Is more than 5 control groups counter productive?

[SoldieR]

I use 1,2,3,5 mostly, sometimes 4 if I'm really into the game. (2,3, and 4 for units)

But I think there is a point where its too far from hand, and that its too many, like if you had 4 army groups, I think it's too many to control in a hit and run or poke situation. I feel you would spend too much time moving and switching thru groups rather than focusing on unit position...

In aoeo my brother used i think 1 thru 8 and i was just like wtf how can you even cycle

Thoughts?

[giveuanxiety]

haha from the title of this topic I thought it was gona be some noob asking. Did not expect you making it but I guess you pretty forum happy lately. I used 1-6 and sometimes 7 in aoeo and do same here actually.
my control groups:
1: Scout
2: military buildings
3: 2nd scout/docks
4: Ranged units
5: inf units
6: Cav
7: rarely but 2nd cav group for raiding

I'll admit mine arent the best, but it would be real hard to change now since so used to these. ideally I would prob have
1: Ranged units
2: inf
3: cav
4: scout
5: buildings
6: 2nd scout/dock.

[deleted_user0]

I use 9 groups, and i dont find it counter productive.

I usually use only 4 for army, but sometimes 5 or even 6. 5-6 is too much for me and at times leads to confusing groups. I am very comfortable with 4, even though usually im at 3.

If you are good enough to use more that 4 i dont think its counter productive, though its awkward for me because if i use so many i have to put them on groups usually not reserved for units

I use

1 for ranged infantry
2 for cavalry
3 for melee inf or raid cav
4 for cannons or melee cav
5 for tc (i use both t and groups for tc because i dont always want to snap back and want to get all at same time)
Sometimes i use 5 for special units
6 i used for explorer but i changed that recently to find explorer hotkey, so i rarely use 6 anymore. Trying to start use it for wonders or so maybe, or maybe docks
7 foundry or consulate or docks (might change that to 6)
8 stable/nobles hut
9 barracks/agra/warhut/blockhouse

Only situation where having many groups backfires is in lag, because my commands get ignored and sometimes a group stays behind cuz i didnt notice

[yemshi]

1-3)Units
4)Rax
5)Stable
6)ArtFoundry
7)Consulate/Fire Pit
8)Docks
9)Tc/s (Included in my mouse aswell' I just use it if I have 2+TC's)

[_H2O]

not for aoe3. for starcraft brood war then yes

[nazz121]

I use most of my grouping keys, but i changed 6-9 to f1-f4 so its alot closer for me, hence easier. I've heard of people doing likewise with q to r.

[SoldieR]

How the hell can people even be bothered to reach for 9...u like literally have to look down to press #9

[[Armag] diarouga]

1) ranged inf
2) anti cav
3) cav
4)canons
5)raxes
6)stables
7)artillery fondry
8)docks

[deleted_user0]

How the hell can people even be bothered to reach for 9...u like literally have to look down to press #9

Nah it becomes habbit. When im on a different keyboard i sometimes missclick to 0 but on my own i usually dont.

[SoldieR]

Like docks at 8...isn't ctrl d just easier

[[Armag] diarouga]

Like docks at 8...isn''t ctrl d just easier

Nah because ctrl+d is 2 actions while 8 is only 1. Also I think ctrl d would focus the view on the dock.

[SoldieR]

Ya but ur fingers are always on ctrl anyway. And no, ctrl-(letter) does not focus. I use it to cycle thru upgraded tps, as well as finding rare buildings like ars, church, and doing xb/pike builds to cycle rax. Also cycling docks with schooners

[blackstarop]

I use from 1 to 5 and Q W E ,i think its much better cause they closer to eachother. 1-ranged inf type 2-cannon unit type 3,4,5- buildings and Q-anticav type W-hand cav E-random.

[Goodspeed]

Like docks at 8...isn''t ctrl d just easier

You can rebind control groups from numbers to characters that are closer to your left hand, like 7,8,9 to t,g,b or something. I used this on vanilla because on nilla find unit hotkeys always focuses the camera on that unit which I obviously didn''t want.
Put "select group 8" to T, create group 8 to ctrl-T and add to group 8 to shift-T for example.

