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WASD vs. Arrows

For FPS games, what controls/input do you use?

  • WASD

    Votes: 398 84.3%

  • Arrows

    Votes: 40 8.5%

  • Other (gamepad or what not)

    Votes: 34 7.2%
  • Total voters
    472
When I first started playing fps multiplayer (CS 1.5) I used the arrow keys for a little while. WASD was too cramped for my bigger hands, but then I started doing EAXF. Sometimes using D instead of X for backwards if I was playing natural selection.

Edit: when I started playing wow when it first came out I switched to WASD
 
You know, I'v been using the arrow keys for just about everything and I always thought it was.. odd. It never cramped my play style as I've won dozens of tournaments in quake, unreal tournament,etc.. But recently I started using wasd for FPS, mapping my swaps on the numbers and its been an adjustment, but works fine.. until I move my fingers and have to look back down. But for WoW or other MMO's, I still use the arrows as I bind my important abilites to the ins/del/pgup/pgdwn/home/end keys.
 
WASD.

The last time I used arrows was in like 2001, when I would just play the Quake 3 demo nonstop against bots.
 
Mind blowing, moving your fingers one key over, I know ;)

The guy using YGHJ wins for keyboard surface-area optimization though lol.
 
I voted wasd but I really change the settings to esdf. I do this because the f key has the bump to indicate where your hand is and its how my hands are when typing, It also lets my pinky hit more keys. I don't know why wasd became the standard instead of esdf, esdf makes more sense to me.
 
SPARTAN VI said:
I'm actually glad I'm the only one so far. :D

It kinda confirms my suspicions that I'm nuts.
Click to expand...
Still use the arrow key I have no probs kicking the shit out of peeps lol

At least it isn't the keys holding me back
 
Ritorix said:
Mind blowing, moving your fingers one key over, I know ;)

The guy using YGHJ wins for keyboard surface-area optimization though lol.
Click to expand...

its not that...

what do you use D for? just empty?

its not 1 over, its just 1 key away from everything else...
 
dario03 said:
I voted wasd but I really change the settings to esdf. I do this because the f key has the bump to indicate where your hand is and its how my hands are when typing, It also lets my pinky hit more keys. I don't know why wasd became the standard instead of esdf, esdf makes more sense to me.
Click to expand...

Keep in mind that YGHJ takes full advantage of the bumps: 'J' for the index finger, and 'F' for the pinky (or rest the pinky on D for comfort).

With WASD and ESDF, the thumb is practically limited to just the spacebar.
With YGHJ, the thumb also has comfortable access to Right Alt, and can use < > / for secondary functions.

Right Alt is just as useful as the spacebar for a single function in conjunction with YGHJ, but can also be used as a modifier to double the functions of other keys.
 
My biggest problem with WASD was always losing where I was at in a moment of stress. Easy to lose the home row and find yourself trying to press some other random keys...especially in the dark. Alleviated somewhat with the advent of backlit keyboards, I did use WASD for a while.

These days I use my G15 rev1 macro keys, bottom g13-g18 keys. The 2 rows of 3 keys provides a perfect substitute for the arrow keys, with 2 handy keys for functions (like duck or whatever), and a row of three right above it. Also it's more ergonomic (I had a bout with swollen wrists/ tendonitis issues before, so I am very cautious about ergonomics now).

Mouse buttons provide most of the rest of the functions I need.
 
When I first really got into FPS back in wolf 3d and Quake and Doom I was an arrow key user. Then with Half Life I started switching to WSAD. I still played Rainbow Six and Rogue spear on the arrow keys, but once TFC and CS came out it was nothing but WSAD.

I have more keys that my hand just rests on so its less movement and strain to switch weapons or do another function.
 
I prefer WASD as there are buttons surround it it that can be useful.
 
Numberpad. Lets me press 3 different buttons with my thumb (0-reload .-jump, enter-run).

I keep telling myself I'll swith over to RDFG (gives my pinky stuff to push aside from capslock), but I never really get around to it.
 
Armoured said:
I actually use ESDF when I play wow.........but other than that WASD.
Click to expand...

ESDF is what I use as well. IMO I gain access to more keys and I don't lose where my fingers are if I need to hit M for map or something. F has a notch so I can find my way back without looking.
 
Dillirium said:
ESDF is what I use as well. IMO I gain access to more keys and I don't lose where my fingers are if I need to hit M for map or something. F has a notch so I can find my way back without looking.
Click to expand...

I used ESDF before switching to a gamepad. I'm surprised this isn't the default for games and more people don't use this because, you do gain access to more keys without having to change your feel.
 
well im used to wasd, and 2 i think its easier/ more reliable to use your pinky on Tab/Caps/Shift/Ctrl then Q/A/Z, since they are much bigger buttons. dont have to worry about hitting the wrong ones, but i supoose if you used to ESDF it would be the same but there is still a much smaller margin of error.
 
Should of added numpad, actually know a freak that uses that (Marathon relic).
 
hardBBQ said:
Keep in mind that YGHJ takes full advantage of the bumps: 'J' for the index finger, and 'F' for the pinky (or rest the pinky on D for comfort).

