My hand always cramps and gets sore after playing STO for any period of time, And Im not sure why? if this happens to anyone else, how do you deal with it?
I don't mean this how it may sound, but what on earth are you doing that you're getting cramps? that's definitely not normal and something you might want to get checked out.
If you're going to play for long periods of time, I messed my wrist up a few years back moving some furniture around and couldn't use my left hand that well for a few weeks. I picked up a Logitech G13 with a wrist rest to control things better. unfortunately they don't make those types of keypads much anymore. closest is a Razer Tartarus. Razer Naga mouse with the 12 buttons on the side is also a great option.
"Someone once told me that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives. I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment, because it will never come again." - Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek Generations
Is your mouse the wrong size for your grip? They make mice in tiny and big sizes (80-button gamer mice) so finding one that fits better should be possible.
Also, are you using that hand on the computer a lot during the rest of the day? Try taking more breaks.
Keybinds.
Or
MMO mouse... I guess you could get thumb cramps from a MMO mouse.
Game has a great keybind system info is easy to find. I don't think its a great idea to bind everything to your space bar or something... but you can probably bind some logical things (like your attack buffs) to one key if your currently using a bunch.
I get cramps in my right hand and wrist playing Diablo 3 because of the insane amount of button mashing and mouse clicking that game involves - not this one...even people with wrist problems shouldn't be having those issues with this game.
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yeah no idea why, played cyberpunk all afternoon, fine. Played this for 20 minutes, instant hand cramping
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rattler2Member, Star Trek Online ModeratorPosts: 58,582Community Moderator
Another question or two:
What kind of keyboard and how is your hand oriented compared to it?
As for Cyberpunk vs STO... I don't think Cyberpunk has the number of abilities STO has. Its more a FPS/RPG right? So it would have the basic FPS controls, which tend to be fewer than STO's hotkeys for various abilities which include Alt+key, Ctrl+key, and even Shift+key. So in theory... if you use keyboard hotkeys far more than someone like me, you're working your hand even more. I mostly just use the number keys in space, and click everything else.
I had some problems at first due to the poor default keybinds (like 'X' to aim) making for very awkward hand/finger positions and movements though it only took a few minor changes to fix that. It does not always take scripts that stack multiple functions on a single key, sometimes just rearranging the key layout with the ingame keybind tab in the options menu will do the trick.
I think a couple of keybind scripts could really help reduce fatigue.. one that takes care of a basic tactical rotation and another to enable throttle control via the mouse wheel.
The first ties several separate abilities to a single key that activates them sequentially with each key press. The second eliminates throttle up/down key presses.
All of this sure seems to quiet things down which can allow for much better focus on other things.
Another question or two:
What kind of keyboard and how is your hand oriented compared to it?
As for Cyberpunk vs STO... I don't think Cyberpunk has the number of abilities STO has. Its more a FPS/RPG right? So it would have the basic FPS controls, which tend to be fewer than STO's hotkeys for various abilities which include Alt+key, Ctrl+key, and even Shift+key. So in theory... if you use keyboard hotkeys far more than someone like me, you're working your hand even more. I mostly just use the number keys in space, and click everything else.
razor deathstalker, and i keep my hand fairly level and aligned with the WASD keys. It may just be straining to reach keys I dont normally use in other games. Might be time to look at keybindings
razor deathstalker, and i keep my hand fairly level and aligned with the WASD keys. It may just be straining to reach keys I dont normally use in other games. Might be time to look at keybindings
Wow... that is a sweet keyboard. I just looked it up. Similar layout to my el cheapo Insignia keyboard, as in not ergonomic design, but yea... nice keyboard.
And yea I think it might be how much you're moving your hand to hit keybinds compared to other games. Short term solution might be to click on things more than rely on keybinds. Reaction speed might drop just a bit, but it might save your hand a bit until you find a solution that fits you better. I think I've gotten to the point where most of my Captain abilities or Kit abilities are almost muscle memory with the mouse. Then again with Captian skills I tend to place them in the same spot as much as possible across characters.
yeah definitely gonna look for some ideas and guides to reduce hand fatigue
I usually use the mouse to steer, click and move, the keyboard is rarely used other than space bar and E
Post edited by theraven2378 on
"The meaning of victory is not to merely defeat your enemy but to destroy him, to completely eradicate him from living memory, to leave no remnant of his endeavours, to crush utterly his achievement and remove from all record his every trace of existence. From that defeat no enemy can ever recover. That is the meaning of victory."
-Lord Commander Solar Macharius
My good Bro/Brodete/Non bronary sounds like you sitting and playing posture is awful.
There are many guides on google as the best placement for your body and hands while playing games please look into them. Your body should not have such issues playing this game or any game for that matter.
I found that having bridge officer abilities bound to a bunch of specific separate keys wasn't enough to reduce fatigue and make things easier as this method doesn't reduce the total number of key presses or clicks.
A basic "tactical rotation" can be anything from 4 boff abilities all the way up to over a full tray. Here's an example..
Photonic Officer -> Emergency Power to Weapons -> Beam or Cannon firing mode -> Attack Pattern Beta
I don't find it possible to reliably click on or press 4 to 10 (or more) individually keyed abilities as well as buffs, heals, captain abilities AND also pilot my ship. To make things even harder, using cooldown reduction (i.e. Photonic Officer) makes a lot of these things come up *even faster* which for me usually results in a frenetic race to activate things until a mis-click or neglect of piloting while trying to activate things ends up with my starship exploding. There's just too many things happening at once and it's the same abilities that come up over and over again. Surely there's an easier way?
