circle strafe with L and R, but those games were kinda weird.

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  • From Mike S.@21:1/5 to spallshurgenson@gmail.com on Tue Oct 24 09:02:34 2023
    On Mon, 23 Oct 2023 17:37:35 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

    So, when did you convert?

    I am pretty sure I converted with System Shock 2 but I do not know
    where that puts me on your scale.

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  • From Ross Ridge@21:1/5 to spallshurgenson@gmail.com on Tue Oct 24 15:58:41 2023
    Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
    So, when did you convert?

    Never. I'm left handed and don't play games that force me to use WASD.
    I switched from using the arrow keys to using the number pad probably
    with Deus Ex or maybe Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II.

    --
    l/ // Ross Ridge -- The Great HTMU
    [oo][oo] rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca
    -()-/()/ http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca:11068/
    db //

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  • From Dimensional Traveler@21:1/5 to Justisaur on Tue Oct 24 10:41:14 2023
    On 10/24/2023 10:21 AM, Justisaur wrote:
    On Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 8:58:44 AM UTC-7, Ross Ridge wrote:
    Spalls Hurgenson <spallsh...@gmail.com> wrote:
    So, when did you convert?
    Never. I'm left handed and don't play games that force me to use WASD.
    I switched from using the arrow keys to using the number pad probably
    with Deus Ex or maybe Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II.

    I remember finding the number pad superior to arrow keys with games
    that allowed it.

    I have played left handed some times as I'm nearly ambidextrous and
    it can give my right hand a rest when it's feeling a bit like carpal tunnel might come on from too much work mouseing.

    Maybe try hamstering. :P

    --
    I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
    dirty old man.

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  • From Justisaur@21:1/5 to Ross Ridge on Tue Oct 24 10:21:09 2023
    On Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 8:58:44 AM UTC-7, Ross Ridge wrote:
    Spalls Hurgenson <spallsh...@gmail.com> wrote:
    So, when did you convert?
    Never. I'm left handed and don't play games that force me to use WASD.
    I switched from using the arrow keys to using the number pad probably
    with Deus Ex or maybe Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II.

    I remember finding the number pad superior to arrow keys with games
    that allowed it.

    I have played left handed some times as I'm nearly ambidextrous and
    it can give my right hand a rest when it's feeling a bit like carpal tunnel might come on from too much work mouseing.

    - Justisaur

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  • From H1MEM@21:1/5 to Ant on Tue Oct 24 23:11:56 2023
    Ant wrote:
    I hated S for backward/down key. Before WASD, I used the numerical
    keypads 8(up), 4(left), 2(down), and 6(right) in IBM kbs like in
    Golden Axe! On my Apple //c, I used I(up), J(left), K(right), and
    L(right).

    Oh, that reminded me of something. The first game were I saw that layout
    was Renegade for the Amstrad CPC, but with a small change: It was
    W, A, Space and D. Using the thumb for the down direction, it avoided
    having to move a finger between two buttons. Similar to what we see
    today in hitbox controllers for fighting games.


    But nothing would be as bad as the Q-A / O-P layout on games for
    machines like the speccy.

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  • From Ant@21:1/5 to Spalls Hurgenson on Tue Oct 24 19:32:37 2023
    I hated S for backward/down key. Before WASD, I used the numerical
    keypads 8(up), 4(left), 2(down), and 6(right) in IBM kbs like in Golden
    Axe! On my Apple //c, I used I(up), J(left), K(right), and L(right).


    Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

    (I friend and I discussed this IRL. I thought it was a fun topic so I
    brought it here. Besides, CRAP Polls are usually a popular topic, even
    if this is the second one this month...)



    It may be hard for some people to imagine, but WASD wasn't always the standard for movement controls in video games (especially FPS games).
    Prior to that, arrow keys ruled the roost, and before that - back when
    many keyboards lacked arrow keys! - things were even worse (with
    things along the lines of QWOL being disturbingly common).

    But at some point the industry coalesced around WASD and these days -
    while there are some heretics - most people use this new standard. But
    at one point or another, we all had to learn it, so the question is:
    when did that happen for you?


