Slashdot Mirror
Ask Slashdot: Gaming With Only One Hand?
Hork_Monkey writes "I recently sustained a severe injury to one of my arms, and am lucky not to be an amputee. I'm an avid gamer (primarily PC, but also XBox) and looking for advice one how to adapt to the challenge now presented of enjoying one of my favorite pastimes. My google-fu has led me to some devices and tips, but I wanted to tap the collective while experimenting. I know there have to be some readers in similar positions who could provide some guidance. I'm figuring a few things out, and also hope to share what I find for others in a similar situation."
It's the most fun a guy can have with one hand.
Well, Slashdot is a good authority in one-handed computer use.
Emotiv technology lets you game hands free (someday) http://emotiv.com/
First, sorry for your injury. I know little about electronic gaming with injuries and I wish you luck with it. But you may want to consider pen and paper and/or board gaming a a well. With the right group it can be great.
Silence is a state of mime.
Given PC gaming, pure keyboard play is difficult as is switching, unless you're playing something like Civ V. A lot of people who play MMOs have these supermice with 10 keys on them and that's probably going to be your best bet.
For example, http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-mice/mmog-mice
If your right arm is good you could try a setup like this
Mouse
Razer naga: http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-mice/razer-naga
Logitech G600: http://www.logitech.com/en-us/gaming/mice-keyboard-combos/g600-mmo-gaming-mouse
Foot pedals: http://www.amazon.com/Fragpedal-Quad-PC-Gaming-Footpedal/dp/B005GVWTS4
Also, some games don't allow it but you can also simplify your controls using autohotkey.
You would be surprised how well a foot pedal rig can work for gaming. If you still have use of your mousing hand, pedals can easily handle the movement function of the keyboard hand. Just get yourself a mouse with a few extra buttons and you're set.
If sharing a song makes you a pirate, what do I have to share to be a ninja?
Without knowing which arm has been disabled, it's tough to offer specific advice, so I'll just shotgun some ideas here.
First, assuming you can still use a right-handed mouse, might I suggest the Logitech G600. It's got tons of buttons, which assuming your right arm is the functional one, can help fill in a lot of gaps with some creative mouse button configuration. And before anyone cries foul, yes, it IS superior to the Naga which it obviously borrows its design from; I own and have thoroughly used both. The G600's software is also superior.
For left-handed use, either the Razer Nostromo or Logitech G13 gamepads. I have both, and while Logitech's offering has a lot more extra buttons, I find the Nos to be generally more useful with its scroll wheel and more ergonomic feel, while the G13's advantages are more buttons and a true anolog stick (though in a very awkward position, unlike the Nos' more comfortable d-pad). The Nos also has an adjustable palm rest unlike the G13.
Those are off the top of my head, and granted are only mainstream devices and not anything specifically made for the disabled, but I hope I've helped, or at least given a direction to pursue further. Best of luck with the gaming! :)
The are some pretty good wii games that you can play with one hand, like Umbrella Chronicles. The game walks for you and you basically have to shoot everything. There are a lot o point and click also. You can buy a driving wheel, you will use your feets to press the pedals and drive like a "gangstah" with one hand... good thing you will practice for real driving with one hand.
I've gotten so good at one-handed gaming that I'm ready to move on to free-handed gaming in a month or two.
I don't know much about disabilities but there are pedals for car games or amps that you should be able to reprogram for fpses.
Pac-Man.
Some strategy and RPG games are turn-based or real-time-with-pause, that's how I passed the time when I wrecked my arm.
Is _that_ what the kids are calling it these days?
Play turn based strategies and adventures. Most of them need just mouse or keyboard. You can use both with one hand - one at a time.
A few years ago a friend got into a wicked car accident and one of her injuries was a badly messed up left hand.
A week or two after coming back from the hospital, she ended up MacGyvering her keyboard with guide rails and attaching a pen to a glove to press the keys.
After a couple weeks of trying to play Quake and Left 4 Dead she concluded her days of twitch shooters were over, but she still managed fairly well with slower paced games.
Good luck!
Hawking does cosmology with one eyeball, and you are stuck on one-handed gaming? Try ping pong, or darts.
Oh for... seriously?!
"N does X with Y, and you are stuck with Z? Try A or B."
I'm nearly 100% positive there's a logical fallacy in there somewhere, I just can't put my finger on it. Also, you're an ass.
A mouse with many extra buttons, four for directions (thumb), mouse-look -aim, left-attack-fire, right-jump, middle-zoom. Extra few for reload, journal, interact and other important commands.
Hawking does cosmology with one eyeball, and you are stuck on one-handed gaming? Try ping pong, or darts.
Tell you what, how about we chop off one of your arms--you even get to choose which one--and we'll see if you maintain that attitude.
The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.
Ask Ben Heck to make you one :P
http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/09/ben-heck-splits-and-condenses-a-pair-of-xbox-360-controllers-for/
I am an ACCA student. Got a query on Accountancy/Finance? Maybe I can help!
...in fourth grade. I couldn't really use my right hand much due to the obtrusiveness of the cast, so I didn't.
Using only my left hand with either a standard or a turbo SNES controller I beat Super Metroid in about 9 hours (Yes that's somewhat of a long time, but it was my first playthrough)
I'm STILL proud of that today. I think you need to look at what areas you can simplify the use of the controller, and perhaps change up a few games if your arm isn't usable.
Actually, the games most fit for playing with one hand usually demand the other for 'metagame activity', so to actually enjoy the game with only one hand he'd better learn to play with his toes.
Actually, I think this is probably the only thing that needs to be posted in response to this question.
If you need to waste hours in front of a screen, try online poker.. Addictive possibly worse for you. Or you could work on your tan, learn to ski, hike, swim, meet women, socialize.. maybe even work on job skills or start a business. (I really don't recommend the poker.)
