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Left-Handed Option? Should There Be One...

Left-handed Option? Should there be one...

  • Nah, it'd be difficult/expensive to make two versions

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • It doesn't really matter, either way

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Yes! How will the lefties play it without it?

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0

Jupiter

Bringer of Jollity
Joined
Jan 24, 2010
Location
Great Lakes
I have not really commented at length on this, even though I started the thread, but here is what I think:

Making a left handed Link can't be that hard: do it.

It's that simple. I really don't think there is a good excuse. It seems to me that anything like can fight with a right hand he can fight with a left hand. It will not feel the same if you are playing with your wrong hand...the whole point is to feel like you are Link, Link is you. This only works if the handedness of you and the avatar are the same. I am right handed, so it won't effect me, but I think that to be fair and have the best feelings about the game in general there should be an option for lefties.
 
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tommytiger

Guest
...Yeah it's weird for the joystick to be on the wrong side. But it's weirder to swing a sword with the right hand. I've been able to play wii games lefty - takes a bit of time to get used to using my right thumb to move a character, but I've done it. But the 1:1 swordplay with the right hand will not work accurately without a lot of practice and hard work - and I'd want to get games to have fun, not to suffer under needing to use the wrong hand then just give up in despair.

The Wii as a console is just not left-hander friendly. We lefties are used to a lot of things being tougher to work with, though. But there's a difference in dexterity necessary to push a thumbstick upwards with the right thumb as opposed to swinging a sword into an enemy's weak point with the right hand. Yeah we have to give up one of those, but Nintendo's picking the worng one, and not giving us the choice.

And for those who don't want the game delayed, I'd be fine with this version being released on time. I just want to have the opposite version in the works so I don't have to settle for playing once, and then giving up frustrated when the Deku Baba's in the first dungeon kick my you-know-what because I can't hit their weak point accurately.

EDIT: As a response directly to Aonuma's statement about it being too hard: I've dabbled in computer animation. Sure, I've never even come close to making a video game, but I have an idea of how things work. 3D models (like the model of Link) are easily flipped - all 3D programs have a button that does that. Animations can't be flipped easily - mostly they may need to be remade. In this case, only a few animations would need to be remade though, i.e. anything where Link has a sword. Thus, running animations or anything else can stay. Even running-with-sword is made by putting the arm pose from one anim with the legs of running. Screenshots have shown that Link DOES shoot the bow Lefty (odd...) so that may not need to change. Yeah, it'll be a bit of work...but not so difficult that it's impossible.

I know I'm fighting a losing battle here, but I can only hope that there will be another (older Link) Zelda game coming eventually where Link can be a lefty again. Or that Nintendo can be non-discriminatory and release a flipped-control version for lefties. If not... :( I guess I'll always have Ocarina...
 
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Joined
Jan 25, 2010
I think that they should make a left-handed version. If they don't, I will be really mad at them!
I'm right-handed, and once I made a pact with myself that I would write just with my left hand in school that day. I made it, but even my writing being readable, everytime I wrote something it felt unconfortable.
That's why I think that lefties should have the oportunity to have the same experience as the us.
Even if some of you are used to use the analogic with your left hand, the new zelda requires very precise movements, and you may feel unconfortable trying to play like that.

If they just mirror the game, as was already said, when left-handed people swing the wii-remote to a direction, the sword will move to the opposite direction. But don't you think that would be easy to programe the game to show in the screen the opposite direction of your movement so then when the game is mirroed the movement would be fixed?
 

Jupiter

Bringer of Jollity
Joined
Jan 24, 2010
Location
Great Lakes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXk95ZXjBMM&feature=player_embedded

Here's a lefty playing it. If Miyamato and this guy can do it, so can other lefties. Suck it up.

I don't think people are saying it can't be played at all if you are a lefty, I think we are saying it would be easier and more natural if they made a mirrored character model of Link. Don't you think so?

Plus, it is easy to say "suck it up" when you don't have to do it. I'm a righty, but that does not mean I think it is fair to the others. I would not like it if I was being forced to play left handed at all. Do you think everyone with a disadvantage should just "suck it up"? Why not try to make things easier for them if it is simple to do so.

