Spiral Knights - Game controls tips

Game controls tips

36 replies [Last post]

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 04:17

Minous

Hey there, fellow knights!

I would like to ask you a question about the controls of this game. I've been playing for about a half a year and always used the mouse to walk
and the keyboard to attack or shield. When I saw people running and spinning or walking backwards, I thought it would be fun to change the controls
so I could do that too (cause you can't when you use the mouse alone for running).

But now I actually wondered if using the keyboard for running and the mouse for attacking/shielding isn't actually better? If it helps to aim and stuff?

I would gladly listen to any tips you have on the controls, also if the auto-aim (or what's it called....auto-lock?) is actually worth having on (or off).

Thank you, people :)

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 04:34

Metagenic

Here (sticking as close to default as possible)

WASD: movement

Mouse: aiming

Right Mouse: attacking

Left Mouse: shielding

Mouse Wheel: switching weapons

…

Autoaim: turn this off unless you're really terrible at aiming

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 04:38

Arquebus

this^

And especially that last one. I played for several months as a gunner before realizing you even COULD turn it off, and when I did it was like shackles being removed from my hands. I do have it set on a toggle so I can stick to trojan backs and turrets and the like with swords, however.

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 04:43

Gwenyvier

I use much the same as what

I use much the same as what Meta posted and it serves me very well.

WASD: movement

Mouse: aiming

Right Mouse: attacking

Left Mouse: auto-aim toggle

Mouse Wheel: switching weapons

Space Bar: shielding

Space for shielding for me because my thumb is right on it when my hand is on the WASD keys. Auto-aim on a toggle because quite frankly some weapons/charges are really dang hard to aim accurately... Flourish attack and charge, Cutter attack, Hammer dash (if you want to hit with all 3 hits).

~Gwen

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 04:56

Daarke

Eheheheheh.... ^^'

I use a gamepad, so this helps none whatsoever... Can't give any tips either... ^3^'

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 05:03

Mayaura

I switched my movements

to the arrow keys below delete and end because they are clearly set apart

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 05:07

Myg-Mog

^_^

WASD: Movement (SO original! I might try something stupid later, like zxdc or some crummy scheme, see how I fair?)

Mouse: Uh...looking around?

Left Mouse: Attack!

Right Mouse: Running around is still funny when you aren't stuck on a plane. Plus, that movement helps when you're dodging projectiles. Sometimes. (doesn't use for usefulness at all)

Mousewheel: Swapping Weapons faster then the average bear-shaped Knight.

Space Bar: Shielding with this is the best place you can put it.

Auto-Aim: Does Caps Lock really work? I have it on shift and only press it down, when I want my entire Striker combo to hit them. Otherwise, I don't use it. I'm gonna try to use Caps Lock later! (Has lag and a plausible excuse for it...)

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 08:49

Damienfoxy

I use a 360

I use a 360 controller...sooooo yeah, get one.

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 09:15

Sacrontine

For swords and bombs it don't

For swords and bombs it don't matter much if you use mouse or WASD, but for guns WASD is the way to go, since you can't walk and shoot at the same time otherwise.

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 09:42

Zaderules

---------

For Gunning (Worst way to gun):

WASD - Movement
Z - Attacking
X - Shielding
Spacebar - Switching Weaps
Trackpad - Aiming (I have no mouse I am on a laptop)

For Swording:
Arrow Keys - Movement
Z - Attacking
X - Shielding
Spacebar - Switching Weaps
No need for aiming I let Auto-aim do its work =D (Well sorry If I look noobish with Auto-aim <.<)
Shift - Toggle Auto-aim

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 10:28

#10

Kitty-Softpaws

I'm all keys. W = Move upS

I'm all keys.

W = Move up
S = Move down
D = Move right
A = Move left

------------------------------

Numpad 1 = Shield
Numpad 0 = Action(attack/pick up things)

------------------------------

Up arrow key = Face north
Down arrow key = Face south
Left arrow key = Face west
Right arrow key = Face east

------------------------------

Weapon 1 = [
Weapon 2 = ]
Weapon 3 = ;
Weapon 4 = '

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 10:37

#11

Nordlead

I mostly sword and bomb, and

I mostly sword and bomb, and occasionally gun. I also use WASD.

Move = WASD
AIM = Mouse
Attack = Right Mouse (attack is right mouse since I can't reliably control the wheel with my middle finger while attacking with my pointer)
Shield = Space Bar
Rotate Weapon = Mouse wheel
Auto-Aim toggle = left shift
Auto-Aim default state = on

This allows me to use auto-aim for my sword attacks (much easier to land the 3rd hit of a combo) but turn it off when I need to do charge attacks or use my gun. Since I primarily use swords it is easier to default auto-aim on.

@Sacrontine - mouse vs keyboard for swords & guns makes a huge difference. You can walk in attack and walk out MUCH faster using the keyboard than trying to move the mouse so your knight rotates and walks away. Also, you can't attack while backing up (swords) with the mouse. You also lose all abilities to strafe which can be pretty dang useful.