Do you have use of your hand, but not your arm? Something I discovered when I broke my arm is that you can plug in a small second keyboard. Place it just so for the injured arm. Personally, I was a little surprised that worked just like you'd expect on Windows.
There are also a variety of foot pedals and simple foot keyboards available on Google.
Sorry to hear about your troubles - best of luck!
Pairs with other controllers well obviously, but good controller alone. Should be usable with most DualShock drivers.
Off the top of my head I can recommend a few things.
1. Racing games with a steering wheel and peddles. You can steer with one hand, set the game to automatically shift for you and let your feet do the rest.
2. Point-n-click adventure games.
3. Any board or card simulation. This might be a good time to take up Tetris, chess, Monopoly, poker, etc.
4. Role playing games. Some friends, some dice, some paper. Godo way to pass the time.
5. If you're into classic old school games see if you can find a MUD or Zork or something like that.
6. Some Wii games I think can be handled pretty well with just one hand and the Wiimote.
I'm pleasantly surprised there were some comments that didn't involve hints about masturbation...
The field you want, in general, is called accessibility. I tell you that so it can help your Google and other searches. I encourage you to reach out to the organizations listed on this Wikipedia page. I know some of them personally as I'm blind and a PhD student in computer science and an accessibility researcher, so I'll be more than happy to perform introductions on LinkedIn, email, twitter, whatever you like, just let me know. Here's the Wikipedia page listing some organizations. I'd start with Able Gamers. Mark's a good guy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_accessibility Next, I'd encourage you to get on twitter, if that's possible. I can connect you to tons of folks to cover everything from one handed typing approaches (both paid and open source solutions), speech input alternatives, strategies developed by other users of technology with the use of only one hand, and so forth. I'm @SinaBahram on there. Just drop me a line. Btw, the accessibility community often goes by the numerical acronym A11Y, so look for #A11Y or just a11y when Googling around, and that can help some of your searches as well. Sorry if this post is a bit disjoint. I would love to leave more comments on Slashdot and interact with it more, but Slashdot has repeatedly ignored my various emails and other attempts to reach out to them, since I use a screen reader and there are some serious accessibility issues that could so easily be fixed if I could just get ahold of the right person *poke poke to anyone who reads this*. To you or anybody else looking for more information on accessibility, technology used by folks with disabilities, etc., just contact me via whatever mechanism you like. It's all on my site, which I'm not sure my profile links to, so here it is. www.SinaBahram.com I hope this helps, and please don't' hesitate to contact me so we can get you connected to the right folks to get you gaming again.
I ordered this, but haven't quite got the hang of using it yet and it's only for the PS3.
http://www.consolesandgadgets.co.uk/catalog/ps2-ps3-one-handed-controller-p-1616.html
Second that. I knew a guy who had no use in his hands, but managed to use standard controllers with his feet. It was amazing to watch. I guess you'd have to increase the dexterity of your feet a lot before you got to that point.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
A good friend of mine has the same problem, one arm paralyzed. He has a good quality gaming mouse with a suitable amount of programmable buttons, a Razer Naga.
He's also thought about a footswitch (or multiple) but hasn't tried that yet. He plays FPS with alarming accuracy and skill, having bound buttons for moving forward, strafing, and doing all major tasks. He cannot go backwards (on his current setup) but that really doesn't seem to affect his gameplay much.
He previously had a Logitech gaming mouse, and bought the Razer more because it looks good than anything else (well, one or two extra buttons and nice ergonomics for his hand). He was a leftie, and lost use of his left arm, so is gaming with his weaker hand now. It's possible with any good programmable mouse!
Good luck on continuing gaming, and rest assured that it can be done insanely well!
> Ask Slashdot: Gaming With Only One Hand?
More importantly, you should ask how to surf with zero hands.
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
I had a stroke and only have had use of 1 hand for about 14 years now. I used to game with a regular 2 button mouse but recently got a razer naga hex and it's probably the best mouse for me http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006W3ZXEW/?tag=hyprod-20&hvadid=19398558576&hvpos=1o2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=398679345943500799&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&ref=asc_df_B006W3ZXEW it takes some getting used to though I use 2 not left click for shooting as it's much easier to have your index finger on the top forward and backwards buttons and just hit 2 with your thumb. The other buttons can be used to crouch, run, jump, etc. and are fairly easy to press with your thumb also. I'm mainly talking about first person shooters here as it's what I play most, but I heard it's a great MMO mouse too. If you want to use a regular two (3?) button mouse my only advice is have pushing button 3 (the scroll wheel) move you forward and left button shoot with right reloading. I hope I helped, feel free to ask me anything if I made this confusing or if you just want to know more.
I was going to mention vVv Spectral, the quadriplegic pro-Starcraft player, but this guy is even more impressive.
Try Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, everyone plays that one with just one hand anyways.
But seriously, point and click adventures almost never require more than one hand for mouse use.
Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
First, it's great that you're trying to adapt to your new situation, and not simply assuming that it is not possible. A dear friend of mine is in a similar situation, and after lots of research on her behalf I landed unequivocally on the following setup:
1. As many buttons as you can carry on your remaining mouse hand; i.e. Razer Naga. I've not used any of the super high button count (>8) Logitechs so I can't comment on them, but the Razer is what you would expect from the company: absolutely top notch. This is all personal preference of course, but obviously you want to load up on as many buttons as you can in your mouse hand.