In this case it is easy to make a left handed option, Nintendo should just do it.
 
Joined
May 8, 2010
Location
Eagle River, Alaska
I don't think they would put the time, effort and money into making a left handed option, which is a shame because left handed gamers will find the controls too akward and not be able to play the game.
 
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Lilcross

Guest
I don't think people are saying it can't be played at all if you are a lefty, I think we are saying it would be easier and more natural if they made a mirrored character model of Link. Don't you think so?

Plus, it is easy to say "suck it up" when you don't have to do it. I'm a righty, but that does not mean I think it is fair to the others. I would not like it if I was being forced to play left handed at all. Do you think everyone with a disadvantage should just "suck it up"? Why not try to make things easier for them if it is simple to do so.

In this case it is easy to make a left handed option, Nintendo should just do it.

Before I posted that I played Red Steel 2 with my left hand. A little awkward using the joystick, but no big whoop. The lefty sure didnt have any complaints sense he said in descreption 1:1. As a lefty, I'd imagine he would be bitter if it didnt work. And do you honestly think Miyamoto, a lefty, would do it if it were so easy? Use your head.
 

LozzyKate

Ask Me Why I Love The Photoshops
Joined
Jan 30, 2010
Alright...A significant amount of the votes went to how lefties would play without the lefty mode. I am a lefty full-heartedly. I have been playing without a lefty mode and seem to making it along fine. If you don't think about the fact that you do most of the things you do with your left hand, then you can get along perfectly fine with the normal righty way. TP's GCube and Wii versions were flipped for consideration in lefties. There wasn't a big difference whatsoever to this. The only thing that changed was which side buildings were on. I've played both versions of the game, and I can tell you that being a lefty does not impact your gameplay experience. Just think along the lines of other gaming companies. When you play a game let's just say for the Playstation, do you have difficulty playing with a righty perspective? I certainly don't. Like I said though, don't think about the disadvantage and you will get along just fine when playing.
 
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Lucrei

Guest
To play the game in left-handed mode, you would have to hold the Wii Remote in your left and and the nunchuck with your right. That means you must use the control stick with your right thumb instead of your left. I don't think anyone is accustomed to doing this, even lefties, since traditional controllers have always had the control stick on the left. Maybe some people have with the Wii, but in the video in Lucrei's post, it looked like the player was having a lot of trouble getting the control stick to function properly.
This however isn't the case at all. There is a decent number of people who have decided to keep the Wii-mote in their dominant hand (left) and learnt how to use the analogue stick in their right hand. Traditional controllers may have always used the control stick on the left - but they weren't motion control central. Besides an analogue stick, is simply a stick that you can rotate in 360 degrees, with 2 levels of pressure (generally). It's hardly as complicated as the precision required of a Wii-Motion Plus enabled Wii-Mote.

The Wii as a console is just not left-hander friendly. We lefties are used to a lot of things being tougher to work with, though. But there's a difference in dexterity necessary to push a thumbstick upwards with the right thumb as opposed to swinging a sword into an enemy's weak point with the right hand. Yeah we have to give up one of those, but Nintendo's picking the wrong one, and not giving us the choice.
Just wanted to highlight the key point of TT's post.

Before I posted that I played Red Steel 2 with my left hand. A little awkward using the joystick, but no big whoop. The lefty sure didnt have any complaints sense he said in descreption 1:1. As a lefty, I'd imagine he would be bitter if it didnt work. And do you honestly think Miyamoto, a lefty, would do it if it were so easy? Use your head.
I think you're missing the point here. I've come to the grounds that the game will indeed be playable left-handed. That video demonstrates it clearly like you said. However, it may still be the caset that this game is much more challenging for left-handers (not neccessarily a bad thing), which is something to put into consideration.