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 10:54

#12

Fallconn

FALCON PUNCH!

heres mine

Movement = WASD/Left Mouse Button
Aiming = Mouse
Attack = Right Mouse Button
Shield = Left Shift
Rotate Weapon = Mouse Wheel
Auto-Aim toggle = Left Ctrl

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 10:59

#13

Halandin

Do people set WASD for north,

Do people set WASD for north, south, east, west movement usually? I wonder how many people use that versus setting it for left, right, forward, and back (from the point of view of the cursor). It seems movement from the point of view of the screen would be easier to pick up, but the second amy be easier for circle strafing....

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 11:10

#14

Minous

Oh wow, so fast :D Thanks for

Oh wow, so fast :D

Thanks for all the answers! It looks like the WASD, right mouse button, mouse wheel and spacebar are the most used options so I'll try that.
I still can't decide on the auto-aim since it helps me with my sword attacks. No, seriously, I have THE WORST aim even in real life.
The person can stand 1 meter from me and I can't hit him -__-

As for the gamepad, no money here, so that solves that problem.

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 12:29

#15

Myllakka

---

I used mouse movement for months before switching to WASD (with the same scheme as Meta, but left and right mouse buttons reversed), and I'm glad I did. I think bombing is easier with a mouse, but both swording and gunning are better when you can move and aim at the same time, especially gunning. It took me quite a few FSC runs to stop dying in hilarious and stupid ways though. I invited some friends along so they can laugh at me and save my butt at the same time.

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 12:57

#16

Quasirandom

Get a gamepad. You'll

Get a gamepad. You'll probably never be all that good at dodging if you don't. And the game is more about dodging than aiming. If you do 10% less damage because you have bad aim, but only get hit half as often because you're good at dodging, then you're a much better player than before.

And if you think you are good at dodging, then I'd ask, how often do you clear a real level in tier 3 (as opposed to treasure vault or a lobby) without taking damage at all in the entire level? If the answer is rarely to never, then you're not good at dodging. If you got a gamepad, then you might be.

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 13:28

#17

Sypsy

Dedicated weapon buttons only

WASD - Movement
Mouse - aim
Left click - attack (why did OOO set attack to right click default? this is not normal w/ other games)
Right click - shield
Middle click - walk forward (for when I want to run around haven with only my mouse hand)
Scroll up - Weapon 1
Scroll down - Weapon 2
Space - Weapon 3
Left alt - Weapon 4
Left shift - Autoaim toggle

I used to have auto aim default off, but I was always holding down my shift button. I've since turned it on. Up to you on the default, but make sure you can toggle it easily.

Having dedicated weapon buttons instead of rotating through the weapons with the wheel is convenient if you have ever found yourself "searching" for the right weapon by cycling. I have q&e set for next/previous weapon as well, just in case. But I don't think I've used it.

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 13:29

#18

Tersakoff

I use a tablet.. Movement:

I use a tablet..
Movement: WASD, or "click" (=holding the pen on the tablet)
Aim: Tablet. Just hovering the pen above it.
Attack: Lower pen button (=right click mapped on it)
Defend: E (used to it from other games)
Weapon switch: Spacebar or upper pen button which is mapped to mouse wheel
Auto-aim toggle: Left shift

It's SO much better and easier with the tablet if you're used to it. I'm used to the mouse too, yet I find the tablet to be MUCH easier to use in general. *hugs it*

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 13:34

#19

Thefirstgamer

Gamepad time.

Personally, I use a PS3 controller (Took a bit to get it working) for most gaming, even Spiral Knights itself.

I can't use a mouse/touchpad, I'm mainly on my laptop, and the touchpad on it REFUSES to work when pressing other keys... So I had to ditch using it.

Autoaim is off, but the toggle is on a button handy, I CANNOT aim at all with Autoaim, I'm much better throwing my joystick in the direction I want to swing.

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 15:20

#20

Evning

Here's mine

Wasd to walk
Mouse for directional
Left click for attack
Right click for attack

Haven't done anything about auto aim. But I might soon

Here's where it gets interesting

1470 for weapons 1-4
258- for items 1-4
But I mostly put pills in slot 1, or key 2

Reason for this?
I use a naga mouse =p
And the keys correspond to the bottom and middle row of 4buttons on the mouse.
I am also not fond of using the scroll wheel, hard to be precise.

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 18:04

#21

Asdfhasdga

I am left-handed so I

I am left-handed so I use
IJKL: move
O and U: switch weapons
Right click: attack
Left click: shield

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 18:41

#22

Evilnut

Right-handed

WASD : Movement
Mouse position : Facing
Space bar : Block
Right Click : Attack
Left Click : Movement when I need to use my left hand (e.g. pickup a phone)
ZXCV : Weapon 1- 4
Mouse wheel : Next/previous weapon
1 - 4 : Pickups

Auto aim is off and I do not use the toggle.

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 20:59

#23

Traevelliath

...

