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Hotkeys always set to English keyboard layout? (despite different language setting)


Ceres
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Hello!

I checked the hotkeys in-game and in the docu. My game is set to German language, but the hotkeys seem to stick to a US/UK (English) keyboard layout. E.g.:

Quote
  • [ (Left Bracket): Rotate structure 15 degrees counter-clockwise.
  • ] (Right Bracket): Rotate structure 15 degrees clockwise.

On a keyboard with German layout, the [ (Left Bracket) is on the number 8 key (CTRL+8) and the ] (Right Bracket) is on the number 9 key (CTRL+9). However, in the game, I have to press (on my German keyboard) the key ü for the [ (Left Bracket) and the key + for the ] (Right Bracket), both are left of the # key.  Actually, it is the same behaviour as if I used a terminal with English keyboard setting, while using my German keyboard. Hmm, have I explained this in an understandable manner? I hope so. :blush:

Do you have an idea, if in my case, the problem sits in front of my PC, or if I can change something? Or is there maybe a "bug"? Thank you!

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20 minutes ago, Ceres said:

Hmm, have I explained this in an understandable manner? I hope so.

No. But if you find a picture, it becomes clear :)
880px-German-T2-Keyboard-Prototype-May-2
 

22 minutes ago, Ceres said:

My game is set to German language, but the hotkeys seem to stick to a US/UK (English) keyboard layout

Language is another subsystem of the game. They are not related. The game should automatically display symbols corresponding to the layout with which it is launched (via libSDL). Do you have exactly one (German) keyboard layout in your system? What operating system?

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Oh, my bad - the problem was indeed me. :blush: I have the same layout as shown in your screenshot - thanks for that. And if I had looked thoroughly (and with the German, not English language game setting, of course), I would have seen this - see my screenshot. So everything is fine. :)

PS:

Is it possible (and does it make sense?) to translate that screen with the hotkeys as well? I have to admit that even when reading (and understanding) English "session.rotate.ccw/cw" I first stumbled over this. How about English "building.rotate.counter-clockwise/.clockwise" instead? And in German "Gebäude.Rotation.Gegenuhrzeigersinn/.Uhrzeigersinn"?

 

1.png

Edited by Ceres
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Indeed, as @nwtour wrote, the hotkeys will be translated in A25.

Just to hopefully clarify what's going on: the default hotkeys refer to a QWERTY layout, but the game 'converts' that to your local layout in the in-game hotkey editor. So as you can see, it shows [ and ] as being 'ü' and 'Plus' for you (which hopefully are the right keys).

The reason for that is that hotkeys tend to be about the position of the keys on the keyboard, and not really about the actual letter, and it's better if the default hotkeys are the same, position-wise, for everyone.

To give a simple example, the camera hotkeys are "AWSD", which works well on QWERTY, but on AZERTY it's completely wrong if you use the actual letters and not the letter positions. So that's why we do the latter.

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Yes, I completely agree with you. It makes sense to remember a certain position of 2 linked keys as [ and ], even if in German they are ü and + (and have thus nothing in common). When playing 0 A.D., though, these 2 keys (to stay with this example) are side-by-side and should be easy to remember. And last but not least can every user change the default setting to her/his liking anyway. ;)

PS:

Do you - or anybody else - know of a nice tool (Windows, Linux, or even Android) to create a keyboard template? I.e. a template that shows the actual keys (a bit larger maybe for better readability) on one's keyboard and the default or customised meaning for the game? I know that this gets OT here and that there might be not enough place to put meaningful text on such a template, but I vaguely remember that some pro software suits (for gfx and sfx, I believe) had such available. If this is too OT here, I might search myself of course. :)

Edited by Ceres
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Knowing that this is getting somewhat OT here, please allow me adding a link to a nice and free tool to create keyboard templates:

https://isometricland.net/keyboard/keyboard.php

I have not checked if it allows creating one's own layout for e.g. 0 A.D., but this should not be too difficult, I assume. Currently there are already many pre-built layouts for games and more, and for different languages, incl. ANSI, ISO etc. Maybe some of you find this inspiring - see random example:

keyboard-diagram-vega-strike.svg

 

EDIT - check also GitHub for this:

https://github.com/mjhorvath/Video-Game-Keyboard-Diagrams

Erm, maybe such a keyboard layout could be created from 0 A.D.? Sorry, I am again dreaming too far, I assume...

Edited by Ceres
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Here is a reply from the maintainer of the "Video Game Keyboard Diagrams" tool, Michael Horvath:

Quote

To start a new schema, select the "Blank Starter" game, and select the "Editor" format. Once you're done creating the schema you then have the option to submit it to me or save it locally to your hard drive.

I will add better instructions when I get the chance.

https://github.com/mjhorvath/Video-Game-Keyboard-Diagrams/issues/11#issuecomment-827221319

So it seems already possible to get a custom keyboard layout for 0 A.D. added. :)

If you agree, I will try to create a keymap for the default English 0 A.D. key shortcuts (as they appear in 0.0.24a) and send the result to Michael. Does that make sense?

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Wonderful - thank you!

But the key bindings seem to be a bit different than shown in the game. Is it because in GitHub, they have been changed recently?

E.g., in the game settings, camera.down is S, but in GitHub, it is CTRL+S (see also documentation). Sorry in case I might have misunderstood something.

1.png

2.png

Edited by Ceres
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2 minutes ago, seeh said:

which game? everybody has differenct configs

I am talking about 0 A.D. 0.0.24a.

 

2 minutes ago, wraitii said:

I think you've misread, 'hotkey.camera.down' is S or DownArrow on GitHub too. Maybe you've confused it with 'rotate down'?

Oh yes, you are right, thanks. :blush:

Am I understanding it correctly that definitions like e.g. move = "" are not assigned (yet)?

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1 hour ago, Ceres said:

I am talking about 0 A.D. 0.0.24a.

every game (consist to config / user ) could be different. so i need ask you again. which 0 A.D. 0.0.24a game you mean? a game from a youtube? could you tell that? thats the config think

Edited by seeh
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39 minutes ago, seeh said:

every game (consist to config / user ) could be different. so i need ask you again. which 0 A.D. 0.0.24a game you mean? a game from a youtube? could you tell that? thats the config think

@seeh

2 hours ago, Ceres said:

...

If you agree, I will try to create a keymap for the default English 0 A.D. key shortcuts (as they appear in 0.0.24a) and send the result to Michael. Does that make sense?

EDIT:

Of course, users might use their own (custom) key mappings. If interested, they might create their own template. It does not seem to be soo complicated. It would be especially cool if Michael's tool could be auto-fed (maybe from 0 A.D.?) with a json file containing key bindings...

Edited by Ceres
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