2016-07-13 02:46:24 (edited by sneak 2016-07-14 19:56:12)

This is a quick explanation on how to play Pokémon GO with limited sighted assistance.
I decided to write this up to give people a quick reference on how to begin playing Pokémon GO with limited sighted assistance, which isn’t as much of a hassle as it might seem. This is due to the application’s tendency to draw a number of people together in one location who all have at least one common interest. If you have any friends who are able to see without any sort of visual impairment, this is intended to give you the information to communicate with those around you who may be helpful enough to lend you some aid. If you are an individual on the opposite end of the spectrum, (Someone with no visual impairments, and encounters someone with one, and are stopped to render assistance) this is intended to help you understand what a person with a visual impairment might request.
Number one: getting Started.
To start, this is a list of things you’ll need to make sure you have before requesting assistance.
1. A smart phone with a data connection and GPS capability.
2. A google account, usually means just having a Gmail account registered to you.
3. The Pokémon GO app, this can be found by visiting the play store or the App store on IOS devices.
4. Launch the game and wait until it pulls up the Google account login screen, and sign in. As a side note, be sure to take Extra security precautions with your Google account by enabling two-step verification.
Congratulations, you should be set up to request assistance.
Next, go through character creation. This process is done by selecting the following fields.
1. Male or Female,
2. Skin color.
3. If female, you choose to wear a hat or not, if male, you choose to wear a vizier or not.
4. Hat/vizier color.
5. Hair color.
6. Eye-color.
7. Shirt style and color.
8. Pants     style and color.
9. Shoe style and color.
10. Backpack style and color.
More information on how the game functions and plays can be found here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Goo

Now that you have a general understanding of how the game works, and the principles behind the game, we can get into some of the features an individual with a visual impairment might be interested in learning about.
1.    Poke-stops.
Poke stops will pop up on the screen as you move about the world around you. When this happens a chime rings out, it sounds almost like an 8 bit bell ringing, or maybe even an old style bike bell. After you hear this, you can either have the person who is helping you click on it, or you can attempt to do it yourself by tapping around on the screen until you hear it make an 8 bit whoosh sound. When moving about on the screen with your finger, try moving it about a quarter of a centimeter at a time, and hold it there until you hear the chime in the background of the music play. Also, only the area between about 4 centimeters above the home key and the top of the screen holds the over-world, if you tap around below that point you will start clicking on screen tabs. After you have successfully located the Poke-Stop, and have heard the subsequent “Whoosh” sound, you will next need to swipe your finger on the same spot either to the left or right. This spins the stop, which rewards you with eggs, Pokeballs, and other related rewards. You will then have to click around on the screen until everything is collected. Once you are finished, click directly above the home button. This should exit you from the Poke-stop, and return you to the over-world.
2. Augmented versus not augmented. By default the application is set to augmented mode, this means that whenever you encounter a Pokémon, the user must turn about in the real world to capture the Pokémon. In non-augmented mode, the user must turn about in the game world by turning a dial in the application, and then throw a Pokeball. I haven’t tested either mode very extensively, but non-augmented is by far the easier of the two options for an individual with a visual impairment to use. When the user is in an encounter, they must tap and hold the Pokeball, which is located about 4 centimeters above the home button. You’ll want to be careful not to tap two low, doing so may result in pressing the options menu. You will hear a low sound play as you touch the Pokeball, once you hear the sound, you can then flick your finger up the screen to launch the Pokeball at the Pokémon. The speed and angle of the throw will determine how the ball is thrown. The timing of the throw determines your accuracy. Too late, and you’ll miss, too slow and the Pokémon will escape. Once you have successfully captured your Pokémon, you can then tap near the bottom of the screen to close out of the Poke-stats menu. If it is a new type, you will then be presented with a Pokedex entry for that Pokémon species. To exit this screen press near the bottom of the screen. This will return you to the over-world map.
3. Poke battles: To be written.
4. Menus, to be written.
5. If you have any other questions feel free to ask me, and I’ll do my best to answer them, though you may get a better response by asking the person you are helping or are being helped by.
HTH. #pokemongo

The universe is a rain storm. We are droplets sent to quench the problems of the world, yet we are blown sideways by the winds of distractions.

2016-07-13 07:14:36

Wow, this is very interesting. Continue developing this

2016-07-13 08:01:59

good work

can i get a peace double harmony burger? no chaos

2016-07-13 08:55:10

Hi sneak!
so I have a question.
I haven't use this app but as according to you  this is a game right?
so is this game accessible with voice over?
as you are telling the gestures how many gestures will work with vo?
Thanks
Ishan

life's battle do not always go to the stronger and faster man,
But sooner or later who win the one who thinks he can!

2016-07-13 09:13:21

This game is not accessible with voice over. If you want more information on the game, you can click on the wiki link provided, or by Googling Pokemon GO.

The universe is a rain storm. We are droplets sent to quench the problems of the world, yet we are blown sideways by the winds of distractions.

2016-07-13 17:34:03

Thank you for writing this up.
I really want to play this!

2016-07-14 18:15:59

doing good so far. caught 5 pokemon without help. its great. just had to have someone creat the character.