With WASD and ESDF, the thumb is practically limited to just the spacebar.
With YGHJ, the thumb also has comfortable access to Right Alt, and can use < > / for secondary functions.

Right Alt is just as useful as the spacebar for a single function in conjunction with YGHJ, but can also be used as a modifier to double the functions of other keys.
Click to expand...

I have thought about using YGHJ before, I don't because I'm used to having my left hand in the typing position so its just more natural for me.

I can hit the left ALT key with my thumb and seperately hit the buttons above the spacebar to. I can't use ALT+"key" with just my thumb but I've never used alt as a modifier since I have enough buttons.

Sikkyu said:
its hard to hit Lctrl from ESDF for crouch.
Click to expand...

In a game that has toggle crouch I just set it to a different key like c or z. If the game requires you to hold the button to crouch I will set it to the back button on my G5 mouse (sometimes I'll do that for toggle crouch to).

Sikkyu said:
well im used to wasd, and 2 i think its easier/ more reliable to use your pinky on Tab/Caps/Shift/Ctrl then Q/A/Z, since they are much bigger buttons. dont have to worry about hitting the wrong ones, but i supoose if you used to ESDF it would be the same but there is still a much smaller margin of error.
Click to expand...

They're not hard to hit at all and because of tab, caps lock, shift are larger they're easy to reach with the pinky while in esdf. Which is another reason I don't move over further since the smaller buttons are harder to reach (though not that bad).

I can see the benefits of yghj and I like esdf but I just don't see the benefits of regular wasd.
 
Sikkyu said:
its not that...
what do you use D for? just empty?
its not 1 over, its just 1 key away from everything else...
Click to expand...

w - ring finger, forward :D
s - ring, back
a - strafe left, pinkie
f - strafe right, index

d for most games is duck, though for something like WoW will be a ability hotkey. e and c vary by game (altfire/zoom/sights, etc), so middle finger still gets a lot of work but its not movement-related.

Why? Hell I dont even remember, it works, no point in changing it now. Been using it since Unreal/Q2 days when I started playing shooters.
 
esdf allows me to rest my pinky on z for switchweapon 0 in ut2004 (translocator) :] (just rotate the kb clockwise a bit)
 
I use the arrows for anything Quake - and WASD for everything else - only because it's a pain to go in and re-map. I'm much more comfortable on arrows....
 
Sikkyu said:
its hard to hit Lctrl from ESDF for crouch.
Click to expand...

I use c for crouch :)

Z is usually something like "prone" or "zoom". Only zoom if they don't utilize the mouse wheel in games.. (kinda rare that they don't)

In games where I can.. I bind the entire numpad to mouse sensitivity values. For that perfect sniping moment. My mouse has 3 levels of sensitivity as well but sometimes I want a little finer....

I'll give a quick run down on what I use just to give an example:

e=forward
d=back
f=strafe right
s=strafe left
a=enter vehicle or something usually. (depends on game),if I can lean right or left.. I use a to lean left and g to lean right)
z=position down (prone etc.)
x=position up (stand up etc..)
shift=run
r=reload
q=spot or something other intel
w=open usually depending on game... (use to be whirwind in WoW)
g=grenade most of the time.
h=health,bandage etc..
v=vision (night vision etc)
c=crouch
b=binoculars or misc items such as bombs or something
1-6=weapons
ctrl=voice chat (my pinky can gets this one)

mouse:
Mouse1=fire
mouse2=zoom (alternate fire)
mouse3=bound to crap things
mouse 4=throw grenade (unless a melee attack is available)
mouse 5=turn on flash light..sometimes grenade

This is just for people that care to see others setups..

-Dill
 
I've always hated the arrow keys and I also can't stand WASD. I actually prefer to use EADF. It just feels better. Something about WASD makes my ring finger cramp up a bit over time.
 
The WASD keys are certainly better, but unfortunately, I can't get used to them. I've really tried it, but I've used the arrow keys for like forever and it seems my brain can't rewire itself to use the other movement keys instead, lol. :mad:
 
I used to use arrow keys exclusively, but I've slowly migrated over to WASD.

The only game that I still absolutely have to use arrow keys on is Wolf ET, because I played it so much for so long that the arrow key control setup is engraved in my head. I've tried to migrate to WASD on it, but at the level I play at I end up fumbling or forgetting keys, which pisses me off and makes me switch back to arrows.
 
numpad - 8456

I'm a lefty. It's a bitch with mappings that can't be changed with some games (weps mapped to 123456, F# keys etc.)
 
Grew up on Wolf and Doom, and for those games I'm still real comfortable with arrows. But I made the switch to WASD sometime in the 90s--too much beer to remember exactly when--and it's stuck for just about everything since.
 
I picked other. I use the numeric keypad on a little USB numeric pad.
 
I play ESDF, as it gives you easy access to the most number of keys on your keyboard.

No matter how you slice it, more keys available to you is better. ESDF is superior to both WASD and the arrow keys method.
 
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