Overview
How to edit your keyboard and mouse controls to feel more like a modern game.
Mouse Improvements
This solution uses GlovePIE to give you vertical mouse aiming, alternate fire with the right mouse button and weapon scrolling on the mouse wheel.
Download GlovePIE[glovepie.org]
Alternate download link[sites.google.com]
Run GlovePIE whenever you play Dark Forces.
Enter the following script:
If you want inverted mouse, switch the first two lines for:
If you do not want the vertical aim to be as sensitive, replace the 1s with a higher number, example:
If you want the weapon scrolling to scroll in the other direction, replace the last two lines with:
“Save As” to save the script. Then you can go to the “Recent” or “Open” menu option to re-load the same script next time you play. Press the “Run” button to run the script. Then load up the game!
Keyboard improvements – short version
If modifying all the key bindings manually isn’t for you, you can download my modified keyboard map file here[drive.google.com].
Put this file in
C:Program Files (x86)Steamsteamappscommondark forces (or the location of your Steam directory, if not Program Files).
If there is already a mapper.txt file, you may want to back it up. Easy way to back it up – rename the original to mapper.txt.bak
Keyboard improvements – long version
This solution uses the DosBOX key mapping tool. When the game is running, press Ctrl-F1 to open the dosbox key mapper.
These are my suggested changes. This should give you enough information to play around for yourself and make different changes if you desire.
Click on the Backspace button in the keymapper (it looks like a left-pointing arrow, but it’s where the backspace key on your keyboard is).
Click on the Del button on the keymapper
Click Add in keymapper
Press Q on your keyboard
Q key now quickswitches and backspace does nothing.
Click on Left-Ctrl in keymapper
Click on Del in keymapper
The control key no longer fires weapon
Click C in keymapper
Click Del in keymapper
Click Add in keymapper
Press Left-Ctrl on your keyboard
Left ctrl now does crouch and C does nothing (it’s important to also do the step above, or else you will also shoot whenever you crouch)
Click Numpad 5 in keymapper (it’s in the box below the main keyboard)
Click Add in keymapper
Press Backspace on your keyboard
Click Add in keymapper
Press V on your keyboard
You can now re-centre your view vertically by pressing Backspace or V as well as the default numpad 5.
Click F1 in keymapper
Click Add in keymapper
Press P on your keyboard
You can now access the PDA by pressing P as well as the default F1
Click F2 in keymapper
Click Add in keymapper
Press G on your keyboard
You can now access the Infrared Goggles by pressing G as well as the default F2
Click F3 in keymapper
Click Add in keymapper
Press I on your keyboard
Click Add in keymapper
Press C on your keyboard
You can now access the Ice Cleats by pressing I or C as well as the default F3
Click F4 in keymapper
Click Add in keymapper
Press M on your keyboard
You can now access the Gas Mask by pressing M as well as the default F4
Click F5 in keymapper
Click Add in keymapper
Press F on your keyboard
You can now access the Flashlight by pressing F as well as the default F5
Click F8 in keymapper
Click Add in keymapper
Press H on your keyboard
You can now holster your weapon by pressing H as well as the default F8
Save and exit when you are finished.
Note: Pressing the Next button in the keymapper will cycle between the different keys that an event is bound to.
Full list of controls after the above changes
Mouse move: Full mouse look
Mouse left-click: Fire
Mouse right-click: Alternate fire
Scroll wheel: Cycle weapons forward/back
W Forwards
A Strafe Left
S Backwards
D Strafe Right
Space Jump
E Use
Q Quickswitch last weapon
Ctrl Crouch
1 Hand to hand
2 Modified Bryar Pistol
3 Stormtrooper Rifle
4 Thermal Detonator
5 Imperial Repeater Rifle
6 Jeron Fusion Cutter
7 I.M. Mines
8 Packered Mortar Gun
9 Stouker Concussion Rifle
0 Assault Cannon
F1, P PDA (Map, Weapons, Inventory, Objective, Mission)
F2, G Infrared Goggles toggle
F3, C, I Cleats toggle
F4, M Gas Mask toggle
F5, F Headtorch toggle
F6 Headwave toggle (weapon bob)
F7 HUD toggle
F8, H Holster weapon/unholster weapon
F9 Cycle weapons forwards
F10 Cycle weapons back
Pause Pause game
R Secondary fire
Shift Sprint
Caps lock toggle walk
Tab Overhead map
+ / – Zoom map in/out
Arrow keys Move around on map
[ / ] Change map level (toggle between different floors)
Page up/down Pitch camera down/up
5 (keypad), V, Backspace Centre view vertically
Left arrow Look left
Right arrow Look right
Alt + Left arrow strafe left
Alt + Right arrow strafe right
Alt + +/-(plus key/minus key) Change screen size
Alt + F8 Weapon automount toggle (Auto select better weapon on pickup)
Alt-Enter to toggle DosBox’s fullscreen
Ctrl-F1 for the DosBox keymapper.
Problems
Binding Page Up/Down to mouse up and down will cause issues navigating in Steam/other non-game programs. It also causes the Mission Briefings in-game to scroll up and down when you move your mouse. You can start a mission and then alt-tab to your desktop and start up GlovePIE to minimise problems.
It will be difficult to enter an Agent Name if you have rebound a lot of the keys. For example, with my suggested control scheme Q will make backspaces as well as Qs, Backspace will make 5s and C won’t do anything. You may wish to create your agent before you change key bindings, or temporarily unbind them. Although the Agent Name is really just a save game name, so it doesn’t matter too much.
About this guide
This is migrated from part of a thread I made over on the old forums.
If you see anything I’ve missed or got wrong, or otherwise have any suggestions, let me know!