Improved international keyboard support in demos

[ubunatic]

The playable demos have a bad UX on non-EN keyboard layouts.
Please add a few alternative keys, e.g., for Watris:

• Add C as more universal "hard drop" key (Z is always a bad choice as an action button, e.g., for DE and FR layouts, where it is not next to X).
• ArrowUp as "spin" key and ArrowDown as "hard drop" key, to allow full one handed control on any keyboard (and making it playable for one-handed people).

And, I guess there are also other smart choices for the other demos, for good UX worldwide, and for one handed control.

[eXponenta]

Accessibility is not a main option.

X, Z + Arrows is selected as generics layout (all emulators use this binding).

If you want change this, you should provide a PR for site, docs and runtime , because not all has a FR layout and non-EU keyboard.
I can said more - generic layout is EU :)

And you CANNOT change layout a game specific, because it limited specially.
Looks to docs about this:
https://wasm4.org/docs/guides/user-input#gamepad

If a devs select a ArrowDown as input - him think that this is good.

[FaberVitale]

Hi @ubunatic,

This is more an a11y issue of the console:
cartridge developers do not have access to raw keyboard keypresses and current layout, as @eXponenta said, it is rather common.

Generally emulators resolve the issue you raised using a window that allow to customize keys.

We should probably add a similar feature and persist the custom key mapping.

[aduros]

Add C as more universal "hard drop" key (Z is always a bad choice as an action button, e.g., for DE and FR layouts, where it is not next to X).

This should actually already be the case, we alias C to Z, in addition to Y to Z for German keyboards. We even include Dvorak-friendly mappings for Z/X. This is not at all obvious though, so let's add some documentation about it.

Here is where the Z/X keys are handled:

wasm4/runtimes/web/src/index.js

Line 220 in 97e7d0b

case 88: case 32: case 81:

If there are missing Z/X aliases for other keyboard types, let's add them. In the future having customizable keybinding as @FaberVitale suggests will also be fantastic.

[christopher-kleine]

X, Z + Arrows is selected as generics layout (all emulators use this binding).

Just because "everyone is doing the same" doesn't mean it's the best way.
In fact, I complained a few times in the TIC-80 discord about this.

in addition to Y to Z for German keyboards

That's pretty much why I mentioned this in the small text under my game. Maybe this should be mentioned below the playable games. Currently it only states "Arrow keys" and "Z/X".
Something like

Arrows keys = D-Pad
X = Button 1
Z/C/Y = Button 2

might make it more obvious.

[ubunatic]

I did not realize that C was bound too automatically 🙈. This already solves half of the issue.

I also checked some more keyboard layouts (PT, ES, CN, Arabic, etc.) and most seem to have Z in the "right" place next to X, it is only DE, FR, and some others that have them "misplaced". By having C/Y/Z bound to Button 2, you already cover most of the planet I guess.

Then the issue is more in the hint below the demo games on the website as @christopher-kleine said.

I still think, Watris should get the D-Pad down bound to "drop" as it the original GB game had it.
Then the Buttons 1 and 2 could be used left/right rotation (I also think the GB game had it like that).

I will check the code and try do PRs for Watris and the website (after getting the project to run on my machine).

[ubunatic]

PR #87 for improved Watris keys is open.
PR #88 for hint to alternative keys is also open.

Btw. the "60 second" dev setup was super smooth, npm install wasm4 (without the -g)
And then a simple make && ~/node_modules/wasm4/cli.js run build/cart.wasm to test it. 👍

[aduros]

Btw. the "60 second" dev setup was super smooth

Good to know 😄