Controlling Duke Nukem 3d - Key Configuration Guide v1.1 - by Stefan Welker

With video consoles like SNES or Playstation, you only have the keypad which gives you a four way switch and several buttons. Most games can be handled properly on these controllers, since they have the four way switch to move and the buttons to use special functions. With 3d first person games the requirements to control the games get bigger. You do not only need to move backward, forward, right and left, but if you want to survive you also have to sidestep, move fast, turn your viewing direction and more. The normal keypad cannot handle all these functions at the same time. With the PC keyboard you get a controller with many buttons, all digital, which means they do not react differently if you press them differently.

The typical keyboard control layout is to use the right hand for moving forwards, backwards and to turn, and the left hand to fire with CTRL, use the sidestep option with ALT and use the fast option with SHIFT. You use things with SPACE. The TAB key would be for the automap toggle and the numbers are for the weapons. Medkit, Jetpack etc are on M, J etc... to remember them better.

Another controller is the Mouse. Normally, you move the Mouse from side to side, to turn your head, forward and backward to move, the left button to fire and the right button to open stuff. That's it! It's *not* good if you use the mouse alone, since you cannot use many functions with the three buttons and double clicking is fairly difficult. The only advantage is that turning is much more precise and fast with the mouse , since it is an analog controller.

The third is the Analog Joystick. You can turn better than with the keyboard, but you can only use more function if you have a better joystick like the Wingman EXTREME etc...

2. Combined Mouse/Keyboard Control

Most people are keyboard only. They have tried the other controllers, but couldn't get it going right. They might have tried to use the mouse, but not really.

But when getting better and encountering better dukematch enemies, the people get killed very often and they wonder why, since they are pretty good themselves. In most cases, the answer is that the other Dukematchers are Keyboard-Mousers. To play with keyboard and a three button mouse is til now the best way to play doom, Duke Nukem 3d and Quake. This is because of several reasons. The most important is turning speed and precision. Tuning by keyboard can only be done by holding down a button and release it at that time when you face into the right direction. For a whole turn this takes quite a while, about a second. Using a mouse you cn just flick it fast , but only two or three centimetres far and can make a whole turn in an eyeblink. This doesen't mean that you can't get it precisely, since you get yourself used to the right speed and learn what you have to do to make a whole turn, or a 90 degrees turn... Besides turning fast, you can also turn very slowly and precisely, by moving the mose slowly. You cannot do this with the keyboard.

Most keyboarders tried the mouse and then were convinced that they would never use the mouse since you couldn't walk properly, only by picking up the mouse and setting it on the beginning of the mouse pad again. This is why you not only use the mouse alone, but a combined keyboard/ mouse control. For walking forward and backward, you have two buttons used by the left hand, preferably your middle finger for forward and your thumb for backward. I use the A key for forward and the ALT Key for Backward. Besides that, you need two independent sidestep keys , not the sidestep/turn toggle key. With two independent ones for left and right, you can turn while sidestepping, and with this all the time pointing at the same location. I use the LEFT SHIFT key with the ring finger for left sidestep and the pointing finger( excuse expression) for right sidestep. Using the small finger for speed on at CTRL , this gives you extreme maneuverability and effectiveness. you can outturn a keyboarder many times and with paractice you can beat most keyboarders.

3. The Dukematch keyboard / mouse control

For dukematch, you should make some adjustments to your mouse/keyboard control. First, you shouldn't leve the special keys like medkit, jetpack etc. where they are. You would have to look to the keyboard during dukematch, which is deadly. These keys should all be located around your left hand at the keyboard. Use Q for jetpack ON/OFF and at the same time configure jump to Q. This enables you to just hold the Q key down and fly as high as you want. Set the Mouse Aiming Key to "Hold Down" on Space, and also the auto center option on space. Use S and X for permanently looking up/down, Set your medipack on CapsLock or on a double clicked mouse button for fast access. Use Jump on the middle Mouse button and duck on the right one. This should be pretty handy.

4. My controls

I have received several requests to include my own controls here. You can also download my duke3d .cfg file: STEFAN.CFG

Here they are:

Move_Forward A..... ...... Move_Backward LAlt.. ...... Turn_Left Left.. ...... Turn_Right Right. ...... Strafe ...... ...... Fire ...... ...... Open Space. ...... Run LCtrl. ...... AutoRun ...... ...... Jump Q..... ...... Crouch ...... ...... Look_Up ...... ...... Look_Down ...... ...... Look_Left ...... ...... Look_Right ...... ...... Strafe_Left LShift ...... Strafe_Right Z..... ...... Aim_Up ...... ...... Aim_Down ...... ...... Weapon_1 1..... ...... Weapon_2 2..... ...... Weapon_3 3..... ...... Weapon_4 4..... ...... Weapon_5 5..... ...... Weapon_6 6..... ...... Weapon_7 7..... ...... Weapon_8 8..... ...... Weapon_9 9..... ...... Weapon_10 0..... ...... Inventory Enter. KpdEnt Inventory_Left ,..... ...... Inventory_Right ...... ...... Holo_Duke Tab... ...... Jetpack Q..... ...... NightVision W..... ...... MedKit CapLck ...... TurnAround ...... ...... SendMessage T..... ...... Map X..... ...... Shrink_Screen -..... Kpad-. Enlarge_Screen =..... Kpad+. Center_View Space. ...... Holster_Weapon ScrLck ...... Show_Opponents_Weapon S..... ...... Map_Follow_Mode F..... ...... See_Coop_View RShift ...... Toggle_Crosshair ]..... ...... Steroids S..... ...... Quick_Kick `..... ...... Next_Weapon R..... ...... Previous_Weapon E..... ......

Do You have a different/better Mouse keyboard control? Do you have suggestions or comments? Mail me stefan.welker@erlangen.netsurf.de Go back to Stefan's Duke Nukem 3d World Entrance Area

Controlling Duke Nukem 3d - Key Configuration Guide v1.1 - by Stefan Welker

Table of contents:

1. The different conrollers

2. Combined Mouse/Keyboard Control

3. The Dukematch keyboard / mouse control

4. My controls