diff --git a/neo/sys/events.cpp b/neo/sys/events.cpp
index cc4519a1..ddeaae1a 100644
--- a/neo/sys/events.cpp
+++ b/neo/sys/events.cpp
@@ -278,6 +278,28 @@ static bool utf8ToISO8859_1(const char* inbuf, char* outbuf, size_t outsize) {
 }
 #endif // SDL2
 
+// start button isn't bindable, but I want to use its name in the imgui-based menu
+const char* D3_GetGamepadStartButtonName() {
+	int layout = joy_gamepadLayout.GetInteger();
+	if ( layout == -1 ) {
+		layout = gamepadType;
+	}
+
+	switch( layout ) {
+		default:
+			common->Warning( "joy_gamepadLayout has invalid value %d !\n", joy_gamepadLayout.GetInteger() );
+			// fall-through
+		case D3_GAMEPAD_PLAYSTATION_OLD:
+		case D3_GAMEPAD_XINPUT:
+			return "Pad Start";
+		case D3_GAMEPAD_NINTENDO:
+			return "Pad (+)";
+
+		case D3_GAMEPAD_PLAYSTATION:
+			return "Pad Options";
+	}
+}
+
 const char* Sys_GetLocalizedJoyKeyName( int key ) {
 	// Note: trying to keep the returned names short, because the Doom3 binding window doesn't have much space for names..
 
@@ -409,28 +431,41 @@ const char* Sys_GetLocalizedJoyKeyName( int key ) {
 	return NULL;
 }
 
-// returns localized name of the key (between K_FIRST_SCANCODE and K_LAST_SCANCODE),
-// regarding the current keyboard layout - if that name is in ASCII or corresponds
-// to a "High-ASCII" char supported by Doom3.
-// Otherwise return same name as Sys_GetScancodeName()
-// !! Returned string is only valid until next call to this function !!
-const char* Sys_GetLocalizedScancodeName( int key ) {
+static const char* getLocalizedScancodeName( int key, bool useUtf8 )
+{
 	if ( key >= K_FIRST_SCANCODE && key <= K_LAST_SCANCODE ) {
 		int scIdx = key - K_FIRST_SCANCODE;
 #if SDL_VERSION_ATLEAST(2, 0, 0)
 		SDL_Scancode sc = ( SDL_Scancode ) scancodemappings[scIdx].sdlScancode;
 		SDL_Keycode k = SDL_GetKeyFromScancode( sc );
 		if ( k >= 0xA1 && k <= 0xFF ) {
-			// luckily, the "High-ASCII" (ISO-8559-1) chars supported by Doom3
-			// have the same values as the corresponding SDL_Keycodes.
-			static char oneCharStr[2] = {0, 0};
-			oneCharStr[0] = (unsigned char)k;
-			return oneCharStr;
+			static char shortStr[3] = {};
+			if ( useUtf8 ) {
+				// SDL_Keycodes are unicode chars (where applicable),
+				// so at least for Latin-1 turn them directly into UTF-8
+				if ( k >= 0xE0 && k <= 0xFE && k != 0xF7 ) {
+					// turn lowercase chars into their uppercase equivalents
+					k -= 32;
+				}
+				shortStr[0] = (unsigned char)( 0xC0 + (k >> 6) );
+				shortStr[1] = (unsigned char)( 0x80 + (k & 0x3F) );
+				return shortStr;
+			} else {
+				// luckily, the "High-ASCII" (ISO-8559-1) chars supported by Doom3
+				// have the same values as the corresponding SDL_Keycodes.
+				shortStr[0] = (unsigned char)k;
+				shortStr[1] = 0;
+				return shortStr;
+			}
 		} else if ( k != SDLK_UNKNOWN ) {
 			const char *ret = SDL_GetKeyName( k );
 			// the keyname from SDL2 is in UTF-8, which Doom3 can't print,
 			// so only return the name if it's ASCII, otherwise fall back to "SC_bla"
 			if ( ret && *ret != '\0' ) {
+				if( useUtf8 ) {
+					return ret;
+				}
+
 				if( isAscii( ret ) ) {
 					return ret;
 				}
@@ -448,6 +483,19 @@ const char* Sys_GetLocalizedScancodeName( int key ) {
 	return NULL;
 }
 
