This Is Not a Bug but a Game Feature-Chapter 51: Default Key Bindings

Chen Ba felt a bit troubled.

At the Zhonghai Game Exhibition, the game revealed quite a few shortcomings and issues.

After returning to Jiangning, he made a list of issues that the studio needed to resolve before the early access release.

First is the default key bindings!

There were no issues with controller adaptation; the default key bindings, though somewhat abstract, were at least usable and wouldn’t make players complain about stupid key placements.

The main issue was with keyboard and mouse...

In the game "Star Emperor," WASD controls character movement, and the mouse controls the perspective, which is a very rational key layout.

But the skill key bindings are not very rational.

ERTY are the four commonly used skills, F activates Special Physique, G activates Emperor’s Weapon, and H enables Secret Technique.

During the trial phase, players reported that the keys TY and G were really hard to press.

The normal gamer’s left hand is basically placed on WASD, and people with slightly longer index fingers can reach the T key, but those with shorter index fingers might need to shift their wrist.

And for the G key, it’s hard for the thumb to reach.

But it can be reached! However, the position is not graceful, and it’s very tiring for the hand, making the operational logic strange.

"Can’t the keys be changed?"

Xiao Jie, who joined the studio not long ago and previously worked as a mobile game planner at Juhua Network, scratched his head and asked, "If it feels awkward, just change it to keys that feel comfortable to you!"

What’s the big deal about it.

Who hasn’t experienced "key remapping" when playing games? Don’t tell me there’s someone who uses default key bindings all their life?

"You must understand, some players... How should I say this? They either are too lazy to change, forget to change, or don’t know how to remap keys..."

Chen Ba spread his hands and said, "Players who rely heavily on default key bindings, if they feel uncomfortable, it’s a very bad thing."

"Indeed, I’m too lazy to remap keys when playing games, it’s such a hassle," Lu nodded repeatedly.

"In the trashy games you play, the left mouse button auto-paths, the right button auto-attacks, finished, no need to change keys?"

Changing keys depends on the person.

Some dislike hassle, like Lu, who uses default keys in any game.

To accommodate such people, it’s necessary to create a set of default game keys that are logical in operation and take minimal effort for the hands.

"Let’s do it this way..."

Simulating the operational habits and logic of keyboard and mouse players, Chen Ba analyzed, "Ctrl and Shift keys, plus number keys 1, 2, and 3 seem more convenient."

TYG keys are indeed a bit too far.

In a face-off, when the battle is particularly intense, frantically pressing WASD to evade skills, it’s difficult to press TY and G.

However, they’re not completely useless.

Some skills with long cooldown times, able to be used perhaps only once in a battle, can be bound to these unconventional key positions.

Like Extreme Sublimation!

This mode can be activated only once per match, binding it to the Y key shouldn’t be an issue.

After all, it’s just pressing it once, not like you need to press it constantly, what’s the matter? Still complaining about the bleeding speed not being fast enough?

"Emperor’s Weapon can be bound to G key!"

Yang Dong suggested: "After all, its usage frequency is not high, and in our game, Emperor’s Weapons and Venerable Weapons are all buff skills."

"Exactly!"

Chen Ba nodded.

Skills like Emperor’s Weapon and Extreme Sublimation which don’t require frequent usage can have key positions that are far away, it doesn’t matter.

It could even be said that having the key far away is better.

Otherwise, binding "Extreme Sublimation" to the F key, if players panic and accidentally press it at the start, what then?

Decide the key position based on frequency of use.

As for the protagonist Star Emperor, his most commonly used is the Special Physique called "Star Sky Body."

The Star Sky Body has two phenomena: Taiyin and Sun. Players in battle need to frequently switch physique phenomena to change combat strategies.

So for this key position, Chen Ba decided to bind it to the Shift key, reasoning that the logic of switching languages in input method fits well with switching physique phenomena.

For other Great Emperors or Venerable, any with this phenomenon-switching Special Physique, will also bind to the Shift key, reducing the players’ learning and adaptation costs.

QERF, 1234 are those commonly used keys, no need to mention further.

Focus is on the Ctrl and Alt keys, which need to bind one or two special Secret Techniques.

Secret Technique in the game is a mechanism class skill higher than regular skills, not finishing moves nor ultimate moves, but similar to LOL’s "Ultimate Magic Tome" type of combo skill.

Simply put...

Every Great Emperor or Venerable has a set of exclusive skill modules, known as their "Emperor Scripture."

Star Emperor’s skills, all originate from "Starry Sky Scripture," so skill effects are all star-related.

What Secret Technique refers to is learning from others!

Secret Technique has only two slots, with a very long cooldown, each Secret Technique is a masterstroke of another Great Emperor or Venerable.

Using one’s method to return the favor?

This is a martial arts term, while in fantasy and immortal cultivation terms, it’s "using the body as a furnace, nurturing hundreds of scriptures," turning all paths into one’s path.

Use frequency for Secret Technique in combat is not high, after all, cooldown is lengthy, but occasionally produces impressive effects, thus Chen Ba bound them to Ctrl and Alt keys.

Secret Technique is not Secret Technique!

Excluding special key positions like Secret Technique, Emperor’s Weapon, Extreme Sublimation, the rest are commonly used skill keys.

Sounds like a lot...

But actually speaking seriously, commonly used skills are only four to five in the game.

Yes, commonly used only four to five.

But these four to five skills can be combined with other skills, and can be paired with Secret Technique, physique, and Emperor’s Weapon.

Commonly known as "combo moves!"

Although "Star Emperor" is not a serious fighting game, saying it hangs the sign of selling dog meat wouldn’t be too far, yet the combo move system of fighting games is there.

Combos rely on players to explore themselves.

Because combo freedom is extremely high, combos can be made, and there are too many possible combos!

Even Chen Ba cannot clearly say how many combo methods the game’s six characters have.

He hasn’t tested it either...

After all, variety of combo moves is too large, and testing individual skills once, ensuring no Bug suffices, who has time to test all combo moves?

Including Emperor’s Weapon, Secret Technique, and physique phenomena, one character has over a dozen skills, pairing two skills for a combo move.

And character A can extract skills from character B, which is Secret Technique, forming new combos...

The game has a total of six characters!

If calculated correctly, there are certainly hundreds or thousands of combos.

This vast base means Chen Ba cannot test them all, only need to test individual skills.

Bugs sure exist.

The trial version exposed a Bug that caused incorrect texture mapping during battle, but it was quickly fixed.

Besides that, no significant Bugs were encountered.

This is why Chen Ba has confidence to release "Star Emperor" early access version.

After all the tests have been done, their game is absolutely perfect, with no Bugs or glitches whatsoever!