Accommodation for players with challenge

Hi,

As someone with carpal tunnel syndrome, my hand become easily stressed and tense when I click too much.
I'm hoping certain aspects of the gameplay and progression could tailor to an audience preferring less intensive mouse/keyboard actions.

For example, in pvm or pvp, we could have a class of tanks/summoners/healers where minimum key actions are required during a raid or fight to add value to the team. This is possible from a balance stand point if the difficulty of such a build would come from the preparation stage, where finding the right equipment, keys or items would be more difficult than other roles, which can be done at the user's pace and discretion

Another example would be to emphasize on activities where success is inherently not dependent on the intensity of actions. For example, puzzles, parlor games, economy based activities (mining, fishing, auctions, housing)

I'm hoping this topic will gain some awareness in the community and among developers. Feel free to share your ideas too!

Thanks!
wala

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nanfoodle

I have asked much the same questions because of my wifes disabilities. I would like to see 3rd party macros allowed for people who apply for the right to use them because of disabilities. I did find some good news, you will be able to play Ashes with a controller. Its on the Ashes wiki. But it will be not directly supported. So you will need to mess with settings to set it up or use 3rd party add ons.

bigepeen

If clicking your mouse is bad for your carpal tunnel, I'd suggest rebinding your mouse buttons to a keyboard buttons in your OS. Hopefully they will also have a keybinding menu so that we can easily switch keybindings within the application. Also, there are special keyboards that are better for carpal tunnel.

The combat is a mix of action and tab target abilities, so if it still bothers you, pick classes and abilities with many tab targeting abilities.

I don't think they should make design decisions based on anything but making gameplay fun and engaging. If the gameplay isn't fun, or is too simplistic, because they tailored it to a small segment of the player population, then they've made a huge game design error.

walalaboom

bigepeen wrote: »

If clicking your mouse is bad for your carpal tunnel, I'd suggest rebinding your mouse buttons to a keyboard buttons in your OS. Hopefully they will also have a keybinding menu so that we can easily switch keybindings within the application. Also, there are special keyboards that are better for carpal tunnel.

The combat is a mix of action and tab target abilities, so if it still bothers you, pick classes and abilities with many tab targeting abilities.

I don't think they should make design decisions based on anything but making gameplay fun and engaging. If the gameplay isn't fun, or is too simplistic, because they tailored it to a small segment of the player population, then they've made a huge game design error.

Thanks for the suggestion! I will definitely look into keybinding.

In terms of design decision. I didn't mean to suggest redesigning the core aspects of the game to focus around accommodation and this definitely isn't about the idea of creating a game for mass appeal. Creating accommodation for challenged players would and should not impact players without the need.

Simply put, I just think we could add options for players, more progress branches along the spectrum. For example, as an analogy, some classes move at 100 speed and have 10hp, some classes move at 50 speed but have 20 hp. what I am suggesting is having a class that move at 25 speed with 40 hp. The design decision is expanding or adding to the spectrum, but the spectrum is here to stay and it must be balanced.

nanfoodle

walalaboom wrote: »

bigepeen wrote: »

If clicking your mouse is bad for your carpal tunnel, I'd suggest rebinding your mouse buttons to a keyboard buttons in your OS. Hopefully they will also have a keybinding menu so that we can easily switch keybindings within the application. Also, there are special keyboards that are better for carpal tunnel.

The combat is a mix of action and tab target abilities, so if it still bothers you, pick classes and abilities with many tab targeting abilities.

I don't think they should make design decisions based on anything but making gameplay fun and engaging. If the gameplay isn't fun, or is too simplistic, because they tailored it to a small segment of the player population, then they've made a huge game design error.

Thanks for the suggestion! I will definitely look into keybinding.

In terms of design decision. I didn't mean to suggest redesigning the core aspects of the game to focus around accommodation and this definitely isn't about the idea of creating a game for mass appeal. Creating accommodation for challenged players would and should not impact players without the need.

Simply put, I just think we could add options for players, more progress branches along the spectrum. For example, as an analogy, some classes move at 100 speed and have 10hp, some classes move at 50 speed but have 20 hp. what I am suggesting is having a class that move at 25 speed with 40 hp. The design decision is expanding or adding to the spectrum, but the spectrum is here to stay and it must be balanced.

I also find it helps to play ranged support or ranged DPS. Something that keeps you out of the fray. Also it is an advantage to all that people defend people playing these classes. So it helps.

bigepeen

No problem.

walalaboom wrote: »

Simply put, I just think we could add options for players, more progress branches along the spectrum. For example, as an analogy, some classes move at 100 speed and have 10hp, some classes move at 50 speed but have 20 hp. what I am suggesting is having a class that move at 25 speed with 40 hp. The design decision is expanding or adding to the spectrum, but the spectrum is here to stay and it must be balanced.

