Custom controls tutorial

[sakura_chan 9]

Hey all, I've been playing Arma a long time now, and I don't think there are many posts about how to set up the controls properly. Everyone has there own setup, but the one I'm using now is so fast and reliable that using the default controls is unbearable. Most of the movement controls don't need tweaking, but all the mouse buttons and the zoom/target controls need a serious change from default. Note that this doesn't cover joysticks. I also use a Belkin n52 side controller for vehicle commanding and weapon optics zoom.

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Go to Options > Controls > Infantry Controls

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Next Target -> Remove all keys

Lock or Zoom -> Remove all keys, add "Tab"

Use Default Action -> Remove all keys, add "Left Shift + E"

Use Selected Action -> Remove all keys, add "Prim. Mouse Btn."

Optics -> Add "Sec. Mouse Btn"

Hold Breath -> Remove all keys, add "Hold Sec. Mouse Btn."

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Go to Options > Controls > Vehicle Controls

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Get Out -> Remove all keys, add "Left Shift + E"

Eject -> Remove all keys, add "Left Shift + E"

Command Fire -> remove all keys, add "Left Ctrl + Prim. Mouse Btn."

Gunner change weapon -> remove all keys, add "left Ctrl + F"

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Go to Options > Controls > Aircraft Controls

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Gear Down -> Add "G"

Gear Up -> Add "G"

Flaps Down -> Remove all keys, add "Left Shift + V"

Flaps Up -> Remove all keys, add "Left Shift + F"

This setup does a multitude of things:

No more tab auto targeting. usually this is reassigned to a joystick button.

No more magic second mouse button zoom when on foot.

You can hold your breath without zooming in.

Second mouse button will bring up the optics in vehicles with missiles selected

Left Shift + E has saved my bacon countless times. You don't have to select "get in" or "get out" and you can still shoot or use the action menu without accidentally selecting the default action.

It might be best to assign the eject button to a joystick only, otherwise you will always leave the engine running when you get out.

Gear up and down is now "G" like every flight sim since the beginning of time.

Gunner commands are the same as regular commands, only difference is that you hold down the ctrl key.

When you lock on to something, it doesn't affect the zoom at all.

if anyone has a sweet setup or some useful tips, post them up!

[CameronMcDonald 146]

Concur with a lot of the above, particularly to assigning a key to "get out" and "eject". I use middle mouse for those and thumb 1 for optics.

[.kju 3245]

Agreed. The default controls are very very bad.

Also the movement keys - this is very central to a good part of the negativity arma gets for movement/animations.

This might be useful:

Game configuration [PvPscene]

[sakura_chan 9]

I've been thinking that a glovepie/ppjoy script could be written that would replace the instant motion of the wasd keys with simulated smooth joystick inputs. If you held down the W key, it would accelerate forward, and on the keys release you would decelerate. If you have ever played around and bound your joystick to the infantry controls, you know that the player can be made to move slower and smooth in all directions. With a few changes to the animations the player can move even better.

[maddogx 13]

Actually, there is one thing a lot of people don't know about the movement controls: there is a "toggle prone" and a "toggle crouch" control. The problem is that they're not named as such. Instead they're called "up" and "crouch", respectively (I think - can't check right now).

I used different keys for crouching and getting up for a long time (and was rather annoyed by it) before I stumbled on these controls by simply going through all the movement controls one by one and figuring out what they do. :rolleyes:

[.kju 3245]

Yep toggle stance is far better; so it temporary sprint and walk.

Very big issue to have these not integrated at all or not properly into the default controls schema.

[dmarkwick 261]

I've been thinking that a glovepie/ppjoy script could be written that would replace the instant motion of the wasd keys with simulated smooth joystick inputs. If you held down the W key, it would accelerate forward, and on the keys release you would decelerate. If you have ever played around and bound your joystick to the infantry controls, you know that the player can be made to move slower and smooth in all directions. With a few changes to the animations the player can move even better.