    Press the appropriate control key to select:

    W) I've never played a game before WASD was the
    standard, so that's just what I learned from the
    start.

    A) I was WASDing before it was cool; I remapped
    Pac-Man to WASD, that's how old-school I am!

    S) I started using WASD as soon as it started
    becoming popular. Wolf3D? Doom? WASD all the way.

    D) It took me a while to warm up to it, but by the
    time Half-Life rolled around, I had acclimatized
    myself to the schema

    Q) I was a late-bloomer; I didn't make the switch-
    over until after the 2000s and games started using
    WASD as the predefined controls

    *CursorUp*) I still don't use WASD; old-school
    arrow keys all the way!

    *E*) I am a heretic; EDSF (or similar alternative)
    is the way I roll!

    *LT3*) I am a heathen! I use a joystick or
    gamepad or other similar monstrosity

    ~) Keyboard controls? Bah! I hack the inodes
    directly using tiny magnets.


    I remember I myself came to WASD fairly late. I had some experience
    with it earlier, but for the longest time I stuck with the arrow keys.
    I remember playing "Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight" with the arrow keys
    (which means I was still using them in 1998 at least). That's not to
    say I wasn't using the mouse (although it took me a long while to get
    used to that too!) but for the longest time I kept my fingers on the right-hand side of the keyboard.

    Still, eventually I decided I had to make the switch-over, if only
    because I was getting tired of constantly remapping the keys (some
    games didn't even allow that!) It was a very conscious and purposeful
    effort, and while I disliked the new schema at first, I very quickly
    became a fan after using it for a while. It was just so much more
    comfortable than cramping the fingers around the cursor keys! I can't
    say with any accuracy when I made the transition, but by 2000 I think
    I was pretty much WASD exclusively (and cursing any older games that
    made me revert to cursor-key controls).

    So, when did you convert?
    --
    "Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, 'Who sees us? Who will know?'" --Isaiah 29:15. Finally cooler weather. Dang old body with bad overnite Zs with coughs, leaks, pees, bumps,
    etc. Quiet Mon. wo Apple's updates, but finally got 2012 MBP's Boot Camp going with fast 64-bit W10 Home.
    Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
    /\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org.
    / /\ /\ \ Please nuke ANT if replying by e-mail.
    | |o o| |
    \ _ /
    ( )

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  • From JAB@21:1/5 to All on Wed Oct 25 10:45:35 2023
    Tricky one but I think it was Half Life as that's the first time I
    remember using that layout.

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  • From Mr Rob@21:1/5 to spallshurgenson@gmail.com on Wed Oct 25 16:28:12 2023
    On Mon, 23 Oct 2023 17:37:35 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:


    *CursorUp*) I still don't use WASD; old-school
    arrow keys all the way!



    *LT3*) I am a heathen! I use a joystick or
    gamepad or other similar monstrosity


    I started out using a joystick and was proficient and comfortable (I
    think because I was a console heathen before I got into the Kings
    Quest type games on PC and then discovered both half-Life and Deus-Ex
    when getting them as Xmas presents)

    After that I had (and still have) an insatiable appetite for FPS games
    and looter shooters, with a reasonable portion of survival crafting
    games. I also dabble in MMO's but mostly get bored with them quickly.

    I can't remember why I started using the arrow keys as I am right
    handed. I have tried so many times to use WASD but it feels so alien
    and uncomfortable to the point that it puts me off playing games that
    do not allow re mapping at all, or only allow some re mapping but
    refuse to recognise some keys that aren't in WASD vicinity.

    I particularly struggle with left CTRL, left SHIFT and C. It feels so
    foreign to me that I have to take my eyes off of the screen to see
    which keys I should be pressing. That problem has virtually precluded
    me from playing the CoD Warfare games because there aren't enough keys
    around the arrow keys for me to reach without looking. In MW2 I
    couldn't even pass the tutorial without the game advising me to keep
    retrying the tutorial to 'git good'.

