Piano/Keyboard Project. - My idea for implementing Keyboard in FoF

[ryanpanties]

well, you're right that two 5-note hands is kind of limiting, but played piano-style it would allow for usable g/r/o, g/b/o, and g/y/o chords in a way that they are usually avoided on guitar charts.

and you're right that anything is weird until you get used to it.

[slashfan7964]

sounds interesting enough

[Logan812]

I would love to see this in FoFix. (Pictures at an Exhibition FTW)

[death_au]

I'd just like to point out that my reasoning for 5-notes-per-hand was not because "That's what guitar does", but more that's how I would play it on my computer keyboard (asdfg hjkl;). To make it 6 notes per hand, you could add the ' button on the right, but on the left is Caps Lock, and that's not exactly good for input. You could use your hands on separate "lines" (eg making the left hand use "qwerty").

I like the idea of having the black keys (sharp notes?) for higher difficulties, and keys on a computer keyboard are almost always staggered to allow for this, but the question then becomes how to represent this in-game.

[lordhardware]

i understand the cramped sitcheation, but as I said, most keyboards have midi out, they are QUITE easy to obtain/borrow... i doubt compy keyboards would be in the majority if this were implemented but even if they were


left "a-w-s-e-d-f"

right "j-i-k-o-l-p"

[ryanpanties]

I propose that anyone wanting more than 10 keys be posting FCs over in the resurrected Master Difficulty thread.

[death_au]

i understand the cramped sitcheation, but as I said, most keyboards have midi out, they are QUITE easy to obtain/borrow... i doubt compy keyboards would be in the majority if this were implemented

I for one would not be getting an actual keyboard, and even if it is a minority, we need to support it. And it keeps it consistent not only with other instruments, but the original philosophy behind Frets on Fire.

but even if they were

left "a-w-s-e-d-f"

right "j-i-k-o-l-p"

Oh, now I see what you're saying. I thought you meant 6 across on each hand AND THEN the black keys on top. This method does work well, we just need a way of representing it well in-game that remains consistent with the other instruments.

[lordhardware]

a view like this may work:



[-----|-O-|----|----|----|----|----|----]
[-----|----|----|__/|\__|----|----|-O-]
[-----|----|__/------------\__|----|----]
[-O--|__/------------------------\__|----]
[-__/----------------------------------\__-]


A staggered view like that would be good, obviously this is terribly stretched out and the actual version would be less like this: /=\ and more like this: A

[xlarkascendingx]

just get synthesia

[raynebc]

Synthesia looks awesome, kind of what I was hoping FoF would eventually be like with piano style chart support.

[xlarkascendingx]

im not too sure if you can use an actual keyboard for it...

---- EDIT ----

i worded that wrong, im not too sure if you can use a computer keyboard for it.... i know you can hook a keyboard through midi...

[death_au]

http://www.synthesiagame.com/faq.aspx#computer_keyboard
Yeah you can use a computer keyboard, but that implies that it's limited (which makes perfect sense).
It's still a program that's more geared towards learning keybard/piano than simply playing it for fun. Similar things exist for guitar, too. But we're looking for something a little bit more simplified than actual piano/keyboard that those of us who aren't musically inclined can play.

[raynebc]

I tried it out with my Casio. I need a lot more practice...

[lordhardware]

noone commented on the view :(

[death_au]

noone commented on the view :(

Apologies. I do like the layout
But what about black keys? I assume they'd come down on the center lines? Would they also need a "key" at the bottom as well?