Product Code Database
Arrow keys or cursor movement keys are keys on a computer keyboard that are either programmed or designated to move the cursor in a specified direction.'Inside Macintosh', by Caroline Rose, Bradley Hacker, Apple Computer, Inc. Published 1985, Addison-Wesley Pub. Co. . Original from the University of Michigan; Digitized Nov 16, 2007.
The term "cursor movement key" is distinct from "arrow key" in that the former term may refer to any of various keys on a computer keyboard designated for cursor movement, whereas "arrow keys" generally refers to one of four specific keys, typically marked with arrows.Visual editing on unix By B. Srinivasan, K. Ranai Published 1989 World Scientific Text editors (Computer programs) 182 pages
Arrow keys are typically located at the bottom of the keyboard to the left side of the numeric keypad, usually arranged in an inverted-T layout but also found in diamond shapes and linear shapes. Arrow keys are commonly used for navigating around documents and for playing games. The inverted-T layout was popularized by the Digital Equipment Corporation LK201 keyboard from 1982.
The inverted-T layout was popularized by the Digital Equipment Corporation LK201 keyboard from 1982.
Most Commodore 8-bit computers used two cursor keys instead of four, with directions selected using the shift key.
The original Macintosh had no arrow keys at the insistence of Steve Jobs, who felt that people should use the mouse instead. They were deliberately excluded from the Macintosh launch design as a forcing device, acclimating users to the new mouse input device and inducing software developers to conform to mouse-driven design rather than easily porting previous terminal-based software to the new platform. Arrow keys were included in later Apple keyboards. Early models with arrow keys but no middle section (Home, End, etc.) placed them in one line below the right-hand Shift key in an HJKL keys-like fashion; later versions had a standard inverted-T layout, either in the middle block or as half-height keys at the bottom right of the main keyboard.
In some software for these machines (eg. games), the unshifted , , , and keys were directly associated with direction control when they had no other purpose, as this meant less complicated keypress detection routines could be used. The corresponding character codes returned by ROM routines varied between machines, with Spectrum and Ace designs having the order of up and down keys on the keyboard reflecting which had the lesser and greater numeric value.
Although the QL-style keyboard on later Spectrum + and + 128K models introduced various dedicated keys including arrow keys either side of the space bar (left/right in a pair to its immediate left, and up/down to the immediate right) and removed related labels, either method produced the same signals and there was no difference between which of the alternatives was used as far as software was concerned.
The main reason for this arrangement is that the arrow keys are not ergonomic to use with a right-handed Computer mouse. During the early days of gaming, this was not a problem as the mouse was not used; the arrow keys controlled both movement as well as looking around , with strafing done using (usually + ). However, the introduction of Free look, a system that let one use the mouse to look around both vertically and horizontally, enabled the player to perform techniques such as smooth circle strafing, which, although possible with the keyboard, was difficult to perform and resulted in jagged movement. Since the mouse was now used for looking, the and keys for looking would be redundant and thus were altered to become strafe keys.
The style was popularized in competitive play in Quake and subsequently QuakeWorld, notably by professional player Dennis Fong, where the advantages of WASD and mouselook were recognized over a purely keyboard-based control system. In the same year that Castle Wolfenstein was released, 1981, the game Wizardry used the AWD keys for movement in a first-person dungeon. Both the programmers of Castle Wolfenstein and Wizardry were users of the earlier PLATO system where the game Moria used the AWD keys.
Another advantage of WASD is that it allows the user to use the left-hand thumb to press the bar (often the jump command) and the left-hand little finger to press the or keys (often the crouch and sprint commands), as opposed to the arrow keys which lack other keys in proximity to press. and were chosen partly because they are larger keys and thus easier to hit, but primarily because in older systems the computer could only recognize a couple of alphanumeric key presses, a limitation circumvented by the use of . In later games, the usage of the key to interact with items or open up the inventory was also popularized due to its location next to the WASD keys, allowing players to reach it quickly.
Telengard (1982) may be the first game to use WASD keys; Dark Castle (1986) may be the first to use WASD keys and mouse for control. Half-Life (1998) was one of the first mainstream games to use WASD by default. After being popularized by first-person shooters, WASD became more common in other computer game genres as well. Many of the games that have adopted this layout use a first-person or over-the-shoulder third-person perspective. Some games that use overhead camera views also use WASD to move the camera, such as some city-building games and economic simulation games.
Perhaps the earliest game to use ESDF was Crossfire (1981), which used the keys for firing in multiple directions. Dan "vise" Larsen from Quake Team Deathmatch clan "clan Kapitol" popularized ESDF as an alternative to "WASD", explaining that the player gains three additional keys to bind the Quake game's controls to. It is the default configuration for several games, such as Tribes 2. The game Blackthorne used a combination of arrow keys for movement and ESDF for actions.
Some players use RDFG or TFGH to give access to even more keys ( and for the little finger).
