Step 1. Mouse, Joystick, or Keyboard?

The FIRST thing you have to do is decide on which controller setup you are going to use. There are four types of controller setups: Keyboard Only, Keyboard + Mouse, Joystick Only, Joystick + Keyboard.
Keyboard Only: This setup is probably the most common one I see. However, using the keyboard only doesn't give you the precise movement that the mouse does, and using the mouse seems more natural.

Keyboard + Mouse: This is probably the best setup you can have. The mouse gives you precision movement and aiming, while the keyboard handles weapon and inventory keys, as well as strafing (sliding from side to side). Mouse and Keyboard is my personal choice.

Joystick Only: Ha. Don't even THINK about using this setup. There just aren't enough buttons on the joystick for all the inventory and weapons keys. And even if there were enough, the joystick is too clunky to move around with.

Joystick + Keyboard: This setup is possible, but the joystick makes movement hard and strafing is nearly impossible to do well (with the joystick, that is). I tried this setup, and it just didn't work. But, if anybody found a way to make this setup work for you, email me. Maybe we can play a Dukematch game and see which setup is better! :-)

The way you set up your controller's keys can make or break a Dukematch game. A poor setup means that you have to jump around the keyboard searching for the key you need, while a good setup will have all the important keys clustered together so you can access all of them with just one hand, and one or two fingers. I based my controller setup on the clustered key principle, so my fingers never have to leave the strafe and fire buttons.
Keyboard Only Users: The default keyboard setting has your right hand on the arrow keys, your left hand on the Run, Fire, and Strafe keys, with all the rest in between. This means that if you want to do anything other than fire or move, one of your hands has to leave its post to press the button. So you either have to stop moving or stop firing to press the appropriate key. Not good. This is why you should cluster all the important keys together around your fire key, so you never have to stop moving. Three possible solutions come to my mind:
1. Put inventory and strafe keys on the numeric keypad, and use the keypad's numbers (8, 6, 2, 4) to move. Here's one example:
 

Keypad 4	Turn Left
Keypad 8	Move Forward
Keypad 6	Turn Right
Keypad 2	Move Backwards
Keypad 5	Center View
Keypad 0	Strafe Left and Medkit
Keypad Enter	Strafe Right and Medkit
Keypad +	Jetpack
Keypad -	Steroids
Keypad *	Holoduke
Keypad 7	Aim Up
Keypad 1	Aim Down
Keypad /	Quick Turn Around
Keypad 9	Next Weapon
Keypad 3	Previous Weapon
Num Lock	Run Lock
Del	Show Opponent's Weapon Toggle

 
And then, of course assign CTRL to fire, SHIFT to run, and 'a' and 'z' to jump and duck, respectively. Notice that the strafe keys are assigned to Medkit. This means that when you are zipping around fighting, as long as you strafe consistently, you'll stay at 100% health until your Medkit runs out.
2. Do the same thing as #1, but cluster all the keys around your left CTRL and ALT keys, so your left hand handles all the inventory, weapons, and strafing, leaving your right hand to the movement controls; like this:
 

Left CTRL	Fire
Left ALT	Strafe
Left SHIFT	Run
'A'	Jump
'Z'	Crouch
'S'	Strafe Left and Medkit
'D'	Strafe Right and Medkit
'C'	Jetpack

...You get the idea...  

3. For this, you split up the inventory, weapon, and movement commands. Your right hand controls one half, and your left hand controls the other half. I do not strongly recommend this, because it is very important that you remain in control of your movement at all times, and you do not want to overload your movement hand with too many chores.

Mouse + Keyboard Users: Personally, I think the Mouse and Keyboard set up is the way to go. The mouse gives you precision aiming and strafing controls, while the keyboard, obviously, supplies you with all the inventory commands, and maybe a secondary firing button (Secondary Firing Button? Find out what it is soon). The same principle for the Keyboard Only setup still applies here. Give all the inventory commands to your left hand, with your right hand moving the mouse. The following is the setup that I currently use. You can try this setup and see if you like it, or use it as a template for creating your own.
 

Mouse Setup

Mouse Forward	Move Forward
Mouse Left	Turn Left
Mouse Right	Turn Right
Mouse Backwards	Move Backwards
Left Button	Fire
Middle Button	Move Backwards
Right Button	Move Forwards

 

Keyboard Setup

Left CTRL	Fire
Left SHIFT	Run
Caps Lock	Holoduke
Left ALT	Strafe
'A'	Jump
'Z'	Crouch
'S'	Strafe Left and Medkit
'D'	Strafe Right and Medkit
'X'	Steroids
'C'	Jetpack
'V'	Night Vision Goggles
'Q'	Run Lock
'W'	Show Opponents Weapons
Numbers 1-6	Select Weapons
'E'	Mouse Aim On/Off

Note: Using two separate keys for strafing is very important for executing the "CIRCLE OF DEATH" strategy, discussed in later chapters.

Secondary Fire Button? With some mice that have wheel buttons (mine), if you press the wheel button to go backwards, and then press the fire button on the mouse, nothing happens. Running backwards while firing is an important strategy, so, every time you are moving backwards and want to fire, just press the Left CTRL key on the keyboard.

Joystick + Keyboard: This setup is no different than the rest, except you can lighten the load on your keyboard hand by putting some key assignments on your joystick buttons. Also, if your joystick can twist left and right, use that for strafing.