Overview
Confused by the lack of manual? Is the one you did find not matching the controls? Let’s fix that so you can get back to stopping the Empire.
Default Key/Mouse Settings
When the game first starts up, the controls are preset. The developers didn’t convert them to wdsa controls so some are on the Keyboard and then duplicated on the mouse.
- Look left – direction pad left
- Look right – direction pad right
- Look up – PageUp (PgUp on most keyboards)
- Look down – PageDown (PgDw on most keyboards)
- Center View – ‘5’ on the Keypad
Important! While the mouse will control left and right motion, it is not set for up and down. To change settings use Ctrl+F1 to bring up the DosBox keymapping. More in another Section.
- Forward – w
- Backward – s
- Strafe Right – d or (Alt +direction pad right)
- Strafe Left – a or (Alt+ dircetion pad left)
- Interact *push/pull/use* – e
- Jump – Spacebar
- Crouch – c
- Run – Hold Shift
- Slow – Capslocks Note: This toggles the slow mode. Not meant to be held like shift.
- Primary Weapon – Ctrl or left mouse button
- Secondary – z
- 0 to 9 – Select Weapon Note these are NOT the numbers on the keypad.
- Holster Weapon/Put Down Fists – F8
- Cycle through all Weapons backwards/forwards – F9/F10
- Map Overlay – Tab
- Zoom Map – +/-
- P.D.A – F1
- Goggles on/off – F2
- Cleats on/off- F3
- Gas mask on/off – F4
- Head lamp on/off – F5
- Headwave (the bouncing motion) on/off – F6
- H.U.D. on/off – F7
- Pause mission/Bring up menus – Esc
- Toggle current and last weapon – Backspace
- Toggle automount – alt and F8
Using the DosBox Keymapper
The default controls are far from perfect. Fortunately they can remapped using the DosBox Emulator that is running the game.
To bring up the Keymapper at any point in the game use Crtl+F1. It is fairly simple to use, but some Padawans learn by example. This part of the guide will give instructions on how to reassign the LookUp command to the v key .
Near the bottom of the DosBox window there will be a message ‘Select an event to change.’ Do not panic. This means the key we want to reassign. Click the PUP on the desplay. It should turn green and new text appear near the bottom.
Now, selct the ‘Add’ command on near the center botton of the display, red text will appear. Again, please do not panic. Just press the v key on your computer keyboard. Select the Save box in the lower right part of the DosBox
The DosBox will now treat the v like a second PageUp key. However, if something in the game was programed to the v, both the orginal command and the new command will be run. To change that, you’d have to delete the v event from the v key. I personally find it simplier to pick keys that aren’t used by the game than completely switch.
Now, to check the keys. Select the key inside the Dosbox screen. Towards the Lower Left of the screen are two readouts. EVENT: and BIND: If you just used this walkthough selecting PUP will bring up this.
- EVENT: key_pageup
- BIND: Key v
If the last line reads PageUp instead of Key v, try looking for it will the NEXT command in the DosBox. For anything more complex check out the DosBox wiki or someplace similar.
If you see this, congradulations! When you run the game, you can check the ceiling for probes, Stromtroopers, switches, ect. Now go forth for the Alliance!
Want to get your v back? Select PUP and then the Del button on the DosBox screen when the BIND reads ‘Key v.’ V only has one command attached. Just be sure to save your re-remapped keyboard.
Why You Should Still Find a Manual
Although this guide covers the controls, there is much to still learn.
Enemy types, weapons, how to read the H.U.D.s and even a dosier on Kyle can be found within Manual: Coded Transmissions. It fairly useful to know, plus it was part of the orginal release experience.
Replacement Documents and similar websites have pdf. downloads. Please aware these stites may carry tracking cookies and often are blocked (with good reason) by your computer’s anti-virus/malware programs.
Happy hunting, and may the Force be with you.
Update: Vertical Look with Mouse
The vanillia DosBox software can’t assign PgUp and PgDn to mouse motion. However, there is a work around. Mods like GlovePIE tweak the DosBox keymapper to let the mouse axis be reassigned. Toasted Sandvich Maker has provided a guide to GlovePIE with links for the needed files.
While I have not tested any of these mods, players wanting a more modern control system should look into them.