I have had a couple of conversations recently with people about things like mouseover macros that allow you to hover your mouse over something and use an ability on that thing. This is something that I *never* do in games even if it is supported - it's just not the way I use my mouse.
I've also run into many players who use their mouse to click the actions on their hotbar in games - which again, is something that I almost never do. Generally if I have abilities on my hotbar in an MMORPG, I'm using keys on my keyboard to activate those abilities. The only exception to that is if the game I'm in wants me to have something like six different hotbars up to have all the abilities I want. At that point, I'm clicking on the lesser-used abilities.
I also don't generally use my mouse to target things in-game. I tend to use tab or smart targeting for that.
What I do use my mouse for is for steering and camera control. When I'm in a game I am almost always holding down the left or the right mouse button and swiveling the camera around or adjusting the direction that I'm running in. I still use WASD on my keyboard, but I tend to set A and D up for strafing and use the mouse to actually turn.
Anyway, after talking to people about mouselook stuff, and thinking about it a bit, I was curious how everyone else uses their mouse when they play MMORPGs. I think it's important that Pantheon's controls are flexible enough that we can set things up in a way that feels natural to us. So, how do you use the mouse when you play an MMORPG?
I think WASD movement with mouse aiming is a FPS gaming style that has bled into several MMO's. I used the arrow keys and mouse to play EQ and never even tried WASD until many years later. I never used mouse aiming/steering until I played an MMO with a retical. Now my style is more of a hybrid between mouse clicking everything and hotkeying primary functions.
Yea, I personally only use the mouse for UI functions like inventory, scribing / memming abilities and things that generally "require" a mouse to do. As far as character movement and gameplay. I am super old fashioned. I use arrow keys for movement, page up/down to adjust camera with home being center right shift + left / right arrow to strafe etc. All actions / hotbar keys I user get keymapped. If a game I am playing required multiple hotbars, I generally only use 2, and hotkey to swap pages using the same 8-12 hotbar slots for the new pages so that I can still use them all with just the keyboard.
I guess hits comes because I do not play many FPS games, and when I do, I can't use the mouse for aiming I have inverted aiming when using a controller so I get it all kinds of bassakwards lol.
edit** typos!
I use the mouse for everything, same movement technique as Nephele. But I also use it for targetting and clicking all my abilities, I've often tried getting used to using my keyboard for hot bar abilities but for some reason it never sticks, could be because I switch between characters too often to build up the muscle memory. Conversly, I use the keyboard for anything else, inventory, quest log, etc.
I use my mouse way too much. I haven't played a ton of games since I stopped playing EQ2 around 2009. I need to get back into the groove of using my keyboard setup as that is most definitely more effective. I've heard of people that will use a mouse with a ton of buttons on it for action skills. Curious to hear more about that to see if it is something I should start getting into.
Nephele said: ... So, how do you use your mouse when you play an MMORPG?As little as possible.
Really, that's my goal. If I can use a 2001 camera (over the shoulder follow), and keybinds for everything else, I'm content.
It's not an FPS. I don't need mouselook. I don't need to be checking over my shoulder in a forced-first-person game with murderhobo PvP.
I'm just trying to forestall the inevitable RSI long enough to reach my daily goal of tangible personal progression, in-game. :)
Consequently, I personally despise click-to-move games and rarely play them.
Funny story, I have replaced (as in purchased in bulk the micro-switches, de-soldered, replaced, re-soldered) the mouse button individual electronic components in my Logitech Trackman Marble USB several times now. I have switched to the High Quality version of the Japanese micro-switches and away from cheaper switches to get above a 100k use rating. Yeah, I use a mouse a lot, so less clicks for me is a goal. I haven't used a traditional 'lift your hand' style mouse in over 15 years.
I use a 12-button mouse (Razer Naga), but I only use those buttons for special things, depending on the game. Like in GW2, 5 is dodge, 1-4 are for changing elements, 10-12 are for various mounts for fast swapping. If I'm healing in a game, I like using them for group member selection instead of F keys.
My left hand is on a Razer Tartarus V2 programmed for whatever I need in that game. That includes movement, several special keys, and a bunch of abilities.
My keyboard is for text chat, and anything not on the other two. And the cat, who likes to lie on it.
All my main abilities are mapped to keys on the keyboard and only use the mouse on the abilities that I could not map to keys. I do use the mouse for camera control and turning. I also normally use it for targeting mobs unless I am tanking and surrounded by mobs and then I normally use tab targeting. Of course, I also use it for all the things the game requires you use it for like menus. All that said I am not 100% constant with anything I just said at any point I might swap any one norm for another.
One thing I hope Pantheon will let us use the mouse for is right click for options. Like sending a group invite, adding as a friend, send a tell etc. I love it when the right click works everywhere the players is represented. Examples might be group window, chat box, or the character itself in world.
little extra detail about the keyboard. I really dislike using numbers 1-= for my abilities and immediately remap them to Q, E, F, R, C, X, Z, and then also add in combos of all of them with shift and ctrl. Each game requires some altercation in my norms for required actions in game that use any of those keys.
I prefer if the mouse is used for both looking around and turning. Without holding right mouse button = looking around on mouse movement, with holding right mouse button = turning the character in the direction of looking. Usable while running of course.
