Yep, I prioritize using the buttons on the edge first on my G600. The middle two buttosn in the array of 12 get a lot less usage.
I use the keyboard to cast spells and activate abilities/clickies using hotkeys. It seems much faster and more reliable than using the mouse. As long as it's not a target rich environment I also use Tab to select targets, though switching targets with Tab seems slower than activating commands with keys. When I play EQ it's sort of like playing the piano. Depending on class it's Attack, Bash, Disarm, Taunt. Or Pet Attack, Clicky dot, and one or two spell gem dots on my taskbar.
Oh, and I never use certain slots for different things. #9 is always Feign Death (better known as F'ing Die!). If I'm not on a monk or SK, #9 stays vacant. I want my muscle memory to FD fast if I need to rather than my eyes having to search the bar. Sit is always -, and Bind Wound is always =
ugh. a mouse is a peripheral designed to move on a 2D surface in order to move a pointer in a 2D plane. It is a tool designed specifically for the action it is used for. A trackball translates 2D movement into rotational movement which is simply not as precise nor intuitive imo. I've never seen a competitive gamer use a trackball. I've seen old people in office cubicles use them, though.
LOL... Trackballs are just like mice - one has to use the right one if for gaming. And yes, sadly there aren't many good ones, and mice often offer more. But trackballs have several advantages too, not just that they're easier on the wrist/arm. They require less space, are much easier to clean, not affected by the surface they run on and for the thumb-using smartphone youths employing their "strong" finger. (while some/most of us "oldpeople in office cubicles" have some issues with the thumb-fine-control at first) Personally, i am old enough to do most stuff with the keyboard.
i use the mouse very rarely for Everquest play on my main character while raiding or grouping (cleric). My opinion is that in general, the mouse is better for movement over distance or in complex patterns, and for the out of combat manipulation of UI components. Like moving stuff around your bank or inventory, one-clicking a specific npc or vendor out of a crowd or lineup. While the keyboard is superior in speed and accuracy for taking character actions like spellcasting, combat abilities, and an enormous number of shortcut actions that can be tied to a handy hotkey. Things to note that shade my opinion- i am a fast and relatively accurate typist. i guarantee i can pick out PC targets from a crowd faster than people using a mouse to try and do so by using the /tar command. same goes for snagging corpses or casting spells or sending tells, inviting people and a bunch of other commands that are just ingrained in my muscle memory now. My main is a Cleric. Line of sight is very rarely relevant, and since casting options while in motion are extremely limited, the plan is usually to find the best or most consistent place to plant myself and stay there while lording over life and death like a god. Which means movement itself (what the mouse is best at) is what i am actively trying to avoid most of the time. My internet connection and hardware have never been "Amazing" . So with a 20" monitor, an old video card, all the bells and whistles turned off and "meh" upload/download speeds, i have managed to play Everquest with consistent stability and efficiency for a long time. Things like that can certainly affect one's mouse responsiveness vs. keyboard. i play in first person- for many reasons- but suffice to say, awareness of one's surroundings depends upon occupation. If i am pulling from an open area or for some reason fighting out in the middle of a field or with my back to an open door/hallway, then yes that would be useful, but that isn't a smart position for a cleric, if there is actual danger. For rogues, i imagine, life is ironic in that they have to watch their backs more than anyone, but my role in a group or raid is to BE the safest spot. If your cleric is in danger from mobs, then you are most likely doing something wrong in your raid event or group content. On my non cleric alts, i play much more casually and with far less efficiency or focus, so i use the mouse more when 50+ other people are not depending on me getting off a spell in a fraction of a second window. How you people who mouselook manage to strafe an inch to the left when you need to in a timely fashion is beyond me. /shrug. TLDR: Your Mileage May Vary. #TeamKeyboard
lol, i love it, even tho your team keyboard /hiss for some classes (like a ranger) movement is life, so you either get accustomed to using the mouse or get accustomed to taking rezzes ... to be far, you'll wanna get accustomed to taking rezzes anyways ~
This is taking gaming to the next level. Just browsed a couple to see what exactly these things are and dang this would make the mouse even more obsolete for combat situations. If I was not playing from my recliner and enjoy comfort over something like this I would be all over this like white on rice.
