SC2 RTS Player wanting choc mini red or brown switch?

[kwantz]

This is going to be my very first mech keyboard. I am having a hard time choosing the choc mini red or brown switch. which is better for RTS? its the only game I play, other than that, I spend on message boards and just general chatting.
  I know they both have the same actuation force.  but browns have a bit of tactile feel. does that make a big difference?

Does that tactile difference make a differnce in sound? when compairing reds to browns?

Also I see on the Elitekeyboard site they have those key cushion things. what exactly are they for? are there any cons to using them? Wouldnt it make the distance of the key movment alot shorter?

[Chobopants]

I'm a huge SC2 player and the choice is simple for me, I very much prefer my Brown switches. I've tried with every mainstream switch out there and I really think Browns are the best. You could make a strong argument for Blacks as well. Reds are great switches (I'm typing on them right now) but I like the subtle tactility a little bit more for SC2.

[daerid]

I've found that the bump in browns adds a bit more snap to the sound of the keys too, which I like

[Chobopants]

I've found that the bump in browns adds a bit more snap to the sound of the keys too, which I like

Yeah I really feel like this little "snap" adds to spamming keys keys and getting a little feedback while playing SC2.

[sndstrm]

Yep, I prefer browns as well for sc2.

I tried reds but things felt a little "loosey goosey" and I didn't have as much control.

[Chobopants]

Yeah, love my Reds for typing when my hand position doesn't change that much but with SC2 my hand is going all over the place and the slightly snappier feel of the Browns actually really makes a difference. Most underrated switch IMO.

[AndrewZorn]

Unplugged my new Red board to go back to Blue for SC2.
Not really sure why yet.
I still like the feel of Red for something like FPS, but for typing and 'commands' like SC2, just feels weird after a while, like I'm slower.

[Chobopants]

Unplugged my new Red board to go back to Blue for SC2.
Not really sure why yet.
I still like the feel of Red for something like FPS, but for typing and 'commands' like SC2, just feels weird after a while, like I'm slower.

Yeah, for SC2 my switch order goes something like this...

Brown > Black > Blue > Topre > Red

I'd put Brown and Black REALLY close too, I just slightly prefer Brown but often play with my Blacks to mix it up.

[kwantz]

Thanks for the info guys, looks like I will be putting in my order for the choc mini brown switch.  on average, how long does it take from ordering from Honk kong to Canada?

[scribble]

I have blues and reds, and am a diamond level zerg.

I really like my blues for sc2, JUST received my reds today though, i can say they're very light. I haven't actually played any games with my reds yet so we'll see ^^

[redpill]

I think the browns shine on a PCB mounted board.  With a plate mount they feel like they have less travel and you bottom out too easily.

[daerid]

I think the browns shine on a PCB mounted board.  With a plate mount they feel like they have less travel and you bottom out too easily.

Haha, that's funny, cuz I'm the exact opposite. I love browns on a plate, and hate 'em on a pcb.

[Chobopants]

Thanks for the info guys, looks like I will be putting in my order for the choc mini brown switch.  on average, how long does it take from ordering from Honk kong to Canada?

No idea, great choice though! You'll love it.

[redpill]

Haha, that's funny, cuz I'm the exact opposite. I love browns on a plate, and hate 'em on a pcb.

Hmm, well obviously the answer is I am right and you are wrong.  We should now commence having a forum feud :mullet:

[Chobopants]

Hmm, well obviously the answer is I am right and you are wrong.  We should now commence having a forum feud :mullet:

Haha, that should be the next forum feud: PCB vs Plate. Literally the most meaningless thing you could fight about. I love it.

[AndrewZorn]

Haha, that should be the next forum feud: PCB vs Plate. Literally the most meaningless thing you could fight about. I love it.

You must not have witnessed said fued.

Yeah, for SC2 my switch order goes something like this...

Brown > Black > Blue > Topre > Red

I'd put Brown and Black REALLY close too, I just slightly prefer Brown but often play with my Blacks to mix it up.

Not sure why you would put Black over Red and above Blue if that's your opinion, though.
I thought I liked Black, then I used Red.


Then I used Blue again, and wondered why I was playing what is essentially a typing game with a linear switch.

