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Left handed mouse problem

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 2:47 pm
by feelotraveller
Hi all first post. I hope it's in the right section...

Anyways, being left handed I have my mouse and touchpad set up in reverse order - I left click by pressing the right mouse button and vice versa. The problem is that when running FreeOrion the mouse (and touchpad, not that I generally use it) revert to their standard, right handed set up. Can something be done to get my lefthanded mouse setup working with the game?

Re: Left handed mouse problem

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 5:05 pm
by Geoff the Medio
A bunch of source code changes would need to be made to do this. A higher priority is probably to have a fully remappable set of keyboard hotkeys.

I'm surprised you don't just leave the mouse as it is while left-hand mousing. I switch occasionally if my right had is getting tired or sore, and don't find it too difficult to use the standard button arrangement...

Re: Left handed mouse problem

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 5:24 pm
by feelotraveller
For quite some time I did use the right hand mouse set up but found
a) I was getting all sorts of wrist/finger aches from unergonomic anatomy (your middle finger is just not designed to do that much work)
b) I started using my pointer finger for all clicks and wheeling... then getting confused to move my finger for right clicks.
After making the switch I really can't go back. Try writing with your left hand and you'll know what I'm feeling.

Just got to say rats. I was hoping there could be something pretty quick and simple. Not anyones fault and totally dig the priorities with coding. But for me this makes the game very much less playable. I'll try mousing with my right hand (using my left in what is now a reverse action for me just makes my brain go crossed-eyed) but it's going to make the whole interfacing thing real clunky for me... :(

Great game though! :D

Re: Left handed mouse problem

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 6:07 pm
by em3
Depending on your OS, maybe a free key re-mapping software is available. Like autohotkey for Windows...

Or does FreeOrion somehow access the mouse buttons on a lower level than handled by re-mappers?

Re: Left handed mouse problem

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 6:45 pm
by eleazar
You might even be able to open your mouse, and unplug the wires from the left and right buttons and switch them. I've seen some where that should be possible.

Re: Left handed mouse problem

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 7:06 pm
by Geoff the Medio
You might even be able to have a surgeon open your wrist, and cut the nerves from the index and middle fingers and switch them. I've seen some articles about hand transplants, so that should be possible.

Re: Left handed mouse problem

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 8:17 pm
by em3
Is the sarcasm targeted at eleazar or at me too? :|

Re: Left handed mouse problem

Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2011 8:38 pm
by Geoff the Medio
em3 wrote:Is the sarcasm targeted at eleazar or at me too? :|
It was a set up for further humourous escalation in the impracticality of suggested fixes which you have tragically ignored... :?

Re: Left handed mouse problem

Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 12:53 pm
by em3
Geoff the Medio wrote:
em3 wrote:Is the sarcasm targeted at eleazar or at me too? :|
It was a set up for further humourous escalation in the impracticality of suggested fixes which you have tragically ignored... :?
Well.. I didn't consider my suggested fix as impractical. Beats waiting for a low-priority feature request to be fixed in a FOSS project...

Re: Left handed mouse problem

Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 2:17 pm
by tzlaine
Geoff the Medio wrote:A bunch of source code changes would need to be made to do this. A higher priority is probably to have a fully remappable set of keyboard hotkeys.

I'm surprised you don't just leave the mouse as it is while left-hand mousing. I switch occasionally if my right had is getting tired or sore, and don't find it too difficult to use the standard button arrangement...
This may be useful when the time comes for this:

http://www.ogre3d.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=60635

Re: Left handed mouse problem

Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2011 6:08 pm
by Geoff the Medio
tzlaine wrote:This may be useful when the time comes for this:

http://www.ogre3d.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=60635
All the keyboard hotkeys and mouse actions are presently implemented by connecting GiGi's keyboard accelerator signals to functions, or by various GG::Wnd-derived class' calls to functions like LClick, RDoubleClick, MouseWheel, etc. Changing either to direct binding with OIS or OISB seems likely to be quite complicated... Or would it be fairly simple to replace all the accelerator signal connections with OISB binds?
em3 wrote:Well.. I didn't consider my suggested fix as impractical.
Escalation does require starting low, so that there's a room to move up...

Re: Left handed mouse problem

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 2:19 pm
by neuro
You could pay a surgeon to open your brain and modify your frontal lobe to expect opposite signals from those two fingers

:D j/k

Re: Left handed mouse problem

Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 11:46 pm
by feelotraveller
My mouse is sealed up tighter than my hand. Although I considered it for a while I'm not game to operate on my left hand with my clumsy right... So I've decided to reorder the priorities for my cyborgisation - it's definitely hands first now.

Seriously though - 'when the time comes' for remapping keyboard commands it would be good (IMHO) if consideration could be given to adding mouse button switching/remapping to the list. If it's hard, well I understand, gamers are notorious for wanting everything set to 'easy', aren't we?