Help me stop clicking - Request from a tank

[Generic]

I click and keybind, I do a mixed thing I've carried over my mouse-look habit from growing up on FPS (Quake, Quake II, Duke Nukem, etc) I've always used WSAD and then had my mouse setup as mouse-look in FPSs

So here's the deal, I play a warrior tank. I have all my main abilities on key bindings:
Taunt, Revenge/Heroic, SS, Shockwave, Devastate, TC, Conc. Blow, Last stand.

I have a 4+wheel button mouse, normal L/R setup with 1 button for my push to talk and another to assign skull to my target.
I tab target when needed and click odd abilities like shield wall, intervene, charge, etc.

I use WSAD to move, but I mouse turn 80% of the time.

Here's my problem, if I'm supposed to be using my mouse for all my movement, how do I back up? How to I strafe/run? As a tank it is very important that I don't like the boss get behind me or turn my back to him. So I strafe a lot to keep him in front, to use my abilities, etc. I also often have to walk myself backwards in a circle when tanking (get out of the fire!) etc.

Playing my new DK has encouraged me to re-think how I'm playing though.

How do you all handle things like that with the mouse for movement?

I've never had any complaints on my tanking, I often get thanked and complimented in fact, however I know I could be better, I want to be better help me learn to be a better tank and player.

Thanks in advance.

[Gog]

Strafe

[Gog]

Actually on second thoughts, see if you can bind a modifier to right and left mouse buttons to walk backwards.

But still strafe is your best option and you can move a lot faster than walking backwards, without having the enemy behind you.

[videotape]

Strafe

There is nothing wrong with using keys to move. 99% of my movement in-game (discounting auto-run/fly) is mouse-turn + keyboard strafe. It's every bit as efficient and appropriate as it is in an FPS.

Mouse for toggling autorun, turning, and adjusting camera zoom and angle. Keyboard for strafing with Q and E; and very rarely short fowards or backwards motions with W and S.

[Saranas]

Well here's a list of my Keybinds on my Prot Warrior:
1 = Heroic Strike
2 = Shield Slam
3 = Devastate
4 = Thunderclap
5 = Disarm
Shift + 1 = Shockwave
Shift + 2 = Revenge
Shift + 3 = Shield Block
Shift + Q = Taunt
Shift + A = Bloodrage
Shift W = Charge
Shift + E = Intercept
Shift + R = Intervene
Shift + C = Last Stand
Shift + V = Shield Wall
Concussion Blow, Shield Bash and Commanding + Battle Shout I click.

I've probably missed something but I cant think what and I cant get online atm.

I move by holding down the right mouse button which also allows me to strafe whilst pressing A or D whilst doing so.

[Fadeddeath]

You can try grabbing 1 of these so all of your keys are close together and use your thumb to strafe.

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProdu...duct_Id=390404

I have the old version of this and use it with the WOW mouse so I have plenty of buttons to go around.

A word of caution though, it takes some getting used to.
Worst case, you can bind all the keys on it to the same thing and use it as a foot pedal to toggle your mic in vent.

[lostdrewid]

I personally make full use of QWEASD for movement, on top of using the mouse to move. If I have to turn, I'll start hitting A or D while moving the mouse. I can only guess it's a left-handed thing - I just naturally reach for things with my left hand first, even though I know ultimately the real speed turning comes from my mouse. And for times when my right hand's on the keyboard [to get at my higher-numbered bindings], starting the turn sooner saves me time... even if it's only a half a second ^_^ Strafing is good, but some people need to practice it. A few years back I had to sit my warrior tank friend down and show him how, because he kept taking hits from behind when strafing. He insisted it wasn't something he was doing wrong, that it was a bad technique, until I got on my druid and showed him.

As for helping you not to click, try this: do a heroic with some friends, where obviously nothing's going to kill you unless you pull the whole instance. Try tanking without your interface turned on. It's a trick I learned when I had to use my old computer - my new puter's harddrive fried, but my old computer couldn't keep up with the graphics of some of the more intense boss battles at the time. Yogg, particularly - there were simply too many things going on. I turned off my interface at one point and cast everything by memorized binds, and had a perfect kill.

Doing that will help you break your reliance on clicking, since you can't click with the interface off. Once you have it down, turn the interface back on and you should be good.

[Deamoneyes]

Personally ive had the same problem during TBC, clicking abilities and moving with the mouse, i tried practicing ingame at some dummies...didnt work that well no, binding A and D to strafe made it alot easier, i still however use the mouse sometimes to fixate cameras from bad positions

I also started to play another game on a regular basis (wouldnt recommend playing it too much, bad for your joints) which required you to use your t-board only. Stepmania :P (oh yes finger dancing is hard on 12+ feets)
after playing it for a few months doing strafing, keeping the rotation up, whiles moving the camera and keeping your eyes on the DBM, fires etc became alot more simple.

My key bindings were like these:

1 - Devastate
2 - HS/Rev macro
3 - Charge
4 - Shield Block
5 - Shield Slam
Q - Demo Shout
E - Thunder Clap
F - Last Stand
R - Shield Wall
Shift - AoE taunt
§ - Mark skull
6-0 less used abilities.

[Elessa]

This works for me as a tank:

Use WASD for movement (and mouse, but dont re bind WASD)
Use 1-5 or 1-6, F, G, V, C, X, Z, R and Shift + F, G, V, C, X, Z, R. If you need more just use CTRL + F, G, V, C, X, Z, R.
I also use B4 and B5 + shift B4 and B5 on my mouse for things i dont use often, like buffs and stuff.

[Gigajot]

Best way to learn it is to not use your mouse for a while :P

[Priear]

current binding i use (play 5 classes so wont set skills on)

q
e
f
g
x
v
z

alt + 1
alt + 2
alt + 3
alt + mouse 4
alt + mouse 5
alt + q
alt + e

Shift + 1
Shift + 2
Shift + 3
Shift + mouse 4
Shift + mouse 5
Shift + f
Shift + q
Shift + e
Shift + g
Shift + v

Ctrl + q
Ctrl + e
Ctrl + mouse 4
Ctrl + mouse 5

on 1 class i also use F1 + F2 + F3


But your realy only learn it by binding your skills... And (for me) go BGs..
Puts alot of the most used skills in the fingers.

Then you just gotta fail alot... New bindings = Cant remember all at once... Use sidestep.. NEER turn on A/D always sidestep... The mouse hand can easily control turning + keybindings


EDIT:
The tab part... Most fights you can put on a /focus target... Then you can swap around and go back fast. (maybe shift + tab = focus target)

[General Vezax]

My DK tank (frost) has his keys bound this way:

IT - 1
PS - 2
BS - 3
Obliterate - ~
HB - Z
FS - X

Mouse turn, Q/E to strafe. Mind freeze, Stangulate, and any CDs i click, as my mouse is hovering over my buttons anyway.


Personally, when i move i hold down the right mouse key which makes your camera move much like in a FPS, and use WASD to move. When i need to circle something (like pvp) i use a combo of WASD and QE to circle and then click abilites, and switch styles when not circling. I dont understand how im doing these things, but hey, it works.