WASD = Movement
Mouse = Aiming
Left Click = Attack
Right Click = Turn Auto-Aim Off (While key is held)
Space = Shield
Q = Next Weapon
E = Previous Weapon
F = Weapon 1 (This is where I keep my main sword, like a Glacius in FSC or a FF in LD)
V = Weapon 4 (This is where I tend to keep whatever bomb I'm using, most of the time a Voltaic Tempest)
C = Weapon 3 (This is for a random LD loadout I have where I spam Shiver on VT and need to swap quickly between the two)
Tab = Lock/Unlock HUD

That's all I can remember as of now

Thu, 03/29/2012 - 22:16

#24

Twiddle

I use WASD too

WASD - move
Left mouse - attack
Right mouse - shield
Mouse Wheel - switch weapons (I only run with two weapons, so this works fine for me. I may change it if I unlock more weapon slots)

T - Recipies
G - Arsenal
B - Character
1-4 Items.

Yep, it's the default setup that so many people use. The reason this works is because it allows you to move and aim independantly. It takes a while to get used to. (I remember when I first started to use it. I found myself unloading my full combo in the wrong direction.) But, once you get used to it then it will be very hard to go back to click to move.

Fri, 03/30/2012 - 01:18

#25

Minous

Well, I tried the WASD

Well, I tried the WASD movement and it was so freaking hard! I looked like a total drunk and couldn't even walk straight :D I kept dying every few seconds because I couldn't get together the WASD movement and the mouse aiming. I wanted to go right, but the mouse pointed elswhere so i went down or something. Kind of like Myllakka said.

So, not sure if I'm going to try these controls again, but it was hell of a fun to watch. My friend who was there with laughed his butt off :D Guess I just got used too much to the old controls.... Maybe I'll spend some time trying it at the training hall.

Too bad I didn't record it :D

Fri, 03/30/2012 - 01:45

#26

Sypsy

Did you use wasd to do: move

Did you use wasd to do: move forward, left, back, right? by any chance? (or mix in strafing?) This isn't what people do. But I could see how this could make you move in odd ways.

It should be "move north, south, west, east" or whatever the default is.
By pressing "w" you should just move up in a straight line, regardless of where your mouse points.

Fri, 03/30/2012 - 01:58

#27

Herosandwich

when I started spiralknights

when I started spiralknights my 360 controller was plugged in (thank you, skyrim, bastion) after working out the shield issues (you can't assign triggers to shield effectively) it's been a godsend for everything but gunner aiming, and even that gets easy after practice.

edit:// in fact, i'd highly recommend getting a 360 controller if you pc game frequently. many pc games now fully support it, and it's plug n play with winxp/7. (dungeon defenders, bastion, skyrim, Spiralknights, and too many valve games to mention come to mind)

Fri, 03/30/2012 - 02:09

#28

Damienfoxy

360 controller ftw. And WASD

360 controller ftw.

And WASD for the fail, use arrow keys, you'll thank me later.

Fri, 03/30/2012 - 02:54

#29

Oolon

How do people "toggle" the

How do people "toggle" the state of auto-aim? Its annoying to have to hold down a key to change the state of it, and using the menu takes far to long.

Fri, 03/30/2012 - 05:30

#30

Dukeplatypus

WASD to move Arrow keys to

WASD to move
Arrow keys to face directions
Mouse to aim
Left mouse attack
right mouse and shift are shield
ctrl is auto aim
Space and mouse wheel to switch weps

Sat, 03/31/2012 - 13:57

#31

Minous

@Sypsy Thanks! I tried the

@Sypsy

Thanks! I tried the north, south controls instead of the up, down and it's much better. I'm still getting used to it, but yeah.... Thanks again!

Sat, 03/31/2012 - 14:26

#32

Arbituser

WASD/Left Mouse/Arrow

WASD/Left Mouse/Arrow Keys-Movement
E/X-Shield
Z/Right Mouse-Attack
Scroll Wheel/Spacebar-Switch weapons
Right Shift-Toggle auto-aim

I have 2+ keys bound per control so I can play on my laptop even if I forget my mouse

Sat, 03/31/2012 - 14:31

#33

Lakwesha

WASD - Move Left Shift -

WASD - Move
Left Shift - Shield
Everything else default.

Sat, 03/31/2012 - 14:57

#34

Batabii

Why would you use the mouse

Why would you use the mouse to walk? What if you need to strafe?
I use WASD to move, m1 to attack, m2 to shield, m3 for voice chat, the numpad for emotes (/helpme etc), 1-4 for vials, and the mousewheel to change weapons. I don't even use the spacebar.

~shutupgwen

Sun, 04/01/2012 - 01:20

#35

Minous

@Batabii Well, the controls

@Batabii

Well, the controls were defaults like that and I never needed to strafe :)

Sun, 04/01/2012 - 01:47

#36

Batabii

If you never needed to

If you never needed to strafe, you've never used a gun.

And WASD still works by default.

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