2019-02-14 15:43:31 (edited by ianhamilton_ 2019-02-14 15:44:46)

Given the growing number of big name console games that have been considering blind accessibility for gameplay (e.g. Madden 19, Killer Instinct, MKX) and the games that are now considering blind accessibility for interfaces, thanks in part to CVAA (division 2, crackdown 3) It seems to me reasonable to assume that it's only a matter of time now that we see the first AAA console games that have both accessible UI and accessible gameplay in the same package; i.e. fully accessible.

This could happen in a couple of ways;

1. Games with interface based gameplay, like hearthstone or football manager, gaining gameplay accessibility through provision of interface accessibility
2. Games with accidentally accessible gameplay gaining interface accessibility too
3. Games having both intentional interface accessibility and intentional work put in to making gameplay accessible to blind gamers

So based on that, anyone have any predictions for the future? Which big name mainstream games you think might be most likely to be first to offer a fully accessible experience? Or which big name mainstream games you would like to see offer a fully accessible experience? Or do you not think it will ever be achieved?

2019-02-14 15:49:10 (edited by Mitch 2019-02-14 15:54:44)

Here's my first big want: I just want the Switch to have a screen reader... it can't be that hard, right?
Then Super Smash brothers Ultimate would be basically completely accessible.  Other than that, I believe that it would be great if games like Wargroove or Fire Emblem were accessible. They are mostly reliant on game icons and text, so I don't see why blind people could not  play them.

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2019-02-14 18:11:53 (edited by Orin 2019-02-14 18:16:19)

Well, my first want would be, since MKX implemented audio queues for interactibles, the next step would be the menus talking.
Unfortunately, I don't see MK 11 or Madden 20 implementing menu accessibility this year. The chief issue right now being that Sony doesn't have any API to hook into to create accessible menus.

I'm pretty sure NetherRealm wouldn't release MK 11 with blind accessibility only on the Xbox One simply because the game transcription feature has an option to "read the game" if it is supported.

My message was cut off originally, so editing this to say that because Sony, region locked TTS and TTS not fully supported, I don't think these AAA companies can add accessibility to one console only if it will be on another console.

2019-02-14 20:03:34

Yes, I know, I've said this in various places about 543000 times in the last six months. But my stance hasn't exactly changed lol. I really, really want some way of playing civ. It doesn't even have to be 2k games that fully makes civ VI playable. Hell, it'd be enough if someone from the ag comunity took some pointers from the original nes game in the 90s and made a port of that. And from what I know, even something like civ VI wouldn't be completely insermountable, not for the devs at least. All important events through the game, which even includes the combat events even though those are animated, are still displayed through text. Menus and most ingame pop-ups can be more or less read and interacted on using OCR. The one big problem is the map, and how to display the information contained within because there's just a huge amount of it, especially in the newer games.

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2019-02-14 20:16:07

I think I agree with Orin on this one. Granted, most of us would just prefer they implement accessibility on the one system they can, but that would entail designing the games diferently for each console and I doubt most companies will want to take the time to do that. And my biggest want is to see acessibility improvements come to games that are still being actively supported where accessibility wouldn't be that hard to add along with other new gameplay features EG: For Honour, Overwatch, etc. Those two games in particular have the potential to be accessible, with the proper simple additions.

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2019-02-14 20:30:48

Hi.
I think the first game to be fully accessible either is Mk 11, or Killer Instinct with an accessibility update patch.

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.
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2019-02-14 20:53:31 (edited by ianhamilton_ 2019-02-14 20:57:12)

For what it's worth text to speech doesn't have to use platform level functionality, the division 2 uses its own internal TTS implemented once across all platforms. Some devs even put their own text to speech in during development as placeholder audio for characters speaking until the voice lines are recorded.

2019-02-14 21:55:42

Ps5 ain't too far off. Maybe accessibility will be better across all regions.

2019-02-14 21:56:09

There's some issues with the Division 2's implementation, however. Some dialogs won't read, E.G. when you want to save setting and/or are otherwise asked a question with a yes or no prompt. The yes/no reads but the actual prompt does not, whereas Crackdown 3 reads everything.

2019-02-15 00:21:19

@8, I highly doubt it. They had more than three years to work on the tts problem since introducing it, and still nothing has happened. I love Sony's consoles for the list of games available, but wouldn't bet on accessibility improvements any time soon.

Discord: clemchowder633

2019-02-15 02:03:08

I think I'd like to see accessibility put into games like city builders and farming simulator. Farming simulator more than the city builders for now honestly because I've always wanted to see an accessible farming game. I think city builders will come later. Also, as far as the ps accessibility goes, I think now that a law has been past to start to make games accessible, I truly believe that there'll be more legislation put in place that will make all games and consoles accessible eventually so I think it'll be a matter of time as you've already said and I can hardly wait. I'm 35 years old and I never thought I'd see the day when even a game console would be made to speak so that we could use it without any sort of sighted help so now that that's happened I think it's a matter of time before it all becomes accessible.

2019-02-15 12:00:09

I think I don't care.
No one's making the kinds of games I want to play, other than Japanese companies, and it's mostly American companies that are working on accessibility. Maybe European studios, too; I'm not as familiar with those, since Japan and the US dominate the market.
If I go back in time and win the lottery, I might see if Nintendo / Soni / Bandai / etc will accept million dollar bribes in exchange for accessibility, but even that feels like an awful lot of sketch for low odds of a complete picture.
So either Western studios make games I'd be sad about not playing, someone drops a big bag of money labeled A11y on Square's porch, or I keep going back and forth between whining and vain attempts at just making them myself.
So far, so C.

