Call to Arms: WASD vs ESDF
- Thread starter ICountFrom0
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What matters to me in the end is Space is my jump button. If I have a melee key I want that to be close to my movement keys but not interfering with my general desire to have my left hand easily able to reach G and 4 when splayed on they keyboard. Everything to the right of THB is not a important bind to me. ESDF makes it easier to reach more possible keybinds, but my thumb rests on the space bar sideways and too far up to make pressing it a simple twitch. I also don't have a lot of keybinds usually, but then again, I don't play (m)any MMOs.
Besides, if I can't reach Tab and Tilde without feeling like I'm reaching, something is very wrong.(tab is my usual inventory key and tilde is my usual console key, and both of those are use pretty often in my gaming)
Besides, if I can't reach Tab and Tilde without feeling like I'm reaching, something is very wrong.(tab is my usual inventory key and tilde is my usual console key, and both of those are use pretty often in my gaming)
I started using ESDF back when I was actively playing Quake 2. I use it primarily because my left pinky has a hard time reaching the Ctrl key, and I rebind that to Shift.
For me, one major advantage of ESDF over WASD is that it's very natural for a touch typist. The fingers of your left hand rest on the keyboard's home row. I've had a lot of success teaching people how to play FPS with ESDF than WASD.
Why WASD? It's the defacto standard.
Off-topic tip: when you use quantum suit leggings, bind your Boost Key to Caps Lock.
For me, one major advantage of ESDF over WASD is that it's very natural for a touch typist. The fingers of your left hand rest on the keyboard's home row. I've had a lot of success teaching people how to play FPS with ESDF than WASD.
Why WASD? It's the defacto standard.
Off-topic tip: when you use quantum suit leggings, bind your Boost Key to Caps Lock.
I'm a left handed person and I use the keyboard with my left and mouse with my right, just like a "right handed" person would. I don't like you generalize all left handed people as "keyboard right, mouse left".
Anyway, on the topic of WASD vs ESDF, for me the E on ESDF is too far offset to feel comfortable. Also if you lose WASD easily I feel you will lose ESDF even faster, at least WASD has some big keys next to it to help you feel your way back on them.
Also I use shift and ctrl with my pinky, and reaching shift and ctrl from ESDF is a bit further out than comfortable for me. Not that I can't do it, but I'm pretty sure having my pinky out at that angle is going to hurt in the long run.
So yeah, WASD for me.
Anyway, on the topic of WASD vs ESDF, for me the E on ESDF is too far offset to feel comfortable. Also if you lose WASD easily I feel you will lose ESDF even faster, at least WASD has some big keys next to it to help you feel your way back on them.
Also I use shift and ctrl with my pinky, and reaching shift and ctrl from ESDF is a bit further out than comfortable for me. Not that I can't do it, but I'm pretty sure having my pinky out at that angle is going to hurt in the long run.
So yeah, WASD for me.
Hmmm... On my keyboard, shift is actually easier to press with the ESDF, I may give it a try sometime, though I do feel that the ridge on my F key may get annoying for me... I'll give it some thought...
hmm...I don't really use either most times...as my left hand is normally resting on this...though, if I had to choose, I guess it would be WASD simply because I've got the built in muscle memory for them.
I use the default WSAD keys on mapped to this. I also have a special key (macro program) use to toggle my shift state (no more crushed pinky finger). I don't use it to much with modded minecraft due to jetpacks and creative style flight. But on vanilla it is a lifesaver when your 100+ block in the sky working on a build.
The good old days of Apple and such... I've never been a WASD user. When the switch went from the other funky keybinds mentioned above or arrow keys, I made the switch to ESDF mainly for Quake 1 (TF Beta and Digital Paint anyone?)/Descent/etc. so that I could have all my weapons surrounding my movement keys, and it's where my fingers naturally rest on the keyboard. Besides, I also hate binding Ctrl+ and Alt+. For some odd reason, it feels very unnatural to me.
It's WASD for being used to it but I could learn ESDF if I really wanted. The problem is you then have to rebind pretty much all your keys in every game ever. Now, it's not that horrible but it's a thing you really really don't have to do so you can easily just choose to not do it. Besides, you can make customized macros in WoW to handle more than just one skill on one key so it's not like you'd need a ton of keys for them. Other games do just fine with even fewer keys.
Btw, IJKL was (is?) used a lot in games with multiple players in addition to WASD and arrow keys. I remember using IJKL in Mortal Kombat, Rampart and Mine Bombers at least.
Btw, IJKL was (is?) used a lot in games with multiple players in addition to WASD and arrow keys. I remember using IJKL in Mortal Kombat, Rampart and Mine Bombers at least.
I've used wasd everytime.. except some year ago i did some ijkl (which wasn't enough to say if i like it or not, as i never tried it again) but never thought about esdf.. I never even heard of it.. I mean, now that you point out it kind of makes a lot of sense and will be trying it for sure for some days, to see if i can get used to it, but i can't really believe that i never though to change the movement layout.. It's like it is hardcoded on my brain or something, and i had a lot of trouble with hotkeys so the need to have more effective layouts wasn't inexistent.. Maybe we are used to wasd a little too much... :/