How to get better with the Keyboard?

I'm new to Guild Wars (started on the 1st) yet I still am a klutz with the keyboard. Thought I would get the hang of it by now, but no... ATM I rely on the mouse for everything, but that can really slow me down. I play Mesmer too which doesn't help lol (and probably isn't the best to start with, though I did research it before... I think I can get the hang of that in time)... but just being a klutz is hampering gameplay. So I will ask... any tips or things I could do to get better? All I can think of now is just forcing myself to use WASDQERetc but that's not going very well. What about different keyboards? Don't really know about what is out there. This is probably happening because I haven't played any games in a couple years though and only console too then. Anyways, thanks. I need to get quicker in general.

update: anything else? just practicing did NOT work for me... I finished Nightfall and my skills aren't any better than they were since I started. There must be something I'm doing wrong.

Moving with the mouse is actually better , but try to use your skills on the keyboard.

i move with WASDQE, target with C, tab, and use mouse to use skills

personal preferance though

I guess everyone is different, being a lefty, I use the arrow keys to move, and have micro'd all the keys nearby ("?"=closest enemy, right alt=friendlies, right ctrl = enemies). I use the mouse to use skills and micro manage Heroes.

I use my keyboard for movement, target selection, switching weapons, and the first four skills on my template. I use my mouse for last four skills, micro-management, and camera control (faster than keyboard).

You can set it up to however you wish through the options panel.

I use my right hand on the arrow keys to move, although I usually hit the r first and then just steer. My left hand rests on the numbers across the top for the skills with my thumb on the space bar to attack after I've hit the c or tab for the target. The only thing I have to use the mouse for is to open chests. It works very well and I don't even have to look at the keyboard anymore to see what I'm hitting. When I got my first computer, I played doom which was all keyboard and so I just got use to it from that.

Only way to get better is practice. DON'T use the mouse (except to click on a chest, lol) and you will get better with the keyboard.

You can check out other keyboards. There are gaming keyboards with dedicated keys such as Ideazon's GW set. http://www.ideazon.com/us/products/keyset_gw.asp

But you would need to spend the money and it might not suit you.

I think I'll spend more time getting better with the keyboard than I will playing the game. How exactly do I go about that? Just choose a farming location and run around?

That would do it. You obviously don't want to practice while in a quest or mission with others. Go out on your own with heroes and henchmen and practice moving only with the keyboard. The h/h won't laugh at you and (as we all have found out) they will handle everything on their own if you aggro anything.

By the way, as GW2 is supposed to be mouse-less, we all need this type of practice.

Just one suggestion for mouse use: Hold both left and right click to run+steer.

In terms of keyboarding... well there's not really much we can do for you other than you just have to practice.

Just make sure you're not doing everything with one hand.

I heard that too. Too bad they just didn't make some Guild Wars specific controller to get around the keyboard thing... I learn controllers in no time. Anyways I guess I'm off to practice some... hope I can do this. We never even learned the number keys in school lol.

I mostly use mouse to target, use skills and steer. My left hand is almost always hovering around left ctrl (for easier targetting of pesky hidey Monks) and Q & E to sidestep away from AOE.

Although for some reason when I made an Ele I started using the number keys to activate skills, but when I go back to playing my Nec it's the mouse to activate skills again, wierd

I don't know if this will help or not, but it's how I learned the keyboard. Start off just focusing on WASD, CTRL and ALT in conjunction with the mouse. Once you are comfortable with those then start looking at using other keys, I started practicing 1-4 and tab next and then started using the surrounding keys. I found that as I learned more keys I started relying on the mouse less for different functions.

if you are going to quit the game because you are having trouble using the WASD keys you might aswell quit all computer games. Just keep using the keyboard and you will get used to it.

gw has clunky controls...but u'll get used to it

i kno lots of wow players who like to spam and mash their keyboards....
dun do that

-make sure to try and precisely time ur skills
you may queue 1 extra skill while another is casting

-rebind ur 7 and/or 8 key skills to sumptin more closely to wsad

-weaponswitching: press escape then f1
or sidestep then f1

-auto-run is very useful and allows u to "multi-task" keyboard actions

-strengthen ur pinky/ring finger
get the hang of tabbing and shift+tabbing very quickly

-keyboard has too much work for left-hand
rebind/dualbind some keys to the numpad and ins/del/keythingy for ur rite-hand to get in on some of that action

-mesmer specific: wanding delays spell-based interupts
while i usually do recommend wanding for midline, if ur playing an interupt-based build, dun do it so much if at all


edit
wow...r u serious? 0__o

wut games do u play?
have u never used a keyboard before?
mebe ur better off playin the games in mavis beacon teaches typing?
the racing one is pretty fun

i'd hate to see how u'd fare in the action-fps games (like gunz)

I put my middle finger on W, index on D, ring on A. I use the mouse to target, use skills, etc. Idk but this is perfectly fine for me.

