Multiple Setups

What's your preferred setup to help level the playing field with keyboard+mouse gamers?  I've tossed together a list of solutions, but this is only a start to the number of possible configurations!

Gaming is for everybody to enjoy: it's a way to pass time, it's a distraction from pain, and it's an outlet for frustration.  Plus, you get freakin' epics!

Left-hand Mouse + FPS Pad

This is my personal favorite for those that have a fully functioning left hand.  It is as close to the traditional setup as I think you can get, really.

Pro's

 - Natural WASD movement
 - Access to many customizable keys

Con's

 - Takes a few weeks to get used to left-hand mousing, if you're new to it
 - While it is a close substitute, you still need a full keyboard to communicate
 - Cost (you've got two devices to buy)

Source

Razer Death Adder - Left Handed Edition
Cyber Snipa Game Pad 2

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Gamepad

I can't remember which Final Fantasy it was that was native to PS2, but whichever it was, must've sucked trying to type out messages to guild mates and party members.  At any rate, this is also a somewhat natural solution.  While WoW was certainly not designed to be played with two thumbsticks, it is a transition that we gamers can relate to, going from Counterstrike on the PC, to Halo on the X-box.

Pro's

 - If you own a console, there's no purchase necessary!  Just grab your 360 or PS3 controller
 - Turbo!  Seriously, no one crams in more GCD's in a fight than I do, if I'm playing on my PS3 pad
 - With the proper setup, the buttons being so close together and ergonomic, I can smoothly switch from a DPS spell, to a utility spell without my hand jumping halfway across the G15
 - Put your feet up and relax!  Playing WoW while laying back on the couch is awesome!

Con's

 - Cursor movement is awkward and slow (YOU try going from a wrist movement to a thumb movement)
 - No ability to type or communicate, without sitting up, which cramps the relaxed vibe
 - Can't heal - if a scrub raider forgets to move out of fire, there's no way my thumb is gonna save his life

Source

Any USB gamepad
 Xpadder - for button assignments

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Macro-ready Keyboard

 For those that have difficulty with digital dexterity (look it up, it has nothing to do with technology), the creation of macros that can execute a string of abilities with a single click is hugely beneficial.  Yeah, yeah, it's cheating, whatever.  I guarantee you the people that look down on others for utilizing a G15 or similar have no disability.

Pro's

 - Come on, hit 1 button, and a series of spells are triggered, how awesome is that?!

Con's

 - Keyboards like this are usually expensive
 - If you need to change something in the middle of an execution, you're stuck
 - Players that rely on procs (ie. Balance Druids) are SOL, because a macro cannot dynamically change

Source

Logitech's G13, G15, G19, or G510
or similar from other brands, but I'm far too lazy to link them

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Trackball + Speech Recognition

I am lucky to not have to resort to this, but say you're just flat out missing a few fingers.  If you've still got a good thumb, you can control the cursor with it, and then use a microphone and software to control left and right clicking, movement, spells, heck, even looting.

Pro's

 - Allows the severely disabled to play WoW - something that would ordinarily be impossible

Con's

 - Limits the speed at which you can react

Source

Trackball from Logitech or similar
Killer Software's Speech Recognition engine

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Foot pedals

Shameless self promotion incoming: I put up a super awesome post about how to craft your own foot pedals out of nothing more than an old keyboard, a box o' springs, and a roll of duct tape (scroll down to read it).

Pro's

 - While not a complete solution, it's a great addition to any gamer's setup, not just the disabled
 - It's free!

Con's

 - This DIY solution will probably wear out after a couple months of use, but you can always repair it with more duct tape! (252 uses for duct tape <-- click that there link)

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Maybe I've been watching too much Scrubs lately, but I feel the need to sum up with a cheesy/sentimental line,

play the game the way you want to and don't let your physical limitations hold you back from getting what you want to get out of WoW.

It's Imminent!

Ready or not, the dash to 85 is just days away!  Here's a list of resources I plan on utilizing to tip things in my favor, ever last bit that I can...

