Wheelchairs, hands, and why I think it shouldn't change (too much)

[Blerpfish]

So I just saw that wheelchairs were discussed in the topic talking about atvs, but the thread was closed before I could put my two cents in. As someone who played a wheelchair bound character for a long time, and plans on going back to doing so, I would like to talk about something about wheelchairs that I doubt a lot of people know, especially if you havent used one in the last 6~ months.

When I started playing as a paraplegic character, Tends-the-Gardens, being bound to a wheelchair was just basically a speed debuff. Everything else was pretty normal with it. After a few weeks though, something was added to make it impossible to use a non-motorized wheelchair without having both your hands completely empty. I hated this change. It made things so much harder to do because I couldn’t move around while holding things, and my inventory was constantly being filled up with more and more stuff that I wanted to have on me but couldn’t just hold. Getting a motorized wheelchair alleviated this issue, but that’s not always an option on every shift, either due to not having the materials, the parts, or just not having time to make one. I found it really frustrating that this change happened.

For the first few shifts, at least. Then I actually kind of started loving the change. It honestly makes you think way more about what you’re picking up, what you actively need, and planning out in advance like “Okay, I’m going to be taking a lot of stuff, maybe I should drag a box behind me”. I think it honestly makes the use of wheelchairs fun. Or if not fun per say, at least it makes it way more interesting. And it makes getting a motorized wheelchair a real genuine upgrade rather than just “Hey I can go slightly faster”.

I would really like to keep this the way it is, with some adjustments. First and foremost, I like the idea of a fold up wheelchair that was recommended in the atv thread. I think that’s a great idea, and should honestly be looked into seriously. Second, I think that medbays should stock wheelchairs as standard. Regular wheelchairs, not motorized ones of course. Those should still be something requiring building by hand. Thirdly, giving the wheelchair, both versions, some kind of small inventory. As someone who has worked with multiple people in real life who are in wheelchairs, I know that they tend to set things on their lap if they need to use their hands. Making the wheelchair have an inventory could simulate this, and would be helpful for inventory management. I also think that perhaps adding some kind of super wheelchair that can only be get at tier five science, like a hover chair, would be really neat.

Overall, I dont think wheelchairs need to change fundamentally from what they are. I really enjoyed using them post change and think that it should be kept the way it is, just added on to.

[Fronsis]

Thank you for sharing your views, i couldn’t remember your character name when i was writing my posts but i knew there was a ‘‘lizard on wheelchair’’ that i’ve seen playing around! Medbays having wheelchairs certainly makes sense, as we started to get more maps some had them and others didn’t, standarizing it to all would be cool and the idea of a small slot to store items is great!

Picturing an hover chair in my head and it certainly would look very good and fitting!

Though while you do provide a solution of dragging the crate behind you to get around it’s certainly ‘‘not intended’’ since on one side ‘‘it doesn’t make sense’’ given you’re using a game mechanic (the control click to drag) when in theory both of your arms should certainly be busy using the wheelchair, And there’s also the whole ‘‘dragging crates/lockers makes you slow’’ that was also applied(Still hasn’t been adressed in consideration of cargo, I remember reading suggestion for cargo/engi specialized gloves or a modsuit feature) so technically using a vehicle to bypass that slowdown is sadly another thing that’s not intended

Of course I’m not against what you’ve managed to do to get around comfortably and i doubt there’s an evil coder that will quickly fix it by removing that option instead of adressing the actual issue lmao (Or so i hope) But it’s certainly worth it to point it out and portray it this way to show how an actual wheelchair player has been impacted and has relied on these kind of strategies to bypass it in a way that makes it makes sense and still let you be able to play comfortably.

[Ruko]

@Fronsis

and i doubt there’s an evil coder that will quickly fix it

[TwiggyJrr]

@Blerpfish

Thirdly, giving the wheelchair, both versions, some kind of small inventory.

People I’ve known who use wheelchairs throughout life usually strap a backpack to the back of their chairs. That’d be neat!

[RandaltheVandal]

I love to both help and bully wheelchair players but if I remember right aint there already a printable high tech wheelchair in the form of the robotics clown car?

As well when I think of hover chair I think of Krew from Jak and Daxter 2. So I’m for the “tier 5” hoverchair tech.

Plus fuck moterized wheelchairs as the amounts of stuns they bring if wielded right is painful.

[Blerpfish]

@Fronsis

dragging the crate behind you to get around it’s certainly ‘‘not intended’’

This was just an example, really. I rarely do it with actual boxes or lockers. Usually it’s just an extra bag, which like someone else mentioned is a thing people who use wheelchairs irl commonly put on their chairs. Giving wheelchairs an inventory would completely remove the need to do it.

@RandaltheVandal

but if I remember right aint there already a printable high tech wheelchair in the form of the robotics clown car?

This probably does exist in robotics. The thing is, for me at least, using the paraplegic quirk isn’t just “I want a new way to get around the station”, it’s part of the character’s identity. If I wanted, I could ask robotics to make a mech every time I get on the station too, since they work for paraplegic characters as well. It’s about using the wheelchair itself.

@RandaltheVandal

when I think of hover chair I think of Krew from Jak and Daxter 2

I was actually picturing something like the pod Frieza rides around in to be honest.