I basically use my left hand for the keyboard unless I'm typing.

I had to get used to some shortcuts - N, G, L, I, R, U etc, I kept forgetting what are they for. I haven't had any issues with movement tough
Reason for this is I used to play FPS for couple of years. Using the WSAD+QE combo is like learning to walk... once learned you don't forget it
Imagine operating 18 keyboard + 9 mouse buttons at the same time

It's all down to practice. Don't let such trivial thing to spoil the joy of playing

Use WS to move forward/backward. If you want to turn use the mouse (hold the right button and turn). Then you can add QE to it. I can't suggest anything else

I never played computer games before anyways... my computer isn't really made for gaming too. Oh well. Could still read spoilers if I still want to find out what happens in the main storyline lol. It's not that I don't want to practice but even if I do... how long will it exactly take till I get good and before I can start playing again? And will my efforts even have a payoff? Most likely they won't.

Actually I don't play any... read post. I can type fine but when it comes to applying that to gaming it abandons me. I'd rather not waste the game by just leaching or not being to proficient. Maybe if I ever do get good then I'd come back.

lol, this. but your post was helpful for the most part. Didn't know wanding did that either, thanks.

esdf to move, a=1, q=2, r=3, t=5, c=6, v=7, b=8.

i use mouse to target players/people/move (if not strafing aka back and forth to miss projectiles)

ctrl, shift, caps lock all switch weapon sets (youll understand the usefulness of this if you get into pvp), and tab goes through enemy targets.

i have no key for 'attack called target' because generally i monk and i dont need to, but you can always click the little crosshairs symbol next to the person who called to see their target.

hope that helps!

I had a similar problem as you. I play few PC games, and I dislike keyboard/mouse game controls. I don't use either keyboard or mouse to play this game. I use a Sony PS2 controller. I have posted more in the following thread, including links to software, the configuration file I use, and a tutorial.

http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s...php?t=10110429

try playing an RTS for a few months, it takes about 100 times as much keyboard skill, so you will learn a lot faster.

GW2 is not supposed to be "mouseless" - that's a misinterpretation of what they said. What they said was - GW2 will not use the "click on the ground to move" thing that you can do in GW1. I don't think many people use that anyway. It still should have the same "look around", click on NPCs/targets, steer, etc., functions it has now. It will certainly NOT be mouseless.

Your original post isn't too clear on what your problem is, but, did you know that you can move and steer your character by holding down the left & right mouse buttons? You may find that easier than WASD.

Also, if you go to Menu > Options > controls, you can reconfigure the keys any way you want that you find more comfortable. (I have so many keys reassigned, I don't know what the defaults are any more. )

lol you know how slow pings introduce lag? well my hands introduce lag... I know what to do but not fast enough. I don't really know how to practice. Usually I don't get any progress... One question though: do you W in WASD with your ring finger like normal typing or do you do it like arrows with the middle finger?

well if u've never played pc games before, then it'll take a while to get used to it
all i can say tho, is keep it up
pc games r ftw! ^__^

i'd recommend playin an fps to get better used to "modern keyboard gaming controls"
since well, fps games r really wut started the whole wsad thing

for now jus focus on the basics:

wsad for movement
space for attack
c and tab (shift+tab) for targetting
1-8 for skill activation

after u get the basics down
then u can move on to more advanced keyboarding lol



for reference....fps equivalent controls:
wsad for movement
space for jump
ctrl (and sometimes c) for crouch
1-8 for weapon selection

lol you don't know my computer. I don't think it would handle any FPS out today. I would get a new one but $$$ and too many new technologies too close (Core i7-waits for price drop, USB 3.0, PCI-E, etc... yeah I know they aren't out NOW, but if I wait just a little longer). um... but you never answered my question lol. do people do like WASD as in the arrows keys or like normal typing? and if that's true... what about all the skill and using numbers? maybe I will try the PS2 thing...

