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I'm new and have enjoyed jacking up all you veteran's kill rates, but I'd like some basic pointers on keyboard usage. I'm on a mac using a one button mouse. It seems I'm getting a lot of practice using the "i" key.

My basic question is: how do I use the tab and other keys on that side and also use the return key and ones on the other side of the keyboard? Maybe the answer is "just get killed until you get fast enough and don't have to look at the keyboard."

I have read the recent posts about preferred control methods and am picking up some info from those, but maybe there are a few people who can remember how they learned to use the dang keyboard...

You just need to get a configuration of keys that is comfortable for you.

i have all the big easy-to-reach keys as my main buttons:

enter - shoot
space - jump
tab - identify/lock on
0 on num keypad - drop flag

that way it's pretty nicely layed out and i can get to everything in a had span.

You probably just need to get used to playing....It's like when you on a console for the first time ever - you are probably really bad, and have to keep looking down at the controller for the right buttons, but after a few hours playing you can react without looking down.

if i may give you a hint to use: map some keys for zooms on radar, helps you dodging

for myself, i use my two mouse buttons to shoot

(azerty keyboard)

a z e r are my zooms on my radar
tab is jump
i is spawn
f is to lock on (for gm)

for me its:

Z: Jump
X: Fire
C: Lock On
up/down/left/right/mouse: move
I: spawn again

And i asume you know how you can change yours. Just find a key combination you like and that you can jump/kill easily.

Tab: Jump
Q: Fire
A: Lock On
D: Slow Down Tank
Space: Drop Flag
W & R: Toggle Radar and Console.

It is also VERY useful to move your tank with the mouse, and set it to fire, and then use your other hand to shoot/jump/whatever...

Firing with 2 buttons at the same time (such as mouse and Q in my conditions) makes you able to spray a stream of 3 bullets closer together, this is good for leagues and maps where jumping usually means dying.

Mouse is also much better for dodging.

For me its:
Tab:Jump
Q:Fire
W:lock

I'm on a laptop...

I and Right mouse - spawn/lock
1-2-3-4 - radar zoom
Space - fire
Enter - drop flag
Tab - jump

I don't really use anything other than those.

ah


i'm on a powerbook

tab-jump -middle finger
next to tab the "q" for binoculars -indexfinger
space dropflag -thumb

i use a wacom tablet to move
shooting is tapping with pen on tablet
and spawn and lock is same on the button on the pen

use the 1 2 3 for radar zoom
it would be great to have a scoll wheel on my pen for this...
i can't use a mouse cause of my rsi..

I use mainly the defaults, with a few tweaks.

Space = Shoot

Tab = Jump

Q = Drop flag

W = Lock on


Your thumb rests on the spacebar, and your pointer finger goes on Q, ready to reach over to W if need be. (If you think you'll drop too many GMs, you can put it further away, but I'm used to it know and it doesn't happen anymore.) Your middle finger goes on Tab.

I play with the arrow keys, although as I get more experienced I might move into the mouse since a lot of good players recommend it.

I plan on moving the Binoculars button to "A", but I'm worried I'll forget, and I don't use it much.

You definately shouldn't be using different hands for Jump and Shoot, you should have fingers resting on those the whole time since they are the most important.

I don't use the keyboard for the "important" tasks. I bought a Gamepad. (See attached Picture)

As you can see there are "Shoulder" buttons (2 on each side) which can be pressed with the index finger.
So I can reach with my right index finger: Lock & Drop
Left: Jump & Restart

Below the gamepad are 2 trigger buttons on each side, reachable with the middle finger. I use both for shooting

You see on the upper side 4 buttons I use for zooming (12, 3 and 6 o'clock) and Binoculars (9 o'clock)

The left stick I use for drivinng, the right stick (patched BZ Flag for this) for driving too, but it gives me at most halg my top speed.

The Hatswitch (D-Pad) on the left side isn't used yet, but will be used as soon as BZFlag 2.2 is out...

BTW: I play on a MAc too

Skeeve, so I take it you dont chat much while playing?

Hannibal wrote:Skeeve, so I take it you dont chat much while playing?

Just after I'm shot or when I pause. Sometimes when there are only 1 or 2 others around.

After all: This is war

Well, since there's already a thread about newbie controls for a Macintosh computer(although I'm not exactly a newbie), I've recently seen people using their delete keys to self-destruct. I have the default keyboard that comes with a Mac G4 computer, and the "Delete" key on my keyborad is the Backspace for a windows keyboard. In other words, the backspace key says delete on it. For the key that I believe on a windows keyboard is the Num Lock key, I have a num lock/clear key. I've tried them both, but I can't manage to blow myself up. Does anyone know which key I should use for this?

check the key mapping ingame, its somewhere under the 'Input' menu or such a name.