For movement, I use WASD (with a lot of autorun). I'm regularly using keys for the lower half of they hotkey bars (1 - 7). However it can be hard to reach the upper half (8 - 12), especially when its on a secondard/tertiary bar requiring shift/control as well, and when a fight requires a lot of movement. In those cases I sometimes click those abilities instead.
For targeting, pretty much tab only (and can I tell you FFXIV drives me crazy with that? Because instead of going from closest target, it has some different order like from left to right or so. Pantheon devs, please get this right here!!).
In every game but EQ I use WASD and steer with mouse.
In EQ I'm 1st person, use the num pad for movement, alt-1 through alt-8 for spells and 1 through 0 for abilities/clickes etc.
I prefer 1st person view, but enjoy a game that allows scrolling in/out of it on the fly.
-Az
I used num pad with pgup pgdn starting in classic EQ and it really does allow your left hand more capability on 1-0 (or `to=) compared to WASD, which was around even in 1999/2000 for like Counter Strike and other FPS games.
I ran that way for probably a decade before switching to MMO mice. I'm currently using a Logitech G600 which has 4 columns of 3 buttons on your thumb, 2 buttons under the wheel (which of course wheel click can also be configured), wheel tilts left and right as a button as well, and a ring finger button in addition to the left/right mouse buttons that can be used as different things, by default I think it may just add CTRL or shift but you can have an entire other profile of all of those buttons by hitting that ring finger shift.
It truly changed the way I play games and allows leaning way back in your chair away from the keyboard and hold a beer in your left hand hahah. I'm using left+right for forward movement typically, with auto-run on whatever, usually the left tilt mouse wheel feels good because you can hit it with middle knuckle while index finger is still on the left mouse button so the control is never lost.
Some times I feel like I need to sit up to the keyboard for a serious fight and have left hand handling the abilities while mouse movement with right, but really I've gotten pretty fast with that thumb so I dunno anymore.
Mouselook, mouseover for non hostile target spells, binds on the left side of the mouse (not a razer naga as I hate the button disposal. I use a rog spatha actually and used a corsair M95 but some buttons were not so well placed).
With the reduction of skills and spells in MMO's I do feel MMO mouse are slowly sinking unfortunately, so having more than 6 side buttons is over the top.
GeneralReb said: @MauvaisOeil I'm not sure which MMO you are talking about when Pantheon is still 8 action slots plus potions that is about perfect for the G600 12 thumb buttons. But hey it is totally a personal preference and in most situations I like to 1hand it and have a beer so I'm biased towards the MMO mouse. I'll probably still even use the shift button on ring finger for the utility skills. Shrug
Because I still use keyboards ² to 4, plus Q, E, F and V as other shortcuts.
I also use theses & mouse buttons + alt, that would put ( with the 6 spatha buttons), my basic keybind up to 30. In pantheon beeing designed for 8 slots it's a quite an overkill.
Upgraded recently o a Corsair Scimtar.
I feel that once I've gotten used to the mouse, I may transition to mostly playing with mouse move/key bindings on the mouse to a degree, with minimal keyboard interaction.
Otherwise, I'm currently running using WASD and solely using the mouse to pan/scan rather than using it as the sole impetus to move.
If we're going on the basis that Pantheon will only have 8 action slots, this will be perfect for a 12 button mouse that I have and may move permanently onto the mouse other than chatting with the keyboard, but we'll see!
i do the same thing you do other than strafe (use keyboard mouse combo for that)
i use a Logitech M570 trackball mouse. will never use anything else (i plan to try the MX ERGO version of that same mouse)
I use it the exact same way with one exception: I use a Razor Naga and activate my abilities with the mouse buttons instead of using the number keys. Like Machail said in a recent stream, it takes some getting used to, but works great once you do.
Constantly holding down the left or right mouse buttons and changing run direction or swiveling camera...yep, totally relate to that. :)
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I combo my mouse with my Logitech G13 Gamepad, google it. But I don't think they're available anymore.
G13
This has 22 buttons on the main keypad, plus a thumb stick I use for movement. Near the thumbstick there are two more buttons. I usually use some kind of UI enhancement to be able to replicate the layout of the keypad on screen, bind keys to the UI then map those to the keypad buttons. I use my mouse to control my facing (holding down right mouse button) while at the same time being able to move forward and strafe when needed using the thumbstick. I also map the jump action to one of the thumb mouse buttons and map the dpi decrease button near the mouse wheel to tab target. Doing this allows for movement and jumping while also selecting abilities without having to click abilities. When healing I use mouseover macros.
I have used the G13 for quite a few years and I don't think I'd like to play an mmo every again without it or something similar. Using WASD feels really clunky now.
MX518 MOUSE
Yup, it's pretty much just a stock standard mouse. I may eventually upgrade to a mouse with more buttons on the thumbside, but really, the G13 has enough buttons.
Nephele said:What I do use my mouse for is for steering and camera control. When I'm in a game I am almost always holding down the left or the right mouse button and swiveling the camera around or adjusting the direction that I'm running in. I still use WASD on my keyboard, but I tend to set A and D up for strafing and use the mouse to actually turn.
So, how do you use the mouse when you play an MMORPG?
I'm the same way. Mouse for movement, keyboard for all other things.