Difference between revisions of "Mastermind Numpad Pet Controls"

Revision as of 18:26, 20 April 2006

Overview

The guide to these controls was initially posted on the Official Forums by Sandolphan. Link to Guide.

These controls are very intuitive, easy to set up, and quite possibly the most powerful set of pet controls yet divised.

Control Scheme

The active controls can be categorized by which row the key appears on on the numpad.

1-Row and 0 : Select what pet to command

• 0: All Pets
• 1: "Minion" Pets
• 2: "Lieutenant" Pets
• 3: "Boss" Pet

4-Row : Set stance

• 4: Agressive
• 5: Defensive
• 6: Passive

7-Row : Issue command

• 7: Attack my target
• 8: Follow Me
• 9: Goto

Other Keys: Summons and Upgrades

• / : Summon "minion" pet
• * : Summon "Lieutenant" pet
• - : Summon "Boss" pet
• + : Equip (First Upgrade)
• Enter: Upgrade (Second Upgrade)

Setup

There are two main methods to setup these controls:

• Type all the binds directly into the chat window
• Use text files and the /bindloadfile command

I'll be covering the second method in this article; I feel it is easier to setup and debug, as you don't have to type in binds that nearly fill up the entire chat buffer.

Create the files

1. Create a directory you can remember easily:

Example:
C:\Games\City of Heroes\covbinds\
or
C:\covbinds

We will be putting all the text files in here. I'll be using C:\covbinds in my examples, substitute your directory there.

2. Create the first text file, all.txt:

numpad4 petcom_all agressive
numpad5 petcom_all defensive
numpad6 petcom_all passive
numpad7 petcom_all attack
numpad8 petcom_all follow
numpad9 petcom_all goto
lctrl+decimal petcom_all dismiss

3. Now you need to know your powerset. I'll use Mercenaries in my examples. New file, mercs.txt:

numpad0 bindloadfile "C:\covbinds\all.txt"
numpad1 bindloadfile "C:\covbinds\soldiers.txt"
numpad2 bindloadfile "C:\covbinds\specops.txt"
numpad3 bindloadfile "C:\covbinds\commando.txt"
divide powexec_name soldiers
multiply powexec_name spec ops
subtract powexec_name commando
add powexec_name equip mercenary
numpadenter powexec_name tactical upgrade

4. The next three files will be very similar, I'll just show one. soldiers.txt:

numpad4 petcom_pow soldiers agressive
numpad5 petcom_pow soldiers defensive
numpad6 petcom_pow soldiers passive
numpad7 petcom_pow soldiers attack
numpad8 petcom_pow soldiers follow
numpad9 petcom_pow soldiers goto
lctrl+decimal petcom_pow soldiers dismiss

Repeat this step for each of your pet types. In my example there are two more files: specops.txt and commando.txt.

Loading the first file

This step only has to be done once per character.

1. Type this command in the chat window: /bindloadfile "C:\covbinds\mercs.txt" (Of course, replace the correct path there.)
2. Press 0 on the Numpad

Grats! You've got numpad controls now!

Strategy of Note

The 9 key, goto, is extremely useful. By using this command often, you gain the ability to flank your foes, clear your henchmen from doorways (teams will love you!) and set up ambush attacks. Bbe sure to use passive stance until you want to attack, or else your henchmen will run into the room when someone gets hit back. Longbow Flamethrowers love it when they do that.