Accessibility Options, OR: "What Am I Doing Wrong?"

[Cristovelli]

So, let me say I've been enjoying this game tremendously. I've got 17 summits under my belt and I feel like I have the ability to complete the fundamental peaks. I've been making steady progress, but at the bouldering locations the crimps are quite frustrating. In fact even before that is the Golden Trophy atop this location, with a series of 6 or so crimps, some of which simply do not want to be grabbed:
https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/2301965039688295461/EE609B95715283941B7925ABBB6159A41107A376/?imw=5000&imh=5000&ima=fit&impolicy=Letterbox&imcolor=%23000000&letterbox=false
With the rope setup shown, I've found it's fairly trivial to return to the challenge, but I have tried this section 100 times, made it to the top only twice, because while I can make the jumps to the next crimp, half the time my hand does not go where I tell it to, slapping around everywhere EXCEPT where my crosshair is. It feels like the actual hitbox the my hands meets the rock at some arbitrary spot outside of center, which I suppose depends on the geometry of the surface. Perhaps there is an intentional "handedness" to certain holds but I have tried every which way to Sunday to consistently grab the second crimp past the overhang, seems easy, but my hand refuses to grab it 50% of the time. I've been trying to unlock the chalk which seems like it would give me a chance, but it is locked behind similar twitch-perfect bouldering routes.
Perhaps it is a skill issue, perhaps it is just my RSI (I can't use the mouse, have to use controller, which feels good to use in this game), but I feel like I've hit a wall with the reaction times and what seems like luck needed on these chained moves, it no longer feels intuitive to me. At long as my hands connect, chaining the moves, or failing to do so due to momentum loss, feels under my control.
What I'd prefer, is that my hands prioritize gripping exactly where I am looking, maybe there is a reason this can't happen. Short of that, I'd like to request an accessibility option to increase the grip time on crimps (like, double), so I can at least get the freakin' chalk please.

[Possm]

Try playing with the option "free aim" off for a little while and see how it feels. I think this option is in the game for this exact reason. Helped me tremendously for boulders because I could confidently place my hands where I was aiming right after flicking the mouse or some weird movement

[Cristovelli]

Wait really? I missed that, I will try it, thanks!

[Cristovelli]

Ok well I snagged the trophy after a few tries without that setting, while the difference in behavior is not immediately discernible to me, it does seem to have made a difference. I will stick with it for now and give it my best.
Side question about YFYD, do you lose all progress on every summit if you fall even once, i.e., is it a true permadeath mode?

[Possm]

Originally posted by Cristovelli:

Ok well I snagged the trophy after a few tries without that setting, while the difference in behavior is not immediately discernible to me, it does seem to have made a difference. I will stick with it for now and give it my best.
Side question about YFYD, do you lose all progress on every summit if you fall even once, i.e., is it a true permadeath mode?

Yes, any fall that would result in one of those true fall animations where your character crouches down and you're screen goes black, wipes the entire save file with the exception of the smoking pipe, which serves as a permanent unlock. Falling into water on maps like hangman's leaps won't end the run fortunately

And to clarify the free aim option, toggling it off will lock your arms to the relative center of the screen when you outstretch said arms. Without this toggled off, changes in aim will shift the hand hitboxes to areas that are not the center of your screen. Should be pretty easily noticable if you toggle it on and off and outstretch both arms and swing your aim around in different directions

[Cristovelli]

Originally posted by Possm:

And to clarify the free aim option, toggling it off will lock your arms to the relative center of the screen when you outstretch said arms. Without this toggled off, changes in aim will shift the hand hitboxes to areas that are not the center of your screen. Should be pretty easily noticable if you toggle it on and off and outstretch both arms and swing your aim around in different directions

Thanks, it is helping, I'm noticing a much greater degree of success, even on bouldering which was giving me significant trouble. As long as I can snag the chalk within a couple-few more boulders, I think I'll be fine.
I will say, while I am not the hardest-core gamer, I am pretty tenacious when properly challenged, but I think the author may wish to consider introducing the chalk sooner in the game for those of us without the strongest hands. The crimps murder me, I can't imagine doing this with a mouse. Also seems like a pretty critical bit of gear, as shown in the trailer. It's not like the game is just magically easy after that.

[Possm]

Originally posted by Cristovelli:

Originally posted by Possm:

And to clarify the free aim option, toggling it off will lock your arms to the relative center of the screen when you outstretch said arms. Without this toggled off, changes in aim will shift the hand hitboxes to areas that are not the center of your screen. Should be pretty easily noticable if you toggle it on and off and outstretch both arms and swing your aim around in different directions

Thanks, it is helping, I'm noticing a much greater degree of success, even on bouldering which was giving me significant trouble. As long as I can snag the chalk within a couple-few more boulders, I think I'll be fine.
I will say, while I am not the hardest-core gamer, I am pretty tenacious when properly challenged, but I think the author may wish to consider introducing the chalk sooner in the game for those of us without the strongest hands. The crimps murder me, I can't imagine doing this with a mouse. Also seems like a pretty critical bit of gear, as shown in the trailer. It's not like the game is just magically easy after that.

Yeah haha, it definitely becomes more critical the further you progress too. I think you unlock the chalk after completing 5 boulders, which I remember doing for the first time felt very challenging. Id recommend skipping ahead to some of the later boulders, if youre feeling stuck on a boulder problem that you cant quite figure out. When I was doing them them my first time I found Ol wealds boulder which I think is the 7th or 8th boulder quite a bit easier than some of the earlier boulders, so feel free to go ahead and try some of the other ones out, you might find them a bit easier. Personally I think the hardest boulders are the leaning spire and sundered suns, both of which have some pretty tricky holds

[Cristovelli]

I finally unlocked the stopwatch beating the second intermediate boulder, after resorting to practicing the Fundamentals more and picking up a few more moves. Now that I have a time attack mode available, I can actually see how much better I've gotten at more precise jumps on the first book of summits and it has increased my mountaineering mojo. I say this for anyone thinking of giving up, keep playing, and replaying the levels you are comfortable with to try taking new risks. It pays off.

[PoiZn]

I think that's an important thing to remember that in the regular mode you can fall and fail as much as you want. Just try stuff. Learn the controls. One of the best things I did was put in a rope and take like 10 minutes really learning how those sliding rocks work.