To click or not to click?
by Amanda Rivera 
May 4th 2007 at 8:20AM
Flipping through the forums I came across a post by Taithleech where he was asking why everyone seems to think clicking is bad. It's only been recently that I knew about this debate, but I can't really call it a debate if it's one sided, can I? A lot of players seem to believe that using keybindings is the only way to play. When I started playing World of Warcraft I was actually taught by a friend to use the mouse to click on my spells as a way of improving my speed in the game. Since hearing about the keybinding argument I have recently tried using them more than my mouse in instances, and I do find that my speed has greatly improved. Now, being the frost mage I find I spend a lot of time spamming Frostbolt, so that's a situation where I don't think clicking the spell with my mouse hinders me in any way. There are even fights, such as Warlord Kalithresh, where I use a combination of keyboard and mouse to maximize my speed.
Many of the posts on the forum thread made reference to something I hadn't considered. They say that in order to play WoW properly, you need to approach it like an FPS. I guess this argument is particularly valid if you spend a lot of time in the arenas. I personally have little FPS experience, and so this viewpoint makes me a bit uneasy. I see the advantage of working your keyboard to its full advantage, but I'm just not sure I've got the reflexes to play like that. In the end I will have to agree with one poster who said that clicking isn't wrong, it's just slower. Where do you side on the keybindings/clicking debate?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
chaz May 4th 2007 8:26AM
It's not the keyboarders or the clickers that kill me, its the folks that refuse to use the mouse at all. I have keybindings up the wazoo too... but you can't tell me you can turn around as fast as I can with my mouse.
Superbeef May 4th 2007 8:36AM
Approaching WoW like an FPS is an argument that falls apart as soon as you move past the fact that you need quick reflexes in PvP.
The real common like though... is actually hand eye cordination. It sounds silly, because most players generally agree that the videogame hand eye cordination "excuse" was just a clever way to get out of playing outside. But, in both an FPS and WoW, when you look away from the screen, you die.
I use the normal key bindings when I pvp (1-=) but as a paladin, we have so many spells that even that's not always enough. I have the presence of mind so that 99% of the times I hit the right number without looking where my hand is (although that 1% i do feel like a fool when I try to heal and end up dropping consecrate).
In the end though, you play the way you feel comfortable doing, and the speed change you get from using key binding over clicking doesn't really effect the casual non-PvP player in anything more than the occassional corpse run.
Glocky May 4th 2007 8:41AM
Meh. Whatever personally works for you, ultimately will make you personally faster.
I have a combination of things going on, which is probably normal for a Shammy.
All my non-special attacks are on my hotkeys 1 to 0. Directly above them are the special version of each one, for example, above my LB on the 2 key (I wonder how many shammies have LBs on the #2 key?), I have my cast trinket (1 of 2, whichever isn't on cooldown), elemental mastery lightning bolt macro. Above my top ranked Earthshock, I have a macro that casts my lowest earthshock on my focus, great for interrupts on a target other than the one I am dps'ing.
In addition to these KB and clicks, I use a mod called Clique for most of my healing. Alt-left mouse lesser healing wave on a raid/player frame, alt-right mouse for healing wave, de-poison/disease set up similarly on the control mouse click and my mouse 5 (right side button) is chain heal. I could have more, but that is the main things I need to do. I can mash my 2 key to spam LB and then just alt click a target to start healing and then go back to mashing.
And since this is for just me, it works for me... it might not be for anyone else, let alone everyone else.
John May 4th 2007 8:49AM
yeah really, it's like people who play guitar upside down or wrong-handed....keep doing it the same way and you'll get as fast as you can.
personally i use both....as an orc rogue, i have blood fury on 1, sinister strike on 2, evis on 3, backstab on 4, blade flurry on 5....etc. so i can spam SS then hit 3 when I get 5 combo points...- is my potion/trouble key....but everyone does things how they want and sometimes i click the spell bar when i need to...
HiWay May 4th 2007 8:52AM
As an fps player, I play it like an fps. However, thats only because it's what I know. As a warlock it doesn't help or hinder me honestly. The game doesn't support my standard FPS key setup, which is far different than most since I've been playing FPS for so long it's really old school, none of that WASD crap ;)
Anywho, the only class I see where this really plays a huge role is PVP rogues. My friend and old roommate used to play this style and people could hardly hit him because he stayed behind them the entire time.
dontfront May 4th 2007 8:56AM
Even with frostbolt, using keybinds is better. Especially if you use /stopcasting macros.
