Today I want to cover a topic that's been bothering me since the first FPS I played after Goldeneye for the N64. As a left handed person growing up in a right hander's world, I've learned to adapt myself to certain standards. I can use a can opener with my right hand, and I can even use scissors to some with skill, to some extent. I'm also pretty good at driving a car. Manual transmissions aren't too difficult with my right hand. So as it is, while I lack the hard wiring to perform these functions naturally, they can be done.
However, none of these functions are performed while being shot at.
So the question I pose for developers today is, why are sensible left handed control schemes not standard for all games where it should be applicable?
Now before I list some games that could have used corrections, let's note what should be standard:
- Shooting: Generally performed by either the R1 or R2 buttons on the PS3 or the right trigger on the 360. Face buttons don't work because of the necessary dual-analog conrols of movement and facing.
- Driving: NOBODY DRIVES USING THE RIGHT ANALOG. period. Racing games have set the standard more than 20 years ago when controls only had one input for direction. (I am not refferring to the ambidextous atari joystiq, either). The left pad/stick is reserved for vehicle navigation. There is no reason to re-invent the wheel here.
- Third Person Action Games: Again, the standard of 3-d navigation was universally agreed upon when we only had one input. At that time, a "lock-on" button was used for fine-tuning your aim, which was..well, fine. That, or you just ran in circles and shot the fuck out of everything in hopes a bloody carcass would drop to the ground.
Remeber the first G.R.A.W.? Beatiful game. Horrid AI. No lefty controls. Still, thanks to the atrocisous AI, I was able to finsh not only normal mode, but the hard difficulty as well.
Fast forward to G.R.A.W. 2: G.R.A.W. Harder; leftly controls added! Now they seem to have gone too far and swapped the shoot and zoom buttons around. While functional, it's an odd mechanic in itself as I've never dealt with that scheme before. Let's just say it led to a lot of deaths. That coupled with Colonel Schwartzenegger pushed the game to the shelf before completion.
Call of Duty 3: Development Rush! was the best damn CoD build in 11 months, ever. People who complained that Treyarch is garbage need to go play World at War and then play a round of Russiun Roulette using a .50 Desert Eagle. YOU WILL WIN, I promise. Really, the only fault this game has outside of being rushed is that they ask you to shove your left hand up your ass and steer vehicle with your pinky toe. By this I obviously mean vehicle navigation with the Right-analog while playing left-handed.
Call of Duty 4: Will of the West is up next. Brilliant game on all fronts. Completely stunning from start to finish. Only one problem actually, who can actually hold their breath while using a sniper rifle and playing left-handed? Anyone? If so, I tip my hat to you sir.
The same thing in Call of Duty: World at War. Again, the problem has been fixed by swapping the "hold breathe" function along with the trigger/aim functions.
Fallout 3: Oblivion doesn't even give me the option to shoot hookers in the face with my left hand. Thank God for V.A.T.S, huh?
Far Cry 2: Far Removed commits the same control-treachery as CoD3 with the vehicle controls. Beyond that, it's quite a stellar game.
So really, the list can go on, but I list these games for a single reason: They are what should be Top-tier games. The are generally hailed as the best of a 5-6 year generation and yet, the developers can't seem to understand the that the best controls are the ones that the gamer can choose for themselves.
While I'm not looking for sympathy, I just want understanding followed by action. If you need a refference point, spend one day putting your pants on opposite-leg first, write with your left hand, use a fork only with your left had and use a mouse with your left hand. All of these things can be done, it won't be comfortable though.
So the question is why, why on earth am I paying money to play what should be a fantastic game, only suffer through correctable design flaws?
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