Key binding question - too much buttons, or am i bad?

[Mozzi]

Hello everyone! Just returned to SWTOR after 2 years break, and must admit, that the game is looking very nice atm. I should say, i was playing WoW for several years, since 2009 i think, and i never had any issues with controls there, my binds were always enough, but here in SWTOR i really suffer because my chars have too much abilities i really need every time. I like to have multiple alts, so right now, i have a 57 vg, 53 operative, 43 jugg and 31 merc. And every character, maybe except my merc, has more abilities than i have buttons.

My binds are - 1, 2, 3, 4, q, e, r, f, v, g, x, z, t, s-q, s-e, s-r, s-f, s-x, s-c, mouse 1, mouse 2, mouse 3. At the moment, my jugg has 10 (!!!) damaging abilities, and i need to hit em all to make my dps. I also had to throw away Slash. I am lack of 5-6 binds, same situation on my operative. What do you think, is it normal to have such problem? I ask, cause in WoW, even in times when there were very much abilities my binds were fine, and then the developers just deleted many not interesting abilities, some abilities were united in one, and the game became more fun to play, cause its no more need to act like a piano player. Maybe SWTOR needs something like that? For example Ravage can have the effect of Sundering assault, and some useless abilities could be deleted?

[LodSock]

I hears ya. Kinda sucks to have so many abilities. SWToR needs ability pruning. Get rid of the rarely used or useless abilities, and or roll some into others.

 

I'm kinda in same boat with it. I feel like I have to bind everything to be effective in PvP.

[cxten]

There are indeed many abilities to bind. Everyone has their own setup.

 

I use everything from 1QAZ to 6YHB plus a modifier key on many of these. I adjust the movement keys (the ones I keep at least) over one space to the right to give myself useful keys to their left as well. I also rebind (in the registry) caps lock to a modifier key (no loss there) which personally I find easier to use than shift.

 

There's also the tons-o-mouse-buttons route, of course.

 

In your situation the simplest adjustment might be just adding s-1 through s-4 for example.

Edited September 9, 2015 by cxten

[Mewmaster]

yeah, agreed. SWTOR has serious ability Bloat.

[FerkWork]

Amount of abilities is fine. I enjoy the variety. As for me I hardly keybind beyond 1234 and do quite fine.

[Qouivandes]

I have a razor kb with five thumb buttons under the space bar.

my movement keys: asdf

then i use the qwertzxcvbgh keys for abilities. this gets magnified as i use the first three thumb button to use the same keys over again just placing my thumb on one of those thumb buttons.

i also have three buttons on my Logitech thumb ball mouse (two index, scroll press). i use the same thumb keys to cover the three keys three additional times .

 

Action Bar 1: Q W E R T Z X C V B G H

Action Bar 2: Thumb button 1 + Q W E R T Z X C V B G H

Action Bar 3: Thumb button 2 + Q W E R T Z X C V B G H

Action Bar 4: Mouse 1, Mouse 2, Mouse 3, then Thumb 1+ M1-3, thumb 2 + M1-3, thumb 3 + M1-3.

Action Bar 5: Keys 1-6, then thumb 2 + Keys 1-6. (these are my stims, huttball, etc)

Action Bar 6: for now, this bar doesnt use any keys at all. its mostly my stances/ammo/quicktravel, etc.

 

the majority of my actions take place through the first four action bars and are pretty easy to get to. Action Bar 5 isnt difficult and i use that for pvp stuff and consumables.

 

my only major issue i have is two fold: one is that whenever i make a new toon (altaholic) i have to redo all my keybinds (there are more in other parts of my keyboard) so i wish they would let keybinds work like the interface editor. second, since i typically put similar abilities on the same keys (heals, for example) switching toons becomes crazy for a while as i have to reset my mind to new abilities. which can be humorous when i am trying to heal someone and i am on my Knight because i just logged off of my sorc. so, if you ever see me running around a pvp zone like a chicken with its head cut off...yea...i just switched toons and hitting the wrong buttons.

[Mozzi]

Amount of abilities is fine. I enjoy the variety. As for me I hardly keybind beyond 1234 and do quite fine.

 

I found enjoyable only the tactics vanguard gameplay, cause there you have to timing your abilities to make an incredible burst. 'Fun' during the gameplay is not 'on sh*t, i need to push this one, this, and this one too or i die', its all about positioning and pushing right buttons in the right moment. As juggernaut you have to jump, ravage, choke and then the game begins called 'beat up your keyboard', cause every of 10 damaging abilities looks like 'deals X damage, has X cooldown', thats all. What difference between Scream. Burst and Saber throw, except range? we really need a mechanics improvement, to keep every class gameplay interesting and fun.

[Mozzi]

I have a razor kb with five thumb buttons under the space bar.

my movement keys: asdf

then i use the qwertzxcvbgh keys for abilities. this gets magnified as i use the first three thumb button to use the same keys over again just placing my thumb on one of those thumb buttons.

i also have three buttons on my Logitech thumb ball mouse (two index, scroll press). i use the same thumb keys to cover the three keys three additional times .

