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Controls and Interface
July 22, 2026 at 03:08 AM
Created page with the published quality-of-life and control features and the camera statements
The developer has published a set of the control and quality-of-life features in Dust Front RTS, describing them as partly ordinary for the genre and partly specific to this game. What follows is only what has actually been shown or written about. No full keybinding list has been published, and key rebinding is still listed as in development, so this page does not attempt a keybind table. For what those controls are used on, see the Gameplay Overview.
The game includes a tactical pause. The developer added it for players who do not want the pace of the battle to dictate how fast they have to decide: you can stop the action and issue the orders you need. Construction visualisation zones and unit behaviour both continue to work correctly under pause after fixes made during the demo.
Double-clicking an object selects every object of that type on the screen, which is standard. Dust Front adds a toggle that removes the screen limit, so the same double-click selects matching objects across the entire map. The developer notes this is most useful for finding buildings when you have not set up a control group and do not want to hunt across the map for them. With the toggle off, buildings that are off screen are included in the selection.
Control groups can be created by holding the T key together with a number, not only with the usual modifier key.
Holding the right mouse button and dragging in a direction moves units while setting their facing, and produces a formation in which they distribute themselves automatically into rows and a line. Arranging units into multiple rows requires a large enough force. A demo fix later made the drag formation effect apply per position rather than to the group as a whole.
Units also carry preferred target types. If a tank sees a priority target within its line of sight, it switches to that target on its own, so attack priorities do not have to be micromanaged every time.
Two features stand out as specific to this game.
Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
Repositioning the placement phantom | After marking where a heavy vehicle should deploy, you can select the placement projection itself and move it rather than cancelling and starting over |
Bomber flight correction | Choosing a tactical ability from the left panel calls in a bomber; after setting the bombing direction you can still adjust the aircraft's flight path once it is on its way |
The tactical abilities on the left panel are also how aircraft support is called into a battle, which matters for dealing with entrenched artillery as described under Units and Armies.
The camera does not look straight down. It sits at an angle, looking slightly into the depth of the front line, which the developer treats as part of the game's feel rather than a setting to be tuned away.
He has addressed the requests around it directly. The camera angle will most likely not change. The zoom level is undecided, and he has said he is looking for a solution rather than the partial measures usually suggested. He has also pointed out that the camera already sits higher than in many classic strategy games and many recent ones, and that adjusting to it is mostly a matter of habit. Camera controls using the standard movement keys are not in the game, but he has said he does not object to adding them for players who prefer that scheme, noting that hotkeys would have to move to make room, and that key rebinding is already listed as in development.
A dithering effect is applied by default and can be turned off, which the developer confirmed when asked about the grain visible in early trailer footage.
A basic tutorial is included, which you can run through and return to in order to check the fundamentals. The developer has deliberately kept written explanations short beyond that, saying he does not want to take away the feeling of discovering things for yourself. Reporting forms for bugs are likely to appear in the future; for now feedback is handled through the community channels.
Several control and convenience features have been named as planned or in development rather than shipped. Treat everything in this list as unconfirmed until it appears in a build.
Auto-cast and mass selection for repair abilities, which were planned before the demo but did not make it in
Key rebinding, listed as in development
Camera control on the standard movement keys, described as something the developer does not mind adding
Any change to camera zoom, which remains undecided