but theres tons of fps out there that arent too demanding on graphics that r still pretty good by todays standards
(if u can run gw, then u can run these)

ima mention single-player fps games...since u can go more at ur own pace (and set the difficulty on easy lol)
-half-life 1
-aliens vs predator 1
-no one lives forever 1
-soldier of fortune 1
-thief 1


if ur rdy to tackle some multiplayer fps...i'd recommend:
-counter-strike 1.6
-quake 3 arena
-unreal tournament (the first one)
-starsiege tribes (its free now)

Generally speaking, I don't WASD for movement. I use the left+right mouse buttons normally. I sometimes use W to move forward, depending upon conditions, but when I do, I use my index finger (or whatever finger is handy).
I have my left and right strafe keys assigned to "Z" & "X", so, as I play I move with the mouse while strafing with Z & X and hitting CTRL, ALT, C, Spacebar, etc.. It's probably not the "best" setup, but it works (sort of) for me and was originally a result of transferring my key setup from FPSes (mostly TFC)

Why would you want to play with only the keyboard? Is there something your having difficulty doing with the mouse?

In my experience playing with the mouse and keyboard together is the best control scheme one could ask for. I use ESDF (e = up, WASD moved one slot over for extra key binds near movement keys) and right-click and mouse movements to turn. Middle finger for both E and D, index for F, ring finger for S. Drop your thumb for alt and use your pinky for any additional keybinds you want (keypress left shift for voice). Sliding over one slot also centers you more on your number keys.

If you don't use the mouse you can't circle strafe. Not really a big deal in an MMORPG but your movement is much smoother when carving around the game world, and allows you to walk in one direction and look in another (good for scouting an area without accidentally pulling aggro).

You can't do this with just the keyboard, unless you bind both move and strafe keys, which is far more complicated then using the mouse. Sure it can be done, but I would not recommend it. An example setup would be using ESDF for movement keys, then using A and G for strafe keys.

I play a caster, so melee may be a different story but once you start attacking you shouldn't be moving anyway. Left click to start the attack then start queuing your skills using the number keys until the mob drops. For multi-mob groups, once you drop the first one, tab through until you find the next one you want to attack (generally the one with the least health, assuming you went for the enemy healer first).

When I played WoW, I played an Affliction Warlock (insta-cast mage) and a Deathknight (Frost tank) and still used this setup. It take a bit of finger dexterity and practice but after a while I could still hit every number key and circle strafe at the same time. This works wonders in PvP. Hitting a moving target is way harder then a standing one, in WoW I used to run figure eight's around people piling DOT's on them and laughing as they missed 90% of their attacks just trying to target me.

If you like the game don't quit. You will get used to it. Any game takes time to get good at, especially player movement. Every MMORPG is the same so don't think any other will be any easier, keep at it and before you know it you'll be able to do it in your sleep. And if you play a lot that might actually happen

Nope, I just thought it might be faster. Plus I guess I like the idea of having all my hands close together.

I'm trying ESDF too... but my brain can't remap T/V/C how I did them before lol.

Sounds too hard, I'll just use the compass.

In the other game I played I was used to kiting like crazy since nobody played as a team and lag. Plus the AI goes straight for me on many occasions even if I don't do a thing. And I read several Mesmer guides and they said you should be really good at kiting since you'll be one of the main targets in PvP (which is mostly what I am to do).


I actually don't know any number keys and I have this habit of using different things all the time or rearranging what I have... there's so many skills and I like to experiment. Will the slots ever stick in memory though? I know what I'm doing but only if I like quickly look... that's pretty annoying. However I swear the AI has some lag thrown in to balance that out... I've experimented with "at the end" interrupts and they work.

I'm just kind of depressed because my typing skills are good but none of them can be applied to GW. Plus my hand hurts right now from "practicing", yet I'm not any better than I was when I started. Boo. I don't have that patience is a virtue virtue as you can tell lol.

I lay my skills out in order of damage and by type, number 1 is always my AWWW POOO! key (health drain / anything that will get you out of a tricky situation if the healer decides to take a nap), followed by curses (anything I'm going to apply to the mob the tank is attacking), then secondary curses (anything I'm going to apply to remaining mobs), then AoE or direct damage spells, with energy storage / buffs on the right since you cast them the least mid-combat.

Skills change, sometimes you have more or less of each type, but generally I know where things are, but of course sometimes we all push the wrong key. Having a skill cancel key is handy for that (space), so if you hit the wrong spell while doing your rotation you can quicky pick back up where you left off.

