How can I improve my control scheme?

[Skooble]

First of all, if playing on a PC, or anywhere I can get my hands on a keyboard, I use this control scheme:

Z = Left          
C = Right
X = Soft Drop
S = Hard Drop

V = Hold

B = Rotate Counter Clockwise
N = Rotate Clockwise
M = Double Rotate

Space = Item

Essentially, my ZCXS act as directional keys like on a platform version. I used to use WASD but I found resting my arms at the bottom of the keyboard to be more comfortable. I first began to get serious about Tetris with Tetris DS, and I found myself stuck in "left hand arrows, right hand rotate".

How can I improve this? Do you guys think this scheme will eventually limit me from getting any faster? I know a lot of you use the weird "right hand arrows, space bar hard drop" stuff.

Also, for fun I bought a $1 bluetooth adapter from DX (Free Shipping!) and can connect my Wii remote and classic controller adapter to my PC via bluetooth. It's very simple, with the program Glove Pie. I also have a SNES controller adapter I bought on eBay for $10, but I only use that for my emulator because, well, those controllers suck for Tetris. I'm way faster with a keyboard though.

[SecretSalamander]

that's close to what I use, except without double rotate, and hold is M or , depending on which game it is.

I don't know how fast you are but my 40 lines record right now is 25.45 and I don't see myself being constrained by my controls more so than by my mind at this point.

[Blink]

That's a pretty good setup and balanced between both hands.  I dont' think you have any issues with your keys.

[XaeL]

i think everyone should follow the "one finger per key" rule.

In this setup you have to use the same key for softdrop/hardrop...

[Paul676]

surely it doesn't make a difference in this case because you can't do soft drop and hard drop on your piece- at least you'll have the time of one button's press in the case of a tspin to get from sd to hd. I use the same finger for cw and ccw rotate and sd/hd, and when I beat Mase's 40 line record then it will be proven!

[XaeL]

just because you can't rotate cw and ccw, and can't move up/down at the same time, doesnt mean you should use the same finger for them.

[Paul676]

but that doesn't mean you shouldn't

[XaeL]

In stepmania, there are songs which are designed to be pad-able (e.g. Quasar). In these songs, you are never expected to hit up down left and right simultaneously. So you could theoretically play the song with just two fingers. However to get a good score, you have to use all four fingers, one for each arrow, DESPITE THE FACT THAT YOU WILL NEVER BE PRESSING ALL FOUR KEYS AT THE SAME TIME.

link:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7767097899105080034 (2 fingers)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uAdBsvGvig...feature=related (4 fingers)

people have played quasar @ 2x rate with spread. u can't do that with indexing. the end.

[chowmain24]

are my controls good?
Z left rotate
X right rotate
C hold
space harddrop

down soft drop
left left
right right

[XaeL]

if you can hit spacebar 5 times a second easily, then yes.

[Ryan]

should i change my controls and if so to what

LEFT HAND
left arrow=left
ctrl=counter rotate
space=soft drop

RIGHT HAND
top arrow=rotate clockwise
bottom arrow=hard drop
right arrow=right
numbpad 0=hold


i use one finger to rotate clockwise and to do hard drop.  I assume that is bad but i really like moving side to side with two separate hands i don't know what to do.  

[Kitaru]

Welp, that's pretty cramped!

If you can, you probably want to move to a traditional movement/action spread. Put all of your movement (shift/drops) on your right hand (Arrows), and put rotations and hold on your left hand (ZX rotations, Space hold).