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Unfamiliar word? Select a dotted-underlined term for its meaning.
Check your own bindings first
Open Escape → SETTINGS → KEYBOARD to inspect your configured keys. The table below gives the defaults for v0.8.16.0. HELP → Controls opens the in-game control reference.
Find the complete shortcut reference
Use the keyboard shortcut reference for the action names shown in KEYBOARD, their default keys, their effects and links to the procedures. Use the rebinding guide to change a key safely. Camera and mouse controls are explained below.
Some movement keys are fixed
W/A/S/D and the arrow keys move the camera and are fixed in v0.8.16.0. Changing another action in SETTINGS → KEYBOARD does not change those movement keys. The mouse controls are fixed too. Use the keyboard-settings guide for the actions that actually have a binding entry; use the movement steps below for navigating the scope.
Useful defaults
| Action | Default | Result |
|---|---|---|
Select / hook | Left click | Left-click the position symbol or identity letter on the radar map. This selects the contact, toggles its hook and normally opens its information. Check the callsign in Flight Info, or the track number on the scope data block before giving an order; some training lessons limit the information available. |
Toggle selected hook | H / Numpad 0 | Adds or removes the selected contact from the hooked group. |
Track detail | C | Switches between less and more information beside each contact. In minimal view, 3701/150 means squawk 3701 and height 15,000 feet; it is not a height/speed pair. See how to read both views. Hooked contacts can keep fuller information. |
Global datablocks | X | Toggles the global block display. |
Selected and hooked data | Delete | Toggles track-data solo mode. In ASMA, click A/C once before using it so the new ON/OFF reply is visible. Leaving ATC ends the current controller conversation; see the display-control steps. |
Selected-only data | Backspace | Turns global blocks off and removes other hooks. |
Call ATC | Backslash (\) | Calls ATC for the selected track through ASMA. |
Forward slash (/) | Centres the view on the selected contact, shows its locating marker and requests an ATC query. This is not the fighter IDENT mission and does not change the contact’s identity letter. | |
Active operations | G | Opens Active Ops. |
Assets / Flight plans / ASMA | R / F / M | Opens the corresponding panel. |
Guide | Ctrl + Shift + G | Show or hide the Guide after it has opened. If the shortcut does nothing, click HELP on the bottom menu first. Read the opening and lookup steps. |
Camera follow | Z | Toggles following the centre of the hooked group; one hooked contact follows that contact. |
Radar station view | Tab | Tab cycles radar station views and centres the camera. Close the Escape menu and finish text entry first. This fixed key chooses a view; it does not switch radar power. See the station-selection steps. |
Move around the picture
- Put the pointer over an uncovered part of the map. Roll the wheel up to zoom in and down to zoom out. Wheel movement over a UI panel is reserved for that panel rather than map zoom.
- Use W/A/S/D or the arrow keys to move the view. You can also hold the middle or right mouse button and drag. Start on clear map space so you do not confuse moving the view with choosing a track command.
- For keyboard zoom, use Q or the equals/plus key to zoom in, and E or the minus key to zoom out. Numpad plus and minus are also read. These camera keys are fixed in v0.8.16.0; rebinding another action does not change them.
- If the keys do nothing, finish typing in the current text field and move the pointer off the panel. WASD is also suppressed while Ctrl is held. Release and press the movement key again.
- Use track-data controls when labels overlap. Zoom changes the view; it does not change aircraft speed, sensor coverage or the identity of a contact.
Follow one contact or a group
Use the hook controls to choose the contact or group, then press Z to switch camera follow on. With several hooks, the camera follows their centre rather than only the most recently selected contact. Press Z again to switch it off. Manual panning temporarily delays automatic follow; it does not necessarily turn the follow switch off. If the view returns to the group after you move it, switch follow off before exploring elsewhere.
With several hooks, camera follow can also adjust the zoom to fit the group.
If a popup disappears while zooming
Mouse-wheel zoom closes transient track-command popups. Select the contact again and reopen the menu when you need it. A closed popup is not evidence that the aircraft disappeared. Use the missing-track checks for an actual loss of contact.
Why does zoom stop changing?
The view has a closest and widest limit. Ordinary wheel and keyboard zoom move between configured levels; reaching the end of that range does not mean the wheel has failed. The available levels depend on the map setup. Move the pointer onto clear map space, try one step in the opposite direction and use datablock controls if the real problem is overlapping text. Zoom limits describe your view, not how far a radar can detect aircraft.
Why did the view change after starting or loading?
The game can remember a recent zoom level, and a named save stores camera zoom and position. Loading that save can therefore restore its view. The login sequence can also set a starting view. You are not guaranteed the same view on every start. Use the pan and zoom steps above to return to the area you need. If a loaded view seems wrong, record which save you loaded and keep it for a useful report rather than overwriting it immediately.
Menu keys depend on the menu
F1–F9 refer to positions in the current menu grid. A key can therefore select a different item after you enter another menu. Read the current menu instead of treating each function key as a permanent command.
Read or hide the session information
Use the game-status banner to understand the counts, clocks and performance figures. Its default toggle is the apostrophe/quote key, separate from the backquote pause key.
Can I change the circular mouse pointer?
In v0.8.16.0, there is no in-game setting to replace the circular pointer with a normal arrow. The centre of the ring is the point where your click lands.
To select a contact, aim the centre at its position symbol or identity letter, then left-click. See selecting and hooking tracks for what that click does. The pointer can briefly change to move or resize arrows over a panel’s title bar or edges; these help you move and resize panels, rather than change your normal pointer.