2. That leaves the all important WASD, plus moar buttons. Without any finger control, grasping, wrist control.. hell, even if you only had an elbow, you can still achieve a level of control at least as good as traditional keyboard WASD by switching to an arcade style joystick:
http://www.xgaming.com/
These things are brilliant, and built like a brick shithouse. You can independently program every directional switch in the stick (i.e. WASD), and every button on the board, simply by plugging in a PS2 keyboard and holding the respective buttons on each device for a few moments. You can program multiple configs, and the controller remembers them while not plugged in. This includes modifier keys like shift, which is great for holding modifiers on your joystick to double the versatility of your mouse buttons. This setup is so versatile, that in my experience it cuts down on the mouse buttons you actually find yourself using (still doesn't hurt to have them though). Absolutely no software required to do this programming, and the joystick itself functions as a usb keyboard; your games won't know the difference at all. There are adapters available for every console as well.
One thing that helped was to find a comfortable spot to put the joystick. Think something chair seat height, as opposed to putting it up on your desk. The unit is tall and will need to sit lower than your keyboard or mouse do. It is also wide, so we ended up orienting it with the joystick at the back and the buttons at the front, rather than traditional joystick on left and buttons on right. It fits comfortably next to you like that (think flight sim setup with a left hand throttle control), and feels way more ergonomic than using the keyboard ever did, disability or no.
My friend has played countless hours of WoW and Borderlands with this setup, and if anything it is outright superior to the keyboard in both instances. The one limitation is that it's not practical to simultaneously use the joystick AND the buttons one-handed (a moot point given the disability), but switching between them is so quick, and the buttons can be moved to your mouse anyway, that this is an easily manageable issue in practice. It's also just plain more enjoyable than a keyboard, really. Playing an MMO or FPS with an arcade joystick really puts a shit eating grin on your face. I plan on getting this exact thing for myself once I have more time to game again, it is that good. And you still have your full keyboard in front of you!
While I'm blessed enough to have full functionality of both my arms, I have repeatedly run into situations where I am significantly more skilled than those I am playing with, and to keep things interesting, restrict myself to one hand when playing a number of games. While I am significantly better with both hands, it is not impossible to be somewhat competitive in many games with only one hand. Occasionally I've found myself (successfully) using these techniques in tournament matches when I feel a sufficient need to make a point. Moreover, I have in the past found myself with a pressing desire to play a new game, but absolutely no spare time, so I double-up eating with playing. For example, I beat (the gamecube version of ) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess entirely with only my left hand, such that I could use my right hand to eat during my lunch breaks.
I figured I could give some advice as a result of my experiences.
First off, I should note that I primarily do this on a Nintendo Gamecube controller (as I am an avid Super Smash Bros Melee fan), but in my experiences they do translate well to the Xbox360 controller. I have not given serious consideration to a Playstation controller, and naturally this will not translate to keyboard/mouse.
Secondly, I should note that I've yet to find a good way (assuming an unmodified controller) to have immediate access to both sticks and all of the shoulder buttons simultaneously. Typically, you'll have to limit yourself to delayed access to something. This is a limited issue in some games (e.g.: fighting games), but can be very pressing in other games (e.g.: first person shooters).
You did not state in TFS which hand you have lost, and so I will cover both hands. There are two main grips I use, depending on the specific situation in the specific game.
The primarily left handed grip: Sitting down, place the controller on your left thigh or knee. Place your pinky on the left stick, thumb on the right stick, and pointer finger over the main part of the face buttons. To access shoulder buttons, have either your pinky or pointer finger reach over and around the controller to the appropriate button. This will most likely feel awkward at first, especially using the pinky on the left control stick, but I assure you with practice it is quite possible to become adept at it. The biggest limitation is the reach time for the shoulder buttons.
The second grip left-handed grip is a modification of the way the left hand typically holds the controller. I have often heard this referred to as "the left-handed claw". Instead of using the thumb on the left stick, slide it down to the directional pad, and use the pointer finger on the stick. If you try to also cover both left shoulder buttons you'll find you only have the pinky to provide support - rest the controller on your leg. The obvious limitation here is significant lack of access to the right side of the controller. I use this in SSBM for wavedashing when needed (jumping with up).
It is quite possible to switch between these two grips on-the-fly. While you'll have at best a delayed access to any given input device on the controller, you will have access to everything. With practice, I'm reasonably confident someone with one hand could progress through many 360/NGC games built with the intention
The right hand is, in my opinion, significantly harder to use, but not impossible:
The primarily right-hand grip: Rest the controller on your right thigh or knee. Place your pointer finger on the left stick, your ring finger on the right stick, and your pinky over the main face buttons. Like the left hand, reach over the controller with either your pointer finger or pinky when needing to reach the shoulder buttons.
I cannot think of any games that are completely playable with only the right-hand claw (see the left hand claw above for reference), so I won't really cover it. I should note that, when playing with both hands, I use the right-handed claw. However, most
"A witty saying proves nothing." - Voltaire
There's a gaming speech pack for it that allows you to setup a lot of command types for various games.
http://www.nuance.com/for-individuals/by-product/dragon-for-pc/add-ons/dragon-gaming/index.htm
Gaming isn't made for one handers, srry.
This guy does a fairly good job with just one thumb.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BhHwk9qSvI
I play the heck out of the PC BF3, and thought how I would do it with one arm cause I would find a way.
I'd use my tongue, I'm right handed but learned to use the mouse with my left hand as the
cord was too short to sit on the couch and use with my right hand.
My game play is right handed, none of this wasd, it's all, keypad, arrow keys and keys to the
left and top of them. My left hand or mouse hand could be limited to left, right, up, down, and in between.
Fire, switch weapons (middle button) all easily done using my tongue (after the learning process)
- if I could find one pre-made.
I've made a joysticks before, a bike handlebar grip that you held upright then by moving
it around let me emulate an Atari 2600 joystick by using mercury switches. I think if I (you)
could find the proper miniature multi-axis switch one could be easily be made into a tongue controller.
I'm sure you've googled this, I saw an article mentioning Steam and a tongue controller; but
didn't dig too deep.
