Uniting Lag-Free players from Canada, Mexico, & USA

🔔 The best hotkeys for AOE2. Get them here!

1. Most easily learned (majority of functions correspond to pictures)!
2. Most simplified (multiple functions bound to the same key)!
3. Most accessible (all functions under one hand)!

- Objectively? If using a typical keyboard, then Yes. We've had 1900+ ELO 15-year veteran players change over to using these keybinds (with a few minor tweaks to their hardware of course such as extra mouse buttons used for idle vill or mil).
- Subjectively? Of course not... If you have a custom game pad or have been using your hotkeys for years then you may feel compelled to defend your setup. However, at a single glance of this image one can see how easy to comprehend these are, especially for new players.
When you're in-game, all those icons located in the bottom-left corner of your screen (3 rows of 5 icons), have been re-mapped to the corresponding 15 letter keys on the left-side of your keyboard! Q-T, A-G, and Z-B.
... This means, all you have to do is visually connect the location of the icon in that bottom corner and match it to the corresponding key! You can (and many have) memorize every single hotkey with this custom configuration within a few matches!
https://test-steamproxy.haloskins.io/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1510053068


Download the hotkey config file here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cBB1749mFd-EDKxswGy2QaYiUrmtdPpG/view?usp=sharing
A) This is just a config/text file for AOE2. These types of files cannot execute virus'.
B) Google automatically scans all files for virus' (Unless huge, this is not, & it's been scanned).
C) Verify the file yourself at VirusTotal https://www.virustotal.com/ ...even though text files are not .DLL's or .EXE's & can't be a virus. VirusTotal scans against ~50+ different antivirus databases!
D) There's no motive for malice. It makes no sense to disseminate a virus to a community @Eclectic and I created more than 3 years ago. Hypothetically, if we were to distribute a virus, it'd make more sense to distribute it to literally any other demographic on the entire web than AOE2 players. However, do [not] take my word for it, scan it for yourself (Note C above).
In Steam, click "Steam" (in the very-top-left corner of the window, left of; View, Friends, Games, & Help) and open "Settings".
Now, select "Cloud" (left-side), un-check "Enable Steam Cloud Synch...", and click "OK".
Launch AOE2, select "Options", and click the button labeled "Hotkeys" (top-right). Now change one of the hotkeys, doesn't matter which hotkey or what you change, just change one hotkey to something else. (...This is to generate a hotkey file, in case you don't have one, which you'll be replacing).
In Steam, click Library, right-click AOE2, open Properties, the "Files" tab, "Browse Local Files", & open the "Profiles" folder. Look for an .hki file type and make a note of the name. It should be named something like "player0.hki" or "player1.hki" (...This is where you'll be moving the downloaded file).
Locate the custom hotkey file "(which you downloaded in step 1)" and rename it to be the same name as the hotkey file you already have in your AOE2 Profiles folder. Now, copy/paste the downloaded custom hotkey file in to the "Profiles" folder and replace the existing file.
*IF you had more than one .hki file already, such as "player0.hki" and "player1.hki", then you'll need to overwrite all of them to replace all previously existing files, example: player0, player1, 2, 3, etc.
**Do [not] delete any files, just replace all copies of the existing hotkey files!
Launch AOE2, click Options, click Hotkeys and make sure the Town Center command for "Go Back to Work" is Alt+V
Lastly, go back to Steam Settings (from step 2) to (re-check) "Enable Steam Cloud Synch..." and click OK. This will cause your new files to be synced with steam cloud.
*IF you get a notification about what you want to do with the files. **Make sure you upload the new local files to the server! **Do not download the old files from the server.




• Ctrl+ Q - T = Go to Military buildings (Barracks, Range, Stable, SiegeWS, & Monastery).
• Ctrl+ A - G = Go to Economic buildings (Mill, Sawmill, Minecamp, Dock, Market).
• Ctrl+ Z, X = Go to Research buildings (Blacksmith, University).
• Ctrl+ C = Go to Castle.
• Number Row [1 - 0] = Select control group. Same as default.
• Ctrl+ 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0 (1-0) = Create control group. Same as default.
• F1 - F4 = Mini-map modes (Normal, Economic, Combat, TeamColors).
• F5 = Open Tech Tree Quickly learn about your Civ or Enemy Civ.
• F6 = Pause game. If you need to go AFK.
• Tilde = Select idle Military. Spam often to avoid idle units!
• Tab = Select idle Villager. Spam often to avoid idle units!
• Mouse-wheel Up = Previous message. See chat w/out opening chat log.
• Mouse-wheel Up = Newer messages. See chat w/out opening chat log.
• Ctrl+ Caps = Open Chat log. Never miss another message.
• Shift = Create waypoints. Same as default.
• Space = Last Notification! Changes perspective to most recent alerts!
• Ctrl+ Space = Last View! Returns your perspective to last viewed location!
• Alt+ Space = Last Unit. Returns perspective to your selected unit!
• Alt+ T = Open Objectives. For SP tasks or to see map names in MP.
• Alt+ G = Trade menu. To quickly send teammates resources.
• Alt+ F = Make Flare / Alert. Same as default.
• H = Go to Town Center. Same as default.
• NUMPAD [+] = Increase game speed. Same as default.
• NUMPAD [-] = Increase game speed. Same as default.
• Delete = Kill. The "R" key would've had too much accident-potential ! So it remains default.
• Alt+ B = Ring town bell. The "B" key would've been unusable without a TC first selected.
• Alt+ V = Send Vills to Work. The "F" key would've been unusable without a TC first selected.
• Alt+ C = Ungarrison units. The "G" key would've been unusable without a TC first selected.