[deleted_user0]

I use from 1 to 5 and Q W E ,i think its much better cause they closer to eachother. 1-ranged inf type 2-cannon unit type 3,4,5- buildings and Q-anticav type W-hand cav E-random.

I use all of those as well :p 1-9 then awsd to move screen. Q, E, R for special things such as call mm, explorer abilities, eject vils, broadside etc. Then im now trying to us R, F, V, G, B for unit formations. And x, v for attack move vills and t for tc.

I dont think 789 are that far if you have a normal keyboard. In any case i dont like to use dbl keys as much, except for things which are missclick sensitive, such as ring townbell

[SoldieR]

I can't bother with letter ctrl groups cause I use pretty much every letter for a building or formation

[Goodspeed]

If you set up your hotkeys smartly you can have many things on the same key. For example build house, eject garisson and queue skirm can be on the same key. There's no way you should need QWERT, ASDFG, ?nd ZXCVB. Besides even then YHN are closer than 789.

[Mimsy for President]

It's just a matter of habit. Personally, I only use the left side of my keyboard.

[momuuu]

You just should've eaten your vegetables so you had grown more and had gotten bigger hands. I can legitemately reach from caps lock to enter with my thumb and pinky.

On a serious note, I use 1-5 and q/w. There's barely anything bound on q and w normally in terms of buildings (if you change asian units to a different row).. I think only the cherry orchard uses those hotkeys. I found it to be a really nice change, especially if you keep the ability to use 6 and 7 open. That way, you'll have time getting used to it.

The nicest change I made is that I use shift to create the control groups instead of control. It was one hell of a change after using control groups for over 10 years, but shift groups really do the trick for me. It's a lot easier and much more accurate. It requires a lot of dedication to get used to that though.

[iNcog]

funny topic

in aoe3 i use up to 4 control groups

1 - RI
2 - anti cav
3 - cav
4 - scout / artillery

or in the early stages it's
2 - cav
3 - cav
4 - cav

to raid

after that it's just easier to do what aiz does and manually look at minimap and click away

for me anyway

for production it's (azerty keyboard here)
a - rax
q - stable
w - art foundry or castle

z- musk
e- RI
R- melee
f - pike
d - xbow

s - hussar type
d - dragoon type
c - cuirs


i have a mouse button which i use to "center on selection" which is useful for going to TC

F1 is select units of this type, which is good for rallying produced units into control group without having to go there

i can also do a+F1 to select all rax as well

[_DB_]

1- TC
2-Infantry
3-Cav/Other type of infantry
4-Elephants/Artillery/Cav
5-Raiding/Agra/Extra/Siege eles
6-Spare/Raiding

W-HI/WarWagon
E-RI
Q-Pikes/Anti-cav
X-Xbows
S-Heavy cav/Sowar/Ulhan
R-Ruyter
Z-Zamb
C-Cuirs
D-All rax/Goon
F-All stable
V-Vil
Space-Idle vil
Q-All of selected type

[macacoalbino]

If you set up your hotkeys smartly you can have many things on the same key. For example build house, eject garisson and queue skirm can be on the same key. There''s no way you should need QWERT, ASDFG, ?nd ZXCVB. Besides even then YHN are closer than 789.

^This
And I also change 6-9 to z-v for my buildings so everything is close.

[91]

How the hell can people even be bothered to reach for 9...u like literally have to look down to press #9

I dont have the energy to learn all military building hotkeys so I just use ctrl groups instead, so I can change between stable/rax/blockhouse/agra/war hut whatever.

1: RI
2: HI
3: cav
4: cannons
7: scout
8: military building
9: TC (Though I also use N + M to build vils fast)

Those 4 are all I need for units. If i use more i tend to slip on keys while cycling through..Then again I play on a pretty small laptop with flat keys..