Good luck on this venture.
Depending on the severity of your injured arm, maybe you could manage to tape your limb to one of these devices: http://www.catistore.com/sp3dusbmoby3.html You can operate 6 axis (move, rotation). That means moving + aiming in an FPS. Then, you could use your other hand with the keyboard. I don't know if this will work for you, since you didn't specified precisely the extent of your injury. For instance, I am an amputee. But I only lost 2 phalanxes in my left index finger, so the first sentence is a bit misleading.
Well, this guy lays belly down on a bed, keyboard at his chin, pen in mouth, mouse propped against his cheek
http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/ingame/disabled-gamer-shows-unusual-play-style-charity-1B6037954
rewriting history since 2109
Yup, watch that episode of TBHS and post in his corner of the element14 forums for more advice. He and other gaming accessibility minds frequent it.
http://www.element14.com/community/community/experts/benheck
You should also make your way over to AbleGamers.
http://www.ablegamers.com/
+0 Meh
Seriously? You had to scroll down past how many valid answers to the guy's question to post this stupidity?
Please, please, click the button in the corner of your screen that closes the browser, and go drinking alone in a bar. At least that's where bitter, sad people like you have traditionally wasted their remaining days.
John
I'm surprised nobody's mentioned it before, but the Kinect doesn't require agility in your hand, just the presence and motion of it. No, you're not going to get first person twitch gaming experience out of it, but you'll be on an absolutely equal par with anyone playing it.
John
N and X and Y and Z and A and B? Slow down Captain Alphabet, we're not all mathemagicians.
I've been on the Internet a while. Back when it was the tenner-a-month club. You need to release your anger. Huh, what now? Yeah. You feel anger, then you let it go. It flies up and plugs holes in the ozone. Or rapes angels. Somesuch whatever. When a bad person makes you give in to a bad impulse, only badness wins. Now this may seem alien to you but once you realise that you can be as passive-aggressive sanctimonious as you desire in your forgiveness it opens up whole new avenues of creative vitriol.
It's not clear he's even reading this. At that point, we're talking to each other, few of which need our advice we're offering. I suddenly caught on to that in one of the last Ask Slashdots, the one about freelancing IT. The Asker never appeared in the thread. Hork_Monkey hasn't yet appeared in this one either.
(Dice company, what if you made a rule that the Ask Slashdot submitter has to reply to his thread?)
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
I'm able to grab a play station controller or a xbox controller with only my left hand and play that way. I basically learned to use the left analog with the little finger and the buttons with the thumb. The triggers are a bit tricky but many games don't need them that much. I play mostly RPG's, and turn based games but I'm able to put a good fight even in games like marvel vs capcom. As for FPS's, I've found it easier to play in a laptop using the touchpad to aim and touch to fire. Most of the keys are reachable with the default settings but you can always use custom keyboard settings. Just don't give up, you will get used to it in no time.
Craft some crafty letters to the gaming companies with
deep pockets and request (later demand) improved
and alternate interfaces.
In reality there are limits to what they can do but
constructive requests could make you the co-inventor
of a rich patent.
Always quietly send the same info to two companies so
you have collaboration of your ideal. It only gets
interesting if both run (to the patent office) with the idea.
Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't. Mark Twain.
So you actually have a few choices for gaming with one hand. You can either simplfy your gaming style to games that can be played with one hand only, or you can find alternative input devices. One of my good friends lost his right hand in an accident at work a few years ago, and he was also an avid PC gamer. For him, he wasn't willing to throw in the towel (similarly to how you sound). A few of us chipped in and bought him a Jedi Mind Trick (now rebranded as Emotiv since Lucas Arts sued them). It took a significant amount of time for him to essentially relearn how to use his computer (much longer than is suggested on the Emotiv website,) but now several years later, you would be hard pressed to guess that he played with one hand if you were gaming with him online. He plays with a mouse, his emotiv headset, and a bluetooth earpiece from a cell phone, but bound to his PC. We play Eve Online regularly and recently we have been playing Borderlands 2, and after overcomming the learning curve, he is still as good a gamer as before.
The second keyboard on the floor is a really interesting idea. Anything to help speed things up (and hit the routine keys) will be a good help. That is the type of tip I was looking for!
Thanks again!
Anything that will play nice with a kinect, or its older-and-less-sophisticated-but-much-more-mature-at-emulating-a-mouse sibling the IR webcam with illuminators and a retroreflective dot(because the commercial units have been touched by the dead hand of 'assistive technology' pricing they are damned expensive for what they are, DIY hacks are less likely to be polished; but can come in at a factor of ten less) could be useful to provide an extra 'hand' worth of control without occupying your good hand(if you are a flight simmer, you may well want one anyway: for immersion, nothing beats having your cockpit view actually change when you turn your real-world head...)
Other useful things: the switch discussed here(or its reasonably numerous clones) is basically a cheapy guitar stomp pedal that can be programmed to perform more or less any keystroke, or short keystroke sequence(and possibly a mouse click event, not sure) that a normal USB HID device could. I think that 4-pedal versions are also available. For relatively little money, a chunk of plywood or something, and a USB hub, you should be able to get your feet in on controlling a bunch of useful hotkeys and whatnot.
For more thoroughly custom work, the teensy is extremely convenient. It is essentially arduino compatible, so basic development is dead simple; but it also includes a USB HID bootloader out of the box and enough I/O pins to tack on a reasonable number of switches that can then be tied to keycodes sent to the host(I could imagine, for instance, that if you don't have the finger control for WASD, you might still be able to handle a joystick/grip type arrangement with 4 contact switches mapped to those allowing you to control standard left-hand functions with only gross motor control of the arm/shoulder and possibly one or two of the footswitches for crouch/reload/whatever.
