Support for Alternative Layouts
This is a summary of how alternative layouts have been supported by kits such as Colevrak and Homing. It is not a discussion of alt layout performance and development, but if that interests you I highly recommend starting with Pascal Getreuer’s A guide to alt keyboard layouts (why, how, which one?). It’s a concise and comprehensive overview with links to some great sites that go deeper. He also has a separate Links about keyboards page. The Keyboard layouts doc he recommends explains layout goals and metrics in detail, summarizing the alt layouts discussed here as well as more than one hundred others. Sculpted-profile The majority of custom keycap sets are sculpted-profile (Cherry, SA, MT3, KAT, etc. - more on profiles generally here) so let’s start there. Because each row has a unique keycap shape, alt layouts require a unique keycap for each legend that moves off its QWERTY row. At first there were two The Dvorak layout was patented in 1936 by August Dvorak & William L....
Apr 23, 2024
Welcome to the latest edition of the keycap re-cap series. This one will run like the previous drop. We will initially allow each person to purchase up to 2 kits on 9/26 at 6:00 a.m. PT. At around noon PT, I will open up the drop for additional kits to be added to the same order.
If you do not want to be double charged for shipping, please make sure to wait and add more kits to your order instead of placing another order.
Here is a list of what will be available starting tomorrow GMK Mint Dolch - Base Kit + Extra Kit available GMK Laser - Cyberdeck (Base Kit) + most child kits available GMK Red Samurai - Base Set + most child kits available XDA Canvas Round 1 - Limited Alphas / Betas available + limited child kits MT3 /dev/tty Round 1 - Base Alphas + limited child kits available DSA 2077 - Limited base + child kits available DSA Legacy - Black / Rush / Zambloos alphas + most child kits in limited quantities available. SA Oblivion - Alphas + Child kits available in limited quantities SA Carbon - Alphas + Child kits available in limited quantities
There are also some one offs and other keycaps - those are in super limited quantities and I will not be listing them out here.
9/24 EDIT: It appears I've made a mistake with the DSA Lightcycle keycaps. These will not be available for this keycap re-cap.
9/26 EDIT: I've opened up the drop for 2 additional kits per user. We will open it up for 2 additional orders at 6:30 p.m. PT today.
Each user can now add up to 6 kits in their carts. I will open it up to 10 kits at around noon on 9/26 - no new inventory will be added.
9/27 EDIT: Hey everyone, I've opened it up to 10 kits per user. I'll keep monitoring these threads - I will open it up to 15 kits per user tomorrow on 9/28 at around noon. Sorry I was a little late today!
9/28 EDIT: Opened it up to 15 kits per user.
Best advice is to still be here and ready at 6:00 a.m. as desirable kits to disappear fast.
RIP To my hopes and dreams of outfitting a 96 key with SA Oblivion
FINALLY! Now I managed to score them both! Especially the homing keys proved almost impossible to get hold of.
(Only lacking the Ergodox kit, the VE.A bars and the 6u spacebar now.)
Also if i buy kits now (right now) can i add later to my order?
Four minutes now!
@jkaos92 no new kits will be added since they were all added at the very beginning of the drop. What we are doing is opening up the ability to purchase more kits - this allows people to fill out their keyboard with not as popular kits like DVORAK or homing kits.
i agree that this is frustrating when you are trying to put together a set with a lot of child kits--like /dev/tty where the alphas and mods are in separate kits. it's less of an issue when there is 1 giant base kit like laser or red samurai, but even then you may want more than 1 child kit.
i don't think these recaps are really setup for people to build a set from scratch, but more for people trying to grab child sets, but even then it's a scramble because there are so few child sets that a lot of people end up disappointed.
this time i got lucky since i wanted to round out a laser set, and those were in good supply.
my only advice is to keep adding to your order and hope that what you need is still left at the end of the day. they won't charge until the drop ends on the 1st so you can always cancel if you can't complete your set.
