BS Contact 6 supports a navigation style that is known from PC games. In this style the user changes the viewing direction with the mouse and moves around with the keyboard. The mouse works without the need to press a mouse button. When BS Contact is in this mode it hides the mouse cursor. To display the cursor and be able to click, the user can press the Ctrl or ESC key.
Game like navigation style is basically another navigation mode among WALK, FLY, EXAMINE, PAN, and SLIDE. GAME mode can be activated in three ways:
To use GAME mode instead of WALK mode right click into the 3D window, select "Settings" → "Preferences" and then on the General tab check "Use GAME like navigation for WALK". The button below this check box sumarizes how to use the GAME mode.
To explicitely switch to GAME mode either open the navigation menu and select "Game like" or presss Ctrl + Shift + Q. The navigation menu can be activated either by clicking with the middle mouse button into the 3D window, or by right clicking and then selecting "Movement".
Regardless of how the GAME mode was activated, the navigation menu contains a menu entry "Show help for GAME mode" that brings up a sumarization of how it can be used.
GAME mode means that you:
To activate this, the mouse must be in the moving state. See below. Mouse movements are translated into change of viewing direction without a mouse button needed to be pressed. On the keyboard the A, S, D and W keys are used to move forward, backward and sidewards. On a keyboard with an English layout these are aranged in a similar way than the arrow keys.
The speed of movement can be influenced with the mouse wheel. This setting is stored between worlds, so don't be surprised if you enter a world and move much too fast or much too slow. You just have previously visited a world where that setting was appropriate and you need to use the mouse wheel.
The arrow keys work like the mouse. They make you turn around or look up and down. This allows to navigate completely without a mouse.
GAME mode operatoes in one of two states:
In moving state, the mouse cursor is invisible and mouse movements are translated into changes of viewing direction. In this state the keyboard works for navigation.
In clicking state, the mouse cursor is visible and is used to click on objects or to manipulate them. The keyboard doesn't work for moving around.
To switch to click state use the Esc key.
To switch to move state use the Ctrl key
To switch to click state only for a short time press the Ctrl key and hold it.
These keys and mouse actions work in GAME mode:
| key/mouse action | moving mode | clicking mode |
|---|---|---|
| W | move forward | |
| S | move backward | |
| A | sidestep to the left | |
| D | sidestep to the right | |
| Shift | increase the speed of movement temporarily | |
| Esc | leave the moving state and set into clicking state | navigate to the default viewpoint This means that from moving state Esc must be pressed twice in order to activate the default viewpoint. |
| Ctrl | switch temporarily to clicking state by holding down the Ctrl key. | switch back to moving state |
| arrow left/right | turn left/right | |
| arrow up/down | look up/down | |
| mouse wheel forward | increase the speed of movement | |
| mouse wheel backward | decrease the speed of movement | |
| move mouse left/right | turn left/right | move the mouse cursor |
| move mouse forward/backward | look up/down | |
| left button click | nothing left over to the content |
click onto objects and manipulate them as in every mode |
| right button click | opens the right-click menu, as in every mode can be intercepted by the content |
|
| middle button click | opens the navigation menu, as in every mode can be intercepted by the content |
|
An joystick device driver supporting all Direct Input 8 capable devices is
shipped with the installer.
Connect an input device (Gamepad, Joystick etc.)
and try this test example.
See some converted Quake levels that use the GAME mode for navigation.
Please note that when you press a key movement starts with a slow speed and after a short time increases to a faster speed. The length of that delay is controlled by your keyboard settings in the control panel.
If you use a non-English keyboard the keys A, S, D and W may not have a usefull arrangement. At the moment the only solution is to configure Windows to have two or more keyboard layouts. One does this with the keyboard icon in the control panel. Then you can switch BS Contact into English keyboard layout when you want to do GAME navigation