Also good to know about for custom ergonomics work: Polycaprolactone. At room temperature, it is a plastic with bulk properties pretty similar to nylon. However, it becomes soft enough to be moldable at only 60 degrees C or so. This makes it only slightly uncomfortable to hand-mould grips and things that precisely fit you. It can also be tool worked when hardened with a minimum of trouble.
I saw these and wasn't sure if it was effective or not. I'll check into it further.
Thanks for the info.
Digital throttle, all controls within reach without having to let go of the stick. OK, it's only 3 buttons aside from the throttle, but hey, if you want uber stickage, then you'd have to let go of the stick for throttle and six programmable buttons, on top of the eight way hat and six more buttons on the stick on a Cyborg Evo. Still probably the best budget stick there is, tho.
There again, there's the gear with the foot pedals. I've seen pedals with pressure sensitive multiswitching, as well as reverse switching, sticks with side throttles (great for pro flight sims), I've even got a convertible steering wheel/flight yoke that comes with... a 4-button stick and three pedals... stuff so complicated you could map keystrokes and never touch the keyboard again.
Operation Guillotine is in effect.
It sounds interesting, but the site doesn't even have a picture of it. Not to knock it or you, but that just seems fishy.
Thanks for the info.
The site doesn't really explain much. All I can see is that it's a breathing apparatus that plugs n via USB.
Can you elaborate a bit?
Very cool site. It might actually motivate me to try it myself.
Thanks for the link.
I was looking for a site like ablegamers.com when I started searching. I can't believe that my google-fu was that weak.
Awesome. Thanks for the link.
Minesweeper, Bejewelled..
www.chihuahuarescue.com- Help to end dog abuse, abandonment and cruelty
On behalf of all bitter, sad people drinking alone at the bar I would like to protest. Many sad, bitter people drinking alone at the bar are also perceptive, intelligent people and as such would never express their sadness and bitterness by either posting empty inflammatory statements on Slashdot, nor expressing their biased blanket judgements against sad, intelligent drinkers by callously lumping the aforementioned drinkers into the same derogatory category as the author of the aforementioned inflammatory statement as a form of retort.
I lost the use of my left arm and hand a year ago as a result of a gamma knife procedure to correct an AVM in my brain, so I'm very interested in any replies to this thread. I've been typing with one hand for over a year now and have gotten fairly proficient(as an ugly bastard, I wasn't terrible at one handed typing to begin with...), but I tried playing Torchlight II the other day and found that, while it's playable, two hands would be better than one. I was hoping to map some options to one of the multiple button on my mouse, but it appears that such a thing isn't available after a simple attempt. I hope I'm wrong and it is possible, but I've pretty much given up hope of seriously gaming again unless I can get my hand to operate again. If I do manage to get my hand working, I hope to play Tony Hawk again along with some MUDing to get my typing back up to par. Good luck, friend.
I use freetrack for headtracking in flightsims, racing games and Arma II, it's a free version of TrackIR (overpriced and aggressive about its dubious IP so I avoid) look here: http://www.free-track.net/english/. It is quite simple to build a headset with some IR LEDs and almost any camera will work with it. I built my set-up for around £30 including the soldering iron and a second hand PS3 eyetoy modded as per these instructions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jJfuP7YgPA. In conjunction with Glovepie, software which will allow you to program controls via almost any external controller https://sites.google.com/site/carlkenner/glovepie. You would be able to program custom controls for any game of your choosing. For example in an FPS you would be able to use head movement to control WASD keys ( Lean forward for W, lean back for S, lean left for A, lean right for D) and your able hand for the mouse. Here is the link for Glovepie https://sites.google.com/site/carlkenner/glovepie. I would normally give you glovePIE.org, but some retarded script kiddie seems to have 'hacked' it at the moment. Happy gaming...
In a cybernetic fit of rage she pissed off to another age...
The subject line here was the headline for a mid-90s banner ad for a dating service.
Best. Ad. Ever.
---- Please be nice in case my Slashdot karma ~= my real life karma.
I actually tried Reddit, but it was rejected since they felt I could find the answers on Google. Honestly, I submitted it for me to start, but for others in this situation as well. The idea was for a good discussion to come about from it. So far, Slashdot was delivered quite well.
:)
I keep hearing how the culture here is going downhill, but I think that is nostalgia speaking. I've had an account here since '99, and the only real disappointment is the trolls. They suck now.
In case you decide to pick up a Wii, the following games can be played with only the Wii Remote (based on my own collection):
Mario Kart Wii (designed for two hands but playable with one)
Wii Sports (most mini-games can be played with one hand)
Wii Sports Resort (again, most can be played with one hand)
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King (downloadable only)
Dead Space Extraction (if memory serves me; I no longer own it)
Wario Ware: Smooth Moves
Zack and Wiki (if memory serves me)
Trauma Center: New Blood (if memory serves me)
In addition to these, a number of downloadable "WiiWare" titles can be played one-handed, and if you can get used to playing simple games with the controller horizontal (i.e. reaching across the controller for the buttons with the same hand that is using the d-pad), you should be able to play just about any NES game on the Wii's store, as well as many Genesis games. New Super Mario Bros might also be feasible, but you would need some way to shake and rotate the controller.
Some one-handed PC games (generally mouse-only) include:
Aquaria
Audiosurf
Chime
Droplitz
Greed Cord
Machinarium
Osmos
Torchlight
Torchlight II
Good luck finding something that works for you!
