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Keyboard basics

cam`

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Sep 19, 2007
Messages
167
Location
dow joons
i'm trying to get used to playing with a keyboard online (i've got a controller/adaptor, would just like to be able to do both) and i'm wondering if someone could kindly quickly outline some basics for playing with a keyboard? mostly i'm wondering if someone could explain how people play without the depth of the control stick-- i just don't see how a lot of stuff is possible without it. i understand how to perform tilts-smashes-etc but how do you accurately control your aerial movement, do quick attacks/foxfire etc in more than 8 directions, etc. do you have to screw with your deadzone/etc to manage this?

it'd also be a great help if people can post sample keyboard setups. i've got ~8 years of n64 muscle memory, and i can't find a setup that translates well. :(

thanks
 

Nintendude

Smash Hero
Joined
Feb 23, 2006
Messages
5,024
Location
San Francisco
The philosophy behind my control scheme is to imagine flattening the N64 controller onto a surface. (and spreading out each half of the controller)

Analog: WASD
A: [
B: P
R: \
Z: left shift
C-buttons: 9, 0, -, =
L: backspace

So, with controllers I always L-cancel with the same hand that controls the analog. Here, this is the case since I use Z to Z-cancel.

It also has similar feel in general. On a controller you jump by shifting your thumb up to a c-button from A and B. Here I shift up my middle finger to the c-buttons from A and B.

That's about it I guess. You can't firefox in more than 8 directions, you can't really walk, and you can't up-tilt on command. Other than that you can do pretty much anything you can do with a controller, and easy Smash DI makes up for the shortcomings.
 

cam`

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Sep 19, 2007
Messages
167
Location
dow joons
thanks for the advice, it helps.

cornell eh? i'm only a couple hours north in rochester ^^
 

Blackshadow

Smash Ace
Joined
May 24, 2006
Messages
900
Location
Adelaide, Australia. Along with my Mad Duck.
I use this set-up:

Analog; Up Down Left Right keys
A; M
B; N
R; Num1
Z; Num0
L; Num2

C Up; Home
C Down; Right Shift
C Left; Delete
C Right; Page Down


I use Right Shift for shorthopping, and the rest of the buttons just seem natural to me. Then again, It's been 7 years since I last played 64 Smash using N64 controller, so that just might be me :)

Anyway, what Nintendude said was all correct, so yeah.
 

Wenbobular

Smash Hero
Joined
May 26, 2006
Messages
5,744
It's possible to Utilt standing on the computer, but it's way more difficult than doing so on the controller...for obvious reasons :lick:
 

Smo

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Sep 17, 2005
Messages
280
Location
Nottingham UK
I use

WASD

A = Num6
B = Num2
Z = Num0

That makes a nice claw for your fingers and thumbs.

Shift for L, F for R.

Space to C - up

Makes shorthopping easier.
 

CT Chia

Smash Obsessed
Joined
Sep 4, 2007
Messages
24,416
Location
Philadelphia
theres no way i can do keyboard for smash. i use a converter to hook up my cube controller to my pc. that way, i can also customize it to melee controls which differed slightly from 64
 

hambread

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Jan 10, 2007
Messages
123
you can change your kb settings to wateva you see fit. its probably one of the biggest advantage of KB over controller, besides the speed of executing moves.

but. most kbers dont foxfire/quickattack beyond the 8 directions. must get used to it.
 

D.Q

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Jun 20, 2007
Messages
113
Location
New York
I just use the defaults, and use 'D' for the shorthop. Though I've never been able to shorthop consistently, and strangely, half my grabs end up as shields. maybe i just didn't press it hard enough.
And yes, there's pretty much no way you can firefox beyond the 8 directions. unless you set up some kind of modifier.
 

onegoal...heaven

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Oct 24, 2007
Messages
224
Location
Ontario, Toronto
once you get the keyboard basics down, you'll encounter advanced keyboard moves that go with my motto "everything a controller can do, a keyboard can do.". I learned how to shorthop and do a delayed uair in that shorthop AT WILL. It's easy...I don't mean shorthop and then a quick uair....I mean a short hop and last second uair. All you have to do is this, you short hop, QUICKLY HOLD UP before the game registers your double jump...now you're in the air while holding up....then press A and there you have it. You see, if you hold up once you leave the ground, the game won't think you double jumped and won't do anything, allowing you to continue holding up without a double jump. It is hard at first, but it's needed for a good falcon player. I told Neph about it and he figured out about it himself a while back, same as I did. It was curiosity and common-sense that made me figure out this move.

Other moves such as a drop-down ledge uair, which is so hard that it's unconventional in a match. it's almost the same concept as the delayed sh uair, but the frames of being able to hold up when dropping without the game noticing it as a double jump...is almost non-existent. You have to be holding up the whole time, you drop from the ledge and correctly time it so that you'll uair while going down without double jumping.

Another move would be exploiting the utilt. Boom showed me this one XD. If you are edge-guarding and you want to use utilt but you can't hold up...just taunt and hold up while the char is taunting...taunting may be slower than just pressing jab and holding up from there, but it has mindgame purposes and it's just plain cool XD.

One thing you have to watch out for, which my friend Marth warned me about, is that keyboards suck at spacing. You can't tilt at any time without using an exploit, so if you're in a middle of a close combat between another char. You have to constantly dash and short hop to space yourself while controllers can tilt at will...loss of mindgames for us. BUT, you can always use the method of using the lag of another move to do a tilt, like short hop and then hold right while short hopping, then land and you'll tilt right. But, it still sux ballz.

Dash Pivot is what most people over-look. It's really easy to do on keyboard, so learn it. IT hsa many uses such as dash pivot off ledge and you'll grab it fast....unless you're Jiggs, you can always teleport off the stage and float right to grab the ledge.

Taunt Cancel is too easy to do on keyboard...learn it XD.

If you want to do a fast-falling uair, you just have to double jump real quick and then hold up and tap down and then press A.

There are more stuff to learn, I suggest going to www.smashwiki.com for help
 

Nephiros

Smash Ace
Joined
Jul 17, 2005
Messages
754
Err, if you just mean a normal sh with a delayed uair pretty much, then I've been doing that since long ago
 

hambread

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Jan 10, 2007
Messages
123
when a player starts KBing they usually just abuse the speed of KB. but only when they start getting owned will they learn how to overcome difficulties of a kb (like standing utilt, post-apex uair and such). knowing this you should quickly identify solve all those problems first.

someone should make a KBer learningcurve.
 

onegoal...heaven

Smash Journeyman
Joined
Oct 24, 2007
Messages
224
Location
Ontario, Toronto
Neph, I know you've been doing that for a long time....but that's not the point and you know we talked about this before XD. The point is teaching this person the keyboard techs.
keyboard set-up=

num 8=analog up
num 5=analog down
num 4=analog left
num 6=analog right
A=Z
S=A
D=B
Q=L
W=R
E=c button left
R=c button down
4=c button up
T=c button right
 

Nephiros

Smash Ace
Joined
Jul 17, 2005
Messages
754
Well I forgot that ):

Also:

Arrow keys: Movement
A: A
S: B
W: Z
D: R
F: C-Button
 

hambread

Smash Apprentice
Joined
Jan 10, 2007
Messages
123
i tried nephiro's config, but 4 buttons on the same row is too much for me. and z is just too akward being above everything =/.
 
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