Interface: Diagonal movement

[lagi]

Most laptops didnt have numpad's and playing roguelikes with diagonal movement is really a big hinderence.

How about shifting 4 arrow keys for missing 4 directions?

f.ex. with pressed ALT:
arrow up: @ will move up-right (instead of up)
arrow left: up-left
arrow down: down-left
arrow right: down-right

[debo]

Most laptops didnt have numpad's and playing roguelikes with diagonal movement is really a big hinderence.

How about shifting 4 arrow keys for missing 4 directions?

f.ex. with pressed ALT:
arrow up: @ will move up-right (instead of up)
arrow left: up-left
arrow down: down-left
arrow right: down-right

Please call it "q-bert mode"!

[Infinitum]

That's.. a pretty great idea overall? I play on a laptop and have gotten used to constantly pecking around with my right hand in order not to waste turns, but yeah that sounds like far less of a hassle overall.

[T-Mick]

The solution to your woes consists of eight letters: H J K L Y U B N

Real Roguelike players use Vi keys.

[phaethon]

I have always used VI keys, and I tend to get frustrated if a roguelike doesn't support them as an option.

I've always wondered why no game has suggested a keyset that uses:

u i o
j   l
m , .

for the 8 directions, and then "k" for rest. The only important keys it really tramples is 'o'pen and 'i'nventory, but otherwise it should be a natural transition for numpad players.

[locus]

This is the reason I make sure my laptop has a numpad before I buy it.