I use freetrack for flightsims and racing games etc, it's free headtracking software and can be found here: http://www.free-track.net/english/ . I put my setup together for around £30 including the PS3 etyetoy I use as the camera and the soldering iron as well! Slight modification for a webcam is needed to remove the IR filter, but it is quite straightforward as per this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jJfuP7YgPA. In conjunction with GlovePIE you can program your head movements in freetrack to any controls you desire https://sites.google.com/site/carlkenner/glovepie (normally I'd say glovePIE.org, but it seems to have been 'hacked' by a moron for the time being). It can be used with almost any external controller, but it works very well with Freetrack. For instance in an FPS you could use your head to control WASD (lean forward for W, lean back for S, lean left for A, and lean right for D ) while your able hand controls the mouse. You could however use whatever variation suits you for any particular style of game. Hope that helps.
In a cybernetic fit of rage she pissed off to another age...
I think it mainly depends on what types of gaming you got into before.
Yes. Most Eroge games are meant to be played with one hand.
I bought a OCZ NIA to play with http://www.ocztechnology.com/nia-game-controller.html . Too impatient to learn how to use it, I shelved it. Friend from the Phillipines came to visit, he had no use of one hand and he tried it out. Within a day he had it doing a few basic things for him. He only got to use it for a weekend, and seemed to like it. Not sure if he picked up one when he went back to the Phillipines. I don't think they make them any more, but I'm sure you could find one some where.
If you're working with your non-dominant hand then innately mouse-only turn based strategy, adventure or management games are going to be your friend. At least while you retrain your mouse usage. Things like Civilization, Hero Academy, SimCity and Monkey Island.
I've also found action RPG games with a small amount of keyboard commands are extremely playable if you remap the keys to your mouse's spare commands. I've been playing Diablo 3 with all six skills and health potions mapped to the mouse. It works really well and I only feel disadvantaged when I want to shift click to stand still and attack - which I'm one button shy of being able to map. With good character and skiill choice you could probably offload a 5-minute buff to the keyboard (numpad-enter or tab).
I haven't figured out how to play FPS games competitively yet, but binding move forward and one side-strafe to the mouse might get you started.
Amazing story. Thanks for posting.
Get a NES and one of those big-ass arcade-ish controllers and do what this guy does.
"Live free or don't."
(Heh - Also one handed!)
I wager I am a hair faster typing right handed than some, except I got my practice typing with pizza and other yummies in my left hand! : ) It's in fact faster for me than my iPhone because on the iPhone I wrestle with Autocorrect every single word, and it won't leave well enough alone. It's also not possible to do the "click 4 lines up with the mouse to fix the Squiggly warning.
Oh, more fun: depending to be sure you don't break a game's rules, maybe consider one of the Macro / hotkey programs. For example if you get the window spacing right, it would put stuff like 7 mouse clicks onto a key, and then since your hand stays on the keys, you can recover even more time.
Catch ya about!
.
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
I have wrist issues, can't game with my hands. Here is my general computing and gaming setup:
GENERAL USE
1. Dragon Naturally Speaking + vocola/natlink. If you get the preferred version which often goes on sale for 60 to 100 bucks, you can hook vocola into it and create voice macros. Makes me more productive than most people with their hands at work, works well at home too. Win7 has win speech recognition which is more basic but free and supposedly decent. This handles basic keyboard stuff but I would not use it for gaming due to processing time (other than slower paced games maybe)
2. I use a Smartnav for my mouse, it's an IR tracker, so I move my head. I got used to it so I made it very sensitive and have to move my head maybe an inch to hit any particular target. I use a dwell clicker for when I stop
3. Footpedals (I use stealthswitch2). I have five of them, 4 functions and one to swap the function of the other 4 (giving me 8 functions).
GAMING
1. I'll still use the smartnav for most games. I finished portal and borderlands aiming with my head so it's not so bad. If I can handle the mouse (and I guess you can) then that's still preferable.
2. What might really help you is to do what I do here: Gamepad + xpadder. Since I can't use my hands, I mainly move the analog sticks with my arms. Using xpader, I map the analogs to keyboard keys. So if the game is an FPS the left analog will map WASD and the right can map four keys. If it's not an FPS type game that frees it up and I can map another four keys to the left. And maybe I'll map some of the buttons to less critical functions and mash them with my hand (since the buttons are too close to be useful without using fingers)
3. If you can afford it and have lots of time, try a Quasicon Axis controller (they have 3 types). They were on backorder when I tried and dicked me around for about 6 months, so I can't vouch for them.
Hope this helps.
The Atari 2600 had a one-button joystick, and you could buy models like the Wico Boss that had the fire button mounted on top. That should be pretty comfortable with one hand, especially if you add suction cups or duct-tape it to a table.
Or if you prefer something a little fancier, the Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, and most Amiga games also used the same joystick pinout & control scheme. And there are a bunch of other one-button platforms: the Odyssey^2, Tandy CoCo, TI-99/4A, most Apple II games, and plenty of MAME-able titles.
I don't know if there's a Sega Master System joystick that has both buttons mounted on the top of the joystick, but if there is, then that's another option. Some NES games, especially shooters, might be playable with a joystick that has one button mounted on the top and the other on the body. In games like Life Force and Gradius you're only using the secondary button once in a while, to buy new weapons/shields.
http://www.terrisus.com/pictures/1-nes.jpg
http://www.terrisus.com/pictures/1-snes1.jpg
http://www.terrisus.com/pictures/1-snes2.jpg
http://www.terrisus.com/pictures/1-ps1.jpg
Of course, they're particularly suited to RPGs, but, in theory they could be used with any game.
I had gone through a similar sort of situation last year, when I had cancer in my left arm, and they said it was possible I might end up losing it - which thankfully I didn't, but, my arm had to be in a cast for a couple of weeks after the surgery still. So, was kind of preparing for that possibility, and so picked up all four of those. Definitely not a fun situation, but fortunately there are some options out there.
https://www.google.com/search?q=def+leppard+drummer
Flappinbooger isn't my real name
You should most definately check out this glove.
