Changing standard keys makes no difference for people like me that use custom layouts anyways. But having a set heading function (e.g. on boost, which is not needed in capitals) and at the same time allowing all the standard movement keys to keep working would be quite helpful.
Sooner or later we must decouple FPS flight controls/keybinds from Capitals controls / keybinds. Allowing the player to set very different custom key configs for both cases, cause both cases have different needs.
Set heading on “Boost Key” for capitals makes sense
I thought about it a bit more, and I agree with you, so I retract my earlier statement that the strike ships have the same control layout as cap ships in a hypothetical wasd to esdf shift.
Interesting. Not meaning to be pushy, but would you mind saying why? To me, the only downsides is that it’s unconventional and does add yet another control scheme complication, but are there other reasons?
Assuming that esdf only apply to capital ship controls, and the number row can be freed up for less-used buttons, it does give you the side+top strafe dedicated buttons, which I would argue is better than ctr+wasd.
In World of Warships, you can hold control and be able to move the camera around, much like we currently have. However in WoW the free look does not affect turret orientation. Perhaps the same idea can be used for cap ships?
It would, but would you also include the Corvette in that?
I am very much in favour of Set Heading, and I think keybinding turning is a waste of buttons but…
Throwing my late-night thoughts into the cauldron:
W S - vertical translation
A D - horizontal translation
Q E - forward/reverse thrust
My reason is simple: the mouse is the primary rotation device. It doesn’t make sense for the default keys to duplicate what the mouse already does by default.
A modifier could be applied for pitch/yaw/roll
E.g. Shift + W = pitch up
So that option is still there.
Roll could also have a mouse modifier, e.g. Shift + mouse-x-axis
Also, I don’t want us to forget about poor R and F. They are useful keys! Yes they’re slightly further, but not uncomfortably so. They should be used for medium-importance commands.
Alternatively, unifying it more with the smaller ships again:
W S = forward/reverse thrust
A D = left/right translation
R F = up/down translation
Q E = roll
No keybinds for capship turning, but options for cursor following, no cursor following, and set heading (Shift)
“Alt” is a much better modifier key when WASD has to be held at the same time. One suggestion on the side.
This is my suggestion from back when
Yes but please not hardcoded. Double bind it in the default setup. The only reason not to double bind it is that warning at the startup that should not exist anyway and the posibility to use capital mode on the corvette.
The only excuse to use hardcoded stuff like the view event being used for multiple functions (*for instance this very switch to strafe … *) or capital controls interpreting general ship controls differently is time pressure. Which is fine to some extend. It just creates a lot of confusion as can be seen by many people trying to set it up the way they like. Like Grimleo.
Here are three options to make the “manual control” in capital mode not confusing:
I personally think strafing is much more important then rotation and even cap ships already can and should be encouraged to strafe.
The freelook already does not affect the “automatic heading”. If you hold “view” … (as you currently do to strafe 
) the “automatic heading” does not follow. Turrets do though. Many games have that option to look arround without the turret following. It’s a luxury feature in my opinion though. Would be cool if it doesn’t conflict with other stuff.