Post by hoopdreams on Jun 21, 2006 3:46:18 GMT -5
Hotkeys Guide
By Chichiri
aom.heavengames.com
Hotkeys are tools of precision. They enable actions to be done faster, more efficiently and more easily. There is no such thing as a "best" set of hotkeys. It depends on the player who is using them, whatever feels comfortable for them. I recommend everyone to set up their own set of hotkeys, which they feel work best for them. In my opinion, the idle villager and military hotkeys are vital. Keeping every unit working in RTS games is really important. Here is my set of hotkeys; most of them are towards the left hand side of the keyboard. The reason I chose the left hand side is because I feel it's most comfortable to rest my left hand on that side of the keyboard, and with my right hand on the mouse. I keep my thumb over the space bar, and my ring finger on the tab button.
Create Units
These hotkeys are used to create units. Each hotkey is assigned to multiple units from all the different buildings from each culture.
Q: Creates Villager, Caravan, Hoplite, Toxote, Hippikons, Myrmidon, Hetairoi, Gastraphetes, Fishing Boat, Spearman, Chariot Archer, Siege Tower, Priest (from Temple), Hersir (from Temple), Ulfsark and Huskarl
W: Creates Hypaspist, Peltast, Prodromos, Petrobolos, Archer Ships, Priest (from TC), Axeman, Camelry, Catapult, Ox Cart, Throwing Axeman and Jarl
E: Creates Helepolis, Ramming Ships, Mercenary, Slinger, War Elephant, Hersir (from Longhouse) and Portable Ram
R: Creates Siege Ships, Mercenary Cavalry, Raiding Cavalry and Ballista
Go To Buildings
These hotkeys are used to go to buildings. This is useful to jump between multiple military buildings and create units rapidly in quick succession, or to go to a certain building to research technologies, without scrolling around the map to find where you placed the buildings.
Using hotkeys to create units is much quicker than only using the mouse. I can hit A-Q-A-Q-A-Q to make 3 toxotes from 3 different Archeries in about 1 second, while it takes significantly longer to click an archery, then the toxote icon, and then repeat it 2 times.
Mouse 3: Town Center
T: Temple
Z: Storehouse/Lumber Camp/Ox Cart
A: Archery
X: Storehouse/Mining Camp/Ox Cart
S: Barracks/Academy/Longhouse
C: Granary/Ox Cart
D: Stables
V: Dock
F: Fortress/Hill Fort/Migdol Stronghold
B: Armory/Dwarven Armory
G: Siege Camp
N: Market
Build Buildings
These hotkeys are used to actually build the buildings. This is very useful because it is much quicker than manually clicking the build icon, and it keeps you more focused on the screen.
When I use "ctrl" to build buildings, I slant my hand a little bit so my little finger hits the "ctrl" button, and while my hand is in this position I can reach any of the hotkeys I use to build buildings with any finger on my hand.
The "H" and "\" for houses and farms don't have a "ctrl" because it's rather pointless having a "go to" hotkey for these 2 buildings as you can't create units nor research technologies in them, so I made them into a 1-button hotkey with no corresponding "go to" hotkey like all the other main buildings have.
H:House
\: Farm
Ctrl+T: Temple
Ctrl+Z: Storehouse/Lumber Camp/Ox Cart
Ctrl+A: Archery
Ctrl+X: Storehouse/Mining Camp/Ox Cart
Ctrl+S: Barracks/Academy/Longhouse
Ctrl+C: Granary/Ox Cart
Ctrl+D: Stables
Ctrl+V: Dock
Ctrl+F: Fortress/Hill Fort/Migdol Stronghold
Ctrl+B: Armory/Dwarven Armory
Ctrl+G: Siege Camp
Ctrl+N: Market
Miscellaneous
Tab: Idle Military
Space: Idle Villagers
My Start - The First 5 seconds
1) As soon as the game begins, I hit the middle mouse button (mouse 3) to go to the Town Center, and then hit "Q" a couple of times (doesn't really matter if I hit it 2 or 5 times) to queue some villagers.
2) I then highlight all my units and hit "ctrl+c" to build a Granary at my closest food source (or move Ox Cart there if Norse).
3) I take the scout and give it some waypoints by holding down shift. If I was an Egypt, I would scout with the priest/pharaoh too (depending on the civ).
4) Hit mouse 3 again, and queue the rest of the villagers. Depending on the map, research hunting dogs when the granary is complete (could research it as soon as possible with a Ox Cart).