'We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.' RPF
I would look into the Razor Naga MMO mouse. It's basically a number pad on the mouse. Depending on how you map things, you could get a lot of use out of it I bet.
...lost my left hand at the wrist in an accident when I was 7 years old. I can use my wrist an a few key on the keyboard.
Obviously only real time games are an issue. Currently playing CSGO and minecraft.
I think the most extreme case is an FPS, so I'll just talk about CSGO:
- get a mouse with plenty of buttons. Mine has 8, which is good, but I'd like a couple more. I tried Warmouse with its 1 million buttons and thumb stick, but it's ergonomically crap.
- My left wrist can be used on the letf ctrl and alt buttons (with any middle key between them disabled or just removed from the keyboard) for strafing, and on the space bar for some other function (open doors, pickup). Other keys are too hard to press quickly.
- run, reverse, fire, alt fire, weapon select, jump, duck, zoom, reload are all on my mouse (8 buttons plus wheel)
(Actually CSGO doesn't really use alt-fire, that is more of a legacy from my L4D2 setup where alt-fire (push) is a hugely important function - I should swap that for walk)
This is perfect for L4D2, but I really need one more button for CSGO: can't walk.
If a game doesn't allow total customisation (eg. DDO, Dead Space), get AutoHotkey to remap keys/buttons.
Think about combinations you'll need when choosing which fingers do what, eg duck + jump + strafe + run + walk + fire all together ( firing during ducked jump at walk speed while strafing diagonally) is probably the most extreme example I can think of (I can't do that).
An example I ran into: put forward and reverse on the same finger (thumb for my setup) and not alt-fire and reverse on the same finger - you will find it hard to alt fire while moving backwards.
Some obvious combo that will never happen: left strafe/right strafe, forward/back, fire/reload/change weapon/zoom toggle (any two)
Some others that you want: any movement with any non-movement (a drawback with my current setup is no jump + fire - they both use the same finger), run+ jump + duck together.
My current mouse is a Logitech MX518, but I'm always on the lookout for something both cheap and decent that has more buttons.
What I REALLY want is a wide mouse that uses my 4th and 5th (or is that 3rd and 4th?) fingers - they have no role on a normal mouse.
I agree with the foot pedal idea.
You can also use a head tracker for mouse moment. You don't have to have an HMD, this one can mount on your ear or hat:
http://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/02-products/product-TrackIR-4-PRO.html
I use (the fairly old) Voice Commander II to do speech recognition. It lets you set up macros like:
you say, "Machine Gun" = switch weapon to machine gun + reload + crouch + deploy
I recently started playing League of Legends. While you can use keyboard shortcuts, I generally play with just a mouse. It's free or you can spend some money to purchase points in which to unlock Champions. There are free Champions available each week to use and when you play you earn points which can be used to unlock more. There are the old (and new) point-and-click adventure games which I've always been fond of. As some people have suggested, Civilization is a good game which also plays well with just the mouse. Magic the Gathering Online, Carte, and Shadow Era are pretty good card games which are played with a mouse. They are collectable games and Carte and Shadow Era don't require much investment. Decks and boosters in Shadow Era are only $1 a piece and furthermore you earn points through winning against AI or online competitive games which can be used to purchase boosters and cards. Also if you have a device with a touch screen some of the Android or iOS games are pretty entertaining. The Shadow Era game I mentioned above can also be playing on either OS so you can play on the go. I play a number of tower defense games on my phone which are also available on PC and just require a mouse as well. Also available are gaming mice which have tons of programmable buttons which can be mapped to play FPS games, although it may be a challenge playing online against other players but not impossible. If you are able to use a finger or device to press the WSAD keys it would be even easier. Hope you can find some games you enjoy.
I've experimented with hands-free input on the PC to supplement the standard mouse/keyboard. Some of my best successes are:
Game Commander 2 for voice control - great for switching weapons, fine-tuning simulator parameters, etc. Anything where you don't need instant responsiveness. It seems to be available free these days, but pretty much requires a high-quality noise-canceling microphone to work reliable. (If anyone knows where to get an affordable, quality headset mic without integrated headphones please let me know) It might have issues with Vista, 7, etc. though.
TrackIR/FreeTrack can be rigged to emulate key presses with a little work (FreeTrack is probably easier to work with). Leaning/jumping/crouching/etc maps intuitively to this, but you can use it for anything you like. I strongly recommend going with full 6DOF tracking, otherwise cross-talk between different head movements can get infuriating.
Use a Wii Balance Board along with GlovePie to emulate a mouse, joystick, and/or keyboard. The simplest way is to simply map the center-of-gravity position as a joystick or 4/8-way keypad. It's a little sluggish for movement in twitch-friendly FPSes (shifting your weight takes a lot longer than twitching a finger), but has potential in slower games. I've also had great luck using it for intuitive leaning. In this mode it also works just fine while sitting on it or putting it underneath a pedestal-base chair, though you need to add a way to calibrate the forward/back axis since it's unlikely your weight will be perfectly centered (I use the button to trigger a time-delayed "neutral position" reading)
Standing on the BBoard or using it as pseudo-pedals opens the door to additional control as well - since there's some flex in the board each corner can be operated almost independently, or you can play with composite axes - for example independently tracking the front-back force distribution on each foot (think independent throttle control for the treads of a tank) as well as the force balance between feet. You can also convert the difference between left and right "throttle positions" into "twist" information - I had some interesting successes using the combination of that and the center-of-gravity position to emulate a joystick/rudder combo.
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
You only need one hand if you have a decent wheel and pedals!
Also, check out The Way I Play -- it's a site all about custom controller builds. Usually they're conventional, but people do go crazy on occasion.
