The Last Outpost Web client is an HTML/CSS/JS application that provides a fast, secure connection to the game from any web browser. The client has options to optimize the interface based on the type of system you are using, whether it is a desktop, touchscreen laptop, or mobile device. The client tries to automatically detect and enable the best combination at startup, but the options can be enabled and disabled as you see fit. The client also has options that controls the overall look-and-feel of the interface, including a mode that looks like an old-school VT-220 terminal.
The option menu is accessed from a PC by right-clicking the mouse anywhere in the client window. If you are on a single button Mac, a control-click will bring up the menu. On a mobile platform like Android, a long-press will bring up the menu. From there, you can select the options, and the client will try to remember your preferences for the next time you connect.
Soft Keyboard - This option controls how your keystrokes are sent to the game. On a system with a physical keyboard like a desktop computer, the client reads the keys that you press, and sends them to the game immediately, one key at a time. In game features like HOTKEY and TAB Completion depend on seeing key strokes, and work when there is a Hardware Keyboard.
Mobile devices typically do NOT have a physical keyboard attached. They use an on screen Soft Keyboard to enter text. This is also called an "Input Method Editor", or IME. The IME provides input features like look-ahead word completion, auto-correct, and speech recognition, but it can't send individual key strokes.
If you are on a system that has both a soft keyboard and a physical keyboard, such as a tablet with a bluetooth keyboard, you can select which input method to use with this option.
Touch Controls - If the client detects that your web browser has a touch screen, it will enable a set of touch controls for playing the game. This option turns the touch control panel off and on, in case you want to use the touch controls with a mouse.
Scale Font - This option automatically scales the font to match the width of your screen. It is enabled when the client detects that you are on a mobile device, so that the font will take up about 80 characters per line, and will automatically adjust to device screen rotations.
With this setting disabled, the font size will remain the same when the browser is resized, and the number of characters per line will change. On a desktop system, enable Scale Font and one of the Terminal appearances in Full Screen mode to get the full retro computing effect.
White On Black / Black on White - Controls the default font color and background color of the client. Choose the option that is easier on your eyes. The default is White on Black.
Color Terminal - Sets the typeface to a modern browser font, and the color palette to match the standard ANSI terminal color definitions. This mode is the default.
Amber/Green/Monochrome Terminal - Sets the typeface to a DEC VT200 font, and sets the color palette to match one of standard CRT monitor colors that were available in the early 1990's when the Last Outpost first went online. Set the Scale Font option, and go into full screen browsing mode to get the full effect, and see the section on hardware history for pictures of what actual computer terminals looked like.
The touch panel provides an easy way to play the game on systems that support touch controls. The most common game play actions are available from the touch panel.
The white arrow icons trigger the movement commands, "North East South West Up and Down". Tap them when you wish to move from one room to the next.
The yellow compass icon shows an in game map of your surroundings. The game map fills in as you explore. Looking at the map consumes a small amount of movement points, so use your map sparingly.
The other icons will open an action button menu that let you select more complex actions. The action button menu opens on the lower right hand side of the screen. When an action button is yellow, hitting it will send that action to the game. If the button is gray, hitting it will open a new action button menu with more options. If the button is gray with '...', hitting it will send the first part of the action to the game and open your soft keyboard for you to enter the completion of the action.
The green command icon lets you look at your score, manipulate your gear, and pick up new items. It lets you change your in game position, and communicate with other players.
The blue eyeball icon provides commands for examining your in game environment, like 'look', 'scan', 'listen' and 'consider'.
The red flame icon provides basic combat commands, such as 'kill foe', 'assist', 'bash', and commands for escaping from a fight.
The dark green withdraw icon gives you access to corpse looting commands.
The dark blue lightning bolt icon gives you access to your in game F1-F5 function hotkeys. The keys can be programmed in game via the HOTKEY command. You should set them up to trigger whatever spell or command combinations you like to use in combat. For example, if you use these commands in game:
hotkey f1 cast 'fireball' foe hotkey f2 coldcock foe | backstab foe hotkey f3 cast 'heal' me
Your character will cast the fireball spell whenever you hit the bolt icon and select Hotkey F1 from the action button menu. Tapping the bolt followed Hotkey F2 will coldcock and backstab a foe, and bolt plus F3 will cast the heal spell.
You can put whatever commands you like into the hotkeys, and they will save with your character and be available any time you that character into the game.