When Bungie's first-person shooter Marathon was released in 1994, it featured up/down look control and the option to fully control turning and aiming by mouse (a feature later popularized by id's Quake as Freelook). However, it did not include a set of default controls to handle this. With WASD not yet a well-known standard, some people devised their own control schemes to handle combined keyboard movement with mouse aiming; DCAS was one such control scheme.
Like WASD, DCAS allows the player to easily utilize the left modifier keys; this is advantageous because on most keyboards, the circuitry is better at tracking multiple key-presses simultaneously if some of them are modifier keys. But unlike WASD, the position of the left hand for DCAS gameplay is very similar to the left hand's position on the home row keys. This is very comfortable for right-handed players and seen as the primary advantage over using WASD, but it is ill-suited for left-handed mousing.
IJKL is used by a growing number of . These games cannot use the arrow keys because many browsers' windows will scroll if the arrow keys are used, thus hindering gameplay. This is a problem specific to DHTML/JavaScript games. IJKL, like WASD, are arranged in an ergonomic inverted T shape, and, since they are used by the right hand, adjustment is easy for people who commonly use the arrow keys.
Also, in many games that also use the WASD keys, the IJKL keys are sometimes used as a secondary player control for games that have multiplayer.
Devil May Cry 4 by Capcom utilizes IJKL as the player's action keys (such as Melee Attack, Ranged Attack, Special Attack etc.) as an alternative to mouse-driven actions.
This variant adopted to newer games using mouse-look doesn't really need worry about the turn left and turn right keys. Instead = strafe left, = strafe right, = backpedal, and space or = forward. This is a more natural feel on the keyboard as your fingers rest on the Touch typing. The comfort and usability points from ESDF apply here. Notice that jump is left out, that is because in games like Quake jump was usually MOUSE2. With more alternate fire and aim-down-sights oriented games today you may have to play with , SPACE, and MOUSE2 on what you want them to do.
A similar layout is ASD-SPACE. Commonly used in 2D-based fighting games, ASD-SPACE maps , , and to "left", "down", and "right" movement, while the spacebar is used for "up" (jumping). This allows an easier access to "360 degree" motions than a normal inverted-T layout, as well as being more ergonomic than simply placing all directions in a single row (ex. ASDF). There is even a "stickless" arcade controller based around the concept, called the Hitbox.
QAOP had its own variations, such as ZXKM or WELP. Many BBC Micro games used the keys ZX*? respectively for left, right, up, and down (with "*" being the key above and right of "?", where "@" is on modern UK keyboards). In each case, one hand controls left/right, and the other hand controls up/down movement. A further variation is used when two players use the keyboard at the same time; for example, Gauntlet uses the combination 1QSD for Player 1, and 8IKL for Player 2.
Car Wars is an example of a 99/4A game that uses ESDX keys.
The numpad or number pad keys are used quite often, but are used mostly in driving simulator games. This is mainly because these games usually have quite a large number of keys needed to control the vehicle properly and the number pad will have plenty of keys for that particular use. Another reason this is commonly used is because left-handed players will find this a more comfortable position than the IJKL keys (see above), and the number pad has fewer keys around it, thus it is less likely the player will hit the wrong key by mistake.
This layout also appears on the numeric keypads of some keyboards, using 8462 (including 7913).
A few games from the 1980s, such as the Phantasie series, use the "3WES" layout, which forms a diamond on QWERTY keyboards. In this layout, three of the four keys happen to correspond to the compass directions "West", "East" and "South". These games usually assign both "N" and "3" to "North".
AZERTY users will use the "ZQSD" combination instead of "WASD", since those are the keys in place of WASD on a QWERTY keyboard. Depending on the configuration, "QAOP" may either still work or be vertically inverted. On the Dvorak keyboard layout, "WASD" is ",AOE".
Left-handed players may use the numeric keypad instead.
A somewhat uncommon variant is YGHJ which while requiring the keyboard to be turned slightly clockwise, can result in the thumb resting comfortably upon the right key and the little finger resting on . This can be useful in games that utilize both jump and sprint functions as it allows the fingers to rest on smaller keys than and Space. The YGHJ configuration also places the hand closer to the center of the QWERTY section of the keyboard, potentially opening up the entire board to custom keybindings.
The game QWOP uses the control scheme "QWOP" to control the sprinter's arms and legs. the and keys control the sprinter's thighs while the and keys control the sprinter's calves making an intentionally difficult control system as a result.
Layouts such as Shift Z Ctrl X, where is up and is down, allow all direction keys to be used in any combination, without the delay of changing finger position. But the use of modifier keys can be problematic, as some games do not allow mapping of these keys.
Professional player Fashr is known to use somewhat unorthodox keybindings. Using the right mouse button to move forward, semicolon to move backwards, comma for strafing left and the full stop to strafe right.
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