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Creativity => Game Design & Demos => Topic started by: Mince Wobley on August 18, 2009, 01:18:37 am

Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Mince Wobley on August 18, 2009, 01:18:37 am
Every day millions of people die due to being left handed and using something like chainsaws, fridges and microwave ovens designed to be used by right handed persons. I don't want to kill any left handed gamers with my game so I ask you, what is a good control scheme for a left handed player? I know it's better to allow the player to map his own keys but I think it would be nice to have default left and right handed key mappings.

I'm currently using this for the right handed keys:

move with arrow keys

z = jump
x = fire/throw
c = talk/call elevator/etc

s= eat the item you're holding
d= use the item you're holding

Also it's ok to suggest changes to my current control scheme


One other thing, are dvorak keyboards such a big thing because they have the keys in random places and I want to keep the game accessible
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: something bizarre and impractical on August 18, 2009, 01:51:18 am
Maybe just mirror them across the keyboard? So..

/
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Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Mikemc on August 18, 2009, 02:00:52 am
wasd for movement and yeah,  :"<>?
Or maybe the action buttons could be arrow keys and RShift
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Lackeos on August 18, 2009, 03:33:06 am
I don't understand the problem, really.  Right-handed people frequently use those N64, X-Box and whatever console controls that have the directional joystick on the left side.  But left-handed people can't use a directional pad on the right side?
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Mince Wobley on August 18, 2009, 04:11:34 am
I don't understand the problem, really.  Right-handed people frequently use those N64, X-Box and whatever console controls that have the directional joystick on the left side.  But left-handed people can't use a directional pad on the right side?

They can do that but it's not safe




I'm waiting for input from left handed people help meplz
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Mateui on August 18, 2009, 04:50:28 am
I'm left handed and the current layout you're using is fine. It makes sense for me to use my left hand in selecting the various actions and the right hand for movement.
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: goldenratio on August 18, 2009, 05:14:46 am
im left handed and that scheme seems fine.

also i just thought of something: it would be cool to have a game that uses wasd and ijkl as the control scheme. like wasd for movement and ijkl for all the skills or whatever. swapping it for left- and right-handed people would be super easy. also i think it would be fun to play like that, although if they are too close maybe pl;'
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Maxximum on August 18, 2009, 11:53:48 am
Most controll schemes these days are mapped out to have the left hand handle the movement while the right hand controlls the mouse/presses the action buttons on the pad. The RPGmaker controll scheme (which you seem to be using) is the other way around. So, if you assume that regular controlls are designed for right handers then, in theory, you already have what you're looking for.

In practice though, it really makes no difference.
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Vellfire on August 18, 2009, 12:51:59 pm
The same one as everyone else.  Almost everyone nowadays has been using computers since they were little, and thus they just use the same scheme as everyone else.  I've never used a left-handed mouse, I use the same keyboard scheme as everyone else and I've never had to reconfigure buttons for left-handedness.  I've been using computers since I was really little so that's just natural to me, and that's how most left-handed people are.  The only left-handed computer thing I do is that I use my left hand for the trackpad on my mac, and if anything this is an advantage because ctrl+click is the right-click and I can use my pinky to hit it.  My brother fussed at me for not having my mac set up for an alternate right-click and I didn't get why until I realized the only ctrl button is on the left and so I could hit it with my pinky and he couldn't.  But still this doesn't affect how you'd set up a game, so yeah don't worry about the lefties unless you're making a DS game.

Also I don't think anyone really uses Dvorak keyboards.  Don't worry about them either unless one contacts you about it.
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Vellfire on August 18, 2009, 12:54:11 pm
also

Quote
They can do that but it's not safe

i don't get what this comment is at all!  it's not safe for left handed people to use regular controllers????
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: JMickle on August 18, 2009, 01:34:08 pm
also

i don't get what this comment is at all!  it's not safe for left handed people to use regular controllers????

