Hotkeys: Both dir selects on same finger?

[Simon]

Here is the current default, and my own I've used throughout 2013 and 2014. Runner is on shift in both cases, and not shown.

flo | dig | bsh | jmp | pla
wal |  <  | bui |  >  | min
nuk | blo | bat | exp | cli

flo | dig | bsh | jmp | pla
<  |  >  | bui | wal | min
nuk | blo | bat | exp | cli

My custom layout (2nd diagram) prevents directional select on the same finger as important skills. The standard one (1st diagram) has directional select on the typical arrow key fingers.

A problem in both layouts is walker-jumper in quick succesion. That is a very common roll in multiplayer: turn around and jump. It sucks when it's on the same finger (my layout). It's still not comfortable when the short index finger must reach higher than the long middle finger (standard layout). I feel like both keys should be mapped to easier keys.

Two days later:

geoo was concerned about directional force clashing with many keys, no matter how we have been mapping it.

<SimonN> the problem with A/S, right -- dir select is used often, and keyboard layout designers recommend to use strong fingers for common letters; it also clashes with arrow key layout
<NaOH> why not use E/D for directional select, then it's just one finger
<SimonN> smart

My new layout, which is not the standard:



Middle finger is used for directional force, the index finger hits the six keys to the right. The six keys to the left are ring- and little finger.

We want to avoid the following combinations on a single finger: walker-jumper, (basher|miner)-jumper, jumper-climber, jumper-floater. Maybe jumper and builder shall be swapped back back to what NaOH was suggesting, jumper in the homerow and builder underneath. We'll have to experiment.

Problem: Batter is often dir-forced. On a staggered keyboard, the top row is staggered to the left, the bottom row to the right. Hitting batter and then force-left feels super strange now. X-(

-- Simon

[namida]

Although I'd have to try it before saying for sure, at first glance having both directional selects on the same finger doesn't appeal to me...

[Simon]

It's a radical idea, and we haven't been testing it either.

Will see whether we can test tonight!

-- Simon

[Nepster]

I have no clue about the arguments made in IRC, but what about swapping the batter and the exploder?

[Simon]

dig | min |  <  | pla | nuk
wal | bsh |  >  | bui | bat
cli | exp | flo | jmp | blo

I haven't thought about that yet, it's good thing to try. I'm now back at home and ready to try out things.

-- Simon

[Simon]

After the first night with serious games, the layout feels like a strange concoction. >_>

Dir select on the same finger is weird. Using it conciously feels powerful. I can't hit it right without thinking though. I hit any two keys with two different fingers and hope they're what I want, and they rarely are.

Maybe I should learn the skill keys without directional select first, and dirforce only when I don't make mistakes with skills anymore.

-- Simon