The Keyboard Warrior!

The way it's not meant to be played.

When talking about almost any kind of videogame, the discussion usually centers on the output side of things. You know, the stuff you see on the screen and the sounds that come from the speaker. The input - that being, the tool being used to actually play the game might not even get a mention, and that's always weird since I find most control methods to be downright unusable. Each game has its own optimal way to be played, and it doesn't just come down to the type of controller, but to the button or key configuration.

I need to preface this saying that even though I love old games and movies, I didn't grow up in the time of old games and movies. I grew up in the 2000's, which was more like the age of emulators and piracy. So I used what I had to play these games, which was a keyboard, and it seemed to be adequate enough for most kinds of games. So that's what I ended up getting used to and it's almost always my preferred peripheral to play with. So what's the issue there? Well, it seems a lot of people have a problem with that. There's of course the ones who will call me a blasphemer, a heretic, all that kinda stuff, but I'd like to believe they're just kidding around and aren't actually being 'authenticity' snobs.

No, the bigger issue is how many games have a complete disregard for keyboard players. An obvious example is the Megaman X Legacy Collection, where there is keyboard support, but you can only map buttons to the keys ASDZXC and the arrows, and nothing else. Then there's games which refuse to allow 2 players on the same keyboard, and games which work with one player on a keyboard, but don't allow one player on a keyboard and one player on a controller. It's *gotta* be 2 controllers for multiplayer. This kinda crap goes right by people whose preference is the controller, so I'm in the minority here with these issues. Just by playing the kinds of games I enjoy the most, I end up constantly having to use Autohotkey to remap buttons the way I like 'em, and UCR to emulate a controller using my keyboard. And when the hassle becomes too great, it just ends up taking the fun out of the game.

This kinda problem also finds itself in conventions. Whenever there's a game out there for people to play, there'll be a controller, and it's easy to see why. With keyboards there's a ton of buttons and you can accidentally press a key such as the infernal Windows key that'll close out the game. With a controller, you can't really mess up on that front. There's few buttons so you find the ones that do something very quickly, and the buttons that could end the game are obvious and out of the way. It's sadly just something that feels exclusive for me, since I can't fully enjoy games without the right input method. Smash Bros for example feels so incredibly loose to play with an analog stick to me that it's like I'm a beginner, I keep jumping by accident, jumping and moving at the same time is an enormous struggle, and I keep getting the buttons confused all the time. It basically means that I'm no match for anyone even though I'd be doing just fine if I just had my darn keyboard. And if I tell 'em that, well you imagine how they're gonna look at me.

Alright, so I understand that whatever you grew up with is what's gonna suit you best. But I'm in a minority that prefers keyboards, in a minority of gamers who prefer old arcade games. It makes me a weirdo in a group of weirdos, and it's been cooking up a bitterness in me that I'm gonna let out right here. I'm not only gonna say it's fine to play with a keyboard, I'm gonna lay out why it is the best choice for most games that exist. I'm not gonna waste time making the arguement for games that were specifically designed for mouse and keyboard such as FPS and RTS games, since it's obvious you shouldn't be using a controller for those.

Just a heads up: The following is a rant. I kinda want to avoid having nothing but angry rants on my site, since I want to have more positive thought excercises overall, but man, this is something I just can't allow to stir up inside me any longer. Just don't take it too serious!

So let's start off with my favourite genre, 2D platformers. Analog sticks are usually pointless in these with a few exceptions like Rayman Legends, but why should the arrow keys be better than d-pads? The crucial part is that with controllers, you're mostly using your thumbs, which you have two of. With a keyboard, you've got four fingers and even your thumbs are available. Yeah there's the claw grip or whatever but if you're gonna hold a controller in such an uncomfortable manner then there's obviously no point. Alright, back to d-pads, why is using three fingers on the arrows better than one thumb on the d-pad? It's simply faster to raise a finger and lower another than to rock the pad from one side to the other. You're also far more precise and are never ever going to accidentally duck or jump. Diagonals are never a problem unlike with some d-pads, and even doubletapping feels more natural.

Buttons are the same deal. The only way you can play a platformer with a controller is by having the jump and action buttons in a line, so you can mash them both at the same time with your thumb. Or, you could just go back to the keyboard and have a separate finger for each action. Seems far cleverer to me!

For shmups, the story is the same. You've got the power of precision with the arrow keys, and it's what you need to weave through the curtain of bullets. Ah but fighting games, you need a stick or d-pad to do circle motions, right? Turns out they're quite easy to do on keyboard too, well except for full circles, but I'm not mad enough to play any game that requires full circle motions. Even z-motions can be done reliably with practice, so I'd say it's about even except that you're still gonna be faster and more precise on a keyboard.

Let's get into more heated territory: 3D platformers. Surely this is the uncontested realm of the analog controller, but wait, there's something we're missing here.

The thing about the mouse is that you're using your wrist, which is more precise than your thumb. That's also one of the reasons as to why it's better for aiming in an FPS. Now, you can't move your character around with the mouse, but you *can* set up the camera to face the angle down to the precise degree that you'd like your character to move towards. This is noticeably great in the few games that support it such as Sonic Utopia. Here the character moves incredibly fast but I never step out of line - it's the closest I've gotten to feeling like I really am the character and could do whatever I wanted. Sadly, most 3D platformers can't be played with a keyboard and mouse setup which is just upsetting, it means I can never properly enjoy them.

I feel like controllers in general have led to games becoming worse as they cater to them. Take 'lock on' systems for example, what's the point? With a mouse I can aim perfectly, why would I ever need to lock on? Ahh it's the controller peasants again who can only just barely manage to point their camera in the general direction of their target. Megaman Legends is a tragic victim of being made for controllers, and it's a shame because it's one I'd really love to play. I just refuse to wrangle with controller aiming when I know we've already figured out how to do this properly.

Then there's the butchered inventory systems because controllers don't have enough buttons, and they don't have the luxury of a mouse to quickly select the item they want. It's just, no matter which way you look at it, these things are so limited compared to what's out there. Sure they've got analog support but there's analog keyboards too if you feel like that's a big deal.

If you still really think 3D platformers should cater to controllers, try playing S4 League with a controller. I dunno, I don't think that would go so well.

Two more things: Here's my keyboard setup for 2D platformers. I've been called a crab for playing like this.

I don't quite understand why so many people have a problem with this. My index finger is on Z(qwerty keyboard), and my middle finger is longer than the index finger. It reaches out to the A perfectly. Is it just my hand that's weird?

And here's my optimal setup for playing Magical Drop. This is for the comfy single handed gamers out there.

Alright I'm done. All that is to say, rock on to all gamers out there, and don't judge or gatekeep based on how others like to enjoy their games. Whether it's with a weird controller, or on easy mode, or with cheats, they're just games.