I've been switching bases by double tapping my respective queen's hotkey, but I still use camera locations 1-4. 1 is my main, 2 is my nat, 3 is my third, 4 is my rally. I don't end up using any camera spots beyond that because I'm still getting used to it.

It definitely has some beneit, and when I'm playing Protoss instead of Zerg, it's a very big deal.

Fencar

United States2694 Posts

April 29 2012 09:18 GMT

#62

I've been using Optimus 1.3, so this isn't too new to me. Though, nice guide for people that haven't been using this. I also hotkey my rally point and one watchtower.

Yodums

Canada25 Posts

April 30 2012 15:57 GMT

#63

Good post. I try to watch MC's stream whenever I can and his movements around the screen are incredibly fast. According to the mechanics thread here, he is also a very efficient as well. I'd love to see MMA's personal cam.

I found that the default camera location keys to be inconvenient. I dislike hotkeys that require me to move my wrist. I have all camera hotkeys to be Alt+Q, Alt+W, Alt+E, Alt+A, etc. (creating them would be Ctrl+Q and so on). I took these from the Darkgrid layout: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=257590.

IMO, camera hotkeys are a real useful tool for Protoss and Terran since you have the shift mine command, but can also be useful for Zerg too. Sometimes you'll have misrallied overlords or units, and it's a lot easier to box them, press the camera key and move them.

jliu

282 Posts

April 30 2012 16:14 GMT

#64

This is especially useful for protoss - if your forge/tech buildings are in the same area- camera hotkey them and chronoboost will be easier to use.

I'm really uncomfortable with reaching to the F12345 keys so instead I rebound a side mouse button to Alt and use Alt+Q,W,E,R,T,Y

SKGZombie

United States42 Posts

April 30 2012 17:46 GMT

#65

I've seen DRG on stream using this right around the time he makes his 10th drone and is waiting for an overlord to pop he goes around to bases he will most likely take and set camera hot keys for them. I think I'm going to start playing with edges
scrolling disabled to force myself to use my camera keys more

dacimvrl

Vatican City State582 Posts

May 01 2012 02:19 GMT

#66

I agree, it's really good and it frees up some building hotkeys too.

Genome852

United States979 Posts

May 01 2012 16:48 GMT

#67

I camera hotkey my bases. It's pretty annoying to set up at first (I HAVE to have the camera centered exactly on the base... OCD-like) but it's very very useful for quickly transferring workers.

aklambda

Austria48 Posts

May 01 2012 18:07 GMT

#68

I try to use them since some time now but it is kinda hard for me. Playing SC2 seems like playing piano the higher I get (Platinum atm) and I miss keys in important moments too often. I also seem to have rather short fingers and to reach the F1-F4 keys is not very comfortable. So far for me I only use them when concentrating on them but then the rest of my play is slow and lacking. :/

Math.random();

433 Posts

May 01 2012 18:31 GMT

#69

I'm using this since a very long time ago, but most of the time only to transfer drones. Due to having every hatch on a single hotkey I feel comfortable enough switching between main and natural. I need to get used to fkey my rally point though.

Mesha

Bosnia-Herzegovina439 Posts

May 01 2012 18:36 GMT

#70

On May 02 2012 03:07 aklambda wrote:
I also seem to have rather short fingers and to reach the F1-F4 keys is not very comfortable.

Short fingers isn't the problem, you just haven't used to it.
I recently also started forcing myself using camera hotkeys and allready see big progress. It's important to know that it isn't your fingers that are slow or short its your mind. You have to remember and get used to the fact that you want to use a main base camera hotkey when ever you want - add pyon in main base, throw down a building, transfer worker from main, react to harass, etc... this is what i am doing - trying to adopt this good habit to move with camera hotkey whenever i have to do something in main, natuaral or third. The logic is soo simple and the revard is unbelievable. Yes it's really awkward at first to all of us who haven't used camera hotkeys but after just few days i see progress in my play. I am definetely sticking to using them, a lot!

Recognizable

Netherlands1552 Posts

May 01 2012 18:40 GMT

#71

Use this in every single game. I don't even understand how people can play without using it. It makes you much faster.

Skyro

United States1823 Posts

May 01 2012 19:03 GMT

#72

I use F1-3 on my first 3 bases, and F4 as a "save camera location" hotkey, then spacebar as my "jump to saved camera location" hotkey that I saved with F4. It is useful to quickly multi-task things like microing in the middle of a battle, F4 -> F1 -> chrono whatever -> spacebar to return to the microing in one fluid motion. I got the idea from a previous thread on TL http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=269126

Wafflelisk

Canada1061 Posts

May 01 2012 19:22 GMT

#73

I use screen hotkeys as Zerg on my bases because it's not too uncommon to have your queen die, and I find it still very useful to have quick vision of that area. I also change my F3 around with my rally point because before I was spending too much time fumbling to add units to control groups and whatnot. Didn't think about using it for spreading tumours, thank you.

CryMore

United States497 Posts

May 01 2012 19:33 GMT

#74

It's also a good idea to have a screen hotkey set your warp-in pylon. For example, I have ~ set as my warp-in pylon screen hotkey, which makes warping-in mid battle way easier and more accurate.

phiinix

United States1169 Posts

May 01 2012 19:53 GMT

#75

I definitely recommend changing the hotkeys to ctrl f2, because i believe by default it's like ctrl shift f2, and ctrl is for hero units, whatever the hell that is. It pains me to see players scroll on screen, though from what i watch a lot of pros do use them

Skyro

United States1823 Posts

May 01 2012 20:05 GMT

#76

On May 02 2012 04:53 phiinix wrote:
I definitely recommend changing the hotkeys to ctrl f2, because i believe by default it's like ctrl shift f2, and ctrl is for hero units, whatever the hell that is. It pains me to see players scroll on screen, though from what i watch a lot of pros do use them

I use shift + F-keys. It's less of a reach for your fingers.

Hashmeister

Germany238 Posts

May 05 2012 11:04 GMT

#77

Thanks for the post, I'll try to implement that. Although it's gonna be hard coz after 1+ year of sc2 for me my mind and fingers etc. just go used to my "old" mechanics.... especially when i'm under pressure i notice that I just go back to my old habbits :D but its gonna take a lot of games (+loses) to be able to implement that correctly i guess.

Alejandrisha

United States6566 Posts

May 08 2012 11:41 GMT

#78

positively anecdotal evidence here, but my overall ladder WR increased by 12% after screen hotkeys became natural for me, with improvements of at least 6% across all match-ups

if you are not practicing this now, DO IT

ejaPhyrex

United States5 Posts

May 08 2012 17:36 GMT

#79

I first heard about this from day 9. Tried to use it and kept forgetting. But the last 5 games I have made it a point to use them and it helps sooo much.

NemesysTV

United States1088 Posts

June 26 2012 20:37 GMT

#80

On April 28 2012 13:56 Cycle wrote:
I've been advocating this for months and months

I just recently put a twist on this though, and here's my current screen key setup:
F1 main
F2 natural
F3 third
F4 fourth
F5 fifth
F6 sixth
F7 seventh
space rally point

Since I wasn't using the space bar for "most recent action", I changed control+space to set a new screen location, and space bar jumps to it.

Sorry if asked already but what bout the idle workers F1 function? Just leave it unbound?