Using the keyboard is the most natural choice as a controller for Quake. It is the simplest and most practical controller to use, and is an especially good starting controller for beginners. A beginner, or "newbie" as most gamers call them, may experience motion sickness if he starts off with the mouse, as it requires a lot more hand-eye coordination and familiarity to the game. The keyboard keeps everything very basic and easily accessible; All movement, weapon switching, turning, etc can be done on the same controller. The keyboard has a consistent turning speed, which will help keep you oriented and aware of your location and movements. As a beginner, it is probably the best choice to use the pre-defined keys until you are comfortable in the game and are confident enough to customize the keys yourself. When you can move through a level fluidly without having to concentrate too much on which keys you are pushing, you are no longer considered a newbie.

The most important thing when choosing a keyboard config is to make sure you can hit sets of keys for critical actions simultaneously. These keys are:


• forward and backward
• strafe left and strafe right
• turn left and turn right
• look up and look down
• attack
• jump

As you can see, this is a pretty big list. Playing with a keyboard-only setup means that you will need a keyboard that can accept input from at least 4 (but preferably 6 or more) separate keys simultaneously. Otherwise, you'll find yourself not being able shoot while dodging, turn while looking up, or any other unfortunate combination of actions.

Next: Keyboard and Mouse