Archived from groups: rec.games.roguelike.nethack (
More info?)
In article <1117542714.397743.182910@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
<tiglionabbit@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>Hello, I'm a newbie to nethack, but the local Linux User Group seems to
>think it's essential I play it. However, I use the Dvorak keyboard
>layout, which scatters the movement keys all over my keyboard, and I
>have no numpad.
>
>(well I do have a sort of numpad that uses a Fn key, but it refuses to
>actually use numbers instead of home/end commands and the arrow keys)
>
>What I'd like to ask is if it's possible to change the keys for
>commands in nethack. The "nethack-lisp" package lists this as one of
>its features, but there is nothing in the readme about how to do it.
>
>It looks like a very enjoyable game, and it would be a lot more
>playable for me if I could set my own controls in it.
>
This is a tough one. The rationale for some of the keys, is positional,
and those should be mapped to the same position regardless of what
symbols they are. But other keys are mapped according to a mnemonic
device for their function. And still others seem to have been assigned
because they were available.
So I'd think "dhtn" should be mapped to the "hjkl" movement keys,
likewise "fgbm" to the diagonal movement keys. But if you do that,
you've got a few conflicts, and some of them would lead to some pretty
poor compromises. In particular, "d", "t", and "f" are among the keys
that are abbreviations for their commands; and it wouldn't make much
sense to map, "d" to "e" just to keep it's position.
Perhaps someone with the motivation and patience could work out a
best-fit compromise dvorak mapping. I get no further than "dhtn" *MUST*
map to "hjkl". Same would apply to the vi editor on dvorak.