+// returns localized name of the key (between K_FIRST_SCANCODE and K_LAST_SCANCODE),
+// regarding the current keyboard layout - if that name is in ASCII or corresponds
+// to a "High-ASCII" char supported by Doom3.
+// Otherwise return same name as Sys_GetScancodeName()
+// !! Returned string is only valid until next call to this function !!
+const char* Sys_GetLocalizedScancodeName( int key ) {
+	return getLocalizedScancodeName( key, false );
+}
+
+const char* Sys_GetLocalizedScancodeNameUTF8( int key ) {
+	return getLocalizedScancodeName( key, true );
+}
+
 // returns keyNum_t (K_SC_* constant) for given scancode name (like "SC_A")
 // only makes sense to call it if name starts with "SC_" (or "sc_")
 // returns -1 if not found
diff --git a/neo/sys/sys_imgui.cpp b/neo/sys/sys_imgui.cpp
index a84d0777..55de241f 100644
--- a/neo/sys/sys_imgui.cpp
+++ b/neo/sys/sys_imgui.cpp
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 
+#define IMGUI_DEFINE_MATH_OPERATORS
+
 #include <SDL.h>
 
 #include "sys_imgui.h"
@@ -14,6 +16,7 @@ typedef char* (*MY_XGETDEFAULTFUN)(Display*, const char*, const char*);
 #include "../libs/imgui/backends/imgui_impl_sdl2.h"
 
 #include "framework/Common.h"
+#include "framework/KeyInput.h"
 #include "renderer/qgl.h"
 #include "renderer/tr_local.h" // glconfig
 
@@ -31,6 +34,82 @@ ImGuiContext* imguiCtx = NULL;
 static bool haveNewFrame = false;
 static int openImguiWindows = 0; // or-ed enum D3ImGuiWindow values
 
+// was there a key down or button (mouse/gamepad) down event this frame?
+// used to make the warning overlay disappear
+static bool hadKeyDownEvent = false;
+
+static idStr warningOverlayText;
+static double warningOverlayStartTime = -100.0;
+static ImVec2 warningOverlayStartPos;
+
+static void UpdateWarningOverlay()
+{
+	double timeNow = ImGui::GetTime();
+	if ( timeNow - warningOverlayStartTime > 4.0f ) {
+		warningOverlayStartTime = -100.0f;
+		return;
+	}
+
+	// also hide if a key was pressed or maybe even if the mouse was moved (too much)
+	ImVec2 mdv = ImGui::GetMousePos() - warningOverlayStartPos; // Mouse Delta Vector
+	float mouseDelta = sqrtf( mdv.x * mdv.x + mdv.y * mdv.y );
+	const float fontSize = ImGui::GetFontSize();
+	if ( mouseDelta > fontSize * 4.0f || hadKeyDownEvent ) {
+		warningOverlayStartTime = -100.0f;
+		return;
+	}
+
+	ImGui::SetNextWindowPos(ImGui::GetMainViewport()->GetCenter(), ImGuiCond_Always, ImVec2(0.5f, 0.5f));
+	ImGui::PushStyleColor( ImGuiCol_WindowBg, ImVec4(1.0f, 0.4f, 0.4f, 0.4f) );
+	float padSize = fontSize * 2.0f;
+	ImGui::PushStyleVar( ImGuiStyleVar_WindowPadding, ImVec2(padSize, padSize) );
+
+	int winFlags = ImGuiWindowFlags_NoInputs | ImGuiWindowFlags_NoTitleBar | ImGuiWindowFlags_NoMove
+			| ImGuiWindowFlags_NoResize | ImGuiWindowFlags_NoSavedSettings | ImGuiWindowFlags_AlwaysAutoResize;
+	ImGui::Begin("WarningOverlay", NULL, winFlags);
+
+	ImDrawList* drawList = ImGui::GetWindowDrawList();
+	ImVec2 points[] = {
+		{0, 40}, {40, 40}, {20, 0}, // triangle
+		{20, 12}, {20, 28}, // line
+		{20, 33} // dot
+	};
+
+	float iconScale = 1.0f; // TODO: global scale also used for fontsize
+
+	ImVec2 offset = ImGui::GetWindowPos() + ImVec2(fontSize, fontSize);
+	for ( ImVec2& v : points ) {
+		v.x = roundf( v.x * iconScale );
+		v.y = roundf( v.y * iconScale );
+		v += offset;
+	}
+
+	ImU32 color = ImGui::GetColorU32( ImVec4(0.1f, 0.1f, 0.1f, 1.0f) );
+
+	drawList->AddTriangle( points[0], points[1], points[2], color, roundf( iconScale * 4.0f ) );
+
+	drawList->AddPolyline( points+3, 2, color, 0, roundf( iconScale * 3.0f ) );
+
+	float dotRadius = 2.0f * iconScale;
+	drawList->AddEllipseFilled( points[5], ImVec2(dotRadius, dotRadius), color, 0, 6 );
+
+	ImGui::Indent( 40.0f * iconScale );
+	ImGui::TextUnformatted( warningOverlayText.c_str() );
+
+	ImGui::End();
+
+	ImGui::PopStyleVar(); // WindowPadding
+	ImGui::PopStyleColor(); // WindowBg
+}
+
+void ShowWarningOverlay( const char* text )
+{
+	warningOverlayText = text;
+	warningOverlayStartTime = ImGui::GetTime();
+	warningOverlayStartPos = ImGui::GetMousePos();
+}
+
+
 static float GetDefaultDPI()
 {
 	SDL_Window* win = sdlWindow;
@@ -203,6 +282,8 @@ void NewFrame()
 	ImGui::NewFrame();
 	haveNewFrame = true;
 
