So, as some of you might know, DOSBox has an option for key mapping. This allows players to change the native key configuration (controls for moving, shooting, jumping, etc) to either any key on your keyboard or even to a controller plugged into your PC.
While this option can be more comfortable for playing, it also allows the player to do unfairly easier setups for bonus glitches (in both keyboard and controller).
On the other hand, one can also do "instant" bonus glitches setups using macros, which it's also super broken.
My opinion on this is to ban both macros and key-mapping. I think that's the healthy option otherwise using macros would be a standart to get top times, then just adding more unnecessary stuff for newer players.
I want more opinions before making the desicion though.
Pandora.
I got a pinched nerve in my shoulder on my right arm that causes pain and discomfort playing with the arrow keys. I do use a controller on many DOS games just because many of them got a simple controller scheme like Arrow keys + jump and action key. That work very well with my D-pad on my playstation 3 controller. I even use livesplit commands the L + R buttons.
Practice makes perfect. So i better start playing and learn learn those meta strats.
I think that weird button combinations and alt mashing are pretty core to the HP experience and I think that keymapping could ruin these. We should try to be inclusive but not to the detriment of the game experience.
I think macros and keymapping to multiple keys is just straight cheating IMO. Glitches that require two buttons should not be allowed to do with one and macros are just TAS-ing.
Great video pandora. It might be hard to detect cheating if people use macros on a controller, because you can still have the keyboard display. Glitches that require two buttons have to use 2 buttons of of course and use something like gamepadviewer.com to show gamepad input visually.
I still think we need more opinions to decide whether we'll allow key-mapping or not (controller is a particular instance of keymapping).
I feel playing with a controller would be fine as long as you keep that limited to moving/jumping/shooting. If you look at the controls in the game there's actually a controller view so ye.
The bonus glitch strats, however, should just stay on their original keys on keyboard imo. So playing on controller should mean going back and forth between the two. Otherwise it gets too easy.
You could say there's no way to control what people do if you set the rules like that. But honestly, if there is no way to control it, people could cheat regardless of the rules (even if you ban keymapping altogether, they could still do it without you knowing & while showing the "correct" inputs on keyboard.)
