Original post by dx elliot All for I know the Wii controller (the remote control one) can be used in either hand because the buttons and analog stick are positioned in the center. Maybe this is Nintendo's strategy for designing a controller that is super intuitive, even for non gamers.
From the pictures of the controller I've seen, I agree that I don't think there will be a hardware problem about making the games ambitexturous. I'm more worried about the software decisions; if developers assume that you'll be using your right hand and map actions to a right-handed avatar that means you'd have to use the opposite actions if you use your left hand, kind of like using a screwdriver or a can-opener in the wrong hand.
That also reminds me of how damn difficult it is to find good ambitexturous joysticks. Most of the ones I see in the stores have been specifically modelled for right hand use only.
I am Lefty for writing and I prefer it over my right hand, but I am ambidextrous (50-50). I like the mouse on the left for FPS games and using the arrow pad for movement. I do like the mouse on the right for every day activities (On my laptop I use a touch-pad though) since I', accustomed to using my forefinger for mouse clicks :p
I am Lefty for writing and I prefer it over my right hand, but I am ambidextrous (50-50). I like the mouse on the left for FPS games and using the arrow pad for movement. I do like the mouse on the right for every day activities (On my laptop I use a touch-pad though) since I', accustomed to using my forefinger for mouse clicks :p
I'm mostly left handed but I've just gotten used to having the mouse on the right side and using WASD. It's not weird having the gun on the right either. I just assume I'm right handed in the game.
I'm 90% right handed (trying to teach myself to be ambidextrous) and CS f----ed up on me one day and had the gun on the left hand side instead of the right... Oh my GOD!! Needless to say my skill went down the shitter and I almost wasn't able to play and I couldn't tell you why...
"You are a God amongst insects. Never let anyone tell you any different..."
I'm mostly left-handed and I'm confortable both with WASD for the left hand and with a non-flipped mouse or joystick (or arrow keys) in my right hand. I play Grid Wars with WASD for moving and arrows for firing; in more usual control schemes I'm used to use the left hand for shooting and for most of the keyboard, except perhaps Enter, Backspace and right Ctrl or Shift.
Regarding middle vs side weapons in FPS user interface, I think that a central weapon is much easier to aim; a truly lateral weapon, with its inherent parallax, would be annoying regardless of which side it is, and highly unrealistic.
I use my left hand to write and play the guitar, apart from that I'm right-handed. So the WASD keys are fine for me. As for the guns on-screen, I prefer none at all (which was a configurable option in U2 XMP one of my favorite FPS's). Dual weapons are pretty sweet too, one at each side. If I have to choose between the gun being on the left or right I would choose right.
Slightly off-topic, is it just me or is there a greater percentage of left-handed programmers than there is left handed people in the general population?
[Edited by - stevenmarky on November 15, 2006 4:21:01 AM]
Well, I think I'll be the first 100% left handed to complain about thw WASD. First off, I still use the mouse with my left hand - that's how I got used to it, I just found really hard to use with the right hand. The only game I played with WASD was FarCry (I believe you could adjust the keys, but I never bottered to).
The WASD itself isn't bad at all, but the problem is that the keys around it are generaly in an akward place. The main problem is the shift key, well, the alt key also. You can still click them, but this will generaly require you to move your hand out of the WASD - wicth dosesen't happend to right handed people.
That means you have to stop moving to do something like jump, crounch or move slowly - actually, I won't stop, I'll just put my 4th finger into the W and use my thumb or the 2nd finger to click shift, alt or whatever. Works, but could be better, yes, I just don't know how.
About the gun on the right side: doesen't bother me at all. In FarCray, I used to change the gun from left to right hand, but only when I was covering behind something, so I could place the gun were it would be easier to shoot.