With 8 archetypes and 64 classes, there will probably be at least one class with the playstyle you're describing. I'd guess that tank, cleric, bard, and summoner, archetypes will be less micro-intensive. Also, you could spec into skills that are more powerful while having longer cooldowns.

Depending on how summoner works out, that may be the best class for you, because you'd probably only have to press a button to summon something and leave it to auto attack to do a lot of the work for you. If not, then tank would probably be a good choice, because it has high hp and lower mobility as in your example. Cleric and bard are support classes, which are generally classes that require less mechanical skill, in favor of being more cerebral.

Noaani

The way Ashes classes are being built, Intrepid are kind of leaving class construction up to players. Between that and the ability to rebind keys (even if only at the OS level), carpal tunnel syndrome should be able to be worked around fairly easily - though there would need to be the understanding that you may not be able to play every role.

Maezriel

nanfoodle wrote: »

I have asked much the same questions because of my wifes disabilities. I would like to see 3rd party macros allowed for people who apply for the right to use them because of disabilities. I did find some good news, you will be able to play Ashes with a controller. Its on the Ashes wiki. But it will be not directly supported. So you will need to mess with settings to set it up or use 3rd party add ons.

Unreal has baked in controller support so as long as Intrepid allows remapping then even use of things like the Xbox Adaptive Controller should be possible.

It's honestly the main reason I defend controllers in every single post that's made on them

Enigmatic Sage

walalaboom wrote: »

Hi,

As someone with carpal tunnel syndrome, my hand become easily stressed and tense when I click too much.
I'm hoping certain aspects of the gameplay and progression could tailor to an audience preferring less intensive mouse/keyboard actions.

For example, in pvm or pvp, we could have a class of tanks/summoners/healers where minimum key actions are required during a raid or fight to add value to the team. This is possible from a balance stand point if the difficulty of such a build would come from the preparation stage, where finding the right equipment, keys or items would be more difficult than other roles, which can be done at the user's pace and discretion

Another example would be to emphasize on activities where success is inherently not dependent on the intensity of actions. For example, puzzles, parlor games, economy based activities (mining, fishing, auctions, housing)

I'm hoping this topic will gain some awareness in the community and among developers. Feel free to share your ideas too!

Thanks!
wala

I believe it's a very common issue in the gaming world. I imagine they will allow variants of peripherals and their designs for key binding and proper utilization. For example, I know in some MMORPG's you can use foot pedals and alternative peripherals such as controllers vs mouse and keyboard (MKB). I have seen the controllers by Microsoft as an example becoming more customizable with joystick and paddle variants, triggers, additional buttons on the backside of the controller. Pairing something like that with foot pedals could help aid those with challenges to gaming and peripherals.

Good idea bringing it forward to the communities attention though.

Noaani

Enigmatic Sage wrote: »

I believe it's a very common issue in the gaming world.

It is indeed fairly common - there are all sorts of restrictions (large and small) that people playing MMO's have.

One of the best healers I've ever played with straight up can't control a characters movement using a keyboard. They can do everything else just fine, and they are perfectly fine moving their character in short scenarios like some specific encounter mechanics would require, they just can't control it for longer periods.

That player usually just auto follows the tank, and all is fine.

Enigmatic Sage

Noaani wrote: »

Enigmatic Sage wrote: »

I believe it's a very common issue in the gaming world.

It is indeed fairly common - there are all sorts of restrictions (large and small) that people playing MMO's have.

One of the best healers I've ever played with straight up can't control a characters movement using a keyboard. They can do everything else just fine, and they are perfectly fine moving their character in short scenarios like some specific encounter mechanics would require, they just can't control it for longer periods.

That player usually just auto follows the tank, and all is fine.

cool, lots of different in-game mechanics that work for different people

have they tried the foot pedals if capable of using them? i know they are growing in popularity even for people who just prefer them over the MKB nowadays.

unknownsystemerror

nanfoodle wrote: »

I have asked much the same questions because of my wifes disabilities. I would like to see 3rd party macros allowed for people who apply for the right to use them because of disabilities. I did find some good news, you will be able to play Ashes with a controller. Its on the Ashes wiki. But it will be not directly supported. So you will need to mess with settings to set it up or use 3rd party add ons.

Intrepid has announced several different ways that they plan to help those with disabilities. From color blindness, to mobility and others. What they have also said is a strict no 3rd party software or macros being allowed. So before you invest in some program or such, you might want to check if it is even being allowed or might trigger their various anti-cheat and detection software. Sadly, those with bad intentions will make life more difficult for those that have only innocent ones toward that issue.

Jxshuwu

Agreed! I Personally have some issues with my fingers, although not extreme, its just uncomfortable stings, it'd be nice to see this addition to provide a more comfy and pleasurable experience.

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