Design decisions akin to swallowing knives.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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?

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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?

It seams to me that trying to make a game with controls that can be made to work for left-handed is a hard thing, given that the controllers on the market are unsymmetrical. On the PC, all you need to do is switch places on mouse and keyboard, and you have pretty much the same experience.

What should be done is two put out mirrored versions of the existing controllers, tailored for lefties. That seems to me to be a perfect solution, no software change, and still 100% game experience for you. Perhaps already on the market, i don't know.

I can agree though, trying something and doing a poor job of it, is just bad.

Good post BTW.

Why do you need "left handed controls"? How you write shouldn't have any bearing on your thumbs' ability to twiddle a stick. I may understand the trigger thing, but the stick thing is a stupid complaint, since you use both your right and left hands to steer a wheel, using your left thumb to move your car left and right should be no problem. Maybe just an option to flip the gun's position would make it easier for you (like Counter Strike Source).

Call me a freak or something, but I didn't even know there was such a thing as "left handed controls" in games like this. I don't see why there would be an advantage to such a thing, since traditional controllers have always had pretty much the same layout for a long time.

And yeah...I'm a lefty.

I'm left handed as well and don't understand you post, either. This is the first time I have ever heard a left-handed person complaining about the traditional controller layout for console FPS. After all, you aim with your left hand. Your right hand skills may be less delicate, but why would you need delicacy in your right hand with the traditional controller layout for console FPS?

Hmm...I don't really think I can that different, can I?

Default control for FPS: Left stick=movement, Right stick= Aim

Southpaw is typically just a swap.

What kills me is that some developers still support "legacy" controls. In this case, the stick designated for movement has it's left/right function mapped to turning and the look stick has the strafe mapped to it.

How about any FPS with lefty control and a jump button. These are typically mapped to the X (PS3) or A (360). If I'm moving with the right thumbstick, I either pull my thumb off the stick, thus killing forward momentum...probably important for jumping, or wrangle my index finger (normally reserved for trigger/bumper) down to the face of the controller. Why can't these functions be swapped with the directional pad?

I understand that some lefty's don't have this problem, but my mind is wired this way, and it's horrible frustrating trying to play online in a game like battlefield when I could be aiming much better with my left hand instead of my being forced to use their default controls.

My aiming habits stemmed from Goldeneye (like I said previously) and a healthy amount of Quake and Classic UT on the PC...in which you can modify the controls into any scheme imaginable.

The only issue I have with lefty controls is in a game like Rock Band. Sure you can turn on lefty flip but all the wires and crap will get in your way. Give me a lefty bundle!

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.

Even as a lefty myself, this has never bothered me. Games have been set up for righties from the beginning, and it's all I've ever known. I have more issues with trying to write on the far left side of a piece of paper, while holding it on a clipboard ;-)

Everything you posted seems to be your problems using lefty controls.

When I think design, I more so think the actual game.  What you said is really control issues (part of design, but still).

" 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."

Im right handed but when I play Counter Strike I cahnge my character model to left handed for some odd reason.

"Im right handed but when I play Counter Strike I cahnge my character model to left handed for some odd reason."