🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <3efspr$e...@tribune.usask.ca>, wvl...@duke.usask.ca (Wayne Verner Larsen) says:
>
>I just got Descent last night, and I love it already.  My only concern is 
>how to control everything without a good 3d joystick (I have a plain 
>gravis).  Right now I've been using the numeric keypad to control 
>acceleration, and sliding.  Does anybody else have any ideas?
>
>Wayne Larsen

This must be the most frequently asked hint, but I haven't personally found
those configurations that have been posted here any good. So, here is my
(and a couple of my friends) key config, which seems to work well at least with
the keyboard & finger control I have:

Q=Forward
S=Reverse
TAB=Bank on
LALT=Slide on

+those not needed all the time:
SPC=Automap
Caps Lock=Rear view

That is for left hand, and right hand uses joystick or mouse. I like 'slide on'
better than separate slide keys because then you have an analog slide, which is
very nice in a tight battle situation giving very accurate aiming & still chance
for a fast evade (not to mention that you don't run out of fingers).

-Juha Korsimo

>Q=Forward
>S=Reverse
>TAB=Bank on
>LALT=Slide on
>
>+those not needed all the time:
>SPC=Automap
>Caps Lock=Rear view
>
>Thatis for left hand, and right hand uses joystick or mouse. I like 'slide on'
>better than eparate slide keys because then you have an analog slide, which is
>very nice n atight battle situation giving very accurate aiming & still chance
>for a fast evade (not to mention that you don't run out of fingers).
>
>-Juha

I agree that one really needs 12 fingers for Descent. Still, I prefer the
directional slide keys because without them I can't circle opponents facing
them, a big plus in Anarchy two-player mode. Left slide + right jstick, etc.
Very fun. I remember when I discovered you could assign directional strafe
keys in DOOM; raised my level of play immeasurably. Same kind of thing here,
there's just four of them.

For the curious:

Flightstick: pitch, yaw, fire primary and secondary

F/V: accelerate forwards / backwards (left index finger)
Q/E: roll left / right (rarely used, left pinky and middle finger)

W/S: slide up / down (left ring finger)
A/D: slide left / right (left pinky and middle finger)

Caps Lock: rear view (left pinky)
Tab: automap (left pinky)
Space: flare. (I particularly like this, thumb rests right on it.)

-- 
song...@bga.com                                                    Austin, TX
  And every one of them words rang true and glowed like burning coals
  Pouring off of every page like it was written in my soul from me to you
                                                                   - Bob Dylan