Left handed....

[Talshere]

Something that has always bugged me but is IMO becoming less and less forgiveable for me is the lack of left handed options in RPGs.

The whole point of these games is the immersion and people playing these games "are" the character. Would it really be SO HARD to make a left handed option given that many of these games are in development for 4-5 plus years?

Even while I'm writing this it feels petty but its been bugging me now for some 10+ years.

 

[Wolfram23]

Doesn't make sense to me either. Especially a game like Skyrim, why can't you just select to put the shield in your right hand?? You already can hold a sword/whatever in the left hand. It's such a small thing to change.

 

[Sixcess]

It's too much work for too little return, as it would require all of the main character animations to be redone. Not only all the possible attacks, parries, casting etc, but also the position of weapons when slung/sheathed and so on.

That at least is what I recall the lead animator of City of Heroes saying when the question came up in the forum one time. Apparently it's a lot more involved than just mirroring the existing animations.

 

[Talshere]

It's too much work for too little return, as it would require all of the main character animations to be redone. Not only all the possible attacks, parries, casting etc, but also the position of weapons when slung/sheathed and so on.

That at least is what I recall the lead animator of City of Heroes saying when the question came up in the forum one time. Apparently it's a lot more involved than just mirroring the existing animations.

If you take for example Skyrim though where everything is first person, as wolf pointed out you can already duplicate just about all attacks from both hands, its would just be about shooting a bow and holding a shield. I can see in something like KOTOR where all combat was "scripted" it would be difficult but if we look at swotor an mmo its just character animations, you wouldnt need to do chat option hand movements because those are ambiguous and generally depend on where the person you talking to is standing in relation to you.

 

[Tazzy da Devil]

I hate when there's no left-handed option, but not in the way you mean. I hate when there's no left-handed option in a DS game that needs it. A couple of games I just couldn't play because I'm left-handed.

 

[Magnum700]

I hate when there's no left-handed option, but not in the way you mean. I hate when there's no left-handed option in a DS game that needs it. A couple of games I just couldn't play because I'm left-handed.

Really? I'm left handed and I'm not limited to the games that are available to play. Being left handed doesn't seem to effect me in gaming.
You know what's weird? I play Guitar Hero like a right hander as my left hand is moving the fret board. I find it easier to press the buttons that way.

 

[Gammayun]

hmm the funny thing is i was gonna say you always have link but ever since the damn wii he has been right handed, so i guess left handed people could say there being discriminated against. You could start up your own protest group, imagine the pickits signs.

 

[Something Amyss]

The whole point of these games is the immersion and people playing these games "are" the character.

If you need to be left handed to be "immersed," you're doing it wrong.

I'm beginning to think "immersive" means "as unimaginative as possible." I guess that's why people confuse "immersion" and "realism."

Really? I'm left handed and I'm not limited to the games that are available to play. Being left handed doesn't seem to effect me in gaming.
You know what's weird? I play Guitar Hero like a right hander as my left hand is moving the fret board. I find it easier to press the buttons that way.

As a guitarist, I always thought the "righty" method made more sense for lefties anyway. I'm using my more dexterous hand to work the fret board, where I need more mobility and precision. The same's sort of true for Guitar Hero, where you're going to be doing most of the movement with your left hand and just working the flipper/strum bar with your right.

But it seems I'm in the minority. Well, more in the minority. Well, sort of. a lot of lefties play righty guitar, just for a different reason.

I also grew up with right-hand control schemes, so I just adapted.

 

[aprildog18]

Yeah, I do find it strange that most RPGs don't have left-handed playable characters. It would be a good option, don't know if it is that necessary though.
What does come to mind is Resident Evil 5 (Sheva is left-handed so I guess that is good for left-handed people).
The World Ends With You was great for left handed people too because the ABXY did the same thing as arrows during combat.

 

[Talshere]

The whole point of these games is the immersion and people playing these games "are" the character.

If you need to be left handed to be "immersed," you're doing it wrong.

I'm beginning to think "immersive" means "as unimaginative as possible." I guess that's why people confuse "immersion" and "realism."

No I meant immersion, anything which I suddenly notice which breaks, I look at something thinking "im boss" then something happens and I suddenly notice thats not how I would do it. A really easy example of something small that I notice. On SWTOR when you hit 14 you get a buff to move at 35% increased speed. If your sabre is out you do a classic samurai style run with sword behind you in your RIGHT hand which holding your left hand forward. Its all the little things. Dont even tell me thats smal and petty, it no different than wanting a run animation to be a realistic as possible. There was nothing "wrong" with ridged movements from a technical standpoint.

Really? I'm left handed and I'm not limited to the games that are available to play. Being left handed doesn't seem to effect me in gaming.
You know what's weird? I play Guitar Hero like a right hander as my left hand is moving the fret board. I find it easier to press the buttons that way.