How am i supposed to pick a full set or even a set to just cover one of my keyboards when there is a drop splitted in a ton of kits (e.g. Carbon, Oblivion SA). I had to buy AT LEAST 4 kits to cover one of my keyboards, but no there is a funny limit of 2 blocking you. Nice joke and thanks for wasting my time MD.
I get your goal but I think you aren't really doing it in an effective way. If you limited everyone to 1 or 2 base sets and then 1 single copy of each item it would prove much more effective. There are many communities that have already solved this problem, in fact in the keyboard community (to which I am admittedly new) this is also already solved in the case of raffles etc.
The main reason this system is broken is that you're selling items that make no sense in 2's, in many cases. If I am trying to buy a base kit plus novelties and mods, it's really hard. This is simply frustrating. And I can only speak for myself, but that case is much more frustrating then missing things altogether and having them be sold out. But that's just me. Because I waste my time waiting for the first release, then the second, and don't end having what I try to order anyway. Would rather just check and see sold out and move on.
Thank you for the info. It helps. I still think there are a variety of better ways to run things.
I am adding to my order, as you described. Just don't get why we are limited, again...
If MassDrop didn't follow this practice, I am fairly confident there wouldn't even be any kits/sets remaining for purchase at this point.
With that, let's just leave it. It frustrates me but I don't want to spread negativity. I've given my thoughts (multiple times now) so I'll keep trying to update my order and in the future perhaps I'll be better educated about such drops so as not to get my hopes up or to perhaps act differently with them.
When this drop first started, it was definitely more aimed at group buy joiners that have updated their various keyboards and need more one off child kits to complete the coverage. It's definitely grown from that to something a bit more.
We've tried a few different systems previously and so far this seems to be the smoothest. One thing we really do want to avoid is bots picking up all the kits to sell on the secondary market after.
There is a little bit of checking back and forth with this system - but one of the things that happen is people will edit the kits in their cart based on what's available. At times that means you'll get to pickup a kit you really want and someone else discarded.
Of course the best way to absolutely ensure you get all the kits you want at the best price is to join the group buys.
but then you login and all the kits disappear so fast--there were less then 20 of most of the DSA2077 options, or you have a non TKL layout and the keys you need are spread out across 3-4 kits and now you have to worry that it will sell out before you can add them all.
unfortunately this is just the way it is since all these kits are bought thru GB and after they are made only once so its a supply and demand issue. i'm not up to date on all prices, but even with the shipping, markups etc, you are more likely to pick something thru recap then finding it second-hand and for less.
for me, this go around i wanted laser, so i was lucky because those sets had decent numbers. but if i wanted SA Carbon or Red Samurai, then i would've been out of luck.
i wish there were less limits on the child kits, but then you have people buying kits for resale or you have an even madder rush at the start. i don't know a better way, and i'm not sure that MD really want to solve it because they still end up selling thru most of this stock even with the system as it is now!
Anyways, if I project misplaced entitlement then I apologize for it. I have stated a couple of times I don't intend to bring bad vibes and I try to catch myself when I feel my comments reach that point. If it's not appropriate to express frustration with a system on here then I won't. From what I've seen though, it appears that MassDrop comments are used for providing feedback and learning what's going on behind the scenes.
I get and see that it has evolved. I can respect that.
You are the second person to mention bots. What I don't understand is that the "don't let bots do X" is a "solved" problem online. Or at least, in some instances. I won't pretend to know all the solutions, but can't you just put a CAPTCHA on the purchasing? I mean, how do you prevent MassDrop accounts from being created by bots in the first place? If you do, apply that tech here?
I guess I am just a skeptic and have a hard time believing this is the best solution. But I am aware enough to admit that you've likely been fighting the problem for a long time with much much smarter people than me trying to solve it. In that case, I would say the next best solution is clearer communication. Unless, of course, recap is meant to be an "insider" thing, which I can respect also. But for someone who is gradually getting into mechanical keyboards more and more (and not in a hyped way, either, in an honestly interested way) having this drop experience really pushes me away from the community. Which, I think, is a shame.
