Feature: UI: Allow any key to be a modifier key

Given that this is a mouse-driven game, it's very costly for the player to use the right side of the keyboard. However, there are not enough keys on the left side of the keyboard, combined with the stock modifier keys like Alt, Shift and Ctrl, to provide enough functionality for the whole game.

It would be great if you could use keys like Caps Lock, or even letters like A and Z as modifier keys to drastically increase the amount of key combinations that can be activated with the left hand alone.

Implementation:
This will require some considerations in the implementation of key presses if you allow letter and number characters to be used both as modifiers and regular function keys. In other words, if you want T to be mapped to "track unit in current viewport", and A+T to be mapped to "track unit in new viewport", you have to make sure that holding down A without letting go doesn't trigger the former.

Namely you can't simply check for a "keypress" event, you have to explicitly check for "keydown" event on the letter modifier key, and then if its corresponding "keyup" event occurs without a different key being pressed, then it's non-modifier function is executed. The other option is to disallow a modifier key from being used in a non-modifier function, which is simpler and wouldn't execute functions when you hold down a modifier and change your mind by letting go.

Note: It would also be a convenient addition if the game disabled the "locking of capitals" functionality while running so using it as a modifier wouldn't keep changing the caps when typing messages.

+1 this idea. Standard setups to reflect RTS legands such as SC/TA/SupCom. However, -every action- should be configurable to the key that enables said action.

There is a reason we stick to using the standard modifier keys. They are treated specially by the OS which makes them work consistently. Not saying it can't be done but weird problems could pop up.

Actually there is a solution to this: Put shift and ctrl on your mouseand push it with the thumb of your mousehand.
That way the left hand can be in the middle of the keyboard and reach everything important.
I have been using this together with zulans hotbuild in Supreme Commander for years now, it works well.
hotbuild maps stuff you want to build like this:
w = landfactory
ww = airfactory
www = navyfactor

so it can map everything you can build in supcom to relatively few keys.

I am also using this setup in SC2 with gridkeys, works aswell.


In general:
It would be very nice if PA has a working hotkeys out of the box. They could just work like hotbuild, or they could be gridbased. Those are both solutions to enable the player to give many different commands with a relatively low amount of different keys.

EDIT:

for reference: hotbuild

You know, just with the ability to re-map our keys might keep us satisfied. Someone else mentioned there are a total of 155 combinations that you can do with the left hand, without going further right of the T, G, B keys, so that's actually pretty decent. Being able to save these profiles and easily print them out is going to be crucial. Being able to bind a key to print all bindings on the screen, overlayed on top of the game, would also be awesome and make the whole process easier.

It would be best to support multi-modifiers, such as Ctrl+Shift+Alt+A.