4 ms·
> Num Lock on the number keypad also is a relic Using the numeric keypad as directional arrows can be more comfortable when gaming. I personally prefer to use
by nikatwork 13y ago
> Num Lock on the number keypad also is a relic
Using the numeric keypad as directional arrows can be more comfortable when gaming. I personally prefer to use it as arrows when gaming and numbers when working. I would not buy a keyboard lacking a Num Lock key.
- petepete 13y agoMy keyboard has no 'lock' keys and I can't say I miss them (I don't recall using any of them intentionally, ever). I can understand the keypad being more comfortable for certain games, but it's an edge case.
- mjn 13y agoA lot of older games would map the numbers 2/4/6/8 as aliases for the arrow keys, so it'd work regardless of what position the numlock was in. Seems to have gotten less common.
- siddboots 13y agoQuake 1 did this, iirc. From what I remember, game studios around that time played around with different bindings, but generally stuck with keyboard only bindings by default, because mouse+keyboard was still considered an "advanced user" technique. For the most part, game makers adapted to how the users were playing (WASD) rather than setting a standard and expecting users to follow.
- beaumartinez 13y agoIt's especially useful as a left-handed gamer. Right-handed gamers have the mouse on the right and use WASD for movement—and there's a comfortable distance between the two. Left-handed gamers have the mouse on the left—using WASD feels very cramped. The benefit of using WASD for movement though is that there are a plethora of keys in its vicinity that can be remapped. With the numpad, not so much.