+	UpdateWarningOverlay();
+
 	if (openImguiWindows & D3_ImGuiWin_Settings) {
 		Com_DrawDhewm3SettingsMenu();
 	}
@@ -215,6 +296,8 @@ void NewFrame()
 	}
 }
 
+bool keybindModeEnabled = false;
+
 // called with every SDL event by Sys_GetEvent()
 // returns true if ImGui has handled the event (so it shouldn't be handled by D3)
 bool ProcessEvent(const void* sdlEvent)
@@ -228,14 +311,42 @@ bool ProcessEvent(const void* sdlEvent)
 	//   - When io.WantCaptureMouse is true, do not dispatch mouse input data to your main application, or clear/overwrite your copy of the mouse data.
 	//   - When io.WantCaptureKeyboard is true, do not dispatch keyboard input data to your main application, or clear/overwrite your copy of the keyboard data.
 	//   Generally you may always pass all inputs to dear imgui, and hide them from your application based on those two flags.
-	if( ImGui_ImplSDL2_ProcessEvent( ev ) ) {
+
+	bool imguiUsedEvent = ImGui_ImplSDL2_ProcessEvent( ev );
+	if ( keybindModeEnabled ) {
+		// in keybind mode, all input events are passed to Doom3 so it can translate them
+		// to internal events and we can access and use them to create a new binding
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	if ( ImGui::IsWindowFocused( ImGuiFocusedFlags_AnyWindow )
+	    && (ev->type == SDL_CONTROLLERAXISMOTION || ev->type == SDL_CONTROLLERBUTTONDOWN) ) {
+		// don't pass on controller axis events to avoid moving the mouse cursor
+		// and controller button events to avoid emulating mouse clicks
+		return true;
+	}
+
+	switch( ev->type ) {
+		// Hack: detect if any key was pressed to close the warning overlay
+		case SDL_CONTROLLERBUTTONDOWN:
+		case SDL_MOUSEWHEEL:
+		case SDL_MOUSEBUTTONDOWN:
+		case SDL_KEYDOWN:
+			// TODO: controller trigger?
+			hadKeyDownEvent = true;
+	}
+	if( imguiUsedEvent ) {
 		ImGuiIO& io = ImGui::GetIO();
+
 		if ( io.WantCaptureMouse ) {
 			switch( ev->type ) {
 				case SDL_MOUSEMOTION:
 				case SDL_MOUSEWHEEL:
 				case SDL_MOUSEBUTTONDOWN:
-				case SDL_MOUSEBUTTONUP:
+
+				// Note: still pass button up events to the engine, so if they were pressed down
+				//   before an imgui window got focus they don't remain pressed indefinitely
+				//case SDL_MOUSEBUTTONUP:
 					return true;
 			}
 		}
@@ -243,15 +354,30 @@ bool ProcessEvent(const void* sdlEvent)
 		if ( io.WantCaptureKeyboard ) {
 			switch( ev->type ) {
 				case SDL_TEXTINPUT:
-				case SDL_KEYDOWN:
-				case SDL_KEYUP:
 					return true;
+				case SDL_KEYDOWN:
+				//case SDL_KEYUP: NOTE: see above why key up events are passed to the engine
+					if ( ev->key.keysym.sym < SDLK_F1 || ev->key.keysym.sym > SDLK_F12) {
+						// F1 - F12 are passed to the engine so its shortcuts
+						// (like quickload or screenshot) still work
+						// Doom3's menu does the same
+						return true;
+					}
 			}
 		}
+
 	}
+
 	return false;
 }
 