 

Action Bar 1: Q W E R T Z X C V B G H

Action Bar 2: Thumb button 1 + Q W E R T Z X C V B G H

Action Bar 3: Thumb button 2 + Q W E R T Z X C V B G H

Action Bar 4: Mouse 1, Mouse 2, Mouse 3, then Thumb 1+ M1-3, thumb 2 + M1-3, thumb 3 + M1-3.

Action Bar 5: Keys 1-6, then thumb 2 + Keys 1-6. (these are my stims, huttball, etc)

Action Bar 6: for now, this bar doesnt use any keys at all. its mostly my stances/ammo/quicktravel, etc.

 

the majority of my actions take place through the first four action bars and are pretty easy to get to. Action Bar 5 isnt difficult and i use that for pvp stuff and consumables.

 

my only major issue i have is two fold: one is that whenever i make a new toon (altaholic) i have to redo all my keybinds (there are more in other parts of my keyboard) so i wish they would let keybinds work like the interface editor. second, since i typically put similar abilities on the same keys (heals, for example) switching toons becomes crazy for a while as i have to reset my mind to new abilities. which can be humorous when i am trying to heal someone and i am on my Knight because i just logged off of my sorc. so, if you ever see me running around a pvp zone like a chicken with its head cut off...yea...i just switched toons and hitting the wrong buttons.

 

i bow before you, man. you should be a kind of piano player to make all of it possible) maybe i should improve my skills, but it will be hard after 7 years playing on the same binds and having no troubles. I really cant imagine how do i use B or H bind, cause in pvp you always need to have your thumbs on WASD (if you use this type for movement)

[Cox_The_Beast]

I think it depends on the class too... As Sniper I barely fill 4 of my Quickbars anyway, thanks to the cover bar...

 

That said, I use a particular setup that works for me, but that I'm pretty sure nobody else will find good...

 

I go with 1-0 plus the two button on the Right of it, ' and ì on my keyboard, for my first quickbar.

The second one is the same, but with Shift pressed.

Other skills I either set to the button Left from the 1 if it's an AoE, \ in my case, or to buttons from the NumPad, + and - included. It works nicely for me, since I don't have a gaming mouse.

 

That said, I don't mind the amount of abilities, tbh. Many of them are situational, and some don't even get to be worth using, on some Disciplines.

[RAVM]

yeah, agreed. SWTOR has serious ability Bloat.

 

Yes, and gets worse with every expansion. Seems to me the industry and even other Bioware teams are going in the other direction (DA:I, though too restrictive IMO) but someone at Bioware Austin is convinced that no matter what, more abilities = more fun.

[BenduKundalini]

Only 5+1 abilities in ESO

 

Another bar of 5+1 that you can switch to at level 15... (the +1 is an "ultimate" which needs to be charged up with all others)

 

I loved that game but absolutely hated that. I love the many abilities in SWTOR. Thinking up good ergonomic keyboard binding is part of the deal for me.

[Darth-Rammstein]

This game does have a lot of abilities. I have 4 bars fully keybound.

[RoadyRagey]

Tbh this is a main reason I haven't/cant learn to keybind, There is just too much for my head to remember, Im 32! too old for this!, So unfortunately for me ill always be known as a clicker, I don't mind clicking, But trying to be a competitive pvper by clicking, I always feel I could probably do better if I bound, Its just too much for me... Trim abilitys! For us old folk!

[psandak]

OP, I'm not going to say you are bad, but coming from someone who has a physical handicap that results in diminished fine motor control and cramping (Cerebral Palsy), I find the number of regularly used abilities to be just fine.

 

I use the standard key bind layout (1 through =, combining them with shift and alt so that 95% of the most commonly used abilities fall on 1-6 [that's 18 possible abilities and do not use them all]), and I am in a progression raiding group, I hold my own quite well in unranked PvP (not really interested in ranked PvP), when I did GSF I was pretty good there too. I have tried alternate key bind layouts, but because I have been using the standard for a VERY long time, I have reverted every time.

[BenduKundalini]

Tbh this is a main reason I haven't/cant learn to keybind, There is just too much for my head to remember, Im 32! too old for this!, So unfortunately for me ill always be known as a clicker, I don't mind clicking, But trying to be a competitive pvper by clicking, I always feel I could probably do better if I bound, Its just too much for me... Trim abilitys! For us old folk!

 

Hey friend I was born 10 years before your time and I love to keybind... trick is muscle memory takes a few moments to break habit but once it sinks it you're good to go! Trust me on this one.

 

OP, I'm not going to say you are bad, but coming from someone who has a physical handicap that results in diminished fine motor control and cramping (Cerebral Palsy), I find the number of regularly used abilities to be just fine.

