Is there an advantage for Key Down over Key Up?

[Reyther]

Hi,

I just changed around a few addons and changed my UI around a lot by getting Elvui and getting rid of bartender. Just today I noticed I was having a DPS loss in heroics. I also noticed what seemed like buttons not registering that I had hit them.I went to a target dummy and did my rotation for about 1 minute at a time. I noticed that my arcane shots weren't registering every time. I was getting maybe 8-9 instead of the 12 I thought I casted.

What I found out was that before my addon/ui change I had Cast on Key's Down unselected so I was casting on Keys Up. After my addon/ui change Cast on Key's Down got selected and I was casting on Keys Down. I found this to be the cause after reverting back to my old bartender and addons/ui.

Before when I was using "Cast on keys up" it seemed like I was able to spam a button opposed to when I was using "Cast on Keys down". What I mean is that when "Cast on Keys Up" was toggled I was able to hit my "D" key, which is binded to Steady Shot, multiple times before the current cast was complete and casting my next steady shot. That way I was able to mitigate any down time between casts (That may be a bad habit, please let me know if that needs to be changed for a performance/dps increase). Now with "Cast on Keys Down" it seems that I can't do that otherwise I can easily misssomething like an arcane shot?

I could easily revert back to using "Cast on Key Up" But I thought I would ask before I do that.
Is there an advantage for using Key Down over Key Up?

[Kuni Zyrekai]

Is there an advantage for using Key Down over Key Up?

You can decide not to shoot at the current target by holding a key down, selecting nothing, then letting go. That's about it honestly, but since I tend to hold keys down for that very reason, I prefer on key up. On key down is technically quicker if you're used to it.

[Dreyks]

I've heard a tale on vent about a 5v5 arena game, where the leader shouted "BL" (it was when bloodlust was still usable there) and then he was like "oh shi, nonono, not now" and Shaman was running 2 minutes with his finger on pressed bloodlust

As for me I preferred to user onkeydown abilities for their little but still usefull quickness

[Nerraw]

You can decide not to shoot at the current target by holding a key down, selecting nothing, then letting go. That's about it honestly, but since I tend to hold keys down for that very reason, I prefer on key up. On key down is technically quicker if you're used to it.

Exactly the same reason why I have Key Up. If something procs just as I'm about to cast something else, I have time to quickly get that other one in instead.

[Deleted]

Key down is faster. Isn't it obvious, you save time (even though it's not much) by not having to release the key. Then it's just a matter of not fatfingering your abilities so you won't misclick them like the previous posters in this thread, their only excuse to not use it seems to be that they're just bad. You should use it.

[Oragan]

The main reason as far as I know is just its a little bit faster, I personaly like it more as I want my ability to hit when I press my key not when I let it go

[Deleted]

So you used to have activating abilities on key up, now you have key down and you think that your DPS loss is caused by this?

I can't imagine that. If anything the ability gets activated faster on key down.

Holding down a button because you don't want to use the ability just yet is plain bad. And that is a DPS loss, focusing on something like that, fixating your hand in such manor etc.

[Kuni Zyrekai]

So you used to have activating abilities on key up, now you have key down and you think that your DPS loss is caused by this?

I can't imagine that. If anything the ability gets activated faster on key down.

Holding down a button because you don't want to use the ability just yet is plain bad. And that is a DPS loss, focusing on something like that, fixating your hand in such manor etc.

Of course it gets activated faster. The problem is you have people who are six years into the game at this point and changing the control scheme screws with them pretty hard. I had to find the console command to disable the bloody latency tolerance when it was first put in. I had to turn this off as soon as it became the default. People get used to how their own connection interacts with the game over the years and changing things like this will mess their DPS up badly if they play a twitchy spec.

Having said that, I could imagine melee classes would be a lot better suited to key down activation, but casters tend to get used to exactly how their cast bar interacts with latency, and key up can prevent an accidental pull.

It's not a DPS loss if it's just a subconscious thing you're doing, it takes no brain power to consider it at this point in the game for me. The only time you'd hold it down for any length of time is on pull countdown for precasting a large spell such as pyroblast or frostfire bolt. Else, just keeping spells off the wrong targets.

It comes down to playing how you like and what works for you, not what is theoretically better should you play every method perfectly. Even at that point there should be no difference.

[ComputerNerd]

Key down is faster. Isn't it obvious, you save time (even though it's not much) by not having to release the key. Then it's just a matter of not fatfingering your abilities so you won't misclick them like the previous posters in this thread, their only excuse to not use it seems to be that they're just bad. You should use it.

Faster yes, but that does not make someone bad because they have trouble adjusting to something which has been one way for potentially several years of play and then changed.
Because it suits you does not mean that you can define someone who does different from you as bad or inferior.

It is optional for a reason. Get over yourself.

[Soisoisoi]

Key Down is faster, key up gives you time to react if you want to change your mind.

To the rest of the thread, it just sounds like a keybinding vs clicking 'thing' - except there is no upside for clicking... But that would be OT, so... yeah!