pressing multiple keys on keyboard problem....

[miggy]

Hi

i know there is a limitation of ps2 keyboards where certain combinations of key presses will not all work together.

since this is an annoying problem when playing some games i was wondering if anyone knew if USB keyboards had this problem.

cheers

 

[HammerBot]

It's a limitation of the keyboard. Not the interface. All buttons (except qualifiers like CTRL, ALT, SHIFT etc) of the keyboard are arranged in an array and only some simultaneous keypresses can be correctly identified. All keyboards has this problem but they may have it in different ways, since the buttons may be arranged differently in the array.

<i><b>Engineering is the fine art of making what you want from things you can get</b></i>

 

[miggy]

thanks for your reply

surely someone or company has solved the problem and sell keyboards that dont suffer from this problem?

if so where can i buy one?

 

[HammerBot]

It isn't really a problem (technically). The solution is quite simple but increases the cost of the keyboard.
Consider this simple problem: You have 64 keys. How many wires do you need if you want to destinguis every possible simultaneous key press. Answer: 65, One commen and one for each key. However, if you arrange the keys in an array with 8x8 keys you only need 16 wires. 8 for the columns and 8 for the rows. This reduces the amount of pins on the keyboard controller chip and makes the keyboard a lot cheaper to produce. All keyboards I have ever seen are produced this way. Further, the market for such 'perfect' keyboard is way too small, since the problem really is minor. I don't think you'll ever find any keyboard like that.
If you somehow finds this keyboard, you may be faced with other problems. AFAIK, the PS/2 and USB keyboard interface is not a limitation regarding simultaneous keypresses. A key-code is transmitted whenever a key is pressed, and another is transmitted when it is released. Thus any application can keep track of which keys are pressed at any time. However, how do you know that the game you play actually keeps track of more than two keys simultaneously?

Im not sure that I really understand your problem. I have played a 'few' games in my life, but have never come across any that required me to push multiple keys simultaneously. So to put it simple: Get rid of the habbit and don't press more than two keys at once.

<i><b>Engineering is the fine art of making what you want from things you can get</b></i>

 

[miggy]

i also posted the question on a gaming board. it also says my problem i have with a game in more detail and why i would need a keyboard like it. also if you read the replys of other people they seem to have the same annoying problem.

i'm supprised no keyboard makers have made a keyboard to solve these gaming problems....i would pay more for a keyboard like it.

 

[miggy]

opps forgot to post the link

http://www.battlefield1942.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6215

 

[4Ryan6]

Will the game not allow you to assign different key functions to different keys, you may be able to resolve your problem that way?




<A HREF="http://forums.btvillarin.com/index.php?act=ST&f=41&t=2541" target="_new">My Rig</A>

 

[jiaruigoh]

this problem is more common when you play fighting games? especially those simulators like Marvel Superheroes Vs Streetfighter, Guilty Gear X, when you u need combinations to do skills.

spamming is an internet crime.

Did i just commit a crime?

 

[Alendri]

"Im not sure that I really understand your problem. I have played a 'few' games in my life, but have never come across any that required me to push multiple keys simultaneously. So to put it simple: Get rid of the habbit and don't press more than two keys at once."
This problem has occured to me many times, and it's quite impossible to "get rid of the habbit". Many games these days require huge amounts of controlls, and to make all of them usuable without moving your had too much you are forced to use multiple key combinations or maybe you wish to move in many directons at the same time.
This is esipecially true when it comes to the FPS game genre, for example take a game where you make a jump and "fly" forward and the side and possibly even squeeze down to make a smaller target. Although you might do without the jumping since you often just press the button once, but it still might be up to four (possibly more?) keys pressed simultaneously.

All the times this problem has occured to me it has been a hardware error, never a software. The brand/manufacturer does not matter much, not that i have noticed anyway, I just change the board when I found it dosent work.
When I buy a new keyboard I mainly ask around friends to see if anyone has the keyboard I had in mind and check if it has the abilities I seek. Even if none has the keyboard you want, you might still get a good idea what keyboards does work and which does not. But so far I know of no wireless keyboards that lacks the this ability, but then they might lag instead.

My advice, ask around till you find a keyboard you want and that you know performs the way you want.

//Alendri

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Alendri on 03/07/04 04:30 AM.</EM></FONT></P>