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2019-02-15 14:42:29

I'd love the Switch to have some form of tts in the future.
As for actual games, if mk or killer instinct, or any more fighting games for that matter, get accessibility, then I'd be happy. Another game series I'd love to see accessible menus/dialogues for, would be the Rock Band series because right now, World Tour isn't really playable. I'd also love things like Magic The Gathering or Hearthstone to get accessibility in their dialogues, and of course Civilisation. If Jump Force and DBFZ had accessible lobbies then that would rock, especially in Jump Force some of the things can't be warped to, such as NPCS to talk to. Also, I don't know how many people know about this but Gears of War 4 hord mode has a thing called fabricator ping which can act as a landmark, and that was added as a gameplay option retrofitted in. You hold down a button to make it work, but you have to turn that option on in settings first. Who knows what will happen in Gears 5. Small steps though, small steps.

2019-02-15 15:56:52

Hearthstone, MTG, Gwent, Eternal. Those are the games I'd love accessibility for. They're all text anyway and if they were made accessible I'd be thrilled.

Silly Gohan, animals don't eat people. People eat animals.

2019-02-15 20:49:26

At this moment in time, (it'll never happen,) but I would love speaking menues in diablo 3. If gear and abilites could be read aloud, that game would be 100% playable.

Take care, it's a desert out there.

2019-02-15 22:43:15

stirlock wrote:

At this moment in time, (it'll never happen,) but I would love speaking menues in diablo 3. If gear and abilites could be read aloud, that game would be 100% playable.

There's still some navigation stuff with that, but for the most part I agree.

2019-02-16 06:22:04

I like to picture ian laughing to himself, knowing about something coming down the pipeline  but is unable to speak about it at the moment. Wishful thinking, I suppose. Heh.

I predict the following:

1. An Assassin’s Creed game will be fully accessible within the next 2 To 3 years.
2. The game NetherRealm Studios makes after MK11 will take a leap forward in accessibility and offer in-game TTS for, at least, main/pause menus including character move lists and multiverse events/towers..
3. Whatever Obsidian is working on will be accessible to a point.
4. Titanfall 3 will have a mostly playable campaign.
5. Next Killer Instinct will be fully accessible. Furthermore, I predict never being able to beat sightless kombat. Not a single match.
6. An indie developer will make an accessible turn-based JRPG type of game within 3.5 years.
7. Next Halo and Gears will have more than TTS for menus. More accessible gameplay in campaign without need for co-pilot.
8. Audio cues and directional/distance readouts for checkpoints will happen in a AAA mainstream game within 2 to 3 years.
9. An indie-made platformer will be shockingly accessible with use of audio cues and pitch in tandem with haptic feedback for effective and fun platforming. Sighted folk’s minds will be blown we can do speedruns as well as sighted gamers. I give this one 5 years til it happens.
10. Capcom will sell an Accessibility Bundle as DLC for Street Fighter 6 Which includes TTS for all menus except the character select screen. We’ll still have to memorize that bit.
11. Lots of high contrast modes for low vision players popping up from various developers.
12. Ubisoft is gonna run with it. Surpassing even Microsoft Studios.
13.  The next tomb Raider game will have limited blind accessibility.  And yes I realize they have stuff there for low vision in the latest game.
14.  Someone from these forms is going to contact  Vanillaware  to let them know just how nearly accessible their games are and how a little of this and a little of that would make them fully playable .
15.  The next  Streets of Rage  Will be playable, though not exactly accessible.  But fully playable.


That’s right. Only #10 is a joke. Call me a dreamer, go ahead.

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2019-02-16 11:26:05

Hi.
@Arron: What is the hord mode in Gears of War 4? Does the ping feature work in the story mode as well? That would be amazing.

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

2019-02-16 17:57:37

Hi,
Hawd mode is a separate mode from the story. You take on waves of enemies, I think it's up to 50, either alone or with friends. The ping only works for the fabricator object, which is used to collect power and then build thigns such as centries and I think some other objects that I don't know about. Now, if that fabriactor menu was accessible it'd be much easier to build centries. Of course, aiming is a bit tricky as there's no sound but you can sort of get away with it with some weapons. I've played with SightlessKombat before.
Oh and regarding Killer Instinct, yep, it's going to be hard to beat SightlessKombat. He's basically my training partner at this stage, and one of our traditions is a best to 10 Jago mirror and more often than not, he'll take the lead, but it's often fairly close in terms that I put up quite a fight.

2019-02-18 14:18:55

Hello everyone, karate25 here again with a few predictions of my own. While I'm not a good gauge for giving time frames as far as the number of years for something to occur, I do completely agree with Ian and for one can hardly wait for things to begin happening, and I truly believe that in do time, enough laws will be passed that we will eventually be able to play video and computer games completely unaided by our sighted counterparts from games with storylines right down to sandboxes like star citizen. No we might not be able to play star citizen but when another developer builds something similar to it in the future when technology improves. Of course I'm going to keep a very close eye on all of this and I'm going to go into my xbox's ease of access settings and look for that button that lets games read aloud so that way when one comes out that interests me and that speaks, I'll be able to use it. Personally I actually like how microsoft has set all that up as far as turning off and on the speaking functionality by enabling or disabling a check box, this way the game won't just begin speaking and startle our sighted counterparts. Again I say that I'll be keeping a close watch on all of this and see what happens.

2019-02-19 00:36:56

@20 there's one you can try already, sa11ytaire. It's only solitaire so not exactly the most exciting game but it's a hugely important landmark, and playing that it's easy to see how something like Hearthstone could work.