Wowhead (for quest and item data, duh!)
Sterling's Realm First 85 Guide
Arixan's Guide to Mount Hyjal
QuestHelper (the addon)
My own post (here) about factions, enchants, craftables, etc.
An auto-pick-up-and-complete-quest macro (google search ftw)
My pretty, pretty G15 keyboard
A PS3 controller, while running Xpadder
This here MMO-Champion guide
That there Yogscast video
The Nectar of Life

DIY: Foot Pedal

 2-pedal USB foot controller by Infinity: $55 + S&H here

For some time now, I've been shopping for a cheap PC foot controller.  I figure,

my toes aren't doing anything useful while I play and I could take the strain off my right hand, if only I had keys at my feet.  

I could assign things like:

• Auto-run
• Travel form
• Macro: 'target last hostile' + 'use loot-a-rang' for auto-looting with one toe
• Speak over Ventrilo
• Mount / dismount
• Cooldowns (barkskin, nature's grasp, etc.)

The uses are many and varied and it's not hard to see the appeal of being able to run around a quest with one hand and one foot, rather than with two hands.

So, then came the real challenge: I've got an extra keyboard laying around;

couldn't I just construct my own USB foot control, out of a few household items, rather than dropping $50-100 

for something that would function identically?

Items you will need:

1) An old keyboard

2) Duct tape

3) Box-o-springs (hardware store, $4 or so)

4) 1' x 1' of 1/4" hardboard, or similar light-weight material for foot pedals (hardware store)

5) 2' x 2' of 3/4" particleboard panel for base (hardware store)

Tools:

1) Small skill-saw (a jig saw or even hand saw will suffice, OR if your hardware store is good they will cut the panels for you)

2) Flat-head screwdriver

3) Time: about 30 minutes

#1 - Prep Work

First, with a screwdriver or similar, pull off all the keys from your dusty-old keyboard and bin them.  Be sure to save a handful; you'll need to reattach them later.

Determine how many pedals you want (I went with three) and for each, cut your 1/4" hardboard into a 2" x 5" piece.

Select one spring per foot pedal, of the appropriate height and tension (I found that springs are technically not even necessary, but I like the feel of them, so use a light-weight spring, your foot will thank you!)

#2 - Tape It

I began by selecting which keys I would reattach - this was mainly a space issue - and I understood that whatever key I selected, I would re-map it later, to the desired ability.

Then, I dry-fit everything together.  When I was happy with the action of the foot pedal, I began taping with the hardboard.  Tape, liberally, both sides of the foot pedal, so that it rests in the desired position.

You can see in the picture above: duct-tape on both sides of the pedal.  Then, I used small strips of tape, slid it into the spring as far down as I could manage, and I fastened the spring in place.  Notice the pencil mark on the right-side of the picture: I used pencil to mark everything during my dry-fit.  This is crucial: one mis-tape, and you've got to start over.

#3 - The Final Steps

The picture above shows the rested action of my first foot pedal.  No need to tape the spring to the pedal, as long as the spring is fastened down to the board, it's not going anywhere.  The feel of this pedal is surprisingly natural and smooth (aside from the loud click of the keyboard button).

 

This image illustrates all the components of the finished product.  You will notice the pencil marks again, which now are not necessary, as I butt the keyboard tray directly to the springs.  I only need to secure the tray into place, again using more duct tape.

#4 - Finished Product

Now all that's left to do is plug it in and assign the keys to the desired abilities.

Ghetto?  Heck no!  When was the last time that you had company over and they crawled under your office desk to make sure all was tidy?  I promise you -

no one will ever see this or know it is there, except for you.  So who cares if it's duct-taped all to hell??