Mouse in conjunction with Keyboard for strafing/positioning and views. Straight Keyboard for everything else. That is probably typical for anyone that doesn't stay stationary and pew pew from a distance.
I'd be curious to know how those of you that use keyboard exclusively handle the keyboard shortcuts for UI elements that have many options. For instance, how do you cast your spells? You'd need 12(soon 13) keybinds set up to do this. ETW...13 slots that would need to be able to be targeted. If it's somewhere in the middle, that means you've got to count down to that slot to know if it's 6vs7th slot. How do you target the 5 people in your group or their potential 5 pets? I play with a G600 that has 12 buttons on the thumb. I only use 6ish for EQ stuff with the other being for other random computer functions. I don't have too many twitch actions bound. As a shaman, there's not much I can even think of I'd need in twitch situations other than fade.
Spells by default are set up as alt-1 through alt-=, has been since forever. There is supposed to be a key to cycle through etw targets, though I've never used it. Group members default to F1 through F6. Hit the key again while you have the group member targeted, and you then target their pet.
I know both of these keybinds are already set by default. I more so was asking if people actually use them. When playing more than one character, character-specific keybinds start to really go out the window, especially for different archetypes. Keybinds/ability groupings for a healer would be completely different than for a puller/tank/melee dps/caster dps. Still doesn't answer my question regarding ETW. Clicking the "next etw target" button 10 times is gonna be alot slower than just mousing over and hitting the name you want. I suspect that alot of the people complain about mouse speed don't use a high enough DPI. I think mine is around 3300 and although I could play higher I'd get annoyed when I go back to work and use my slower mouse.
Ah, it sounded like you were wondering what the hotkeys are. Can't speak to the ETW, never used them. I use the F2 key to target my merc all the time. Don't usually group, so not sure if I'd still use those keys for that. The alt-# for spells regularly comes in handy. If I'm loading DoTs, I can walk my finger across the keys, and keep my eyes on the screen, to see if root broke, adds are coming, etc.
I think a lot of mouse + keyboard vs nearly 100% keyboard has a lot to do with class and play style. For casters and healers there is almost no reason imo to use a mouse or at least use it very limited. Melee and tanks I also think the majority of everything a person does should be keybound with limited mouse use. If you are mass root and shooting with a ranger a mouse might be faster but what are you doing outside of targeting, rooting and keeping autofire going. Rogues believe a mouse is superior for positioning and since my rogue is only used to tinker and make poisons I cant make an educated argument for or against this. In all for most classes in most combat situations the keyboard for nearly every action is far superior to mouse clicking.
I try to minimize mouse clicks and use hotkeys/keyboard as much as possible. But if you are not using your mouse for movement and camera control, or if you insist on only playing in 1st person, you are making a conscious decision to not learn how to use all the tools available to you. You are CHOOSING to play with a handicap. That may be fine for your personal pleasure in the game, but it means that you are a terrible team player and you are letting your group/raid down. People who insist on playing in first-person are especially damaging to a raid, and you can always tell because they are the ones who are last to move when they need to, and they often run off in the wrong direction.
Yeah, being a kiting class, I pretty much never play in 1st person mode. Forget the reasons you said, I just can't see anything. I like being able to see what's going on behind me Well, one exception... since I always have lev on, if I'm travelling across zones where a lot of maneuvering is required, like needing to stay on the ground and not floating (like in tunnels with things to get caught up on), then I'll use 1st person, and use the two-button mouse move mode, so I can navigate easier. Funny aside, I recently stopped keeping Spirit of Eagle on my merc, due to the lev component. Too many times I'll float down to ground level and engage, and for whatever reason, merc will float ~20 feet above me, and never start tanking
I do the same (I constantly switch between first and third person). You can also use the Page Up and Page Down keys to look up and down, without zooming into first person mode. The Home key will always center your look view. I still usually just zoom in first, especially if I'm only playing one toon, but using the keys (without zooming) can be helpful, especially when boxing. That is really funny! I don't usually use a tank merc, so I hadn't noticed that one. But the new Frontier Mountains is horrible for merc pathing! My merc is often minutes behind me, even if I'm at a higher elevation.
