(PSA) MAC/OSX: Custom Hotkey Solution for W3 Apple Users

[angryramen_re]

Hello,

This has been a topic discussed over many different websites. I am posting this for all future readers to use this as reference. This is intended for users that are playing on the new Warcraft 3 OSX platform.

I know that it is a struggle to find a WORKING custom hotkey binding application because the ones currently on the market are all only available for Windows.

I've discovered a solution to this mess, after digging conducting a thorough research. The solution to our problems is an application called "ControllerMate" (Download link: https://www.orderedbytes.com/controllermate/).

With this application, you'll be able to bind the traditional NumPad inventory keys to any keys on your keyboard. This works even though Apple keyboards don't have NumPads. What the application does is that it creates a pseudo-binding for those NumPad keys to a key of your choice, and Warcraft 3 recognizes those pseudo-bindings for the NumPad because they are hardcoded into the game.

"ControllerMate" is pretty confusing to use at first, but it is very simple once you get the hang of it. Here is an excellent tutorial video that gets you set up for Warcraft 3 (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSbPDYnjixU). The video's outdated, but it's one of the best and easiest to follow.

Hopefully this helps other Mac users in the future. I've always searched for a tutorial post like this, and I am yet to find a thorough, working solution. So I thought I might as well post this as a PSA and to save other people from the troubles that I've went through.

Thanks,
Angryramen_re

[blazeitup]

Uh whats wrong with binding it using ctrl? Why install an app is what I mean?

[Panopticon]

Because the warkeys program doesn't work as intended 90% of the time for mac keyboards, because of how they're keyed.

Not to mention that CTRL is used to assign unit groups, and that's more or less hardcoded into the game.

[angryramen_re]

There is no Warkeys application for Mac, as it is a ".exe" file. It would have to be executed via Wineskin Winery, but it gets extremely complicated when running a native ".dmg" Warcraft III application for OSX and installing the Warkeys, which has installation pathways meant for Windows. Also, running Wineskin is known to cause huge fps drops and requires a lot of tweaking. This is why I recommend using "ControllerMate."

And @blazeitup, to answer your question, there is no function to bind items in inventory slots on Warcraft III vanilla. The only function that's available is "unit bindings" to bind your # keys to units, as @Apoth said. There is also a "Customkeys.txt" file in all of our Warcraft III's that customizes ONLY abilities, but the customizable abilities on this file are meant for the Warcraft III campaign/multiplayer, not for custom games like Dota.