    I have the same problem when playing the Nintendo Switch. The buttons
    are in reverse layout to the Xbox controller. The PS5 controller is
    OK. If I play the Switch exclusively for a few days I can eventually
    play without gawping at the controller to see where the buttons are.
    Then when I go back to Xbox/PS5 I have the reverse problem.

    For PC I rely solely on arrow keys, right CTRL. del, end, enter,
    numpad 0 and mouse button keys for my gaming. Anything else makes my
    left hand ache, especially my left pinkie and tendons in my left palm.

    It's a bit of curse!

    --
    Rob

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  • From Ross Ridge@21:1/5 to justisaur@gmail.com on Wed Oct 25 18:49:08 2023
    Justisaur <justisaur@gmail.com> wrote:
    I remember finding the number pad superior to arrow keys with games
    that allowed it.

    The nice about the number pad in modern games is that you have a lot keys
    right around the direction keys to map to other things. For example,
    I usually use [Num 0] key as my jump key, or for whatever the game
    normally maps to the space key, as it's in analogous position. I often
    map the arrow keys to the same actions as get mapped to direction pad
    on controllers, and use the cluster of six keys above it for less rarely
    used things, but I still need quick access to.

    I have played left handed some times as I'm nearly ambidextrous and
    it can give my right hand a rest when it's feeling a bit like carpal tunnel >might come on from too much work mouseing.

    I'm not ambidextrous at all, and I don't have any problem with using
    the mouse in my right hand if necessary. I haven't played many games
    that way though, I don't know what would happen if I had to use WASD
    keys while using a mouse on the right. It's fine though for games that
    doesn't really use direction keys, like a strategy game.

    --
    l/ // Ross Ridge -- The Great HTMU
    [oo][oo] rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca
    -()-/()/ http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca:11068/
    db //

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  • From Dimensional Traveler@21:1/5 to Mr Rob on Wed Oct 25 13:02:53 2023
    On 10/25/2023 8:28 AM, Mr Rob wrote:

    I particularly struggle with left CTRL, left SHIFT and C. It feels so
    foreign to me that I have to take my eyes off of the screen to see
    which keys I should be pressing. That problem has virtually precluded
    me from playing the CoD Warfare games because there aren't enough keys
    around the arrow keys for me to reach without looking. In MW2 I
    couldn't even pass the tutorial without the game advising me to keep
    retrying the tutorial to 'git good'.

    My response to a _game_ telling me to "git good" would be an immediate uninstall, deletion of all its directories and request for a refund.

    --
    I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
    dirty old man.

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  • From Geeknix@21:1/5 to Spalls Hurgenson on Thu Oct 26 01:30:05 2023
    On 2023-10-23, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

    I friend and I discussed this IRL.

    Discussions with _friends_ in _IRL_ what is this thing! I have been
    working remotely for about six months now. It is true what they say, you
    really need to be intentional with keeping in contact! Not sure why I am
    typing this... but here it is.

    It may be hard for some people to imagine, but WASD wasn't always the standard for movement controls in video games (especially FPS games).
    Prior to that, arrow keys ruled the roost, and before that - back when
    many keyboards lacked arrow keys!

    It is hard to remember when the default config in games changed. For
    myself I have vague memories of mostly using keyboard for text
    adventures and a joystick mostly on the C64. My Amiga was mostly mouse
    and joystick I _think_.

    I didn't have many games on the Amiga. I was very young and skint, my
    parents had laid out a lot of money for the Amiga but didn't buy
    software. So most of my games were free demos of magazines and a few I
    copied off friends. Not many people had Amiga, poor area.

    When I upgraded to a 486DX66 with my own money, I had a few more games,
    they were mostly point'n'click adventures and joystick games.

    So I don't remember ever really using AWSD or arrow keys for gaming. My
    mouse did break once and I played *Delta Force* using the key bindings.
    They had AWSD controlling your POV, and consequently the gun sights,
    then arrow keys was movement. The six keys above the arrows (PgDn, PgUp,
    Home, End, Ins, Del) was used for crouch, prone, etc. spacebar was fire
    I think.

    W) I've never played a game before WASD was the
    standard, so that's just what I learned from the
    start.