With all that said, I want to reiterate my respect for the fact that there is a recap and a chance for me to join group buys that I missed (and this explains why I couldn't join them, because I didn't know of them at the time).
Thanks for discussing it all.
But beyond the discussion, I think you still did not answer my question: most importantly when can I add more items to my order? I am still not at my complete order yet! ;)
No complains about the extra price at all, but please make a smoother system... Also remember, there is a whole world outside the United States and you are prioritizing who could eventually ship multiple times and not pay extra custom fees on each package, so of course i won't join in for 2 kits and hope that after 6 hours there are still the other kits that i need to complete my order
I will admit, this comment thread is entirely confusing. Many people defend this system, saying how it makes things more fair. But what you say is that MassDrop will gladly ship orders far over the limits to the same address as long as they are done with separate accounts.
So how is this preventing reselling or bots then? Can't resellers simply have many accounts registered and use bots with them?
If the production capability was there, we'd be getting lower prices on keycaps and in stock sets. No need to wait 6 months for sets.
NL is no problem. My game company is based in Berlin / Valencia / Utrecht with our headquarters in Berlin (that's where I am).
Does MassDrop have direct messaging (I think not, right?) – or is there a better way to contact you.
Thanks again!
Thanks for filling me in on some info. This does help to explain things for sure.
It also makes me curious to learn more about keycap manufacturing... hehehe...
Oh, before I forget to ask: so are sets like Carbon, Laser, Red Samurai, etc typically just never reprinted or just that they take quite a while be they are voted on and then setup for a reprint? Basically wondering if a recap / second hand is the only chance for some sets.
But Mito is a bit more of a different beast how he handle's kits. He's all about the branding and spreading the love, so seeing GMK laser will be after you likely see an SA Laser (DSA Legacy is a psuedo DSA Laser/Pulse combot I'd say) but you could get a true DSA Laser and then maybe you'd see GMK laser released again. That is, mix that between the release that Mito said Godspeed is coming to a new release end of this year (rumor is GMK) and then he's going to reissue SA Godspeed R2 likely sometime next year. Pulse R2 was earlier this yeah, Canvas R2 as well. So we're getting into the recycle phase as long as he isn't introducing a new set.
But to answer your question, it all depends on the kit and how much people want a reissue of it. There are also plenty of kits that will be coming out later. And, there is no guarantee that you will get another round of a group buy either.
Clear as mud?
No new inventory will be added - what's available at launch will be what's available for the entirety of this drop.
@dilkROM generally we'll keep opening up more kits for everyone. The next open will probably be around 10:00 a.m. PT on 9/27.
The only easier way it seems was to cancel your order and then rebuy those items. But you're making a risk of someone who happens to hit F5 and refresh to see stuff that you had that might have been out of stock and they can snag it up. So your best bet is to transfer items, one by one, to a second account and then purchase it there. That way, you can remove it and refresh the list on the second account to see it pop up and minimize someone else snagging it up. Still no guarantees though.
Also, just gonna say it: this process is kind of insanely complicated. Does MassDrop have a small development team or something? Seems like the sales point part of the software working smoothly would be of highest priority...
@dilkROM Like I said, the system does have a "payment failed" system, but I'm not sure if you can change PayPal to CC or the other way around. I've just had errors in CC payments where my CC expired and I just updated the info. It's one of those things that I could fix the problem before hand and would rather not try to sort it out in the 24 hour window after the drop and risk losing my order.
In this community 6 months is a blink of an eye though, I've waited years for Round sets, and years for more than one keyboard. Supporting cool designs and waiting for them is just part of the community here really.
Just need to remember to double check!
So it would be great to have a bit more responsive notification system or a live chat kinda thing for such drops, would be easier for people to exchange or release kits.
PS: I did the above thing twice since yesterday. Was happy to help out folks who were really looking to complete their set or buy a new one.
We *still* have time. If people don't want to pursue building/finishing a set, would be great if they can exchange kits with someone or pass it on. Personally, I would rather have a fellow member buy and use a kit than pay for it and let it eat dust at home.