console key for non-US keyboards

[timmoody]

Question: How do I enable the console?

Answer:

• The next time you start the game, you will be able to open the console by hitting the ` (the tick or single back-quote) key. That is the key that also has the ~ (tilde) character on it. That is on U.S. standard keyboards. On some other keyboards, a different key may open the console, but it is usually (fingers crossed) the key immediately to the left of the 1 key.
  

I still have some trouble opening the console. Actually I had the same problem for the FF1. I think the reason is that my computer is a norwegian laptop. So my question is really, does anyone have the slightest idea where the tilde key might be located then? Pressing what is supposed to be the tilde key causes no effect. Anyone?[/list]

[Previsionary]

A. You guys probably shouldve made a new thread for your problems so this thread could remain relatively clean.

B. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/KB_Norway.svg/540px-KB_Norway.svg.png  <----if your keyboard looks like that, it's by the enter key.

B1. It may not work and you might just try hitting every button until the console pops up. In fact, the console may not work for all keyboards. *shrugs*

C. All py files are easily found on the game cd.

[stumpy]

Good point. I will split this into it's own thread (and maybe do the same for the init.py question...).

[Panther_Gunn]

B. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/KB_Norway.svg/540px-KB_Norway.svg.png  <----if your keyboard looks like that, it's by the enter key.

I would have posited that should be the ~ character, rather than the key itself, as it should be coded into the game to be an ASCI code, not a key position.

The problem with that character on Norwegian (and other European keyboards) is that key is used for directly typing diacritical marks for letters, rather than the US standard of just pulling it out of the ASCI character map somewhere.  The function of that key (and one or two others, if I remember rightly) is that you depress the key (in combination with either Shift or Alt, depending on which mark you want), and then depress the letter you want under it.  To get *just* the mark to show up as a character, you actually have to press the key twice.  Pressing the key twice *may* bring up the console, and it may not.

The other option would be to change your keyboard map to the US standard while you're playing FF.  Once other keymaps have been loaded, they can stay down in the toolbar, ready for relatively quick changes in keymaps.  Locate Regional and Language Options in the Control Panel for more info on that.

[stumpy]

My understanding, which is by no means comprehensive, is that many games actually use the keyboard scan codes for this kind of thing, rather than the ascii codes. There was a time when that lower-level approach was a quicker way to do things. In addition, the keyboard scan codes allow you to tell when a "special" key (like shift, ctrl, alt, etc.) is being pressed, even if another "regular" key is not pressed with it. Many games (like FF/FFvT3R) make use of those keys, though there are probably other ways to know if they have been pressed via the Windows event API.

So, what's needed (in such cases) is to find the key that produces the same scan code that is used on US keyboards. I am pretty sure that there was a discussion on ffans way back when where someone with a different key next to the '1' key (it didn't produce the back tick character or the tilde character) was able to use it because that keyboard still produced the same scan code with that key. (That's why the FAQ has that suggestion in it.)

Of course, I don't know which system FF/FFvT3R uses.

[Symon]

My (UK) keyboard has the ~ key next to the <CR> key. It doesn't open the console in any game that uses tilde to open a console.

The Key to the left of the '1', the location of the tilde key on US keyboards does the job. It generates ` or ¬.

Hope that helps. Try the key to the left of number one.

[Panther_Gunn]

My (UK) keyboard has the ~ key next to the <CR> key. It doesn't open the console in any game that uses tilde to open a console.

The Key to the left of the '1', the location of the tilde key on US keyboards does the job. It generates ` or ¬.

Hope that helps. Try the key to the left of number one.

The problem I just realized with keyboard scans is that the original poster is using a laptop.....many of which don't have any keys to the left of the numbers row.  My ~ key is located above the += key, right next to F12.  I suppose it's possible *that* key in the scan would work.  But, when non QWERTY keys get moved around to make laptop layouts fit, is there a standard of what goes where?  If I was a bettin' man, I'd say probably not (at least not between different manufacturers or even models).