+void SetKeyBindMode( bool enable )
+{
+	keybindModeEnabled = enable;
+	// make sure no keys are registered as down, neither when entering nor when exiting keybind mode
+	idKeyInput::ClearStates();
+}
+
 void EndFrame()
 {
 	if (openImguiWindows == 0 && !haveNewFrame)
@@ -297,6 +423,11 @@ void EndFrame()
 	if ( curArrayBuffer != 0 ) {
 		qglBindBufferARB( GL_ARRAY_BUFFER_ARB, curArrayBuffer );
 	}
+
+	// reset this at the end of each frame, will be set again by ProcessEvent()
+	if ( hadKeyDownEvent ) {
+		hadKeyDownEvent = false;
+	}
 }
 
 
diff --git a/neo/sys/sys_imgui.h b/neo/sys/sys_imgui.h
index f0473c3f..f7997aad 100644
--- a/neo/sys/sys_imgui.h
+++ b/neo/sys/sys_imgui.h
@@ -41,6 +41,10 @@ extern int GetOpenWindowsMask();
 // returns true if ImGui has handled the event (so it shouldn't be handled by D3)
 extern bool ProcessEvent(const void* sdlEvent);
 
+// for binding keys from an ImGui-based menu: send input events to dhewm3
+// even if ImGui window has focus
+extern void SetKeyBindMode( bool enable );
+
 // NewFrame() is called once per D3 frame, after all events have been gotten
 // => ProcessEvent() has already been called (probably multiple times)
 extern void NewFrame();
@@ -52,6 +56,11 @@ extern void EndFrame();
 extern float GetScale();
 extern void SetScale( float scale );
 
+// show a red overlay-window at the center of the screen that contains
+// a warning symbol (triangle with !) and the given text
+// disappears after a few seconds or when a key is pressed or the mouse is moved
+extern void ShowWarningOverlay( const char* text );
+
 #else // IMGUI_DISABLE - just stub out everything
 
 inline bool IsImguiEnabled()
@@ -69,6 +78,8 @@ inline void Shutdown() {}
 
 inline bool ProcessEvent(const void* sdlEvent) { return false; }
 
+inline void SetKeyBindMode( bool enable ) {}
+
 inline void NewFrame() {}
 
 inline void EndFrame() {}
@@ -82,6 +93,8 @@ inline int GetOpenWindowsMask() { return 0; }
 inline float GetScale() { return 1.0f; }
 inline void SetScale( float scale ) {}
 
+inline void ShowWarningOverlay( const char* text ) {}
+
 #endif
 
 }} //namespace D3::ImGuiHooks
diff --git a/neo/sys/sys_public.h b/neo/sys/sys_public.h
index 7b24e769..dbff09df 100644
--- a/neo/sys/sys_public.h
+++ b/neo/sys/sys_public.h
@@ -218,6 +218,8 @@ const char* Sys_GetScancodeName( int key );
 // Otherwise return same name as Sys_GetScancodeName()
 // !! Returned string is only valid until next call to this function !!
 const char* Sys_GetLocalizedScancodeName( int key );
+// the same, but using UTF-8 instead of "High-ASCII"
+const char* Sys_GetLocalizedScancodeNameUTF8( int key );
 // returns keyNum_t (K_SC_* constant) for given scancode name (like "SC_A")
 int Sys_GetKeynumForScancodeName( const char* name );