Quick Tips

Shortcuts and Hotkeys

While watching folks play at various press demos and LAN parties, we noticed that many folks weren't aware of shortcuts or hotkeys for many of the game's actions. To help out a bit, the following list of "quick tips" are made available.

1. You can quickly bypass the front loading screens by clicking the LMB as the logo screens come up.

2. If you play the same character all the time, you can avoid the Server Select screen entirely by using the pull-down menu in the upper, right of LaunchPad. You can set the character you want to load automatically each time that way without having to go to Server Select and then Character Select.

3. Hotkey for giving a /tell to a squad member: SHIFT+squad_member_number. For instance, if BeBopALooBop is squad member #3 and you want to send him a quick /tell (much easier than typing that name), just hit SHIFT+3 and you'll automatically get /tell BeBopALooBop in your chat window.

4. Right-clicking inventory objects will quickly shift them from Loot boxes to your inventory, or from your inventory to the first available holster slot. This can save you a HUGE amount of time in tight situations.

5. The map screen has a bunch of hotkeys on it so that you don't have to mouse-manipulate the "Toggles" menu. Those hotkeys are mostly mnemonic (except for a couple of conflicts). They are: "W" - Weather; "S" - SOI, "F" - Facility Warnings; "Q" - sQuad; "O" - hOtspots ("H" is already used for the Main Help screen); "R" - Resources (NTUs); "T" - Text; "E" - Equipment (deployables).

6. You can zoom in and out on the overhead map view by using your mouse wheel (if you have one) or by pressing "+" to zoom in or "-" to zoom out. There is no need to use the mouse controls, if you want to do it rapidly.

7. You can jump out of any zoom scope setting, back to normal view, by hitting ESC. In fact, ESC will get you out of almost ANY window and back to the action. (ESC also closes the first-time help dialog boxes.)

8. Text macros are your friends. You can set them up so that you can say very long sentences at the touch of a button. This is particularly useful for squad leaders, or just folks that like to have stock phrases avaialble that aren't in the voice macro sets already. To set up a text macro, just type /macro XXX . The "XXX" is a three-letter identifier for your macro, and it's what will show up on your hotbar after your drag this macro down there. Then you can activate the macro by merely hitting the correct F-key (shown on your hotbar). NOTE: If you want to broadcast your message to a specific chat channel, be sure to put the proper /slash command in front of it. For instance, if I wanted a macro that told my Outfit to "Rally to our base! It's under attack!", I would type "/macro RAL /o Rally to our base! It's under attack!". This results in a macro called "RAL" which I drop on my hotbar. It's then available any time I need it.

9. You don't have to double-click a Favorite in order to use it. Once the Favorites menu appears, you can just type the number of the favorite you desire to quickly access that Favorite. For instance, if the Favorite I'm using is #3 on the list, I just have to hit "G" - "3" - "ESC" to open the terminal, choose my favorrite, and close the terminal window. Much easier than all that mouse clicking we see folks doing.

General Game Play

1. You can gain valuable battle experience by visiting the virtual shooting range, and the virtual driving area within your Sanctuary. In fact, it's possible to gain nearly two battle ranks by going through training.

2. Being a passenger or gunner on a vehicle does not require any certification; so take the opportunity to hitch a ride or man a gun on a friendly vehicle!

3. The armor type you're wearing affects your travel speed while on foot. You can also run faster by holstering your weapon.

4. Implants are available when you reach Battle Ranks 6, 12 and 18.

5. Learn to use the voice macros to your advantage. They are invaluable in quickly communicating to teammates. Press V to access the voice macros while in-game.

6. Friendly soldiers have green and gold names above them. They also show as teal on your proximity map. Enemy soldiers have red names above them, and show as red on the proximity map when detected.

7. Before jumping into battle, be sure to check out the Offline Training. These modules provide the basics on game play in a safe environment.

8. Join squads to increase your chances of staying alive and successfully completing objectives. Squads also share battle experience equally, making it easier to advance in rank.

9. Certifications enable you to utilize different types of equipment. New soldiers start with four certification points, which can be spent at Certification Terminals. It's highly recommended to obtain at least one certification before heading into combat.

10. When using a weapon, watch the size of the reticule. Crouching provides the best accuracy and recoil recovery, whereas standing is reasonably accurate, and running and gunning is less accurate. Crouching and firing assault weapons in bursts is more effective over range than firing in full auto.

11. As a soldier, beware of enemy MAXs and vehicles. Unless you're armed with anti-vehicular weaponry, standard assault weaponry does not fare well against heavily armored targets. Enemy MAXs and vehicles also generally sport superior firepower. Even when engaging these with anti-vehicular weaponry, be sure to find a good vantage point -- don't go head to head.

12. All threats aren't visible -- beware of enemy infiltrators. Infiltrators are cloaked from standard visibility, and can only be partially seen when they're moving or using an item. Another way to detect enemy infiltrators is to obtain the Darklight Vision implant.

13. On your main status bar are Hotkeys. These by default are function key shortcuts. When you obtain medkits or implants, these will be automatically mapped to the first available hotkey. You can, however, left-click on a hotkey icon and move it to a different function key. Right-clicking on a hotkey icon removes it.

14. The default TAB key allows you to switch between mouse-aim and the interface mode. Mouse aim is where you move the mouse to look around. The interface mode is where the mouse pointer appears, allowing you to click on various HUD elements.

15. Your Chat Pane allows you to tune to different channels via SEND and RECEIVE. Just left-click on either to select whatever channel you want to SEND and likewise whatever channels you would like to receive. There's also a Looking For Squad (LFS) button -- pressing this lets you flag yourself as looking to join a squad. You can additionally choose a certification you possess to be shown as well.

16. Whenever you need to return to your Sanctuary, tap the default key and select Recall to Sanctuary. After a brief period elapses you'll be automatically teleported to the Sanctuary.

17. If you want to get into action fast, but don't care where the action is located, tap the default key and choose Instant Action. After a brief period elapses you'll be automatically teleported to a friendly Tower or Facility near a combat zone.