2016-07-14 19:09:36

Hey, that's awesome! I'm glad you're having fun.

The universe is a rain storm. We are droplets sent to quench the problems of the world, yet we are blown sideways by the winds of distractions.

2016-07-14 21:48:24

@JWoodill21: How are you able to aim at the Pokemon? I'm guessing you have some degree of sight? Short of wasting tons of Pokeballs, I don't see how a totally blind person could do that. Cheers for the guide though sneak, if I can find someone willing to tag along I'll have to play with this a little.

2016-07-15 05:35:33

I think in the non-augmented mode, it places the Pokemon in the same spot which is right in front of you.

The universe is a rain storm. We are droplets sent to quench the problems of the world, yet we are blown sideways by the winds of distractions.

2016-07-15 07:30:50

Has anyone attempted to reach Niantic about accessibility?  This might be a laughable question seeing as how with our luck getting most things accessible in the mainstream realm hasn't been with us.
tongue

I just walked around with a friend playing it, and it seems like a pretty cool game.  I'd like to see this be developed for our pleasure.

Luke

What game will hadi.gsf want to play next?

2016-07-15 08:28:57

Wow Sneak. Thanks for writing all this. It's awesome that you are trying to make an inaccessible app useable by this great guide. Thumbs up man. big_smile

Best regards SLJ.
Feel free to contact me privately if you have something in mind. If you do so, then please send me a mail instead of using the private message on the forum, since I don't check those very often.
Facebook: https://facebook.com/sorenjensen1988
Twitter: https://twitter.com/soerenjensen

2016-07-16 00:24:57

Pretty sure Pokemon go is in unity, so it's literally impossible to get it working with voiceover.

Take care, it's a desert out there.

2016-07-16 18:02:02

yeah. I have a lot of sight. I can see the pokemon on the screen to catch them. I do have problems with some that move around the screen.

2016-07-16 21:50:25

Can I play with no sight? I cannot see anything

If you want to contact me, do not use the forum PM. I respond once a year or two, when I need to write a PM myself. I apologize for the inconvenience.
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2016-07-17 02:41:58

The cool thing, is that the music for the battles is the same for each Pokemon, so you can time your throws. I find that throwing on the last beat of the measure works. Also, if you learn the sounds they make you can determine if it is a  flying type. Flying types you have to swipe higher for, non-flying types you release a little lower. Some Pokemon can slap the balls out of the air and it causes you to miss. Others like Zubats you have to time it so that their echo location doesn't pick up the ball as you throw it because it'll dodge.

The universe is a rain storm. We are droplets sent to quench the problems of the world, yet we are blown sideways by the winds of distractions.

2016-07-17 11:49:38

The battle would be hard, I watched an Youtuvbe LP and you must dodge incoming attacks and attack yourself, fight isn't turn based in this game.

If you want to contact me, do not use the forum PM. I respond once a year or two, when I need to write a PM myself. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Telegram: Nuno69a
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2016-07-17 11:55:51

I actually do well in gym battles. To do your Pokemon's basic attack you just tap and the  Pokemon will attack the next time it can. To do their special moves you tap and hold until their charge meter is filled and then release. This takes some practice. When you beat the Pokemon, the next one will come out until you run out of HP, or until the gym runs out of Pokemon at which point, it will be lowered in prestige if it is an opposing team's gym, or increase the prestige if it is your own team's gym.

The universe is a rain storm. We are droplets sent to quench the problems of the world, yet we are blown sideways by the winds of distractions.

2016-07-17 12:51:15

Finnally, how can I know where pokestops  and pokemon are spawned in my region?

If you want to contact me, do not use the forum PM. I respond once a year or two, when I need to write a PM myself. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Telegram: Nuno69a
E-Mail: nuno69a (at) gmail (dot) com

2016-07-17 13:21:01

Pokemon spawn randomly based on the geographical location where you are. Pokestops are usually placed near locations where people meet and gather, if you don't know where some are, you can ask other players of the game for help.

The universe is a rain storm. We are droplets sent to quench the problems of the world, yet we are blown sideways by the winds of distractions.

2016-07-17 15:48:33

How i'll know that I have to try to catch pokemon?

If you want to contact me, do not use the forum PM. I respond once a year or two, when I need to write a PM myself. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Telegram: Nuno69a
E-Mail: nuno69a (at) gmail (dot) com

2016-07-17 19:34:24

damn. thought I would have some pokestops near me. ran out of pokeballs.

2016-07-17 23:12:45

This game is annoying enough to play as it is without a visual impairment. The servers keep crashing, and I went out today for a couple hours but caught no Pokémon. It's good when it does work, though.

Prehistoric terror.
My github.

2016-07-17 23:13:17

Dino, are you completekly blind?

If you want to contact me, do not use the forum PM. I respond once a year or two, when I need to write a PM myself. I apologize for the inconvenience.
Telegram: Nuno69a
E-Mail: nuno69a (at) gmail (dot) com

2016-07-18 01:47:25

If you go extended periods of time without seeing any Pokemon, try restarting the app.

The universe is a rain storm. We are droplets sent to quench the problems of the world, yet we are blown sideways by the winds of distractions.