Slarti May 4th 2007 8:59AM
I personally like to use both - keyboard and mouse. I have placed the spells I need as a balance/resto-hybrid-druid in a way that lets me keep my hand in the exact same position during a whole raid (excluding the times when I chat, of course), whether I'm healing on that raid or doing damage. I use the right "Alt" key to toggle between damage spells and heal spells in order to be able to quickly switch between those types of spells without having to move the whole hand. Other important spells like remove curse/remove poison or whirlwind and little macros that do things like "use flying mount" or "abort spellcast" are placed above, below and next to those 4 keys I have my fingers on at all times.
The mouse is used to cast seldomly-used spells, drink potions, activate some more macros and to move the character (for really short distances I press both keys of the mouse, for longer distances or whenever I need to be able to select targets for spellcasts while running I have bound the keys to switch "auto-run" on and off to the thumb buttons on my Logitech MX510)
That setup has proven to work so well for me I can't really imagine to play WoW in any other way.
Paradoxic May 4th 2007 9:32AM
Playing with keybindings is almost a requirement to be successful and skilled in WoW. If you watch videos of players in top guilds in PVE or PVP, rarely do you see people who click. Watch their bars... everything is bound... all 40 buttons across thier 4 bars. Sometimes they use mods and bindings to change thier bars and access new skills on the same bindings.
I personally use every key at my disposal in combination with Shift, Crtl and Alt. In addition to using 1-6, (keys 7-0 are impratical due to thier distance... they're not able to be hit easily without moving your right hand off the WASD, so therefore shouldn't be used.) I've bound R,F,G,V,C,X,Z,Y to skills, consumables and trinkets (as well as thier shift and sometimes crtl combos).
I believe that both aspects of the game require keybindings, but PVE is far more forgiving in terms of speed. In PVP, specifically the Arena, it's important to go as fast as your global cooldown will let you.
No matter how fast you get with the clicking, keybinders are going to have an advantage over you as far as targeting, movement and just plain out speed.
As for Arena, there's a Mortal Strike warrior with great gear that we don't even let play in our games because he's not skilled enough... he's a clicker and moves with the arrow keys -_- MS warriors are great, but he isn't... due to his speed and skill limitation.
Yes, it's possible to be good with clicking, it's just that you're going to be BETTER with keybindings. I've converted several friends/guildies from clicking to keybindings and every single one has agreed that it's a vast improvement.
ben1778 May 4th 2007 9:33AM
I do a lot of clicking when I play, but I still mix it up. I don't think it matters what your style is as long as your winning most of your arena matches, topping the dps meters in raids, or just generally playing your class really well.
It's also the mood and energy level of the player. When I'm farming mats its okay if my pace slows 10% because i've got a Mt Dew in one hand, so I'm using the mouse for everything.
If you really want more speed people should be looking into specialized keyboards or inputs. You know what's faster than a mouse OR keybindings? A Nostromo speedpad and/or a stylus/pad is way faster. Get rid of your mouse all together and get a stylus - then you'll see some improvements after you get the short learning curve and your joints will thank you.
Nails May 4th 2007 9:35AM
key binding is not essential for good gameplay, but it is WAY easier, WAY faster, and WAY better.
debate closed.
wnussbau May 4th 2007 9:39AM
I don't think clicking on the buttons themselves is significantly slower than using keybindings. But that assumes clicking on your abilities is all you need to do with your mouse.
As an assassination rogue I "sometimes" use the mouse to move forward (left + right), strafe (right button + left or right movement keys), spin (hold right mouse button) and scan my surroundings (left mouse button). I also use the mouse to select friendly and enemy targets. If I had to keep the mouse cursor over my ability buttons during a fight I would lose so much movement capability.
I would agree with the statement that if it works for you then go with it. But at the same time, I know I play with a lot of people where whatever it is they're doing really isn't working for them they just don't know it. But their companions know it becuse it shows up in poor group gameplay.
Ryan May 4th 2007 9:48AM
I have all my damaging abilities hotkeyed & hotbarred, but my heals are all bound using the Clique mod. So I guess I do click in that way.
Shawn May 4th 2007 9:44AM
#6 What is the advantage of the /stopcasting macro and keybinding?
chimera May 4th 2007 9:47AM
Turning from keyboard should not even be an option imho :D That is just so lame, I can't believe someone actually hit 70 doing that way :D Even clickers amaze me, but keyboard turners... /facepalm
spamcatcher May 4th 2007 9:58AM
I use both.