The time spent to set up a basic keybind script and practice a little bit could very well be one of the best returns on time invested available in the game despite the fact that trying new things can feel a bit awkward at first. A single key can be designated to sequentially activate the abilities in a select tray. Smooth and stress free.
thanks for all the advice and tips, definitely dont wanna hurt myself gaming. And I can promise its not posture at least I dont think so, I sit pretty straight. Will definitely try clicking, rebinding keys, as my hands are fairly small.
Another question or two:
What kind of keyboard and how is your hand oriented compared to it?
As for Cyberpunk vs STO... I don't think Cyberpunk has the number of abilities STO has. Its more a FPS/RPG right? So it would have the basic FPS controls, which tend to be fewer than STO's hotkeys for various abilities which include Alt+key, Ctrl+key, and even Shift+key. So in theory... if you use keyboard hotkeys far more than someone like me, you're working your hand even more. I mostly just use the number keys in space, and click everything else.
razor deathstalker, and i keep my hand fairly level and aligned with the WASD keys. It may just be straining to reach keys I dont normally use in other games. Might be time to look at keybindings
Get yourself a keyboard wrist-rest/pad. One for your mouse would be good too. That's helped me a lot over the years of using keyboards and mice in general' and I definitely notice the difference when at work at a keyboard or mouse that doesn't have either available
Post edited by crypticarmsman on
Formerly known as Armsman from June 2008 to June 20, 2012
PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."
i just crack my nuckles when i get a cramp. also ive been told lo salt can cause cramps. washing your hands under warm/hot water gets the blood pumping and also gives you a reasion to move your hands and fingers.
Comments
If you're going to play for long periods of time, I messed my wrist up a few years back moving some furniture around and couldn't use my left hand that well for a few weeks. I picked up a Logitech G13 with a wrist rest to control things better. unfortunately they don't make those types of keypads much anymore. closest is a Razer Tartarus. Razer Naga mouse with the 12 buttons on the side is also a great option.
Star Trek Online volunteer Community Moderator
Is your mouse the wrong size for your grip? They make mice in tiny and big sizes (80-button gamer mice) so finding one that fits better should be possible.
Also, are you using that hand on the computer a lot during the rest of the day? Try taking more breaks.
Or
MMO mouse... I guess you could get thumb cramps from a MMO mouse.
Game has a great keybind system info is easy to find. I don't think its a great idea to bind everything to your space bar or something... but you can probably bind some logical things (like your attack buffs) to one key if your currently using a bunch.
#LegalizeAwoo
A normie goes "Oh, what's this?"
An otaku goes "UwU, what's this?"
A furry goes "OwO, what's this?"
A werewolf goes "Awoo, what's this?"
"It's nothing personal, I just don't feel like I've gotten to know a person until I've sniffed their crotch."
"We said 'no' to Mr. Curiosity. We're not home. Curiosity is not welcome, it is not to be invited in. Curiosity...is bad. It gets you in trouble, it gets you killed, and more importantly...it makes you poor!"
What kind of keyboard and how is your hand oriented compared to it?
As for Cyberpunk vs STO... I don't think Cyberpunk has the number of abilities STO has. Its more a FPS/RPG right? So it would have the basic FPS controls, which tend to be fewer than STO's hotkeys for various abilities which include Alt+key, Ctrl+key, and even Shift+key. So in theory... if you use keyboard hotkeys far more than someone like me, you're working your hand even more. I mostly just use the number keys in space, and click everything else.
The first ties several separate abilities to a single key that activates them sequentially with each key press. The second eliminates throttle up/down key presses.
All of this sure seems to quiet things down which can allow for much better focus on other things.
razor deathstalker, and i keep my hand fairly level and aligned with the WASD keys. It may just be straining to reach keys I dont normally use in other games. Might be time to look at keybindings
Wow... that is a sweet keyboard. I just looked it up. Similar layout to my el cheapo Insignia keyboard, as in not ergonomic design, but yea... nice keyboard.
And yea I think it might be how much you're moving your hand to hit keybinds compared to other games. Short term solution might be to click on things more than rely on keybinds. Reaction speed might drop just a bit, but it might save your hand a bit until you find a solution that fits you better. I think I've gotten to the point where most of my Captain abilities or Kit abilities are almost muscle memory with the mouse. Then again with Captian skills I tend to place them in the same spot as much as possible across characters.
I usually use the mouse to steer, click and move, the keyboard is rarely used other than space bar and E
-Lord Commander Solar Macharius
There are many guides on google as the best placement for your body and hands while playing games please look into them. Your body should not have such issues playing this game or any game for that matter.
A basic "tactical rotation" can be anything from 4 boff abilities all the way up to over a full tray. Here's an example..
Photonic Officer -> Emergency Power to Weapons -> Beam or Cannon firing mode -> Attack Pattern Beta
I don't find it possible to reliably click on or press 4 to 10 (or more) individually keyed abilities as well as buffs, heals, captain abilities AND also pilot my ship. To make things even harder, using cooldown reduction (i.e. Photonic Officer) makes a lot of these things come up *even faster* which for me usually results in a frenetic race to activate things until a mis-click or neglect of piloting while trying to activate things ends up with my starship exploding. There's just too many things happening at once and it's the same abilities that come up over and over again. Surely there's an easier way?
The time spent to set up a basic keybind script and practice a little bit could very well be one of the best returns on time invested available in the game despite the fact that trying new things can feel a bit awkward at first. A single key can be designated to sequentially activate the abilities in a select tray. Smooth and stress free.
Get yourself a keyboard wrist-rest/pad. One for your mouse would be good too. That's helped me a lot over the years of using keyboards and mice in general' and I definitely notice the difference when at work at a keyboard or mouse that doesn't have either available
PWE ARC Drone says: "Your STO forum community as you have known it is ended...Display names are irrelevant...Any further sense of community is irrelevant...Resistance is futile...You will be assimilated..."
Look up STO Keybinds on Sourceforge.