Update: more Cataclysm spreadsheets (for healers still)

Consumables (Alchemy)

Enchants

Gear from Professions

Reputation Faction Rewards

Leveling Aids for Cataclysm

The trek from 80-85 is daunting enough for your average player.  But, if you suffer from a disability, it can be that much more tedious.  I, personally, will be grinding out those 5 levels on a PS3 controller.  Mobility is difficult, mousing is difficult, and versatility is certainly a challenge (being able to quickly use less common abilities such as Thorns, Barkskin, Travel Form, etc).

So what to do?  I've made a personal goal out of being in the top 10% of my guild for leveling and I hear that final ding can come as early as Friday-morning.  Here are some tips for those that face the unique challenges of playing a game designed for a fully-abled player.

#1 - Loot

If you aren't an Engineer, you may be missing out on a key leveling aid: the Loot-a-rang.  This item, when clicked, will automatically loot the nearest corpses for you.  No need to right-click with precision.

So: for those non-Engineers (myself included), we've got to figure out if this is worth the effort.  Say, for example, the average player takes 1.0 secs to loot a corpse.  I would estimate I take 2.5 secs to loot that same corpse.  While 1.5 secs doesn't seem like a big deal, let's say that it takes 2,000 kills to make it to 85 (this is a complete and total guess).  That is 3,000 seconds extra that I will require.  That is 50 minutes.  Less than an hour?  Doesn't seem like a big deal.  But still, it's also difficult and frustrating to do all that looting.

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#2 - Macros

I cannot recommend highly enough, the use of out-of-game keyboard macros.  A G15 or similar keyboard, or even a 3rd party piece of software that allows you to generate custom macros with, say, your F-keys, comes in handy!

With this keyboard, I can assign ONE single key to: cast Starfire [wait to finish casting], cast Moonfire, cast Insect Swarm, cast Hurricane, cast Starfire [wait to finish casting], etc...

Being able to program pauses and multiple casts into one macro has long been called (by some) border-line, or even outright, cheating!  But, to the not-fully-abled player, it can mean the difference between an enjoyable experience in World of Warcraft, and being flat-out unable to keep up.

You can find info on the G15 keyboard here.  And AutoHotkey is an excellent app for creating custom macros, as is Workspace Macro.

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#3 - PvE Server

No pretty graphic here, but a hard and simple fact: leveling on a PvE server is easier than doing the same on a PvP server.  Because you aren't a vulnerable target to players of the opposing faction, you can take your time, steal a deep breath, and readjust yourself whenever you need to (provided no NPC mobs get too near).

Again, this is something that has been dismissed as 'Care Bear' to the fully-abled.  But, YOU try surviving a PvP encounter with your left-hand on the mouse.  Better yet - tape take off your 5-9 keys and all your modifiers (alt, ctrl, etc) and see how you fare!  This is the reality to many of the underrepresented disabled's.

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God-speed to you all, come December 7th!  Don't get discouraged - remember that there are thousands of us out there.  We are the ones working 25% harder than everyone else, to achieve the same goals, and we are proud of our achievements!

More Cataclysm info (for Healers)...

This is how much of a nerd I am - I would have put these lists together, even if I wasn't planning on posting them on my blog...

Reputation Information for Healers in Cataclysm

Enchanting Information for Healers in Cataclysm

FPS Pad + WoW

Recently, I splurged (this is a relative term, since I'm on a tight budget) and purchased a Cyber Snipa Gamepad V2 FPS keyboard for my PC and explored the possibilities of raiding and questing with this device.  I am not ready to give a complete review of my findings, but it's time to make an initial blog post about it.

First of all, this is the keyboard we're talking about...

This device is intended to be used in the Left hand, in place of a traditional keyboard.  It is catered toward FPS as you can see, in the following ways...

- The layout of the keys are designed for common FPS bindings

- Certain keys are labeled ie. - [ CTRL "Crouch" ] and [ SPACE "Jump" ]

- The number keys (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0) are narrow, as their use is limited in most FPS

It doesn't take a gamer even, detect that this thing was NOT designed for WoW.  For one thing, the number keys are close together and difficult to quickly identify.  But, this begs the question: can we redesign our keybindings and take advantage of this semi-ergonomic layout?

