I'm providing this information for users who are not familiar with the G-Hotkey program - to help get you started I am providing a detailed description for using it with F.E.A.R. Each section is broken out based on the Notes feature of G-Hotkey so you can easily see how this is setup:
First I created a new profile titled: FEAR0 and clicked on the Add Name to add it to the Current game list:. Next select FEAR0 with your mouse and click on the Edit button.
Note: The reason the 0 is placed after the FEAR name will be explained in greater detail later on. This will allow you to reload the FEAR profile.
For this first screen you will need to set a key for the Deactivate Hotkeys Key:. For this example I have chosen the key F12.
Next a Location needs to be specified where the .lnk file is located for FEAR. If you click on the icon of the little document you can select this file. Usually you can find the .lnk file on your desktop. In the Select File dialog that is now open select the Desktop icon in the Look in: pull down box and select F.E.A.R. link file.
Next I am going to change the Load Time (secs): interval to 50 seconds since it takes about this much time for the game to load.
I don't like the dialog that displays: G-Hotkey is no longer active so I am going to check the Surpress Hotkeys Deactivation check box.
To enable and disable the functions of G-Hotkey while I'm in the game I'm going to set the On/Off Hotkeys Key: to Num Lock.
I'm going to set the Priority: level to High to ensure maximum response time while in the game. What is interesting is I'm noticing no performance loss in the game even though G-Hotkey is running at a high priority level.
Here is the section of the Notes for this game profile based on my notes above:
I would also like to have my game saved approximately every 8 minutes so I am going to fill out the Quick Save section.
For the Save Game File Location: click on the disk icon to the right and select the quick save file that the game uses. I found this out earlier by performing a quick save in the game and making a note at the time I made this quick save. I then exited the game and performed a search for all files modified that day and sorted by time modified - that way you can easily find this file. On my computer this file is located in the \Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Monolith Productions\FEAR\Save\Profile001\SinglePlayer\ folder and the file name is Quick.sav.
For the Save Every (minutes): I have put in a value of 8 and set the Retry Interval (secs): to 30 to retry quick saving in the event I'm in a screen of the game that does not allow quick saving.
The Hotkey: is set to F5 as this is the key that is set in FEAR for quick saving. I have set the On/Off QS Key: to Scroll Lock so I can enable/disable quick saving without disabling all of the other functions in G-Hotkey.
Here is the section of the Notes for this game profile based on my notes above:
Next move to the next tab at the top labeled Macros.
For the Macro 1 I have set the Keys: to: @key(spa)@RMouseBtn()
This presses the following keys in the game: Space Bar <@key(spa)> and the Right Mouse Button <@RMouseBtn()>. The Hotkey: for this macro is set to Enter. Also I have set the Key Delay (ms): to 1 for the macro so it executes very fast.
Note: This macro is useful so that I can press the Enter key while my character is moving forward and this will generate a bicycle kick. This is easier and faster then having to press these keys individually.
For the Macro 2 I have set the Keys: to: @RMouseBtn()C
This presses the following keys in the game: Right Mouse Button <@RMouseBtn()> and the C <C> key. The Hotkey: for this macro is set to Decimal. The Decimal key in this example is the same key that is labeled Del on the numeric keypad. Also I have set the Key Delay (ms): to 1 for the macro so it executes very fast.
Note: This macro is useful so that I can press the . key while my character is moving forward and this will generate a slide kick. This is easier and faster then having to press these keys individually.
For the Macro 3 I have set the Keys: to: f@keyd(Shf)
This presses the f <f> key and HOLDS DOWN the Shift <@keyd(Shf)> key in the game. The Hotkey: for this macro is set to D/d. For special keys like Shift you will need to look these up in the virtualkeycodes.ini file. An icon for this file is located in the G-Hotkey program group. Also I have set the Key Delay (ms): to 1 for the macro so it executes very fast.
Note: The purpose of this macro will be explained in greater detail later. Basically though you will be pressing the [D/d] key to disable a flash light timer/trigger that will be set on the Macros + tab.
Here is the section of the Notes for this game profile based on my notes above:
Finally move to the next tab at the top labeled Macros +.
For the Macro 5 I have set the Keys: to: hf
This presses the following keys in the game: h <h> and the f <f> key. The Hotkey: for this macro is set to Divide. The Divide key is the same key as the / forward slash key on the numeric keypad. Also I have set the Key Delay (ms): to 10 for the macro so it executes very fast. The Repeat: input box contains the value 999 as I want this macro to repeat continually while the game is running. In addition the Repeat Every (secs): input box contains a value of 23 so the macro repeats itself every 23 seconds.