By Chichiri
aom.heavengames.com
Hotkeys are tools of precision. They enable actions to be done faster, more efficiently and more easily. There is no such thing as a "best" set of hotkeys. It depends on the player who is using them, whatever feels comfortable for them. I recommend everyone to set up their own set of hotkeys, which they feel work best for them. In my opinion, the idle villager and military hotkeys are vital. Keeping every unit working in RTS games is really important. Here is my set of hotkeys; most of them are towards the left hand side of the keyboard. The reason I chose the left hand side is because I feel it's most comfortable to rest my left hand on that side of the keyboard, and with my right hand on the mouse. I keep my thumb over the space bar, and my ring finger on the tab button.
Create Units
These hotkeys are used to create units. Each hotkey is assigned to multiple units from all the different buildings from each culture.
Q: Creates Villager, Caravan, Hoplite, Toxote, Hippikons, Myrmidon, Hetairoi, Gastraphetes, Fishing Boat, Spearman, Chariot Archer, Siege Tower, Priest (from Temple), Hersir (from Temple), Ulfsark and Huskarl
W: Creates Hypaspist, Peltast, Prodromos, Petrobolos, Archer Ships, Priest (from TC), Axeman, Camelry, Catapult, Ox Cart, Throwing Axeman and Jarl
E: Creates Helepolis, Ramming Ships, Mercenary, Slinger, War Elephant, Hersir (from Longhouse) and Portable Ram
R: Creates Siege Ships, Mercenary Cavalry, Raiding Cavalry and Ballista
Go To Buildings
These hotkeys are used to go to buildings. This is useful to jump between multiple military buildings and create units rapidly in quick succession, or to go to a certain building to research technologies, without scrolling around the map to find where you placed the buildings.
Using hotkeys to create units is much quicker than only using the mouse. I can hit A-Q-A-Q-A-Q to make 3 toxotes from 3 different Archeries in about 1 second, while it takes significantly longer to click an archery, then the toxote icon, and then repeat it 2 times.
Mouse 3: Town Center
T: Temple
Z: Storehouse/Lumber Camp/Ox Cart
A: Archery
X: Storehouse/Mining Camp/Ox Cart
S: Barracks/Academy/Longhouse
C: Granary/Ox Cart
D: Stables
V: Dock
F: Fortress/Hill Fort/Migdol Stronghold
B: Armory/Dwarven Armory
G: Siege Camp
N: Market
Build Buildings
These hotkeys are used to actually build the buildings. This is very useful because it is much quicker than manually clicking the build icon, and it keeps you more focused on the screen.
When I use "ctrl" to build buildings, I slant my hand a little bit so my little finger hits the "ctrl" button, and while my hand is in this position I can reach any of the hotkeys I use to build buildings with any finger on my hand.
The "H" and "\" for houses and farms don't have a "ctrl" because it's rather pointless having a "go to" hotkey for these 2 buildings as you can't create units nor research technologies in them, so I made them into a 1-button hotkey with no corresponding "go to" hotkey like all the other main buildings have.
H:House
\: Farm
Ctrl+T: Temple
Ctrl+Z: Storehouse/Lumber Camp/Ox Cart
Ctrl+A: Archery
Ctrl+X: Storehouse/Mining Camp/Ox Cart
Ctrl+S: Barracks/Academy/Longhouse
Ctrl+C: Granary/Ox Cart
Ctrl+D: Stables
Ctrl+V: Dock
Ctrl+F: Fortress/Hill Fort/Migdol Stronghold
Ctrl+B: Armory/Dwarven Armory
Ctrl+G: Siege Camp
Ctrl+N: Market
Miscellaneous
Tab: Idle Military
Space: Idle Villagers
My Start - The First 5 seconds
1) As soon as the game begins, I hit the middle mouse button (mouse 3) to go to the Town Center, and then hit "Q" a couple of times (doesn't really matter if I hit it 2 or 5 times) to queue some villagers.
2) I then highlight all my units and hit "ctrl+c" to build a Granary at my closest food source (or move Ox Cart there if Norse).
3) I take the scout and give it some waypoints by holding down shift. If I was an Egypt, I would scout with the priest/pharaoh too (depending on the civ).
4) Hit mouse 3 again, and queue the rest of the villagers. Depending on the map, research hunting dogs when the granary is complete (could research it as soon as possible with a Ox Cart).
.
