Playing SSBM With Keyboard - Tips n Tricks

[LunchPolice]

So I got really bored the other day and decided to make this as more of an editing experiment than anything else. Tell me what you think if you care

 

[SUNG475]

I really like the pacing!

 

[dude it's raining]

I have the jump set for the same hand as my arrow keys, which allows me to SHDL, multishine, etc, which I can't do in real life. I'm trying to figure out the best place for the c-stick. Right now I have to move my other hand off the A/B/Y/L area. Also, Doing things like Vanish stall are really awkward, coz typically you use the same finger on arrowkeys for up and down. But yo, I'm poor and can't even afford a controller...

 

[Nintendude]

Interesting - I think I figured out keyboard pretty well (I've streamed my keyboard play a few times) and want to just add a few things:

- buffer directions for tilts during wavedash lag
- buffer walk out of wavedash
- stick jump uair to preserve double jump
- SDI is way easier on keyboard
- tumble cancel is way easier on keyboard (be holding one direction and then press the other direction)
- multishines, shine aerials, etc are actually less technically demanding on keyboard since you are basically clawing

 

[BleakPanther]

Yes, I know this is an old thread, but I just want to add something to this. If you're looking for a viable FULL Keyboard setup (this: http://www.fentek-ind.com/images/KBUMCLK.jpg not this: https://navinlilawat.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/keyboardlayoutlarge.gif) I use a setup like this.

Control Stick:

Up: W
Down: S
Left: A
Right: D
Modifier: LShift (This allows you to have the stick "halfway" like a real control stick, but you must set your Radius to 83-82 or below.)
​

C-Stick (The little yellow nub-thingy on a Gamecube Controller):

Up: Numberpad 8 (It's the one key on the keypad, which is the part of the full keyboard section with all the numbers in a grid)
Down: Numberpad 5
Left: Numberpad 4
Right: Numberpad 6
​

Triggers:

R Trigger: E
L Trigger: Q
​

Face Buttons (A, B, X, Y):

A: Numberpad 1
B: Numberpad 2
X: Numberpad 3
Y: Numberpad 7 (I only use this for switching costumes, rarely ever use it in gameplay)
​

Z Bumper (Purple button-thingy above the R Trigger on a GC Contrller):

Z Bumper: Numberpad 9
​

D-Pad (not very important, but need for SHOW ME YOUR MOVES):

Up: Up Arrow
Down: Down Arrow
Left: Left Arrow
Right: Right Arrow
​

Start button (Optional, I just do it, so it's both easy to get to, and not accidentally hit):

Start: End Key
​

REASONS FOR USING THIS LAYOUT, AND HOW TO USE IT:
I mainly use this layout, due to the fact that a lot of the time, I need to rely on the C-stick on keyboard, due to the "clawing" of the keyboard, allowing more swift actions, and movement options. B and X are close to each other, due to Shining. My right hand rests on the C-stick section, similar to how you would rest you had on WASD, and it is an optimal place, due to it being close to all the attack, grab, and jump buttons. Wavedashing isn't a very easy thing to do in this layout (and I don't do it, except for wavedash down ) but it makes SHFFL or L canceling in general very easy to do (Just shift your hand from the WASD position to E and S with your Ring finger on the S, and your middle finger on E). I hope this helps anyone who is stuck with being a keyboard and playing smash. (I GOT TO USED TO IT, AND NOW I PLAY TOO GOOD ON KEYBOARD, AND CRAP ON CONTROLLER ._.)

 

[BleakPanther]

Here's an adaptation for keyboards on laptops or keyboards like this: https://navinlilawat.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/keyboardlayoutlarge.gif that lack a number pad.

