Them’s Fightin’ Herds: Keyboard Controls Guide

If you clicked on this guide you may be wondering “why use a keyboard over a controller or stick?” Well, there are a few possible reasons:

• You don’t have a controller, or you don’t want to spend money on one.
• You don’t want to buy a fight stick and learn how to use it.
• You are more accustomed to gaming with a keyboard.

These are all valid reasons. There are some pros and cons to using a keyboard to play this game:

• You don’t have to spend money on a controller.
• More accurate directional inputs.
• You don’t have to control everything with your thumbs.
• Some motions become much easier (i.e. 22 input).

• Keyboards are mostly only used for PC.
• Some motions can seem more difficult (i.e. 623).
• Fighting games generally don’t have the best default configuration for keyboard controls.
• People may look at you funny.

My recommended key mapping is as follows:

• Directional keys: WASD
• A: U
• B: I
• C: O
• D: P

If it feels weird to use your pinkie for D, you can swap it to something like J or Y so you have to reach for it with your index finger. It depends on how reliant your character is on their magic. You can also move the ABCD mapping down one row on the keyboard if you want.

Note that the directional keys are universal, so mapping them to WASD with the default confirm key being Z can be awkward. Make sure to also remap the menu keys and pixel lobby keys to avoid frustration.

Since TFH doesn’t have many motions, they’re pretty straightforward even with a keyboard. I think they’re actually easier on a keyboard since you can use multiple fingers instead of solely relying on your thumb or wrist. The most important thing to remember is the starting and ending directions of each motion.

• 236 motion (Fireball): Start by pressing the S key and roll to the A or D keys. Make sure to release the S key so you aren’t crouching.
• 623 motion (DP): Press A or D and quickly crouch and press the same directional button. Probably the hardest input on keyboard, but Velvet is the only one who rely relies on it heavily.
• 22 motion: Just press down twice lmao. This one is pretty trivial.
• Charge motions: You will need to hold a key and then quickly switch to the opposite key. This can be awkward at first but you will get used to it.
• Dashing: The nice thing about keyboards is you can just mash A or D to dash without destroying your wrist.
• Short hops: This is a lot easier on keyboard than a controller or stick. Just tap the W key quickly. Hold A or D if you want to have a diagonal jump.
• Air dash: Also pretty easy. Just double tap A or D in the air. If you want a quick airdash from the ground press W + A or D to jump and then A or D to airdash.

By catdog961