I kind of like your idea of binding skills to keys around movement keys, but I'm not sure I could find 8 easily accessible keys and still maintain the movement I like so much. My setup is probably not what a lot of people use, I'm accustomed to it from mostly playing FPS games. That said it took a good 6 months to really learn how to circle strafe a moving target, but I'm glad I did it since you can use it in about every game out there.

I'm horrible at kiting, and I'm sure I drive a lot of people crazy when I group with them. I play hard and fast, I run straight at groups (no matter how big they are) and start casting up a storm. When I first started playing I died *a lot*, but once you get a hang of micro-managing mobs you can pretty much go full out and won't die as much as you think you would.

My reasoning is this; if I play full out, eventually I'll get good at it. I don't care if I die a million times during the learning process if at the end of the day I'm a better player for doing it. Plus in any kind of team based game people don't usually expect this. Most people play defensively, so they expect you to. When you don't it breaks their concentration, even if its only for a split second, and allows you to gain the upper hand. Call me crazy but I love that style of fighting

With a good group you shouldn't have to kite very much. The tank should be pulling and holding aggro, if mobs break they aren't doing their job properly. You shouldn't feel bad if this happens and you or your team dies, because it shouldn't have happened in the first place. Play your role and don't worry about the rest, that's the best you can ever do.

It sounds like your on the right track, give it more time and I'm sure you'll do just fine. Your setting the bar too high for yourself if you think you can pick up a game and learn all the ins and outs in a month. Have fun with it and you'll figure it out as you go

I do that too, except my priorities are different. The spell I cast the most is the one on the 3/4 number keys, depending on situation, because they're the most convenient. If you start arranging your skills a particular way, you'll find you don't really need to look at your skillbar after a while because you know pretty much where everything is - even after you've had a quick skill shuffle.

clicking to move is quite common among pvpers, since that control scheme has proven to be more precise and generally faster, especially for lateral movements. click to target is also quite popular, because you can skip past the queues from using target next and target previous buttons.

You don't need to use the keyboard to play GW. I know some days I feel like only using the mouse, and for casual PvE, it works just fine.

When I do use the keyboard however, it is mostly just for using skills with the 1-8 keys, using control and alt to highlight enemies and allies, and using c-space for targeting something new when I don't need to target anything specific. My mouse handles the rest; moving, camera, specific targeting, etc. This way, my left hand basically just sits with my fingers on the number keys and my thumb on the space bar. My pinky handles the control key, when needed, my pointer for the c key, and my thumb for alt. Once you get to know the skills on your bar better, this is a good use of the keyboard with the default key bindings.

But really, just find what keys you find most comfortable to use. If you prefer movement with the wasd keys, use that and the mouse for skills. You can play however you want.

This is something I disabled, as it's really crappy for the typical fast-paced FPS shooter PvP. But it really makes sense in this game (poor location sync).

However, Generally you should layout frequently used skills in close proximity (1-4, q/e/r/f/g/c/z/x) to the wasd movement keys, and less used/emergency skills in further away but *REACHABLE* (and reliable) places.

I almost always hold down the right mouse key to allow mouseview movement... Just better from my FPS background...

click to move won't be in GW2 so it might not be a good thing to get dependent on it. anyways, yeah I still suck with the keyboard. I'm starting to think that maybe this isn't my type of game overall.

Anything else I can do? Just practicing is not working... I'm no better than I was when I first started. I'd like to keep playing but with no progress, it's really frustrating and luck based. I would like to get better but really don't know what I'm missing or not doing.

I didn't see in this thread whether or not you tried a different keyboard. Maybe the angled "natural" keyboard would help if they are still available. Are you a closet lefty? Did you try the ps2 option?

Here's my gripe (actually, handicap, I guess LOL).

Sometimes, in the heat of battle, I lose the mouse cursor! It is colored so that it is easy to blend in when many things are going on on the screen, especially if the melee is happening relatively close up.

I would like the ability to change the cursor's color to like white, or something that I will be able to immediately find on the screen during a big ol' Charr-B-Que!

Shane

@nassau
a quick flick of the mouse should draw ur attention to the cursor


@refer
dunno wut to tell ya man
mebe u'd be better off as a mouse player?

its going to take you awile to learn it if this is your first pc game. and if i was you i would practice on a game were you have no choice other then qweasd for movement, like one of the fps games that were listed.