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Doom 1 - Keyboard or Mouse. Discuss.

D

desh

Member
So, I actually never played Doom 1, and while the levels were all flat and you couldn't look up or down (nor was there reason to), I just can't see turning with the keyboard to be superior than turning with the mouse (even if there was a key to do 180 degree turns).

So, what say you old(er) GAF? Did anyone use mouse with Doom, and was it better?

I also seem to recall that Thresh was known for using mouse with Doom, but I'm not sure if that was Doom 1 or 2 or both.

(maybe this should be put in the Gaming questions that don't deserver their on thread, thread).
 
i was just thinking the other day if it was even possible to play Doom with mouse controls.

all i remember is playing it with the keyboard only and my mind being blown.
 
Always try to play the game with the most authentic control scheme to the time it was released. It takes a while to get used to it, but doom without mouse is more than manageable.
 
Back in the day I played keyboard only. These days I use zDoom and use tradition WASD + Mouse control.
 
Doom is my favourite game! People still make maps for this on a very regular basis.

I recommend playing with a source port like GZDoom. (There are many others)

I always play with mouselook.
 
Strider2K99 said:
Modern controls for me.

WASD for movement, turning/aiming with the mouse.
Click to expand...

This is how I play as well. I think it's easily the most comfortable control scheme.


EDIT: horizontal mouselook only of course
 
Back in the day I didn't use strafing or mouselook. But as of today it's WASD with horizontal mouselook. It's legit, since you can set it all up with the native configuration executables.
I wonder who used to play like that.
 
Onion_Relish said:
Always try to play the game with the most authentic control scheme to the time it was released. It takes a while to get used to it, but doom without mouse is more than manageable.
Click to expand...
Uhm, im pretty sure DOS Doom always supported the mouse (or atleast Ultimate). Turning on the KB sucks.
 
desh said:
I just can't see turning with the keyboard to be superior than turning with the mouse
Click to expand...
what? of course keyboard turning isn't superior to mouse, who told you that? most people did play doom on keyboard only back in the day though, including me. it was just too early for fps games then, we didn't know any better. although I did use the strafe buttons as well. it took until quake1 before I learned how to mouse control.
 
I never used the mouse because I didn't know you could. Then Quake came out and I initially thought it sucked. Trying to hit those flying lizard things that sing using a keyboard was a total pain in the arse.

Then one day I was merrily walking through the halls of my college and people were playing Quake. With a mouse. I've loved the game ever since.
 
Mouse really feels unnatural for me with Doom 1 and 2 since you can't really look up and down.

I just use KB and alt to strafe.
 
I've always used mouse controls, even since Wolf 3D. I just figured that's how everyone played FPS games.
 
Played it keyboard only back in 1993. Now a days Keyboard + Sourceports Mouselook.
 
thetrin said:
I've always used mouse controls, even since Wolf 3D. I just figured that's how everyone played FPS games.
Click to expand...
Same here. Nowadays obviously the mouse+keyboard configuration seems best but back then I was completely content with just mouse controls, where you push forward to go forward and have to reset the mouse's position on the mousepad every time.
 
klee123 said:
Mouse really feels unnatural for me with Doom 1 and 2 since you can't really look up and down.

I just use KB and alt to strafe.
Click to expand...
the added accuracy of mouse isn't really necessary for aiming since there is so much lock-on, but for movement the difference is night and day.
 
desh said:
So, I actually never played Doom 1, and while the levels were all flat and you couldn't look up or down (nor was there reason to), I just can't see turning with the keyboard to be superior than turning with the mouse (even if there was a key to do 180 degree turns).

So, what say you old(er) GAF? Did anyone use mouse with Doom, and was it better?

I also seem to recall that Thresh was known for using mouse with Doom, but I'm not sure if that was Doom 1 or 2 or both.

(maybe this should be put in the Gaming questions that don't deserver their on thread, thread).
Click to expand...
Ok back in the day of DOS I did not like mouse because the y-axis did forwards and backwards movement.

zdoom lets you fix this with or without mouse look. The right way to play DOOM and DOOM II is with WASD, autorun on, and mouse look(zeroing vertical sensitivity optional). Anyone else is wrong.
 
Keyboard and mouse. Limiting myself to one just feels so alien. The mouse moved me back and forward unwantingly, but I got used to it.

I remember just a while ago I got my friend Duke 3D, which he hadn't played in over a decade. He had one hand on WASD and the other on the arrow keys. It just looked so fucking weird.
 
I was keyboard only when I played Doom originally. I think I used the arrow keys to move forward/backward/turn and the < > keys to strafe. Putting my fingers in that configuration hurts my brain now...
 
At the time I used a flight stick, but if I were to do it again today I'd just use an Xbox 360 controller. Doom is the rare FPS that actually plays BETTER on dual analogs.
 
Back when I was playing this on my 386, I'd use keyboard for all the movements and use the mouse to shoot. Nowadays, I just fire up Skulltag, disable autoaim and use the mouse for full camera control. Modern scheme just fits better.
 
irod1.jpg
 
I found the dual analog controls in DOOM XBLA very comfortable, especially because you don't need to be extremely accurate with your aiming.
 
The beauty of DOOM is that, because of how aiming works in the game, it can be played any way you like. Keyboard, keyboard + mouse, and even a gamepad.

It's possible to set up DOOM to use a more modern control scheme that's still keyboard only, by having S & D strafe left and right without having to hold ALT, and the arrow keys for turning and the up and down arrow keys freed up to use for things like opening doors or firing.

I remember the PS1 version of DOOM had the shoulder buttons as strafing and it worked pretty well.
 
At the time I used arrow keys for movement, ctrl to fire, alt for strafe. Then qtest came along and blew my mind. Nowadays I'd probably wsad mouse it.
 
Controller

After playing doom on XBLA I can't think of a better input system for it, same with Duke Nukem 3D, they both felt great on a controller.
 
Joseph Merrick said:
the added accuracy of mouse isn't really necessary for aiming since there is so much lock-on, but for movement the difference is night and day.
Click to expand...


That's another problem I have with mouse look with doom. The mouse also controls moving backwards and forwards.

Not to mention that for Doom, controling with mouse is too sensitive for my tastes. You never really needed to aim accurately in doom 1 and 2.
 
klee123 said:
That's another problem I have with mouse look with doom. The mouse also controls moving backwards and forwards.

Not to mention that for Doom, controling with mouse is too sensitive for my tastes. You never really needed to aim accurately in doom 1 and 2.
Click to expand...
You can switch off mouse movement and lower the sensitivity. Problems solved?


Was a keyboard warrior when playing Doom in the 90s. But keyboard + mouse feels so much more natural for the higher difficulties when you need to strafe like hell.
 
The fact that you can play Doom with a mouse blows my mind. I never did such a thing as a kid. Or maybe I did...I do remember playing it with a joystick once.

I also remember when a demon above me shot a fireball down toward me, and I ducked in real life to avoid it.
 
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