 

I use the standard key bind layout (1 through =, combining them with shift and alt so that 95% of the most commonly used abilities fall on 1-6 [that's 18 possible abilities and do not use them all]), and I am in a progression raiding group, I hold my own quite well in unranked PvP (not really interested in ranked PvP), when I did GSF I was pretty good there too. I have tried alternate key bind layouts, but because I have been using the standard for a VERY long time, I have reverted every time.

 

There! Gratz!

[Mozzi]

Only 5+1 abilities in ESO

 

Another bar of 5+1 that you can switch to at level 15... (the +1 is an "ultimate" which needs to be charged up with all others)

 

I loved that game but absolutely hated that. I love the many abilities in SWTOR. Thinking up good ergonomic keyboard binding is part of the deal for me.

 

Hey, i played ESO too, got to vet rank 5, and i should say that mechanics which limits the abilities you can use is really SUCKS. I like variety too, but it shouldn't bee too much of abilities which are quite similar. I read some posts here and i am surprised, how people could use binds like Shift+8 or Ctrl+T, it means you cant move while you use it, and in pvp you cannot stand still

[Kirameki]

I only bound most used skills to my naga. SWTOR is the first game where I've seen so many skills.

[PavSalco]

Bioware Austin is convinced that no matter what, more abilities = more fun.

But I believe it too. The more abilities we have and the more they are balanced, the more choices we have in our rotation. I would love to see two viable rotation for each class instead of just one set in stone. Keybindings? As long as someone doesn't do hard operations or pvp, they are not needed. But if people do play hard content, they need to manage about 20 binds. It's not that bad. If someone has over 20, it means he has unnecessary binds to skills that he shouldn't use or are not that important to bind. For instance, binding Assault, Smash and Vicious Slash on Vengeance Juggernaut is just a waste of keybinds.

Edited September 10, 2015 by PavSalco

[Rouakh]

I have 20-25 depends on the character. I get used to it and can play it like piano with no eyes. But I agreed that the game is overladed with abilities.

[JSitruc]

i only have 1 key bound, beyond my movements WASD. That is R for my interrupts. I am a clicker, and line up all of my rotational abilities so that I can click them easily. The global cooldowns that are forced between abilities make being a clicker extremely easy.

 

granted, i only dps. I have no interest in tanking, ever, and the only time I heal is in SM's if needed. With that said, its easy as dps to be a clicker

Edited September 10, 2015 by JSitruc

[Qouivandes]

i bow before you, man. you should be a kind of piano player to make all of it possible) maybe i should improve my skills, but it will be hard after 7 years playing on the same binds and having no troubles. I really cant imagine how do i use B or H bind, cause in pvp you always need to have your thumbs on WASD (if you use this type for movement)

 

i started rebinding keys in JK: JA to something that i could use more fluidly which is were the left ( A ), right ( S ), Backwards ( D ). forwards ( F ). and then setting abilities in the range that i could hit with my left hand while still being able to move.

I also majored in music in college for almost three years before i went over to MIS. so "keying" is part a part of me. My son, however, uses the default wasd keys...which i find annoying...and gets aggravated when I change them whin picking up one the games he plays. because, now, i dont know if i could play any game where i couldnt rebind to my standard.

[AbaddonDes]

I have a razor naga mouse. I have 14 buttons on the mouse and 1-0. It's barely enough, and honestly the abilities I don't use much I just take off the action bars. It's rather annoying. I've played many MMO's, but this one does seem to have the most active abilities that you actually need to use in any given fight.

[Vagenius]

I play SWTOR on and off all the time and the only thing that just throws me off is the amount of abilities I have to use. I have a Razer Naga and I literally use all of my buttons. It's kind of overwhelming when I come from some of the other mmo's I play. I was coming to the forums now to see if there was any news about ability pruning. They need to get rid of some stuff big time or bake things into one another because it's a bit frustrating. I'm one of those people that wants to use everything I need and my fingers get tired when playing SWTOR. I really hope they can trim down the active abilities, maybe combine some and get rid of some or just make some more passives.

[Chicktopus]

Yes, and gets worse with every expansion. Seems to me the industry and even other Bioware teams are going in the other direction (DA:I, though too restrictive IMO) but someone at Bioware Austin is convinced that no matter what, more abilities = more fun.

 

I think with additional quickslot/keybind options and some intelligence behind it, much of the problem can be alleviated.

 

I.e. The option to define macros for keys -- Say, bind quickslot 1 to a macro. This macro changes the ability based on some condition we can define:

 

Retaliation available -> Retaliation : otherwise Assault

Click 1:Saber Strike -> Click 2:Thrash

Ability pressed: Shock -> Ability Held -> Force Lighning

[LordRaeth]

I got 12 buttons on my mouse and I also use 1 to 4 on the keyboard, every other ability that's not as important but still useful is on 5 to + which I have to use my mouse to click, it's a pain but it's the only way I feel comfortable.