Anybody have recommended keybinds?

VivisectorVivisector Tacoma, Wa Join Date: 2016-06-27 Member: 219168Members
Something I've noticed over the years playing NS2 (I only created a forum account recently and I don't play that often) is that I always seem to forget the default keybinds. Not only that but the bindings are kind of spread out across the keyboard. I may just create a profile and use my extra mouse keys for some common commands but until then does anyone have any recommended keybinds they use for their memorability/functionality?

Comments

  • The_Welsh_WizardThe_Welsh_Wizard Join Date: 2013-09-10 Member: 188101Members, Reinforced - Supporter
    I think everyone got different keybindings because it is only personal preference.

    I Put the map key and the crouch key on my mouse buttons for example.
  • VivisectorVivisector Tacoma, Wa Join Date: 2016-06-27 Member: 219168Members
    Yeah I really should give myself quicker access to the map key. I always seem to forget that one.
  • NordicNordic Long term camping in Kodiak Join Date: 2012-05-13 Member: 151995Members, NS2 Playtester, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Supporter, Reinforced - Silver, Reinforced - Shadow
    I put my microphone key on Mouse 4, where my thumb is.
  • AurOn2AurOn2 COOKIES! FREEDOM, AND BISCUITS! Australia Join Date: 2012-01-13 Member: 140224Members, Forum Moderators, NS2 Playtester, Forum staff
    edited June 2016
    I have build and map both bound to q, being my strength is positioning, not aim, so map knowledge is key for me to play well.

    If you don't have an officemouse (i.e one with no special buttins on it) I suggest you put if nothing else, microphone on one of the special buttons, as suggested above. put it close to where you leave your hand, (which is probably nearby WASD/WAXD or whatever azerty has as default 4 movement keys.)

    Everything else is.... well.. personal taste. Just remember if you find yourself doing 2 tasks simultaneously a lot of the time, then it's possibly a good idea to merge the keybinds - for efficiency's sake.
  • NominousNominous Baltimore, MD Join Date: 2012-02-18 Member: 146518Members
    As Auron mentioned, I highly recommend binding your most frequently-used actions close to your movement keys. Less-used actions should be further away from the movement keys. This works well for all games that use the keyboard. You might even want to switch your movement keys from WASD to ESDF in order to open up more keyboard real estate.

    For example, most of my keybinds from top to bottom rows are:
    1 = RequestHealth
    2 = RequestAmmo
    3 = RequestOrder
    4 = Weapon3
    
    Q = Weapon1
    E = Use
    R = Weapon2
    T = Drop
    
    F = ShowMap
    G = RequestWeld
    
    Z = Scoreboard
    C = Reload
    V = Buy
    B = ShowTechMap
    N = LastUpgrades
    

    I don't recommend copying my keybinds. Decide for yourself which actions are most important to you and bind them to keys that you'll be able to learn and remember quickly.

    For example, Weapon1 and Weapon2 are most important to me since I often switch to the pistol/parasite/metabolize in combat. Their close placement to the movement keys lets me press them without a second thought or glancing at my keyboard. I'm too used to the Use action being bound to E across multiple games, and I need to hold it as a marine in order to build while often needing to move at the same time, so I keep it on E. I use ShowMap often in order to gain intel, so F is a good, close key. Reload is also pretty important, but I needed the R key for loosely placing the Weapon actions close to each other, so Reload is rebound to C, which is easy to press. I find the number keys hard to press, except for 4 and possibly 3 or 5, so 1-3 are bound to Request actions, which I use pretty often. As you can see, less-used actions like ShowTechMap and LastUpgrades are placed pretty far away; I often need to glance at my keyboard in order to press them. This is the sort of thought process I went through in order to decide which actions should go where. Hope this helps!
  • ValoValo Join Date: 2005-03-22 Member: 46102Members, Constellation, NS2 Playtester
    It's a highly personal thing. I have some pretty strange bindings, but they work for me - minimizing finger movement distance. My logic is very similar to Nominous - number keys are awkward to hit!
    WASD: movement
    E: weapon slot 1
    Q: next weapon
    R: reload & 2ndary attack (don't like having blink on the mouse)
    T: use
    Mwheel down: jump
    Space: unbound (used to spam it too much during engagements decreasing acc)
    Mwheel up: rebound as LMB for pistol
    Mouse4 &5: ammo/meds
  • HandschuhHandschuh Join Date: 2005-03-08 Member: 44338Members, NS2 Playtester, NS2 Community Developer
    Same here..ns1 style


    qer = weaponslot1-3 for faster weaponswitching
    Shift crouch
    Mwheel jump
  • BeigeAlertBeigeAlert Texas Join Date: 2013-08-08 Member: 186657Members, Super Administrators, Forum Admins, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Squad Five Silver, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Diamond, Reinforced - Shadow, Subnautica Playtester, Pistachionauts
    Only changes I've made to the defaults for myself is mouse4 for voice chat, mouse5 for quick switch, and v for drop/eject instead of g.
  • VivisectorVivisector Tacoma, Wa Join Date: 2016-06-27 Member: 219168Members
    I just bound map and mic to my extra mouse buttons. Extremely useful.
    I never played NS1 so I don't know how the keybinds work there. Maybe I'll try it. Being able to jump easier as a Skulk would be great.
  • SnoowSnoow Join Date: 2010-07-22 Member: 72659Members
    I just wish that we could bind the jump to two different keys (space and mwheel), like any source game.

    I don't know about this, but is there a way to bind a key to request welding and send a message to your team in the same key? People doesn't seem to hear the "request welding" sound. I've tried some console commands but the "teamsay" doesn't seem to work.
  • BeigeAlertBeigeAlert Texas Join Date: 2013-08-08 Member: 186657Members, Super Administrators, Forum Admins, NS2 Developer, NS2 Playtester, Squad Five Blue, Squad Five Silver, NS2 Map Tester, Reinforced - Diamond, Reinforced - Shadow, Subnautica Playtester, Pistachionauts
    Why do you want to bind jump to mouse wheel? There's no bunny-hopping in ns2.
  • SnoowSnoow Join Date: 2010-07-22 Member: 72659Members
    BeigeAlert wrote: »
    Why do you want to bind jump to mouse wheel? There's no bunny-hopping in ns2.

    Well, that's a pretty common key bind for anyone that played any Half-Life game. Will it be useful? I don't know, but why can't we have it?

    And what about the console commands? In Natural Selection 1 we could do something like this to ask for Meds:
    bind x "impulse 10; say_team Medpack please!"
    

    Is there a way to do that in NS2? I was searching the wiki for the console commands and I found that some of them don't even work, like the "teamsay" one.

    Also, can we bind a key to mute/unmute voice chat?

    I know, that's a lot of questions but I couldn't find it anywhere else.

    Thanks in advance.
  • HandschuhHandschuh Join Date: 2005-03-08 Member: 44338Members, NS2 Playtester, NS2 Community Developer
    edited April 2018
    Using mwheel-jump as a button won't work unless it starts the queue or holds down the jumpkey somehow

    In general not being able to bind 2 keys is really bad
  • NintendowsNintendows Join Date: 2016-11-07 Member: 223716Members, Squad Five Blue
    At least everyone is on an equal playing field.
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