Control Stick:

Up: W
Down: S
Left: A
Right: D
Modifier: LShift (This allows you to have the stick "halfway" like a real control stick, but you must set your Radius to 83-82 or below.)
​

C-Stick (The little yellow nub-thingy on a Gamecube Controller):

Up: I
Down: K
Left: J
Right: L​

Triggers:

R Trigger: E
L Trigger: Q
​

Face Buttons (A, B, X, Y):

A: M
B: ,
X: .
Y: U (I only use this for switching costumes, rarely ever use it in gameplay)
​

Z Bumper (Purple button-thingy above the R Trigger on a GC Contrller):

Z Bumper: O
​

D-Pad (not very important, but need for SHOW ME YOUR MOVES):

Up: Up Arrow
Down: Down Arrow
Left: Left Arrow
Right: Right Arrow
​

Start button (Optional, I just do it, so it's both easy to get to, and not accidentally hit):
Start: Enter Key

Methods are used the same as a full keyboard

 

[JVIV]

Old thread kind of but just wanted to add: Set a key to your "Modifier" in the control menu for the analog stick. This will let you walk if you hold this key in conjunction with your wasd or whatever

 

[BleakPanther]

Thanks! I nearly forgot about this, but a thing you have to do to make u-tilts only work consistently better if you set the radius on your control stick to 83-82 or below. I hope this clarifies things. Using the setup I listed above, I set the modifier as LShift. You have to do a weird thing where you hit your modifier key right before you hit your Up on the control stick.

 

[zeff]

Hi I've been playing keyboard for a year and here are my findings:

First of all experiment to find what layout works best for you but I use:
-WASD for c stick
-numpad 8456 for control stick
-E for A
-Q for B
-Shift for X or Y
-Space for L trigger
-Enter button on the numpad for modifier.
-The rightarrow near the numpad for Z-bumper which is hit by my right thumb
-Control stick radius: 83 Threshold: 15

The benefits of using keyboard:
-You are basically playing claw, but very comfortably (I use cstick for all my aerials except nair)
-You can shield drop very easily: (with the radius and threshold given). While shielding, just hold enter and press down (5), to do it fast you just press enter and down at the same time, just dont press down before enter or you'll do a spot dodge.
-Some people say you can dash dance easier, though this isn't usually that helpful because dashdance doesn't need to be super fast back and forth, but it's worth noting that you can change direction really quickly on the keyboard.

The drawbacks are many:
-Reduced control of the control stick. Most visibly this affects the spacies recoveries. You only get like 8 directions instead of the alleged 360 or something on controller. For other characters it decreases the precision of movement that you have.
-Right now I don't know how to light shield - I tried setting the L R analog Threshold to 30 but it didn't work.
-Turn around uptilt is almost impossible (I play Jiggs and Falco so this is a bit of a problem). The reason for this is that when holding the modifier for control stick, if you move in 2 directions (NE, NW, SE, SW), then you just jump in that direction, so you actually need to turn around and release the key you used to turn around before pressing up for the up tilt.

So in summary, you can learn pretty advanced techniques more quickly on the keyboard than on the controller, but there comes a point in time when you have to switch over to controller to be truly competitive because of all the things you just can't do on a keyboard.

 

[BleakPanther]

I usually don't try to use shift cuz' it activates Sticky Keys, and I'm too lazy to turn it off But cool setup anyways! Wish that there were USB to GC adapters D:

 

[Aera]

I usually don't try to use shift cuz' it activates Sticky Keys, and I'm too lasy to tearn it of But cool setup anyways! Wish that there were USB to GC adapters D:

There are USB to GC adapters, heck, the official wii u adapter for smash 4 works with dolphin...

 

[BleakPanther]

There are USB to GC adapters, heck, the official wii u adapter for smash 4 works with dolphin...

Nah, I know about GC on Dolphin, but I'm wondering if there are any adapters that could allow you to use keyboards andhave Dolphin like configs and modifiers on an actual GameCube or Wii.

 

[Fwà]

is there any way to map a specific key to hold down on to input a dash while you make a regular walking input?

 

[BleakPanther]

If you have modifier key, then just let go of the key and you should start dashing out of walk. idk tho