Note: The purpose of this macro is so the flash light in the game automatically turns itself back on when the power has expired and then is renewed. This way you don't have to manually keep pressing the f key to turn back on the flash light. The h key is pressed to see if this macro should be disabled. This will be explained in futher detail when the final Macro 6 is created next.
For the Macro 6 I have set the Keys: to: @key(Shf)
This presses the following key in the game: Shift <@key(Shf)> key. For special keys like Shift you will need to look these up in the virtualkeycodes.ini file. An icon for this file is located in the G-Hotkey program group. The Shift key is pressed to release it from being held down. The Hotkey: for this macro is set to H/h. The Modifier: for this macro is set to Shift. In addition I have set for the Play Sound: button the sound file: \WINDOWS\Media\notify.wav. Also I have set the Key Delay (ms): to 10 for the macro so it executes very fast.
Note: By now you are probably confused as to why some of these macros are being created. It's time now to put the reasoning behind why some of these macros were created. You probably have a good understanding of what Macro 5 - hf does which enables the flash light to turn back on after it turns off after a certain amount of time. You are probably wondering why though the h key is also pressed? To understand this let's step through what happens when we want to disable Macro 5 from running:
1. To disable Macro 5 while in the game press the D/d key. Remember this is the Macro 3 - f@keyd(Shf) that was created earlier. This is going to shut off the flash light by pressing the f key and then the Shift key is going to be held down.
2. Remember that macros created on the Macros + tab cannot be disabled during the repeat interval which in this case is 23 seconds. This is good as you want to be able to use the Macro 1 and Macro 2 keys which are your bicycle and slide kick and not have them cancel Macro 5 (i.e. the flash light enabler). The problem then becomes how do we actually disable then the flash light from coming back on? This is the purpose of having the Shift key held down.
3. So Macro 5 is still running, but when it is executed at the next repeat interval the keys Shift AND h will be pressed rather than just the h key.
4. Now Macro 6 - @key(Shf) will immediately execute and CANCEL Macro 5 from running. In addition the Shift key will be pressed to RELEASE the Shift key that was being held down by Macro 3 (remember the D/d key was pressed). Finally the Play Sound: sound file notify.wav will play as an indicator for you while your in the game that Macro 5 has cancelled.
Keep in mind when you reload a saved game or are in an option menu and then return to a game while Macro 5 is still enabled you may want to cancel Macro 5 by pressing the D/d key - you will then hear the sound file play; finally you can press the Divide key to start Macro 5 back up again.
Remember when you first named the profile for the game to FEAR0. The trailing 0 is so that you can re-load this profile. The reason for doing this is for some reason in the FEAR game sometimes Macro 5 will stop working. This was found to be a bug in an older version of G-Hotkey. To resolve this problem press the Num Lock key so as to temporarily disable G-Hotkey or download the new version of G-Hotkey. For the purpose of this example so you can experience how to load or reload a game profile press and hold the Alt + the 0 key. Don't press the Alt + the 0 key to fast otherwise it will not re-load the profile. Finally press the Num Lock again to turn back on Num Lock. This will reload and reset the FEAR profile and now Macro 5 will start working again. Keep in mind that when you load or re-load a profile it will re-initialize all of your macros. This will also allow you to load multiple profiles (i.e. FEAR0, FEAR1, FEAR2) for the same game.
Here is the section of the Notes for this game profile based on my notes above:
Now exit the G-Hotkey Editor and save your changes. This will bring you back to the main G-Hotkey screen. Select FEAR and click on the Run button to load the FEAR game.
You should now see before the game loads in your taskbar a green keyboard icon. This indicates that G-Hotkey is running (although G-Hotkey functions will not operate until 50 seconds).
If you move your mouse pointer over this icon you will see the following pop-up: To deactivate G-Hotkey make sure the Num Lock key is on and press the F12 key.
I hope this helps get you started with using G-Hotkey in the game and the different ways in which it can be used.
First I created a new profile titled: FEAR0 and clicked on the Add Name to add it to the Current game list:. Next select FEAR0 with your mouse and click on the Edit button.
Note: The reason the 0 is placed after the FEAR name will be explained in greater detail later on. This will allow you to reload the FEAR profile.
For this first screen you will need to set a key for the Deactivate Hotkeys Key:. For this example I have chosen the key F12.
Next a Location needs to be specified where the .lnk file is located for FEAR. If you click on the icon of the little document you can select this file. Usually you can find the .lnk file on your desktop. In the Select File dialog that is now open select the Desktop icon in the Look in: pull down box and select F.E.A.R. link file.
