ClonesGame.com Forums

[Simon]

Hey,

I have two questions here for everyone who's played the game, best if you've played singleplayer as well as multiplayer.

1. Which in-game functions do you use frequently?
2. What is a good hotkey layout that suits these habits?

The default layout puts all morphs on the left hand, WERT-ASDFG-CVB. [Tab] speed-scrolls, [Z] supernovas, [Space] is fast forward. [3] displays some statistics in multiplayer.

I like to have every function in the perimeter of a left hand that's resting on the home row ASDF. The default layout does a very fine job already, but there are useful game features out of the left hand's reach: Pause, which is default on [P], and force direction, which is on [ [ ] and [ ] ]. The default layout has some unused keys: [Q], [X], maybe even [1], [2], [4], [5] count.

I'm accustomed to give nearly every skill with force direction, it vastly improves both precision and speed in multiplayer. I use the feature more often than any single morph. Thus, I remapped force direction to [S] and [F], these keys lie on the home row just like arrow keys. I pause frequently during singleplayer, so I moved pause to the biggest button that exists, [Space]. That key is always directly under the thumb, no matter where the other fingers are.

Thus, after remapping everything, I had made the following changes:
[S] = force left
[F] = force right
[Q] = puff (formerly [F])
[B] = spin (formerly [S])
[X] = nova (formerly [B], I use it more often than spin, thus gave it the handier key. Think eXploder)
[Space] = pause
[4] = fast forward (formerly [space], think 4ward)

A small drawback is to have puff on [Q] instead of on the home row. You need quick access to this morph in multiplayer. Puff-atomize isn't as convenient with [Q]-[A] than it was with [F]-[A], but I can still pull it off reliably. Spin is also important on some maps to save attacked clones.

Clones allows to remap the hotkeys completely, the game is very user-friendly in this regard. I mentioned in the Clones Demo discussion that I remapped my keys a bit, and Tom thought this might warrant a new thread.

-- Simon

[tom]

Wow! You use the directional force feature for every morph? In this case, it is absolutely necessary to remap these keys to be located on home row. Regarding the puff-atomize combo, I do this really often so I would leave it as [F] for puff and [A] for atomize, so I would suggest:

[S] = force left
[D] = force right
[Q] = nova
[B] = spin
[X] = drill

The problem is everytime you change the mapping of the keys, you need to re-train yourself before it all becomes natural again (ie. perform morphs without thinking). I'm going to continue to use the default key mapping, but if you continue to beat me in multiplayer, then maybe I'll remap my keys to use the directional force all the time.

[Simon]

Heh, I must add that yesterday was my first try of force direction in multiplayer. I don't believe it's really necessary to force on every single clone selection. I have a habit of always having the fingers on directional force all the time due to L++, so I don't make mistakes in case the lems/clones are clustered somewhere.

Also a small clarification, because there are two events to apply directional force to: I force on clone selections if there might be another clone nearby, then morph immediately, usually without force.

I guess rt uses the default layout, and he's better and quicker than me...

-- Simon

[tom]

One of the problems with the left and right direction force keys is that it's a keyboard only feature right now. I'd really like to see this available for mouse only (ie. clones belt) users. Perhaps the mouse wheel can be used to indication the direction, but currently we use the this for selecting nearby clones. It all depends on which function would be more useful to the player. What do you think about this? Personally I don't use the mouse wheel but I know rt uses this often.

[rt]

Personally I don't use the mouse wheel but I know rt uses this often.

There are a few cases where use the wheel to select a clone:
- A pack of clones is heading to a cliff, so i click in the pack and scroll quickly to the leader of the pack, then to the one just behind the leader and doppel. the leader goes on to mold over the cliff.
- A molder starts bulding in a pack, and i want the clone just behind him to spin up away, or to drill to cut off the rest of the pack.
- I can make make clones lop quickly from a small group.
- the clone i selected is too late for whatever i wanted him to do, so i quickly scroll back to a clone in the right position
- if i'm using the belt and i click the wrong clone i can scroll around to pick one facing the the right way, kind of a hack around the directional force.