    +1

    Q) I was a late-bloomer; I didn't make the switch-
    over until after the 2000s and games started using
    WASD as the predefined controls

    +0.5

    --
    Don't be afraid of the deep...
    --[ bbs.bottomlessabyss.net | https | telnet=2023 ]--
    --[ /query geeknix on libera.chat | tilde.chat ]--

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  • From Anssi Saari@21:1/5 to Spalls Hurgenson on Tue Oct 24 11:34:23 2023
    Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:

    S) I started using WASD as soon as it started
    becoming popular. Wolf3D? Doom? WASD all the way.

    I think Doom. I guess there's a related question, when did you start
    mouse aiming? Doom in 1993 didn't really have it as I recall so it was
    just mouse turning at that point but I'm fairly sure 1993 and Doom is
    when I switched to WASD + mouse.

    Felt weird for a while but the weirdness ended quickly.

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  • From Ant@21:1/5 to Anssi Saari on Thu Oct 26 21:37:40 2023
    Anssi Saari <anssi.saari@usenet.mail.kapsi.fi> wrote:
    Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:

    S) I started using WASD as soon as it started
    becoming popular. Wolf3D? Doom? WASD all the way.

    I think Doom. I guess there's a related question, when did you start
    mouse aiming? Doom in 1993 didn't really have it as I recall so it was
    just mouse turning at that point but I'm fairly sure 1993 and Doom is
    when I switched to WASD + mouse.

    I was using keyboards for classic DOOM too. Same for Duke3D. I think
    Quake 1 changed that.


    Felt weird for a while but the weirdness ended quickly.

    Yep.
    --
    "Your statutes stand firm; holiness adorns your house for endless days, O Lord." --Psalm 93:5. A decade already after hibernating after a somewhat slammy humpy day. Mo deaths. :( Quiet Th.?
    Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
    /\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org.
    / /\ /\ \ Please nuke ANT if replying by e-mail.
    | |o o| |
    \ _ /
    ( )

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  • From Ross Ridge@21:1/5 to noemailformethx@jsjsaiiowppw.com on Fri Oct 27 16:42:07 2023
    Mr Rob <noemailformethx@jsjsaiiowppw.com> wrote:
    For PC I rely solely on arrow keys, right CTRL. del, end, enter,
    numpad 0 and mouse button keys for my gaming. Anything else makes my
    left hand ache, especially my left pinkie and tendons in my left palm.

    You might want to consider switching to using the number pad for movement.
    Like I mentioned in my other response in this thread, there's more keys in
    the immediate area for mapping to things you need to be able to do quickly
    and without having to look at the keyboard. I also normally remap the
    function that gets mapped to the shift key by default (usually sprint)
    to the right mouse button, and then right button's function (usually zoom
    or secondary fire) to [Num 9]. That usually avoids having to press two
    keys at the same time, which I find awkward if it doesn't involve one
    of the modifiers keys, which are too far away when using the number pad
    for movement.

    --
    l/ // Ross Ridge -- The Great HTMU
    [oo][oo] rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca
    -()-/()/ http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca:11068/
    db //

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  • From Zaghadka@21:1/5 to Spalls Hurgenson on Fri Oct 27 13:59:53 2023
    On Mon, 23 Oct 2023 17:37:35 -0400, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
    Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

    D) It took me a while to warm up to it, but by the
    time Half-Life rolled around, I had acclimatized
    myself to the schema

    This. I first encountered it in Half-Life and said to myself, "Wow. Why
    hasn't this always been used?" Then I mapped it into GL-Quake and bound mouselook to a key, IIRC. I don't think GL-Quake let you set mouselook
    without a mod key. At least not the original version.

    In my earlier days, with Unreal and UT, I was still using the numpad or
    the cursor block. So Half-Life is definitely when it started for me
    because it was the first game I played where it was the default.

    I remember rolling the mouse like it was a trackball to move forward in
    Wolf3D as well.

    Nowadays, playing GZDoom with its available WASD + mouselook controls is
    sooooo much better. Indispensible really. I switched on classic controls
    for a lark and was completely amazed at how awful it is in comparison.

