how do i remap the keys?


also, how do i use mouselook?

Press CTRL+F1

I tried teleguy's advice but on my rig CTRL+F1 just caused DOSBox to stop working and crashed the game. If you have similar issues, you could try this engine mod that I found. It allows you to rebind keys and is set to WASD and mouselook by default already, and it also offers higher resolutions. I haven't played far with it yet, so no guarantees, but what I've seen worked great and made playing the game much more enjoyable. It's also easy to set up and doesn't mess with the game files, it just runs them through a more modern engine:

DarkXL

DISCLAIMER:
This is not for purists who want to experience the game just like it was back then, of course, because this recreates the game in a different engine and uses effects on the graphics. It's not without flaws either (the title music wasn't playing for me). Still, the XL engine runs much more smoothly than DOSBox and it allows me to have fun with the game that I couldn't imagine playing in its original form anymore, with those clunky controls and low res graphics.

many thanks for DarkXL!!!! I can enjoy the game now

cheers

i was able to rebind the keys by opening Launch Settings in the Dark Forces game folder

Ah, that DarkXL is almost too good to be true. Dark Forces now controls and looks great, and with minimal fuss needed. Can't recommend it enough!

Yes: DarkXL will be amazing... when it's finished. It’s an Alpha and as such is still buggy, needing additional End-user runtimes for some users to get it running, and with workarounds for some level progression issues. It's been a while since it has been updated with no sign of the integration with other XL engine supported titles as of yet (the 'merger' project taking precedence over active DarkXL engine development and fixing). That's a deal-breaker for me. CTRL-F1 - is DosBox's internal keymapping utility. I've found that if you hit Ctrl-F1 before the DARK.EXE has a chance to fully load in DosBox, then it has a better chance of running.

However, to remap the in-game keys in DF, you need to run SETUP.EXE in your Dark Forces directory.

The only additional control issues with the Lucasarts DF engine that caused me some issues is the inability to bind Alternative Fire and Vertical Mouselook (looking up and down / default is bound to PgUp and PgDn keys) to mouse button controls.

I managed to get round both of these issues using an excellent key/device mapping program called GlovePIE. Recording a small macro using GP, I managed to map ALTFire to Rightclick and Vertup/Vertdown to the mouse wheel. I can now look up and down by scrolling the mousewheel back and forward. Worked like a charm.

http://glovepie.org/

I use it for awkward mappings for a lot of DOS based games. ;)

Nice! Thanks for that link. I'm definitely a purist, and love Dark Forces in all its original blocky low res glory. BUT, the lack of proper mouse look is a real drag, given that everything else can be remapped pretty easily. Looking up and down with the mouse wheel is a perfect compromise. Can't wait to try this out when I get home from work! :)

NP! Yup I'm a bit of a purist too. Give me a shout if you have any difficulty configuring GlovePIE.

Here's the simple script for (mouseup-down/scroll and Altfire Right click). Copy it into GlovePIE's "Untitled tab" then RUN it and then start DF - Add/delete/modify it as you wish.

Key.PageDown = Mouse.WheelDown
Key.PageUp = Mouse.WheelUp
Key.X = Mouse.RightButton

Cheers.

Thank you, Sir!

I managed to find an even better script. This works perfectly for me.

PageDown = delta(Mouse.DirectInputY) < -5 // Mouselook
PageUp = delta(Mouse.DirectInputY) > 5

Key.Z = Mouse.RightButton // Alternate Fire of Rightclick

Key.F9 = Mouse.WheelUp // Cycle weapons with scrollwheel
Key.F10 = Mouse.WheelDown

Awesome! That works great! My only question is whether or not there is a way to tweak the up-down look movement sensitivity. I have the mouse sensitivity in game cranked a little bit, so the left-right turning is noticeably quicker than the up-down movement that this script allows. It's still significantly better than no mouse-look at all though, and I can easily get used to it. I tried changing increasing and decreasing the numbers there, but didn't notice any discernible change. I'm a total scripting n00b though.

Yes there is.

You were right. The number after the "delta(Mouse.DirectInput)" mapping is a sensitivity number - the lower it is, the more sensitive it is. I set it to = 5 (as my mouse is a bit of a beast), but you could try editing it to 4,3,2, or 1. There should be a marked difference between 5 and 1. Remember to do this for both lines of the "delta(Mouse.DirectInput)" script.

Best regards,
G.

Ah, perfect. Works like a charm. As far as I'm concerned this solves the mouse-look problem.