Keyboard layout to shift wasd keys

25
2014-03
  • Joel Coehoorn

    I like to play video games on my computer. One of the things that bugs me, though, is how the wasd keys became the standard movement keys in first person shooters and mmorpgs. To me, esdf makes a lot more sense, because that matches your normal hand placement for typing. "Fixing" that layout is always the first thing I do when installing a new game. Sadly, this is often a pain in the neck, and some games won't let you do it at all.

    Is there an alternative keyboard layout you can install that will just switch these around, so the wasd keys fall in the esdf positions? And is low-level enough two work with DirectX/DirectInput, perhaps that works with the language bar for easy swapping back and forth?

    • Answers
  • Emory Bell

    Assuming you are running Windows, Microsoft provides a solution that allows you to create your own custom keyboard layout which can subsequently be accessed via the language bar.

  • Mart

    How about creating an AutoHotkey script? http://www.autohotkey.com

    If a game does not allow you to remap, or you don't want to mess with remapping keys for every game, you can probably write a simple AHK script to remap keys, and run it before running a game. AHK also allows you to create powerful keyboard macros as well.

    Tutorial: http://www.autohotkey.com/docs/misc/Remap.htm

    Or maybe a key-remapper application will suffice? http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/KeyTweak.shtml (I tried looking at the original page for KeyTweak, but got a 404.)


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  • Jez

    I have a bit of an arcane question about a specific keyboard layout. It's the Windows XP SP2+ keyboard layout that is called "United Kingdom Extended".

    I love most of the layout, but there is one annoying thing: it turns backtick (`) into a 'dead key'. Why they made this decision I don't know, because every other dead key involves pressing AltGr along with it, i.e. if you don't press AltGr, the keyboard functions as before. I wish this behaviour applied to backtick as well, so to get a grave e, I'd press AltGr+`, then e.

    Does anyone know how I can do this? Whether it's possible in Windows itself or whether it can be done using some other software?


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  • bobince

    You can use MSKLC to create your own keyboard layouts.

    I made eurokb with it, which you may find fits your needs. I share your loathing for non-alted dead keys.

  • A Dwarf

    If you press the backtick key followed by spacebar, the backtick will be inserted.

    This is true also of any other accent key that functions as a dead key.