Complete keybinding reference for Elf Revel. The game is controlled entirely via keyboard.
| Key | Action |
|---|
Space | Pause / Resume simulation |
+ / = | Speed up (1x → 2x → 4x → 8x) |
- | Slow down |
Arrow keys | Pan map (when map focused) |
Tab | Cycle focus: Map → Chat → Events |
BackTab (Shift+Tab) | Cycle focus backward |
Esc | Close overlay / deselect / back |
Ctrl+C | Quit |
? | Help overlay (press any key to close) |
| Key | Action |
|---|
1-9 | Select elf by number |
, | Cycle to previous elf |
. | Cycle to next elf |
Enter | Open elf detail popup (when elf selected) |
Each screen opens a full overlay. Press the same key again or Esc to close. You can switch directly between screens by pressing another screen key.
| Key | Screen | What It Shows |
|---|
s | Settlement Overview | Population, resources (Wood/Stone/Food/FineWood), buildings, daily production rates |
a | Art Gallery | All compositions with genre, quality, properties, titles, descriptions |
x | Relationships | Elf-to-elf bonds (friends, rivals, mentors) with relationship strength |
v | Revel History | Past revels: when they happened, who attended, what was performed, satisfaction |
b | Build Management | Build queue: pending and completed buildings with progress |
w | Work Assignments | Elf-by-role grid for reassigning roles |
All screens support Up/Down to scroll.
The Work Assignments screen (w) uses a cursor-based grid:
| Key | Action |
|---|
Up/Down | Select elf row |
Left/Right | Select role column |
Enter | Assign the selected role to the selected elf |
Current assignment shows as [X] in green. Cursor cell is highlighted in cyan.
| Key | Action |
|---|
r | Toggle roster sidebar (list of all elves with mood indicators) |
e | Toggle events panel (scrolling settlement event log) |
l | Enter look mode (inspect tiles on the map) |
In look mode, a cursor appears on the map for tile inspection:
| Key | Action |
|---|
Arrow keys | Move look cursor |
w/a/s/d | Pan camera (WASD) |
Enter | Select elf at cursor position |
n | Name the location at cursor position |
, / . | Cycle elves (from cursor) |
Esc or l | Exit look mode |
| Key | Action |
|---|
/ | Open chat input (from map focus) |
Tab → type | Focus chat panel, then type freely |
Enter | Send message to the curator |
Esc | Cancel / close chat input |
Up/Down | Scroll message history (when chat focused) |
See How the Curator Works for what the advisor can do.
| Key | Action |
|---|
d | Cycle artistic direction: Balanced → Favor Mastery → Favor Originality → Favor Emotion |
i | Watch/unwatch selected elf (marks for tracking in detail view) |
f | Toggle favorite on selected composition (in elf detail) |
j/k | Navigate between compositions (in elf detail) |
- Pause often (
Space) — the simulation runs even while you browse screens
- Events panel (
e) is the most informative panel — it shows compositions, relationships, mood shifts, spirit warnings, and season changes
- Name locations via look mode (
l → navigate → n) — named spots persist and appear on the map