    What on earth were we doing other than needlessly suffering before the
    balm of WASD saved us all?

    That said, WASD for stuff like Batman Arkham sucks balls. I tried an
    X-Box controller and said, "Oh, that's how it's supposed to work." Thus,
    WASD is strictly FPS for me.

    WASD is a pretty ugly thing in BG3 too. Yes, WASD for an isometric
    tactical game. Too much is too much.

    --
    Zag

    No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
    spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten

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  • From Zaghadka@21:1/5 to All on Fri Oct 27 14:05:32 2023
    On Tue, 24 Oct 2023 09:16:51 +0200, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
    H1M3M wrote:

    When it comes to consoles, I have never been able to play with dual
    analogs. On some games like Megaman Legends and Tron Ni Kobun I would
    circle strafe with L and R, but those games were kinda weird.

    Neither do pro gamers. They all build PCs and use WASD + mouselook.

    I tried doing the Tomb Raider remake with a gamepad and it worked better
    for the jumping stuff, at the expense of making combat more difficult.

    Dual sticks is inferior in every way, and it absolutely requires a
    controller that fits your hands properly, or you can't nudge the sticks. They're all too small for me, so I just say no.

    --
    Zag

    No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
    spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten

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  • From Zaghadka@21:1/5 to Spalls Hurgenson on Fri Oct 27 14:12:39 2023
    On Mon, 23 Oct 2023 17:37:35 -0400, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
    Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

    when did that happen for you?


    I still use the cursor controls for VIM you insensitive clod!

    --
    Zag

    No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
    spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten

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  • From Ross Ridge@21:1/5 to zaghadka@hotmail.com on Fri Oct 27 23:00:59 2023
    Zaghadka <zaghadka@hotmail.com> wrote:
    I still use the cursor controls for VIM you insensitive clod!

    Cursor keys? Learn to use HJKL like a real vi user you scrub!

    --
    l/ // Ross Ridge -- The Great HTMU
    [oo][oo] rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca
    -()-/()/ http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca:11068/
    db //

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  • From Ant@21:1/5 to Ross Ridge on Sat Oct 28 10:59:40 2023
    Ross Ridge <rridge@csclub.uwaterloo.ca> wrote:
    Zaghadka <zaghadka@hotmail.com> wrote:
    I still use the cursor controls for VIM you insensitive clod!

    Cursor keys? Learn to use HJKL like a real vi user you scrub!

    Weirdos. Nano/Pico FTW. :P
    --
    "The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." --1 John 2:17. 2 much Zs again!
    Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
    /\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org.
    / /\ /\ \ Please nuke ANT if replying by e-mail.
    | |o o| |
    \ _ /
    ( )

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  • From Zaghadka@21:1/5 to Ross Ridge on Sat Oct 28 10:06:00 2023
    On Fri, 27 Oct 2023 23:00:59 -0000 (UTC), in
    comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action, Ross Ridge wrote:

    Zaghadka <zaghadka@hotmail.com> wrote:
    I still use the cursor controls for VIM you insensitive clod!

    Cursor keys? Learn to use HJKL like a real vi user you scrub!

    That's actually what I meant. HJKL are the cursor controls in vi.

    I didn't say cursor *keys* for a reason.

    But I'm an Emacs users, so maybe me don't talk so good.

    --
    Zag

    No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
    spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten

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  • From Bozo User@21:1/5 to Spalls Hurgenson on Mon Nov 6 10:00:27 2023
    On 2023-10-23, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

    (I friend and I discussed this IRL. I thought it was a fun topic so I
    brought it here. Besides, CRAP Polls are usually a popular topic, even
    if this is the second one this month...)



    It may be hard for some people to imagine, but WASD wasn't always the standard for movement controls in video games (especially FPS games).
    Prior to that, arrow keys ruled the roost, and before that - back when
    many keyboards lacked arrow keys! - things were even worse (with
    things along the lines of QWOL being disturbingly common).

    But at some point the industry coalesced around WASD and these days -
    while there are some heretics - most people use this new standard. But
    at one point or another, we all had to learn it, so the question is:
    when did that happen for you?