The main point I believe though, is just how awkward it looks and -inevitably- must feel. There's a bit of a difference between FPS like Red Steel 2 and The Conduit, in regards to dominant hand preference when using weapons. You're simply firing a gun - the bullet is what makes contact with the enemy - in essence if you can aim, you can kill. This feels realistic, because it's the bullet that kills the enemy. However - with Zelda, which has both forehand, and backhand strokes, coming from a 3rd person avatar (which is what separates it from RS2), you can clearly see your character mirroring the actions you make. Wether it be your forehand stroke appearing as a backhand, or vice versa. That's not immersive, and destroys the whole concept behind motion control - to feel like you're interacting with the world.

Not offering lefthanded motion control, is going against Nintendo's own philosophy of motion control. That's the bottom line. Oh and yeah, it is discriminatory - we'd enjoy the game a lot better with a lefthanded version. It wouldn't look and feel so counter-intuitive and lacking in immersion.
 
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rnddim

Guest
Some more thoughts:

I did not find using my right hand for the analog that weird in TP. It does feel weird, but not spend-45-minutes-learning-a-new-controller weird. (Of course, I'm only me. YMMV)

I still would like to know why it's too hard. I'm a (hobby) programmer, which means I won't buy "Well, because it takes a lot of coding." Coding what? "We have to recode the motions for the sword." That's better, but why? I would think the issue would be with the models, not the code. (etc.)

I get the strange urge to go email NoA a link to this topic and some explanation. I would email Nintendo (in Japan), but I don't know Japanese (yet).

Besides, if Aonuma took the time to respond to this question, it's obviously a big enough deal already. They just made a bad choice right now.
 
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TheBayzer

Guest
From the look of the game, I don't think it would be hard to just have link swap sword and shield. But that's just my opinion.
 
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Lilcross

Guest
This however isn't the case at all. There is a decent number of people who have decided to keep the Wii-mote in their dominant hand (left) and learnt how to use the analogue stick in their right hand. Traditional controllers may have always used the control stick on the left - but they weren't motion control central. Besides an analogue stick, is simply a stick that you can rotate in 360 degrees, with 2 levels of pressure (generally). It's hardly as complicated as the precision required of a Wii-Motion Plus enabled Wii-Mote.


Just wanted to highlight the key point of TT's post.


I think you're missing the point here. I've come to the grounds that the game will indeed be playable left-handed. That video demonstrates it clearly like you said. However, it may still be the caset that this game is much more challenging for left-handers (not neccessarily a bad thing), which is something to put into consideration.

The main point I believe though, is just how awkward it looks and -inevitably- must feel. There's a bit of a difference between FPS like Red Steel 2 and The Conduit, in regards to dominant hand preference when using weapons. You're simply firing a gun - the bullet is what makes contact with the enemy - in essence if you can aim, you can kill. This feels realistic, because it's the bullet that kills the enemy. However - with Zelda, which has both forehand, and backhand strokes, coming from a 3rd person avatar (which is what separates it from RS2), you can clearly see your character mirroring the actions you make. Wether it be your forehand stroke appearing as a backhand, or vice versa. That's not immersive, and destroys the whole concept behind motion control - to feel like you're interacting with the world.

Not offering lefthanded motion control, is going against Nintendo's own philosophy of motion control. That's the bottom line. Oh and yeah, it is discriminatory - we'd enjoy the game a lot better with a lefthanded version. It wouldn't look and feel so counter-intuitive and lacking in immersion.
Excellent point and post. I'll keep that in mind.
 
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Zeldahistory

Guest
im left handed but for some reason i play wii with my right hand , but still only right handed people can play it !(except for strange people like me :D) nintendo should think about lefty's!!
 

Mamfi1908

The New Guy
Joined
Aug 22, 2010
No Left and Right Option for Skyward Sword?

I just read an interview with Eiji Aonuma on IGN, and he stated that you wouldn't be able chose if you were left or right handed.

He said that he hopes that People will play it right handed, witch sucks for me since i'm left handed...

He also stated that if he were to do it, it would take alot of time to recreate all the models for link(witch means it wouldn't be released in time).

What are your thoughts on this one?
I guess i wouldn't mind playing right handed, it would make it a lot harder for me tho.

I mean, I would much rather play it right handed than wait an eternity for it to release with left or right options.
 

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