Next I am going to change the Load Time (secs): interval to 50 seconds since it takes about this much time for the game to load.
I don't like the dialog that displays: G-Hotkey is no longer active so I am going to check the Surpress Hotkeys Deactivation check box.
To enable and disable the functions of G-Hotkey while I'm in the game I'm going to set the On/Off Hotkeys Key: to Num Lock.
I'm going to set the Priority: level to High to ensure maximum response time while in the game. What is interesting is I'm noticing no performance loss in the game even though G-Hotkey is running at a high priority level.
Here is the section of the Notes for this game profile based on my notes above:
Quote:
Title: FEAR; Load Time (secs): 50;
Deactivate Hotkeys Key: F12;
Location: CDocuments and Settings\All Users\Desktop\F.E.A.R..lnk;
Surpress Hotkeys Deactivation: 1; Global Hotkeys: ;
On/Off Hotkeys Key: Num Lock; Priority: High;
I would also like to have my game saved approximately every 8 minutes so I am going to fill out the Quick Save section.
For the Save Game File Location: click on the disk icon to the right and select the quick save file that the game uses. I found this out earlier by performing a quick save in the game and making a note at the time I made this quick save. I then exited the game and performed a search for all files modified that day and sorted by time modified - that way you can easily find this file. On my computer this file is located in the \Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Monolith Productions\FEAR\Save\Profile001\SinglePlayer\ folder and the file name is Quick.sav.
For the Save Every (minutes): I have put in a value of 8 and set the Retry Interval (secs): to 30 to retry quick saving in the event I'm in a screen of the game that does not allow quick saving.
The Hotkey: is set to F5 as this is the key that is set in FEAR for quick saving. I have set the On/Off QS Key: to Scroll Lock so I can enable/disable quick saving without disabling all of the other functions in G-Hotkey.
Here is the section of the Notes for this game profile based on my notes above:
Quote:
Save Game File Location: C
Save Every (minutes): 8; Retry Interval (secs): 30; Play Sound: ;
Hotkey: F5; On/Off QS Key: Scroll Lock; Key Delay (ms): 120;
Next move to the next tab at the top labeled Macros.
For the Macro 1 I have set the Keys: to: @key(spa)@RMouseBtn()
This presses the following keys in the game: Space Bar <@key(spa)> and the Right Mouse Button <@RMouseBtn()>. The Hotkey: for this macro is set to Enter. Also I have set the Key Delay (ms): to 1 for the macro so it executes very fast.
Note: This macro is useful so that I can press the Enter key while my character is moving forward and this will generate a bicycle kick. This is easier and faster then having to press these keys individually.
For the Macro 2 I have set the Keys: to: @RMouseBtn()C
This presses the following keys in the game: Right Mouse Button <@RMouseBtn()> and the C <C> key. The Hotkey: for this macro is set to Decimal. The Decimal key in this example is the same key that is labeled Del on the numeric keypad. Also I have set the Key Delay (ms): to 1 for the macro so it executes very fast.
Note: This macro is useful so that I can press the . key while my character is moving forward and this will generate a slide kick. This is easier and faster then having to press these keys individually.
For the Macro 3 I have set the Keys: to: f@keyd(Shf)
This presses the f <f> key and HOLDS DOWN the Shift <@keyd(Shf)> key in the game. The Hotkey: for this macro is set to D/d. For special keys like Shift you will need to look these up in the virtualkeycodes.ini file. An icon for this file is located in the G-Hotkey program group. Also I have set the Key Delay (ms): to 1 for the macro so it executes very fast.
Note: The purpose of this macro will be explained in greater detail later. Basically though you will be pressing the [D/d] key to disable a flash light timer/trigger that will be set on the Macros + tab.
Here is the section of the Notes for this game profile based on my notes above:
Quote:
Hotkey: Enter; Macro Keys: @key(spa)@RMouseBtn();
Modifier: None; Key Delay (ms): 1;
Hotkey: Decimal; Macro Keys: @RMouseBtn()C;
Modifier: None; Key Delay (ms): 1;
Hotkey: D/d; Macro Keys: f@keyd(Shf);
Modifier: None; Key Delay (ms): 10;
Finally move to the next tab at the top labeled Macros +.
For the Macro 5 I have set the Keys: to: hf
This presses the following keys in the game: h <h> and the f <f> key. The Hotkey: for this macro is set to Divide. The Divide key is the same key as the / forward slash key on the numeric keypad. Also I have set the Key Delay (ms): to 10 for the macro so it executes very fast. The Repeat: input box contains the value 999 as I want this macro to repeat continually while the game is running. In addition the Repeat Every (secs): input box contains a value of 23 so the macro repeats itself every 23 seconds.