    Press the appropriate control key to select:

    W) I've never played a game before WASD was the
    standard, so that's just what I learned from the
    start.

    A) I was WASDing before it was cool; I remapped
    Pac-Man to WASD, that's how old-school I am!

    S) I started using WASD as soon as it started
    becoming popular. Wolf3D? Doom? WASD all the way.

    D) It took me a while to warm up to it, but by the
    time Half-Life rolled around, I had acclimatized
    myself to the schema

    Q) I was a late-bloomer; I didn't make the switch-
    over until after the 2000s and games started using
    WASD as the predefined controls

    *CursorUp*) I still don't use WASD; old-school
    arrow keys all the way!

    *E*) I am a heretic; EDSF (or similar alternative)
    is the way I roll!

    *LT3*) I am a heathen! I use a joystick or
    gamepad or other similar monstrosity

    ~) Keyboard controls? Bah! I hack the inodes
    directly using tiny magnets.


    I remember I myself came to WASD fairly late. I had some experience
    with it earlier, but for the longest time I stuck with the arrow keys.
    I remember playing "Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight" with the arrow keys
    (which means I was still using them in 1998 at least). That's not to
    say I wasn't using the mouse (although it took me a long while to get
    used to that too!) but for the longest time I kept my fingers on the right-hand side of the keyboard.

    Still, eventually I decided I had to make the switch-over, if only
    because I was getting tired of constantly remapping the keys (some
    games didn't even allow that!) It was a very conscious and purposeful
    effort, and while I disliked the new schema at first, I very quickly
    became a fan after using it for a while. It was just so much more
    comfortable than cramping the fingers around the cursor keys! I can't
    say with any accuracy when I made the transition, but by 2000 I think
    I was pretty much WASD exclusively (and cursing any older games that
    made me revert to cursor-key controls).

    So, when did you convert?




    In 2001 maybe.

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  • From rms@21:1/5 to All on Mon Nov 6 09:20:37 2023
    I very dimly recall playing Doom without wasd & mouselook -- I don't think
    that was an option and was patched in later -- and thinking once I tried it that being able to circle strafe made the game ridiculously easy.

    I never played Descent with WASD, but pushed the keyboard over and used the keypad + mouse. Also when I first played System Shock that was using the original non-wasd control scheme

    rms

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  • From Spalls Hurgenson@21:1/5 to All on Mon Nov 6 11:54:16 2023
    On Mon, 6 Nov 2023 09:20:37 -0700, "rms" <rsquiresMOO@MOOflashMOO.net>
    wrote:

    I very dimly recall playing Doom without wasd & mouselook -- I don't think >that was an option and was patched in later -- and thinking once I tried it >that being able to circle strafe made the game ridiculously easy.

    I never played Descent with WASD, but pushed the keyboard over and used the >keypad + mouse. Also when I first played System Shock that was using the >original non-wasd control scheme

    AFAIK, from the start "Doom" had the ability to remap its keys (albeit
    through its "setup" utility rather than in the game itself), so you
    always COULD play with WASD from the start. However, the default keys
    were the arrow keys. Worse, the defaults assumed you would TURN
    left/right, with strafing (what we now normally assign to the A & D
    keys) were available only by using a modifier key or by pressing the ,
    or . keys!

    Doom did have mouse support, but while swiping left and right changed
    your view (as expected), moving the mouse forward or back also made
    your character MOVE forward or back, which feels very unintuitive
    today and was extremely imprecise even in 1993.

    Proper WASD/mouselook as we know it today really didn't become a thing
    for Id's games until "Quake", and it wasn't the default control scheme
    until "Quake 2".

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  • From Zaghadka@21:1/5 to All on Mon Nov 6 16:23:23 2023
    On Mon, 6 Nov 2023 09:20:37 -0700, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action, rms
    wrote:

    I never played Descent with WASD, but pushed the keyboard over and used the >keypad + mouse.

    I played Descent with a flight stick. It was wonderful.

    --
    Zag

    No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
    spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)