Here was the challenge!  And after one good-solid go at it, I honestly am not very impressed with what I have come up with.  But, let's continue.

1. I use a left-handed mouse, and so this is in my Right hand

This means, I've got to learn WASD with my Right hand.  Not a big deal, but it is a hump to get past.

2. My modifiers are CTRL and ALT

Thus, I can easily bind (6) keys with two different modifiers, for a total of (18) easy-to-reach keybindings.

3. Macros, Anyone?

There are a number of free-to-download programs that will allow the remapping of keyboard keys on a deeper level than WoW.  Some will even allow you to write whole macros!  This becomes important in a simple way: I can now assign F1 for example to a DOT rotation.  With a single button, I can cast Corruption, Curse of Agony, and begin to power up a Shadowbolt.

__________________________________

As a Resto Druid, I need to bind the following spells...

Healing Spells - (8)
Rejuvation, Regrowth, Swiftmend, Wild Growth, Lifebloom, Nourish, Healing Touch, Tranquility

Cooldowns - (4)
Innervate, Tree of Life, Rebirth, Nature's Swiftness

Utility/Defensive Spells - (6)
Shadowmeld, Barkskin, Cat Sprint (Dash), Nature's Grasp, Cyclone, Entangling Roots

Miscellaneous Bindings - (6)+
Target, Mount, Bags, Guild Pane, Quests, Map, Character Screen, etc.

This is what my initial map looks like...

I will need a couple more weeks of raiding to tell how much I like it.  So far though, my pinkie hurts a bit.  I may think about rebinding some of the keys on the right side.  Especially if I am tank healing.

More to come...

14 Things to do to Prepare for Cataclysm

LEADING UP TO THE SHATTERING

1. Fill Your Quest Log

 
We have a 25-quest cap and you should take every opportunity to complete as many quests prior to Cataclysm as you can.  But, DO NOT turn them in.  Rather, leave them active in your log and wait until you can benefit from the EXPERIENCE POINTS they can yield.  The moment leveling to 85 is unlocked, turn them all in.  22,000 XP * 25 Quests = over 500,000 Experience!  That should be almost 10% of a level, basically for free!

2. Empty Your Bags

Aside from the dozen-or-so quest items you have to keep around, remove all of the clutter.  Here's a news flash for you: [Eternal Fire] or [Stupid Broad Sword off of Trash] isn't gonna mean JACK-CRAP in Cataclysm.  Send them all to a bank alt, and keep only your Hearthstone, consumables, a spare set of armor, and required quest items around.

3. Load Up on Consumables

Regardless of the fact that stats are being increased almost exponentially, you still will benefit from additional Attack Power or Spell Power.  So, I will be carrying: 20x [Flask of Choice], 40x [Potion of Choice], and 40x [Food of Choice].  Additionally, I will wait to purchase the new water, but I'll load up there, too.
 

4. Reformat Your Computer

WoW is not a resource hog, it's a 6 year old game.  However, it can be a resource hog if you want it to be.  Crank your settings to MAX for Cataclysm, because we are about to see Azeroth as never before!  The art and the scenery should be the greatest and most beautiful, and I, for one, want to see it all!  Therefore, I'll be clearing all the junk I've been accumulating over the last 6-months and committing nearly all the resources of my i5 Quad Core and ATI 5770 1GB processors to WoW!

5. Bookmark These Websites

Wowhead
Wowpedia
Max DPS
MMO-Champion

There are countless useful resource websites devoted to WoW, this is a list of a few of my favorites.  But make sure they are open in a browser and ready to go, once Cataclysm drops.  You'll need a quick point of reference, if you get stuck on a quest and the last thing you want to be doing is filling /1 with babble that no one will want to help you with.

