Feature Request: Arrow Key Movement

I've been really enjoying the game so far, but I do have one feature request - would it be possible to add in movement by arrow keys? Movement-by-mouse is all right for most of the time, but it gets somewhat annoying when your pointer ends up over a door or something, and you just wanted to be moving along. Especially in, say, the cellar, where there's occasional traps to worry about, it's sometimes not a good idea to use the "walk lock" mode (or whatever that's called).

Furthermore, once that's in place, I think it'd be nice to have a feature where if you press the arrow in the direction of an object, you'll perform the default action on the object (ie: melee attack if it's an enemy, talk if it's a person, open the door if it's a door, etc).

Not a dealbreaker, of course, but since there's already a number of keyboard shortcuts, the omission of arrow keys seems a bit strange, especially given the retroness of the game.

Regardless, well done! I'm enjoying it.

Keyboard movement has made it into the next game (Book II, due in 2009) but hasn't been patched into Book I yet due to certain complications with the way we handle key input. That is on the plate to be patched at some point.

One note about "walk lock" that you mention....if your character successfully "Spots Hidden" and does see a trap nearly, walk lock is instantly disabled so you don't walk into it. If you are constantly hitting traps, consider a boost the "Spot Hidden" skill.

Thanks for the suggestions, and I am glad you are enjoying it.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 08/06/2008 08:21:36

Edit: Oops, Basilisk posted while I was composing. Hooray for upcoming key movement!

I'd like to second the request for arrow-key movement.

However, I think the arrow-key default action is a bad idea, as there may be situations where I'm arrowing along, go one too far, and end up performing a default action I didn't intend, and which may have unwanted consequences.

Basilisk wrote:Keyboard movement has made it into the next game (Book II, due in 2009) but hasn't been patched into Book I yet due to certain complications with the way we handle key input. That is on the plate to be patched at some point.

Groovy, I look forward to it. :)

One note about "walk lock" that you mention....if your character successfully "Spots Hidden" and does see a trap nearly, walk lock is instantly disabled so you don't walk into it. If you are constantly hitting traps, consider a boost the "Spot Hidden" skill.

FWIW, I've also hit the occasional prickly thorn bush (or whatever they're called) while wandering around outside, which aren't really hidden. Keyboard movement probably would have obviated those as well. Whenever I suspect I may be around traps, I generally just turn walk lock off, anyway.

In general I suppose I'm just in favor of anything that cuts down on mouse usage at all. I'm guessing that it'd be possible to come up with a scheme which let the whole game be keyboard-based if the user wanted. Not that I'm requesting that you go that far; that's just where I'm coming from.

Thanks again!

Sounds like keyboard walking is alreayd in book 2. But is it WASD or Arrow keys. Or user definable?

Like another poster said, all keyboard would be great. Becasue then i could set up use for my 360 controller. Also I could play without a mouse on my Laptop (UMPC - no integrated keyboard)

Either way, definitely enjoying the demo. About to pickup the actual game.

Qix213 wrote:is it WASD or Arrow keys.

Not that I actually know or anything, but actual arrow keys would certainly make the most sense, since people with numeric keypads would be able to use the full range of movement that way.

With Wizardry 6, Bane of the Cosmic Forge you could do the entire game using the keyboard whether it was in "mouse mode" or not. I felt like a clever second grader when I figured this out. Keyboard control is oldschool++.