[Chobopants]

You must not have witnessed said fued.


Not sure why you would put Black over Red and above Blue if that's your opinion, though.
I thought I liked Black, then I used Red.


Then I used Blue again, and wondered why I was playing what is essentially a typing game with a linear switch.

I did miss this feud, glad I did, ouch.

The way that I feather the keys when I play StarCraft just doesnt work with Blues. I like to kind of lightly spam the key instead of "type" it. I can totally see it working for other people though. Just not my style.

The only thing for Red/Black for me for gaming is likelihood of making mistakes, just lower on Blacks. The lack of any bump makes it subideal for me though. I'd put Topre higher if I could see the keys in anything but pure sunlight...

[RiGS]

Why not use a software for audio confirmation?

[JAMM0N]

there's a group buy in for choco mini's right now hop to it!

[Tony]

I think brown is a safe bet. In RTS games as SC2 you need not to press keys repeatedly like FPS games, but need to type the right hotkey. Tactile brown is what you need.

You can sell a brown keyboard easily too, just in case you find it not to your liking.

[AndrewZorn]

I'd put Topre higher if I could see the keys in anything but pure sunlight...

You look at the keys, and play SC2? Man, must be Protoss.

[Chobopants]

You look at the keys, and play SC2? Man, must be Protoss.

Haha, it's true. I play the hardest race in the game.

I touch type very, very well but I glance at the keys sometimes to quickly set my hands on the board.

[JAMM0N]

would you guys suggest him blues or browns? definitely not blacks

[AndrewZorn]

Just got my Choc Mini, typing on Brown again is oh so nice. Starcraft tomorrow.

[Jago]

In RTS games as SC2 you need not to press keys repeatedly like FPS games

WTF? That's absolutely not true.

[REVENGE]

My friend is currently a US Master Zerg player, top 15 in his division. He's used browns exclusively, first a Compaq 11802 and now a Das.

[keyboardlover]

I'm a #1 US imperial nerdgasm warrior and I use ergo clears.

[bcpk]

Would a choc mini red be suitable for FPS and typing? I play Team Fortress 2 competitively so that's what the keyboard would be used for when it comes to gaming.

[Chobopants]

I'm a #1 US imperial nerdgasm warrior and I use ergo clears.

-_-

@bcpk - reds are great for FPS but I still prefer browns for general gaming.

[kwantz]

I guess now that i think about it, browns would be the better way to go for sc2....  The tactile feedback would be a good asset over the reds.  because I can see myself misclicking hot keys by accident since they are lighter and there isnt any feedback.  Especially when using spell casters.

[kwantz]

also i really like the KBC poker,,, but i use the "F" keys alot, and i couldnt imagine having to press the damn function key everytime i needed to use it.

[redpill]

also i really like the KBC poker,,, but i use the "F" keys alot, and i couldnt imagine having to press the damn function key everytime i needed to use it.

It can get somewhat annoying depending on what type of work/gaming you are doing at the time.  I can't use my Poker heavy excel work, which I do a lot of, but I do like it for typing documents/e-mails/posts.

[dreamingftw]

Can't say I've tried reds but browns are amazing to play on, coming from playing on blues. I'll probably try to play on reds sometime in the near future.

[daerid]

IMO, my poker w/ reds is my perfect VIM board. But since my current job requires I spend most of my day in Visual Studio, and they're too cheap to shell out for VisVim, I'm stuck with my Das Keyboard at work.

[Reason]

i'm 1700 masters zerg player
and i absolutely hated the brown switch
i bought the filco ninja with brown switch for sc2 and i really couldn't play with it

[peda]

i'm 1700 masters zerg player
and i absolutely hated the brown switch
i bought the filco ninja with brown switch for sc2 and i really couldn't play with it

And what do you use now?



Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

[Reason]

And what do you use now?



Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

I returned my ninja to Amazon
and I'm back to my laptop keyboard (good ol crappy scissor switch)
but today I got a cherry board with clear switches in em and they feel awesome!!!
too bad I can't try them out because my laptop doesn't have a ps/2 port
If I like this cherry board and clear switches a lot I think I'm going to buy a deck legend tactile in the future

[Tohveli]

I've read somewhere on this forum, haven't tried myself, that the mx browns almost loose their tactility(only slight bump) when pressed down fast. This is why brown is a great entry board because you get a little from both worlds. If you like the tactility and would like more of it then get a mx blue board next. If you dislike the tactility, go red. You can probably sell the keyboard pretty easily if you don't like it. Best of course would be to try out different switches before purchasing. Kwantz if you're not in a hurry to get your first mech I would recommend you check out SirClickAlot/MrInterface's sinklist's where he sends a board with different switches mounted on across the world free of charge. Check out his homepage, there's also links to his threads here on geekhack and on deskthority

[Chobopants]

Don't forget blacks. I find them fatiguing for gaming actually (how strange is that?) but actually easy to type quickly on because they push your fingers back. Some people really like them for gaming, however.

I still love the Browns for SC2, can't say it enough.

[Atenacius]

The reds are too light for Starcraft in my opinion. You need a sense of precision when you are playing RTS games. Reds might be alright for FPS games but I'm sure you'll be screwing up a lot if you tried to micro-manage things in Starcraft with Reds.

[AIDS]

I love my blues for SC2, much more so than blacks. Never tried reds though.

[Chobopants]

I love my blues for SC2, much more so than blacks. Never tried reds though.

Yeah blues are pretty fun for SC2. They felt a little weird to me when spamming but overall totally functional and the feedback is always nice!

[dreamingftw]

I love the sound of blues when playing sc but felt it was kind of hard to spam and double tap on keys. Really satisfied with browns but miss the clicky sounds of blues when playing. I find myself switching back and forth to keep it fresh.

[Chobopants]

Yeah I do the same thing.

[scribble]

I have always used my blues for SC2, but now I just started using my reds for a couple days now.

I can say that you don't really ever feel like "oops i just pressed a key accidentally" so i don't know what the hype of misclicking is. It's hard to accidentally hit a key unless you literally put the weight of you whole hands on the keys constantly (which you shouldn't be doing)

blues are a little loud, but I'm using reds now because it's much more quiet, and feels very easy to press down keys. typing on blues is VERY enjoyable, and hasn't lost its fun to me. Now that i'm at work typing on my laptop's scissors, my fingers feel weird and sore from typing... Now I know that when i go back to school, typing long papers will be much more enjoyable and easy on my fingers

tldr; my reds feel good on sc2, but not as nice for typing as my blues. you probably can't go wrong though - either browns or reds will be great

[Hydroid]

Been using my Ducky with blues and black on black key caps for SC2 for a few weeks now and I love them. I play zerg with an average of around 180-190 apm and they feel great. Although I do get comments on Skype and Teamspeak about my keyboard because a lot of my friends don't play SC2 and so they don't know the rapid actions needed to play the game and they ask me what the hell I'm doing to make such a noise. I like it though.

[MrCynical]

I play a lot of SC2 and my switch order goes like this: Blue=Brown>Topre>Blacks

I don't like the MX black too much for SC2

[Chobopants]

I play a lot of SC2 and my switch order goes like this: Blue=Brown>Topre>Blacks

I don't like the MX black too much for SC2

Yeah I really found blacks not that good for SC2. How funny is that since they're considered "THE" gaming switch? Haha.

[RayRay]

I'm a 200 APM High-Master Zerg player (I play vs low Grand Masters occasionally to give you an MMR idea). Screwed around with a few switch types, and I'm really quite fond of Browns. I got myself an oldschool Cheery NKRO Brown keyboard and haven't looked back. It is much easier to play for long periods of time then with my Black board, and I enjoy it more then my buddy who has Clears (although he seems to like clears more). Blues are comparable, but I do quite a bit of streaming and/or Skype, and the noise is just too much.

Obviously, preference will always win out over popularity or opinion, but if you have no idea what switch you might enjoy (coming from a rubber dome keybord etc) I'd say Browns. Often times you will spam between keys rapidly, and Brown just seems to favor that the most out of the switch types I have tried.

I should also mention that I type ~130wpm and Browns are almost as nice as Blues for just general typing: which is also a plus. I can't stand typing for long periods of time on my Blacks keyboard: which has been strictly relegated to 3d shooters only now.

[Chobopants]

Good post RayRay! Sums up my thoughts quite well.