6. Purchase the Expansion

Leave the comfort of your house? Psh!  Don't even worry about getting out of your chair.  Just purchase and begin the digital download directly from Blizzard! Click here

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THE DAY BEFORE

 

1.Set Your Hearthstone to Stormwind (or Orgrimmar)

Stormwind will be where you pick up the initial quest Into the Abyss, that will take you off on your leveling journey.  So be ready to do your business in Northrend and then quickly jump to Stormwind.  REMEMBER THE PORTALS TO MAJOR CITIES WILL BE REMOVED, so don't count on them the morning of Cata.

2. Park Your Main in Storm Peaks or Icecrown

Member all those quests you ground last month?  Turn 'em in the moment you log on, via flying tour of Northrend.  Then, jump to Dalaran to do your final bit of business, before experiencing Azeroth anew.

3. Download QuestHelper

from Curse

from Wow Interface


Save this for the DECEMBER 6th!  It will give the dev time to fit in any last-minute patches to the addon.

4. Get Some Sleep the Day Before

...and prepare for a sleepless day or two!




5. Clean Off Your Desk, Pop the Mt Dew in the Fridge, Stock Up on Frozen Pizza

Urinary Leg Bags from Amazon.com

____________________________________________________

THE CATACLYSM ARRIVES!

 1. Turn in Those Quests

Cha-ching!  500,000+ XP incoming...

2. Choo Chooo!!! (train)

Train Professions - Check the link but I believe you will be able to train Illustrious Grand Master (525) in Dalaran, before you depart for questing

Train Archaeology Here  or  Here

Train Flight - Head to Krasus' Landing in Dalaran and pay 250g to learn flight in Azeroth

3. Begin the Journey

Depart for Stormwind and follow the questline that will lead you into Abyssal Maw!  And have fun exploring WoW's 3rd, and largest, expansion!!







Credits

Thanks to Wowhead and to Google Image Search.  And mostly, thanks to Project CWAL and their excellent guide: http://www.projectcwal.com/wow/cataclysm-alliance-starter-guide/#swprof

Fun fact: there are (12) mailboxes in Dalaran.

 

WTF

What The Fish??

I found this nutty gamepad from Splitfish, doing my research for my Gamepad Post.  Check it out here, it may be hard to actually find for sale, but it looks to be around $80-100.  May be a worthy investment, this thing (err... I mean, these things) look even more comfortable than a traditional gamepad.

WoW on a Gamepad

Playing World of Warcraft using a gamepad is a challenge, to say the least.  There are a unique set of obstacles we need to address because, WoW was designed around the mouse+keyboard.  Think back to the first time you played Halo on the X-box.  All those years of CS (Counterstrike) didn't do anything to help, did they?  Movement was clumsy and aiming was nearly impossible.

The first, and most obvious, obstacle to address is: you can't just plug a PS3 or 360 controller into a PC and expect it to do anything.  You need a interface that will allow you to bind each of the buttons to a key, or to a macro.  This is where Xpadder comes in handy.  After experimenting with several, I've found this application to be the most customizable.  To top it all off, it's very user-friendly!

There is a free version, but if you want the premium iteration, and updates, you can shell out $10.  And I'd encourage you do!  The free version is ever-so-slightly quirky and not bug-free.

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Sets

 

So L2 and R2 can be used to assign different "sets".  What this means, is that I can bind the A, B, X, Y (or whatever dumb shaped Sony uses) to THREE different spells.

For example...

[no modifier] A = Fireball
[hold L2] A = Fireblast
[hold R2] A = Blink

The possibilities are nearly endless!  That turns a basic 4-button controller into a powerful tool, capable of 28 different spells.  That's just about enough for any gamer!

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Benefits

• I can literally put WoW on my LCD TV, sit back on the couch, and game away
• ergonomically, I feel like it's far superior to hunching over a keyboard & mouse
• Keybindings are grouped in 4's, in a way that is easy to commit to memory, and quick to carry out

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Drawbacks

• Where to begin... I can't play my Healer, as the mouse cursor is slow and totally hard to control
• Movement is awkward, I struggle in PvP, especially with targeting and with turning
• No typing :(

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Conclusion

All things considered, I'm really happy with this solution.  It is simple and elegant, and most importantly, comfortable.  The huge drawback, and the thing that I can never get past, is that it is almost impossible to competitively game with this.  WoW just wasn't designed with a gamepad in mind =/

Still, I use this probably a couple times a month, especially when fishing, or when casually questing.

