Key mapping - User vs Gamemode

[xrayhunter-git]

I feel like the implementation of having Input.Attack1 or Input.Forward are great as base gamemode keymappings.

But I feel like this is heavily limiting for gamemodes, for adding custom keymappings; which I remember being a necessary evil to hack around with Garry's Mod.

I can imagine a system, where we can as a User have in our settings the base game keymappings; that no server owner/gamemode/addon can modify. But if I was running some type of gamemode or addon, it could have categories for those said gamemodes and/or addons that the user can modify if the developer intends for it. Which the developer can set their own defaults to their own set custom keymappings.

An example code would be:

public MyPlayerController()
{
    CustomInput.RegisterKeymapping("Lean Left", Keyboard.Q | Controller.LB);
    CustomInput.RegisterKeymapping("Lean Right", Keyboard.E | Controller.RB);
}

public override void Simulate()
{
    // Base Controls that I cannot modify, but that's fine.
    Vector3 inputVelocity = new Vector3( Input.Forward, Input.Left, 0 );

    // Here's my custom input stuff.
    if (CustomInput.Pressed(Keyboard.Q))
    {
        Log.Info("Switch Weapons or Lean to the left... something implemented");
    }
    else if (CustomInput.Pressed(Keyboard.E))
    {
        Log.Info("Switch Weapons or Lean to the right... something implemented");
    }
    else if (CustomInput.Pressed(Controller.WestBtn))
    {
        Log.Info("The X button on the Xbox, or the Square button on the PlayStation.");
    }
    else if (CustomInput.Pressed("Lean Left"))
    {
        Log.Info("My Custom Lean Keymapping that was registered.");
    }

    if (CustomInput.Collide(Keyboard.W))
    {
        Log.Info("This should return true, with default settings; because it's Forward.");
    }

    if (CustomInput.Collide("Lean Left"))
    {
        Log.Info("This should return false.");
    }
}

[tavichh]

A really good takeaway from this would be the syntax included above would also solve the problem with people playing on different controllers types. It would even be better if we can access raw game controllers as well for the inclusion of physical steering wheels and joysticks and so forth; but I'd wager that's really far down the pipeline if included at all.

[xrayhunter-git]

It would even be better if we can access raw game controllers as well for the inclusion of physical steering wheels and joysticks and so forth

Totally agreed. I can imagine the CustomInput stuff doing Joysticks, Console Controllers, Steering wheels, and traditional keyboards.

Examples:

bool t = Input.Pressed(InputButtons.Use); // This is a base game input, which we cannot modify; only check if user done actions in it's behalf; or such.
bool x = CustomInput.Pressed(Keyboard.E); // This is a hardcoded custom input.
bool xtCollide = CustomInput.Collide(Keyboard.E); // This will return true, if the user didn't change the settings; because (USE and E are the same; thus they collide).
bool y = CustomInput.Pressed(Controller.WestBtn); // This is also a hardcoded custom input.
bool z = CustomInput.Pressed("Lean Left"); // Custom Keymapping that can be displayed to the user settings under gamemode.

Vector2 j = CustomInput.Joystick.Axis; // Joysticks are usually a single stick controller.
float w = CustomInput.WheelController.Axis; // Wheel Controllers, sometimes count as a Joystick, its weird...
Vector2 c = CustomInput.Controller.LStick; // Left Stick of a console controller.

[xrayhunter-git]

Mind you, I'm also avocating that the CustomInput.Pressed("Lean Left") to be a thing; essentially, you can register keymappings before the player spawns or somewhere it initializes (probably best in the Game extended class). Which will allow users from their own settings panel control the gamemode's intended control scheme.

Though with this power, we need to specify that User base Keymappings which is the traditional current state of keymapping i.e. Input.Forward; cannot be overridden or such. We don't want developers being malicious to the user's settings, and each gamemode/server could store their own keymappings locally.

[garrynewman]

Am I the only person that doesn't want to learn a ton of key binds for each game?

[zeo]

The key bindings should still be up to the game developer in my opinion, if they want to confuse players by adding tons of key binds in, then they can. But it sucks being limited to the keys defined by s&box, as some games might want to add one or two binds which aren't covered by InputButton.

[SebbeJohansson]

I 100% agree, but it could be a good idea if we can have a number of "action bindings" that could be used for multiple games. Similar to how E can be used for "USE" which multiple gamemodes can use in gmod.