Note: The purpose of this macro is so the flash light in the game automatically turns itself back on when the power has expired and then is renewed. This way you don't have to manually keep pressing the f key to turn back on the flash light. The h key is pressed to see if this macro should be disabled. This will be explained in futher detail when the final Macro 6 is created next.
For the Macro 6 I have set the Keys: to: @key(Shf)
This presses the following key in the game: Shift <@key(Shf)> key. For special keys like Shift you will need to look these up in the virtualkeycodes.ini file. An icon for this file is located in the G-Hotkey program group. The Shift key is pressed to release it from being held down. The Hotkey: for this macro is set to H/h. The Modifier: for this macro is set to Shift. In addition I have set for the Play Sound: button the sound file: \WINDOWS\Media\notify.wav. Also I have set the Key Delay (ms): to 10 for the macro so it executes very fast.
Note: By now you are probably confused as to why some of these macros are being created. It's time now to put the reasoning behind why some of these macros were created. You probably have a good understanding of what Macro 5 - hf does which enables the flash light to turn back on after it turns off after a certain amount of time. You are probably wondering why though the h key is also pressed? To understand this let's step through what happens when we want to disable Macro 5 from running:
1. To disable Macro 5 while in the game press the D/d key. Remember this is the Macro 3 - f@keyd(Shf) that was created earlier. This is going to shut off the flash light by pressing the f key and then the Shift key is going to be held down.
2. Remember that macros created on the Macros + tab cannot be disabled during the repeat interval which in this case is 23 seconds. This is good as you want to be able to use the Macro 1 and Macro 2 keys which are your bicycle and slide kick and not have them cancel Macro 5 (i.e. the flash light enabler). The problem then becomes how do we actually disable then the flash light from coming back on? This is the purpose of having the Shift key held down.
3. So Macro 5 is still running, but when it is executed at the next repeat interval the keys Shift AND h will be pressed rather than just the h key.
4. Now Macro 6 - @key(Shf) will immediately execute and CANCEL Macro 5 from running. In addition the Shift key will be pressed to RELEASE the Shift key that was being held down by Macro 3 (remember the D/d key was pressed). Finally the Play Sound: sound file notify.wav will play as an indicator for you while your in the game that Macro 5 has cancelled.
Keep in mind when you reload a saved game or are in an option menu and then return to a game while Macro 5 is still enabled you may want to cancel Macro 5 by pressing the D/d key - you will then hear the sound file play; finally you can press the Divide key to start Macro 5 back up again.
Remember when you first named the profile for the game to FEAR0. The trailing 0 is so that you can re-load this profile. The reason for doing this is for some reason in the FEAR game sometimes Macro 5 will stop working. This was found to be a bug in an older version of G-Hotkey. To resolve this problem press the Num Lock key so as to temporarily disable G-Hotkey or download the new version of G-Hotkey. For the purpose of this example so you can experience how to load or reload a game profile press and hold the Alt + the 0 key. Don't press the Alt + the 0 key to fast otherwise it will not re-load the profile. Finally press the Num Lock again to turn back on Num Lock. This will reload and reset the FEAR profile and now Macro 5 will start working again. Keep in mind that when you load or re-load a profile it will re-initialize all of your macros. This will also allow you to load multiple profiles (i.e. FEAR0, FEAR1, FEAR2) for the same game.
Here is the section of the Notes for this game profile based on my notes above:
Quote:
Hotkey: Divide; Macro Keys: hf;
Modifier: None; Key Delay (ms): 10;
Repeat: 999; Repeat Every (secs): 23 - ; Play Sound: ;
Hotkey: H/h; Macro Keys: @key(Shf);
Modifier: Shift; Key Delay (ms): 10;
Repeat: ; Repeat Every (secs): - ; Play Sound: C
Now exit the G-Hotkey Editor and save your changes. This will bring you back to the main G-Hotkey screen. Select FEAR and click on the Run button to load the FEAR game.
You should now see before the game loads in your taskbar a green keyboard icon. This indicates that G-Hotkey is running (although G-Hotkey functions will not operate until 50 seconds).
If you move your mouse pointer over this icon you will see the following pop-up: To deactivate G-Hotkey make sure the Num Lock key is on and press the F12 key.
I hope this helps get you started with using G-Hotkey in the game and the different ways in which it can be used.