I am not what you would traditionally consider "disabled".  I don't sit in a wheelchair and, when we meet, my condition isn't immediately evident.

Rather, I suffer from an impinged disc in my back, that pinches against some nerve roots and causes chronic pain.  I deal with it, and I am still able to work and perform any normal activity, but it still is a disability, when it comes to gaming.

I am not able to use the traditional [Left-hand Mouse] + [Right-hand Keyboard] configuration of gameplay, as it causes me too much pain.  Over the last five + years, it has also costed me a lot of grief and money.  I REFUSE to quit gaming, though.

Instead, I have experimented and adapted my gameplay with a series of peripherals, re-mapping keys, additions to my desk, exercises, etc.  In this blog, we will explore my adventures as a "not-fully-able" gamer.  We'll laugh, we'll cry (salty, salty tears), and (most importantly): this will be a resource for gamers that suffer from any type of disability; a source of news, ideas, and encouragement.

Hang in there - you love gaming like I do, and together we'll make it work for us!

hiatus!

Just a note - I took a hiatus from blogging from July -> October of this year.


This came about, after realizing the sheer number of bloggers on my precise subject.  I read and enjoy 5-6 WoW blogs regularly and I needed a break, to find a new niche that I could blog from, without feeling as though I was copying others.

Enter: TRANQUIL RAIDER: a blog for disabled gamers.

I will discuss gaming for those who suffer from any type of disability that does not allow them to enjoy the traditional Mouse+Keyboard setup.

Alright, my arm is starting to tingle.  AFK!

It's all about MANA

I'm typing this as a raid, so run-on sentences ought to be excused.

I am crossing my fingers that, come Cata time, healing will be a game much more about mana management than time management.  I remember the days on the "FSR Shuffle" (when you would actually stop casting for, say, 30 secs at a time to regenerate mana) because... wait for it...  you didn't have bottomless pools of casting-juice!

Lemme break it down (LL Cool-J style, if I might).  There are two factors that make the healing game: time and mana.

Time is, the amount of time you are given to heal the incoming damage.  Too little time, and healing can become frantic and the raid will die because, welp there just weren't enough GCD's to get the job done.

Mana is the amount of resources you are allotted to get the job done.  If you could cast endlessly (think most of WoTLK raids), you would just cast your fastest/best heal all the time.  That's why Druids are Rejuv bots, Shammies are CH bots, and Discs are bubble bots.

How 'bout an example, Epicmedic (me)?

Say a 25-man raid has 6 healers.  Say we 6 have 30,000 DPS tat must be healed, with spike damage on tanks.  Assume the Pallies and Priests take care of the tanks and the Druids and Shammies toss their AoE's and HoT's and we can manage, with no mana issues.

Now say that same group only has 15,000 DPS to heal through.  Pretty boring, eh?  Not if mana is an issue.  See, if healing spells were more expensive, the Shammy would have to consider, may actually have to use his brain before throwing a Chain Heal on everyone that sneezes.

Oh, and bonus!  It's less stressful.  Healing can feel like a job - it's fucking stressful when anyone, for any reason, at any time, can go from 30,000 HP to DEAD in less than a GCD.  It makes my wrist hurt, too.

Now, for most of Wrath of the Lich King, time has been much more an issue than mana.  And Blizzard has stated repeatedly that they want to make healing more dynamic, more responsive, and require more thought, than just spamming whatever is your best spell over and over (and ovvverrr).

Here's to balance!

blizzard is racist, apparently...

There really is no way I fabricated this one.

Try it yourself, report someone's name...