Key Binding: Necessary?

[Curmedy]

I live and breath PvP in this game, that's all I ever do. And I eventually want to get into ranked WZs and find a team to roll with. Most people I talk to use key binds and say it helps them become a better player. This makes me nervous because I don't use KB at all, and it's making me think I won't be as good as I should be if I click.

 

I guess my question would be; Is it necessary to use Key Binds or can I click and be just as effective?

 

I have my tray set up to where I have each type of move mapped out in different sections of my tray, and I am already spam clicking the move I want to use next before the animation of my current attack is over. So it doesn't seem like I really need key binds. If I am comfortable and fluent with just clicking, is that good enough? Or does it really help that much to use key binds to the point I should just conform and use them, even if I'm not comfortable doing so? I know people will probably say of course at first it doesn't feel right to you since you've got to get use to it first, but is the hassle really worth it?

Edited July 26, 2013 by Curmedy

[OldSpiceSwag]

yes

 

/5char

[Sarielle]

Speaking from personal experience in another game ... my effectiveness shot WAY up when I switched from clicking to keybinding. (Not immediately as I needed to develop the muscle memory, but I could tell a big difference in a few days.) And that wasn't even a game I could move and cast at the same time in, like this one is (for some skills).

 

You will have much better control with your character while moving and casting/attacking if you keybind. It's no contest. If you're good as a clicker, you'd be great as a keybinder. I would recommend looking into a gaming mouse (I use Razer Naga, others prefer other brands) because SWTOR has a lot of skill bloat and it makes hitting stuff past No. 6 much easier.

 

/2 credits

 

EDIT: And this doesn't even take into consideration skills that ignore the global cooldown, where keybinding is undeniably superior to clicking.

Edited July 26, 2013 by Sarielle

[Gren-Aluren]

Yes it does. I have a Razer Naga which has 12 buttons on the side. I use them in combination with Shift, Ctrl and Alt. I use Q, E, R, X, C and F also. Just organize your abilities by type/purpose and it should make it easier to get the muscle memory for pressing all those buttons. For example numpad 4 (Keypad on mouse) is my stun for all classes with shift + 4 being my AoE Stun. If you organize your abilities correctly it won't be that hard to switch between alts.

[Keese]

My recomendation would be a 5 Button Mouse + this : http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-keyboards-keypads/razer-nostromo

 

Set 2 of the 5 buttons on the mouse up as modifiers ( Alt and Ctrl ) and you will have more than enough keybind options. I preffer this set up to a Naga cause the button layout is not as cramped.

Edited July 26, 2013 by Keese

[Carter_Mathis]

Keybinding is more effective (though hybrid clickers can outperfom them if they are just better at internet lightsabers). Since all these guys are suggesting rather harsh adjustments and you said you have no keybinds at all, I would suggest beginning with putting multiple off-the-global-cooldown abilities on keybinds and practicing with those first. Start with things like interrupt and defensive cooldowns and work from there.

[AdrianDmitruk]

I play on a crappy laptop keyboard with a crappy mouse, so I have to choose what I bind very carefully due to this game's skill bloat--that said keybindings for ground-target abilities (roughly in order: throw huttball, seismic grenades, aoe attacks, aoe heals) are essential to target them efficiently. This is followed closely in priority by keybinding abilities off GCD like interrupt, defensive cooldowns, recklessness/polarity shift, taunts, and (even though it is on GCD) lolroll.

 

It's nice if you can keybind all your major abilities but if you have to choose 10 or so keys you can reach easily and reliably in the heat of combat, without hitting the wrong key and accidentally blowing a 3 minute cooldown, I'd go with the above. Also some classes (usually ranged or healer) tend to be more forgiving of clicking than others (melee).

 

If you need to go from full clicker to full keybinder, I recommend rolling a new toon and learning keybinding from the ground up. I re-learned how to play my guardian that had been collecting dust for more than a year not by dusting him off, but by rolling a jugg, leveling the jugg up past 51, then changing the guardian's binds/quickbars to mirror the jugg's. Muscle memory will be less overwhelmed this way as you can pick it up gradually starting with only a few abilities and work your way up.

Edited July 26, 2013 by AdrianDmitruk

[Lordmird]

Just use an Xbox controller.

[kweassa]

I live and breath PvP in this game, that's all I ever do. And I eventually want to get into ranked WZs and find a team to roll with. Most people I talk to use key binds and say it helps them become a better player. This makes me nervous because I don't use KB at all, and it's making me think I won't be as good as I should be if I click.

 

I guess my question would be; Is it necessary to use Key Binds or can I click and be just as effective?

 

I have my tray set up to where I have each type of move mapped out in different sections of my tray, and I am already spam clicking the move I want to use next before the animation of my current attack is over. So it doesn't seem like I really need key binds. If I am comfortable and fluent with just clicking, is that good enough? Or does it really help that much to use key binds to the point I should just conform and use them, even if I'm not comfortable doing so? I know people will probably say of course at first it doesn't feel right to you since you've got to get use to it first, but is the hassle really worth it?