Every day millions of people die due to being left handed and using something like chainsaws, fridges and microwave ovens designed to be used by right handed persons. I don't want to kill any left handed gamers with my game so I ask you, what is a good control scheme for a left handed player?

~~~

im left handed and that scheme seems fine.

also i just thought of something: it would be cool to have a game that uses wasd and ijkl as the control scheme. like wasd for movement and ijkl for all the skills or whatever. swapping it for left- and right-handed people would be super easy. also i think it would be fun to play like that, although if they are too close maybe pl;'

i used the wasd ijkl scheme for my psx emulator and it works a treat.just like you were in 1998 playing crash bandicoot 2 in real life!
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Drule on August 18, 2009, 02:41:39 pm
im left handed and that scheme seems fine.

also i just thought of something: it would be cool to have a game that uses wasd and ijkl as the control scheme. like wasd for movement and ijkl for all the skills or whatever. swapping it for left- and right-handed people would be super easy. also i think it would be fun to play like that, although if they are too close maybe pl;'
Yeah, I like to use AWSD together with the arrow keys. You could do this and easily mirror the setup.
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Cray on August 18, 2009, 08:31:54 pm
I'm left handed and I've died many times because of dangerous videogames made for right handed people, please take care of us ;_;
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: The Ghost on August 18, 2009, 09:34:29 pm
All southpaw gamers don't deserve to live. You either live life right (handed) or die.
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: JMickle on August 18, 2009, 09:50:51 pm
i'm ambidextrous do i count?
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Mince Wobley on August 18, 2009, 09:52:02 pm
I think I'll just have the normal version thank you guys
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Ragnar on August 18, 2009, 10:49:43 pm
goldeneye was like the only game that accomdated left-handed people ever

couldn't you use two controllers and aim each weapon separately that sounds impossible
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Mikemc on August 19, 2009, 07:47:19 pm
I find it amusing that any console game I am perfectly alright with the left hand to move and right to do actions. While on the computer in any non-mouse game, I am perfectly fine running around with my right hand on the arrow keys and my left controls the fire, strafe, or emulator keys.

Now anyone remember the Colecovision? That thing was ambidextrous - Any controller with fire on both sides and a joystick in the middle.
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Vellfire on August 19, 2009, 09:40:13 pm
The thing is that games are a two-handed thing (most of the time at least).  Because of this, there's no predefined way the controls have to work for them to be compatible with HUMAN BEINGS.  Left handed people have no predisposition to do things the opposite way because if they play games they use the controls that are there.  There is absolutely zero reason for a controller to have to be swapped, because humans aren't born thinking DOMINANT HAND HAS TO DO THIS, NON-DOMINANT HAND HAS TO DO THAT.  Controls are already ambidextrous like that.  Now a computer mouse is a one-handed thing, so I can see how some people would prefer to use a left-handed one.  But, it sort of falls into what I said earlier that almost all of us have been using computers since we were young so we're used to the right handed mouse either way and using a left-handed one would be the weird thing if anything.
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Kitsune Inferno on August 20, 2009, 03:51:21 am
The DS and Wii are the curse of us lefties :(
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: #1 Vodka fan on August 20, 2009, 07:53:06 am
I think there is an option in the DS where you can swap the d-pad's and the action buttons' functions.

Anyways, I agree with Vellfire. If you think about it you can use your left hand as well for many things even if you are right-handed. I can use the fork perfectly with both of my hands for example. It just takes time I guess.
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Jester on August 20, 2009, 09:16:18 am
About half of the platformers I play use WASD and the mouse, the other half use the arrow keys and zxcv etc. I play both just fine as a righty, I expect a lefty could too.
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Vellfire on August 20, 2009, 01:23:02 pm
Anyways, I agree with Vellfire. If you think about it you can use your left hand as well for many things even if you are right-handed. I can use the fork perfectly with both of my hands for example. It just takes time I guess.

I can't use utensils with my right hand for crap, I mean I can get the food into my mouth but I look like a child holding their first set of crayons doing it.  But, on the other hand, I can't play a left handed guitar--not that I play the guitar, but if I try I hold them right-handed.  Back when I wanted to learn the guitar I tried playing a left-handed one and it just felt all wrong to hold it that way.  A lot of left handed people can use a lot of right-handed things just because it's a lot easier than trying to find the left-handed counterpart of an object.
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Shinan on August 20, 2009, 05:10:49 pm
The DS and Wii are the curse of us lefties :(
I agree with this.

The d-pad and buttons are not interchangeable on the DS because they have a very different feel to them. And on the Wii I've been playing my whole life moving things with my left hand. Now I have to move things with my right... (If I want to aim with my aiming arm)


I tend to use mouse+IJKL. What I hate most is when games have hard-coded help messages "press <button> to do <thing>" when I just reconfigured all the buttons and that no longer applies. Fortunately no good games tend to do this. I think... When no mouse is involved I really have very little preference in what to use. (In racing games I like to use the arrow buttons for example, and using the left hand for handbrake and occasionally shifting gears)
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Brad on August 21, 2009, 07:27:30 am
I'm right handed but I find when using emulators and such that using WASD for movement and the arrow keys for the action buttons is by far the best for comfort. In the history of game controllers, where was the directional pad/analog stick? on the left side. And actions on the right.

But yeah, not really related to your question but,,, next time you guys run Zsnes or whatever, try WASD for movement and arrow keys for actions. Q and E I usually use for L and R. I find that I can play pretty much as easily with or without a gamepad using this method.
Title: What is a good control scheme for left handed people?
Post by: Vellfire on August 23, 2009, 07:19:37 pm
I agree with this.

The d-pad and buttons are not interchangeable on the DS because they have a very different feel to them. And on the Wii I've been playing my whole life moving things with my left hand. Now I have to move things with my right... (If I want to aim with my aiming arm)

Even though I'm not nearly as accurate, I use my right hand for the wiimote.  It's not as nice, but I prefer doing that to using the stick with my right hand.