That's sounding pretty good. I've had lots of fun myself mapping the Buldozer [sic] controls to the

I have, allowing me to

BTW Sakura, I am most interested in your radial GUI system you're developing, is there any movement on this? It's perhaps the thing I'm most looking forward to :)

Edited November 23, 2011 by DMarkwick

[Tonci87 163]

I use CTRL+Right Mouse Button to switch sights on the rifle. Works realy well. You don´t have to take a hand off the controls like with the default Numpad /

[dmarkwick 261]

I use CTRL+Right Mouse Button to switch sights on the rifle. Works realy well. You don´t have to take a hand off the controls like with the default Numpad /

Good one :)

[maddogx 13]

I use CTRL+Right Mouse Button to switch sights on the rifle. Works realy well. You don´t have to take a hand off the controls like with the default Numpad /

Alt+v for me. I use loads of Alt combos for stuff like that. Not so far for the left hand to move. :D

[nkenny 1057]

Four of the most fundemental changes I've made to my OA key setup ar eas follows.

CONTROL LAYOUT

Mouse2 -- Toggle Zoom

No need to hold a button to make a close examination of an object; easily accessible.

LEFT CTRL -- Optics

entering optics mode is pretty much a 'movement stance'. The CTRL button wasn't really bound to anything important and most importantly I got functions removed from the overcrowded mouse2.

Double-C -- Eject, Getout, and Step over

This lets me move compass to V (easily accessible) and comes in extremely handy when dismounting vehicles of all sorts.

Mouse4/thumb mouse -- Toggle freelook

Combined with toggle zoom this change has improved situational awareness immensely.

WISHLIST

I always find myself missing the basic layout used in Ghost Recon. Most significantly the ability to zoom in and out with the mouse wheel-- superbly handy and extremely intuitive. (just like you would in map screen!)

I very much liked the 'Stance up' and 'Stance Down' used in that game as well.

The Self Interaction and Interaction buttons of ACE; combined with the keyboard shortcuts are simply brilliant. Again intuitive (you learn keyboard shortcuts), difficult to miss-click, and finally toggling certain functions seem to take an appropriate amount of time.

-k

[Undeceived 392]

Can I give you guys another suggestion (especially if you play in MP)?

PLEASE do not set "Get out" and "Eject" to the same key(s)! It's so annoying, when people (drivers!) eject from cars in Multiplayer and thus leave the engine running! You can't hear anything anymore, except the vehicle. Them smartasses run away happily while I always try to get to the car to turn it out so I can hear enemy activities again...

Sure, sometimes it's important to get out fast (e.g. while the vec is still moving). And if you're in cargo, there's no problem with ejecting.

But as driver please take one or two seconds more and use "Get out" properly.

Thanks! :D

[JSj 12]

I used different keys for crouching and getting up for a long time (and was rather annoyed by it) before I stumbled on these controls by simply going through all the movement controls one by one and figuring out what they do. :rolleyes:

I personally don't like toggle stance keys at all. When I press a stance key I want to go to that stance, no matter what my current stance is (without a stance indicator on screen, which I think all FPS games need, it's easy to lose track of whether you're currently crouching or standing up), and regardless of how many times I press the button.

Especially when under fire or at other stressful times, I have found that I often press the stance key more than once, causing me to jump up and down when using toggle keys. This has got me killed countless times in various FPS games, it's not good standing up when you're trying to duck behind some cover. :)

[maddogx 13]

I personally don't like toggle stance keys at all. When I press a stance key I want to go to that stance, no matter what my current stance is (without a stance indicator on screen, which I think all FPS games need, it's easy to lose track of whether you're currently crouching or standing up), and regardless of how many times I press the button.

Especially when under fire or at other stressful times, I have found that I often press the stance key more than once, causing me to jump up and down when using toggle keys. This has got me killed countless times in various FPS games, it's not good standing up when you're trying to duck behind some cover. :)

Well, it's a matter of personal preference, eh? For me it's toggle keys or bust. :D

So it's good that BIS has included both options, but I still think the toggle keys need to be named appropriately.

[JSj 12]

Yes, absolutely. And it's not just the stance controls, a lot of other controls too are not named in a way that makes it obvious what they do. You pretty much have to experiment to find out how all the controls work, especially since the manual doesn't cover this.

I hope all this in improved upon in Arma 3.

[maddogx 13]

Yes, absolutely. And it's not just the stance controls, a lot of other controls too are not named in a way that makes it obvious what they do. You pretty much have to experiment to find out how all the controls work, especially since the manual doesn't cover this.

I hope all this in improved upon in Arma 3.

When I find the time, I'll see if there is a CIT ticket about this and create one if necessary.

Though on the whole, I hope the controls setup in Arma3 is improved in more ways than just renaming some settings. There needs to be more and better categorization of the controls settings, for starters. ;)