 

It just depends on how fast you can click. If you can click-activate an array of powers in accurate sequence as fast as any other, then hey, whatever makes you tick.

[LaVall]

There are many great players out there that click and you wouldn't know it playing against them. Is it necessary? No, with enough practice you can still do well in this game being a clicker because warzones are all objective based. However no matter how efficient you become at clicking, strafing, etc you're always going to be slightly more efficient if you were using keybinds instead. You can still be an amazing player as a clicker, but if you want to maximize your potential you'll want to start learning keybinds.

[ErikGW]

Key bindings are very helpful in maximizing your performance.

 

I would offer this advice, which you may accept a few pieces of:

- first thing, create bindings for E, R, F, V, X, C, Z.

- also add shift + those keys

- also add alt + those keys

- remove default bindings on similar keys (such as ctrl+s that disables sounds)

- remove other defaults such as alt+mousewheel to swap quickars.

 

Some other advice not mecessarily along the same lines but:

- set your camera max distance to the highest setting. Zooming far out is often useful in pvp.

- tab-targeting is not always ideal but sometimes is needed to pick out a target in a group. Enable the next target indicator, and set the targeting function to select from left to right instead of by distance.

- create keybinds for marking targets. I do those with ctrl and the keys suggested above.

 

A combination of key binds and clicking is ideal. Anything i can do with the mouse i can do with keys really. Funny thing, last week my mouse battery died in a match and i didnt miss a beat. But was a different experience!

 

I hope some of that helps. And have fun in RWZs :-)

Edited July 26, 2013 by ErikGW

[Allronix]

I keybind everything, but that's part because I've found it easier, especially with how fast PvP moves.

[cashogy_reborn]

if you want to maximize your potential, keybinding is essential.

 

if you want to go the extra mile, you could get an MMO oriented mouse, like the naga, g600 or m95

[ForsakenKing]

as a rule, you should be using key binds in this game. However, I have seen a couple of exceptions but only a couple. If you truly believe you are an exception, it will work but if you are like 99% of the community, you are going to need key binds. Edited July 26, 2013 by ForsakenKing

[TRENTakaBCAT]

Just use an Xbox controller.

 

[ManiacDavis]

It is definately a lot easier to keybind your buttons than to click them. Check out a few streams on twitch.tv to see how others have set up their UI/keybinds and find what works for you and your class.

[uncle_monty]

 

How would you call incomings, or otherwise communicate with your team?

[sanchito]

...

If you need to go from full clicker to full keybinder, I recommend rolling a new toon and learning keybinding from the ground up. I re-learned how to play my guardian that had been collecting dust for more than a year not by dusting him off, but by rolling a jugg, leveling the jugg up past 51, then changing the guardian's binds/quickbars to mirror the jugg's. Muscle memory will be less overwhelmed this way as you can pick it up gradually starting with only a few abilities and work your way up.

 

This is very good advice. also this guide by taugrim helped me a lot, even though i ended up with a pretty different set up

 

http://taugrim.com/2011/04/07/guide-to-strafing-movement-and-keybindings/

[Carter_Mathis]

It just depends on how fast you can click. If you can click-activate an array of powers in accurate sequence as fast as any other, then hey, whatever makes you tick.

 

Yeah, I get off a hundred clicks in 9.8 seconds so it can easily replicate the 1.5 second gcd. However, I'm pretty sure I'm also doing some permanent damage to my hand

[Timadan]

I clicked for a very long time, now I play entirely with key binds. The transition was a b##ch , I did it by leveling a new character and key binding/mouse moving from the gate. It took awhile however I'm a better player for it than when I was clicking skills and moving with keys.

[Joesixxpack]

I guess my question would be; Is it necessary to use Key Binds or can I click and be just as effective?

 

Process is:

1. Set up binds, suck at it, want to keep clicking due to habit and better clicking performance.

2. Force self to use binds.

3. Reevaluate binds set up, change as needed for smooth rotations etc. and keep forcing yourself to use binds.

4. Perform better than ever and laugh at former clicking self for not binding sooner.

 

I suggest an MMO mouse like a Naga, or at least a multi-button mouse. Whatever it is it needs to be ergonomic to your mouse grip style and hand.

[madtycoon]

There are many great players out there that click and you wouldn't know it playing against them. Is it necessary? No, with enough practice you can still do well in this game being a clicker because warzones are all objective based. However no matter how efficient you become at clicking, strafing, etc you're always going to be slightly more efficient if you were using keybinds instead. You can still be an amazing player as a clicker, but if you want to maximize your potential you'll want to start learning keybinds.

 

Well said.

[PoliteAssasin]

No its not necessary. Two words: global cooldown. People who like to trash on clickers just can't click fast themselves, so they set their own limitations upon others. Just do what feels more comfortable for you.

[Gronkaarr]

to me, the worst part about clicking is that you are probably then going to be using the keyboard to turn instead of using the mouse to turn

[Never_Hesitate]

No its not necessary. Two words: global cooldown. People who like to trash on clickers just can't click fast themselves, so they set their own limitations upon others. Just do what feels more comfortable for you.

 

Keyboard- vs mouseturning is the biggest thing that has driven me away from clicking