If your offhand is damaged can it still be used to actuate a joystick? If your primary hand is damaged, can you strap it to a mouse to get mouse control and then use your offhand or feet to click buttons?
This guy plays fairly competitive Street Fighter, with his face and tongue:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx24B6RwekQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83nSodg-HTU
Perhaps the Asker should also mention what state his injured hand is in.
I have similar issues, and find turn-based games very 1-hand friendly. Mostly due to you can take as much time as you like to do things, and don't need to press different things at the same time. Very glad they are doing a new X-com!
Many iPad games are also good. I can hold the I pad with/on my knees/legs and swiping with 1 finger is then easy. As long as it doesn't need multi-touch, its a winner.
FPS games are way out of the question for me :)
Modern "mmo" gaming mice allow for essentially one hand gameplay in most modern games. You bind directional buttons to side buttons (or in care of rat mmo you just use the directional stick provided on the side of the mouse), as well as spread the buttons you need to control the game across the buttons available on the mouse.
It would take some time to get used to, but you should be able to play one handed without losing functionality like this.
How severe is the injury? Have you got any fingers left? How much use will the injured hand have left?
As someone born with a deformed hand, which is missing two fingers and one of the remaining ones is a crock of shite, I know the sort of issues you're going to face. Although I'm no hardcore gamer, Minecraft is my past-time, and believe it or not I have no problems with the default controls. I also have no problem with the Playstation controllers, although XBox is quite difficult for me to use properly.
As for advice, if it's that severe an injury, get a multi-buttoned mouse. If you still have fingers left, man up and deal with it. I did.
If you gave me a choice between a printer and a giraffe with explosive diarrhoea, i'll get my ladder and my raincoat
I clicked around and only really found information about the hardware. I never really found what the application was. Granted I only looked for about a minute, but that is probably more than the average web visitor. Thanks for the info.
Hi Hork_Monkey Im WolfCoala, Iv been onehanded since birth and hooked on FPS since Wolfenstien.(Came out more or less the same time as DOOM) I use 2 mouses, one on the floor and one by the keyboard. It works fairly good. The mouse on the floor is as simple as the come just two buttons and a scrollwheel witch I never use, my other is a logitech G5, nothing fansy or expensive. When playing FPS I use the usual wasd keys for moving (I got my left hand) Ctrl for fire, shift for alt fire. I use the flooormouse to look around and sometimes one of the mousebuttons for scope or likewise... Good luck with your playing and lits wack eachother online sometime ^^
Luv ta too AC.
Meanwhile the guy I replied to changed to my Friend and he was my audience.
My first Journal Entry ever, in 8 years! http://slashdot.org/journal/365947/aphelion-scifi-fantasy-horror-poetry-webzine
I bought the Fragpedal Quad: http://www.gamingmouse.co.uk/gaming/fragpedal/quad/
I haven't used it in anger yet, but Good Work Systems is very helpful in supplying custom configuration and macros.
You can probably cover about 2/3 of the games in the market with one hand. Just about anything that runs turn-based should be fun, even without a hardware upgrade. This covers everything from a large swathe of the 4x strategy games, to most Rogue-like games to puzzlers.
If you add a new multi-button mouse or other OTS capability enhancers, racing games (limited control set) and single player RPGs (those that pause when you bring up inventory or other data screens) come into play. RTS may also work, but could cause trouble if some of the game actions aren't accessible from mouse menus.
For an RPG, you'd need that tab button, plus buttons for forward and backward movement, and a button to pick up things, when you add in the 2 standard buttons and the wheel, you're probably looking at an 8-button mouse as a minimum (you'll turn your facing to move sideways, unless you add more buttons). Some RPGs that require you to use keystrokes to enable special attacks could be problematic. You won't be taking on the really combat-oriented RPGs here.
MMOs and FPS are probably the last thing you'll be able to take on and feel competitive - they'll probably require a prosthetic or some alternate control mechanism to provide a full substitution for the "lost" hand. And whether you elect to go with additional hardware or not, the learning curve will hurt your gameplay for a while.
Finally, if your other arm has any useful movement that can be restored with PT, there's a good chance it can still be used for mashing the spacebar or a virtual equivalent. And best of luck to you dealing with this IRL as well as from a gaming perspective.
We are the 198 proof..
What about the Wii ? I get that you are primarily a PC / 360 gamer, but there are a number of Wii games that can be played 1 handed for a short term gaming fix... Light gun games, Dancing games Sports ( Madden / Tennis / Golf ) etc...
You mention Xbox and PC games, but those do not narrow it down to much.
On the PC side, games of the 'just one more turn' / slow play strategy games are probably not affected. The Civilization series, Galactic Civilizations 2 (not related to previous series), various 'God Games', are not likely to be affected.
If your gaming leaned more towards First Person Shooters, and Starcraft 2 style RTS games, and anything with a 'mouse to look, WSAD keys to move' is probably going to be a bitch to play with a damaged left hand. I have never gotten into World of Warcraft, but given the prevalence for keyboard macro's, that may not be the best option.
For many XBox games, it comes down to what games your playing on that console, and how usable your left thumb is. If your left thumb is functional, you probably have a huge amount of games that are perfectly playable. If your left index finger is also functional, you may find that most console games pose no issues.
Games that are playable with the Wii Remote or Playstation Move controller are also essentially one handed games as long as the 'nunchuck' attachment is not critical. Content choices on the Wii do skew very heavy to casual though.
More info on what kind of games you actually play may result in better advice.
END COMMUNICATION
Welcome to the contempt with which left-handers are treated by a significant minority of right-handers. And when the left-handers get a majority, you fucking right-handers are going to suffer for your abuse.
Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
Hilarious how almost nobody can drop the subject of erotic entertainment!
It's just "eroge"--the Japanese portmanteau of "erotic game."
DATABASE WOW WOW