As a guitarist, I always thought the "righty" method made more sense for lefties anyway. I'm using my more dexterous hand to work the fret board, where I need more mobility and precision. The same's sort of true for Guitar Hero, where you're going to be doing most of the movement with your left hand and just working the flipper/strum bar with your right.

But it seems I'm in the minority. Well, more in the minority. Well, sort of. a lot of lefties play righty guitar, just for a different reason.

I also grew up with right-hand control schemes, so I just adapted.

I had trouble with some DS games and needing the D pad. Doing music most left handers learn to play right handed because of the dearth in left-handed instructors. I tried learning a few instruments when I was young but invariably gave up because noone would teach me to do it left handed because it was "wrong" (My god music is very medieval in some ways, count the number of left handed people in any orchestra, statistically there should be 10-15, youd never tell) and I just lacked the dexterity at the time to do right handed. As it is I now play guitar hero right handed just because its awkward to hold left handed but naturally I still pick up any instrument left handed. Ive decided when I've left uni and have money I will learn violin even if I have to go to the end of the earth to find someone who will teach me left handed -.-

 

[ShindoL Shill]

because lefties are a minority.
and in my experience dont give a tiny little fuck.

the real question is... does anyone lefthanded who began gaming before the whole '10 pages of options that let you can tweak like a meth-addict' actually use the southpaw configs?
because i tried.
and i sucked.

 

[Catfood220]

because lefties are a minority.
and in my experience dont give a tiny little fuck.

Thank you, you said exactly what I was thinking.

I am a left handed person who has been playing games for the best part of 20 years and I can honestly say that I have never given a damn what hand the character chooses to use. It has never broken my immersion if a character is left handed or not and really can't think of a more petty complaint.

 

[sanomaton]

hmm the funny thing is i was gonna say you always have link but ever since the damn wii he has been right handed, so i guess left handed people could say there being discriminated against. You could start up your own protest group, imagine the pickits signs.

I actually cried a tiny bit when I played the newest Zelda and I kept wondering what was it that looked so odd about Link... Then it hit me, they changed him so he's right-handed now. I'm a lefty myself so it really felt like a punch in the gut when I realized that... Though I don't think it's worth protesting for, just another thing to remind us lefties how this is a right-handed world we live in. (But if there's a lefty option for almost everything else, why not for Skyward Sword!!)

 

[Fappy]

Just use hand-to-hand combat. No one will ever be able to guess what hand you favor

 

[Nebraskaslim]

I think they did changed link to righty for the wii games because most people will have the wiimote in their right hand and the other part in their left hand. Jerks couldn't just leave him lefty could they. Oh well not gonna get mad about it though just disappointing.

 

[Daget Sparrow]

Honestly? I'm a lefty and have been playing games for a mere 4 years now, and I only JUST discovered the left handed controls option in Gears of War 3 (ok, that's only been out for 3 months, but gimme a second and my point will get across).

Still, like using scissors right-handedly, I've simply gotten so accustomed to the 'right' controls (pun intended) and changing them now would ironically be detrimental for me.

So...yeah.

 

[AnotherAvatar]

This bothered me in Skyrim as well. Also, why the hell did they flip ALL of Twilight Princess to make Link right handed? Not only does it break cannon but for those of us who are left handed it took away the chance to finally be encouraged to play with our left.


It's a right-centric world my friend.

 

[Nightmonger]

I find it ironical that Skyrim didn't have left handed bow use when in morrowind the only way off wielding a bow was intge left handed style ( I.e bow in right hand arrow and drawing arm being left )

 

[Talshere]

snip

snip.

Not on about controls. Didnt mention them once except my second post about the fact that the DS is a pain in the ass if you need the D-pad and the pen. I have no problem gaming right handed. I cant honestly see the difference. It makes none to me. What I was talking about was the fact that all these characters that are supposed to be me not being left handed. I reiterate. On some games I can see why you wouldnt. Like KOTOR, that had scripted fight interactions even though its was "real time" and as a result youd have basically had to reanimate all the player fight animations again as well as a whole series of new animations for enemies, but on games like Skyrim all it would have taken was the ability to equip a shield in the other hand and shot a bow the other hand. Any game where there are no scripted interactions just require a flip of existing animations (most mmo's for example).

Also, I physically cant cut with some right handed scissors, the angle of cut is just.....Wrong.

snip.

As I say its the sort of thing I will just suddenly notice. It doesn't matter on most games but in a game like Skyrim for example it does really bug me.

Just use hand-to-hand combat. No one will ever be able to guess what hand you favor

Speak for yourself, idk about you but I flip my entire stance compared to most when I fight
Its caught more than one person off guard.