I've been thinking of how to group keyboard directional control schemes (with tags). Many platforms have schemes associated with them or rarely have them for various reasons. For instance, numeric pad is not common on non-IBM PCs. IJKL was common for Apple ][. WASD for 1st-person games (clear back to the Plato platform). Commodore used LeftArrow-RightArrow-ShiftLeftArrow-ShiftRightArrow (because there were no up and down on early systems). Sinclair favoured 5678. This can be interesting when a game is ported or cloned and keeps the original controls rather that using the expected ones for the new platform. Also is used for nostalgia. I recall that many Lode Runner clones, and even later official games in the series, enable IJKL by default. Because the original Apple ][ version used IJKL. This goes hand-in-hand with non-directional control schemes. Ctrl-Alt-Shift, LeftShift-RightShift (or Ctrl, Alt, Super, Meta), 0., /*-+, DXCVspace
If editors are interested in this, I'll start a list.
Also, might suggest alternative ways to group directional control schemes. Such as inverted T, T, Horizontal 4 (HJKL), Diamond 8 (roguelike), Bent Horizontal (ASDC), Diamond 4 (QWAS), HJKL, bent diamond (IJKM).
WASD IJKL HJKL Arrows numpad etc
Personally I think this goes too deep down for tagging purposes, but if you want to do this do it.
I personally would rather record games that use non-"standard" controls, like Blackthorne for DOS (outside of arrow keys, the controls are arcane science).
I'm not the only weirdo who's interested in this:
Techspot discussion (includes keyboard control schemes)
Techspot discussion (includes keyboard control schemes)
Whoops, a three years old thread...
For so specific and atomic data, I would prefer to add a specific field to the DB.
You have listed some common options ( and in that link there is my favourite, QAOPM )
Please list here the options (o give a link, I bet there is a list somewhere) I'm only worried that doing this would quickly evolve to supporting joysticks and so on... And from there list all joystick brands, and then who knows ;D
For so specific and atomic data, I would prefer to add a specific field to the DB.
You have listed some common options ( and in that link there is my favourite, QAOPM )
Please list here the options (o give a link, I bet there is a list somewhere) I'm only worried that doing this would quickly evolve to supporting joysticks and so on... And from there list all joystick brands, and then who knows ;D
This topic also relates to gamepad control standards, how X is always the quick attack and A is jump, but there's also the scheme brought into greater light where shoulder buttons are the attacks, and there's third one that tries to simulate gun handling with the shoulder buttons, too.
On the keyboard layout standards, besides the WASD-part, there's other standards and deviations, like R being reload and C crouch, while in others alt is crouch and C is reload. There's small groupings of keys that wander on the side of the other standard. Common side button wandering include reload, crouch, melee attack, grenade toss, but these have been largely standardized now to R=reload, C=crouch, G=grenade, and F=melee, Q/E=lean.
On the keyboard layout standards, besides the WASD-part, there's other standards and deviations, like R being reload and C crouch, while in others alt is crouch and C is reload. There's small groupings of keys that wander on the side of the other standard. Common side button wandering include reload, crouch, melee attack, grenade toss, but these have been largely standardized now to R=reload, C=crouch, G=grenade, and F=melee, Q/E=lean.