My main attack spells are all on key bindings. Scorch, Fireball, Fireblast, Combustion, Frost Nova, Arcane Missiles, Arcane Blast, Polymorph, Mana Shield and Dragons Breath - those are my 1-= buttons. Then I've got a few others hotkeyed - my +dmg trinkets, counterspell. Everything else I click - portals/teleports, AI buffs, detect magic, shields, combustion, wanding, etc. The stuff I use 95% of the time is all set up on hotkeys, while my other stuff is not. If it's a situational thing, I'll temporarily hotkey something that I need to use a lot.
Falgorn May 4th 2007 10:01AM
The difference in terms of speed and reaction between clicking and binding is so significant, that I can actually pick out the people in my guild that use one over the other.
Whatever way is best for people, is the way they should play, but when I see someone run forward, stop, spin on their own axis and run back the otherway, I do find myslef thinking less of them as a player.
As mentioned above, the only buttons visible on my UI are ones I seldom use and these are the only ones that I would ever click on.
Strongmark on Arthas May 4th 2007 10:03AM
Debate closed! *shocked* Nails, nice authorita! :P
Hybrid Keyboard/Mouse FTW! I am a clicker more than a boarder, but in the end, I think the hybrid solution works best for me.
Carnifern May 4th 2007 10:13AM
I use both like many people but I primarily click. I've been clicking since day 1 (and I've been playing since Nov. '05) and I'm a lot faster at clicking than I am at keybindings. I tab to change targets and I use my keys for my primary attacks but I have a lot of abilities that I only click for and I do it in PVP or PVE and I've never suffered for it. I'm consistently at the top of DPS in raids and Ive always been at the top of a BG group. My keyboard is a little unconventional in the way I set it up to move so that may be part of the reason (I move with the number pad) but it really comes down to play style. A person using keybindings has no advantage over someone of equal skill who click as vice versa.
SirCasey May 4th 2007 10:16AM
I think someone else did this recently, but it stands a repost:
http://www.darklegacycomics.com/87.html
I'm all about a combination of mouse and keyboard. You can't turn accurately using the keyboard, and you can't back up using the mouse. You gotta have both.
One of the previous control postings had a few folks suggest using RDFG for movement instead of WASD, and ever since I changed over to that it's been really nice.
Previously when I used WASD and 1-= for movement and spells I'd lose a lot of response time moving back and forth from the spell bar to movement keys and end up getting lost.
With RDFG and all the keys around it, (even my pinky serves a purpose now!) I can do just about everything I need without moving my hand at all, and my response time has drastically improved.
I find that where I used to use 1-5 as my primary spell keys, I use 3-6 for less common spells and WE, TY, AS, HJ for my primaries.
It was slow starting and getting used to but I'll never go back :)
Genoce May 4th 2007 10:28AM
I cant even count all the extra keybindings (the ones that are not in
the action bar as buttons 1-7) and macros i have on my druid... most
of them are binded or macroed on the MOUSE buttons lol.
List of what which mouse button does in which form (some of them are
done by macros, like the alt + mouse 5 for example):
Casterform:
Tab: Faerie Fire
mouse 5: Healing Touch to the character who is under my mouse pointer
Alt + mouse 5: Regrowth to mouseover
Ctrl + mouse 5: Rejuvenation to mouseover
Shift + mouse 5: Lifebloom to mouseover
Some random button on top of the mouse, backwards from the roll:
Barkskin
Turn the roll to left: Entangling Roots
Shift + roll to left: Cyclone
Bearform:
Tab: Feral Faerie Fire
§ (the button left from 1): Demoralizing Roar
Mouse 5: Enrage
The randombutton: Bash
Turn the roll to left: Feral Charge
Catform:
Tab: Feral Faerie Fire
§: Rip
Mouse 5: Prowl
The randombutton: Cower
Turn roll to left: Tiger's Fury
These work in any form, (if im in bearform and i turn forward the
secondary roll for example, it will take off the bearform with first
press and turn on travelform with second)
Secondary roll forward (yes i got one, MX Revolution ftw... its on
the left side of the mouse): Travelform / Aquatic form (depending on
if im swimming or not, macroed)
Shift + secondary roll forward: Flight Form
Secondary roll backwards: Take off any form
Roll to right: Catform
Shift + roll to right: Bearform
Mouse 4: toggle auto-walk in every form