2017-05-08 11:33:56

Hi, all.

The gaming clan I belong to recently released a text-based sci-fi MMO played entirely within Facebook Messenger. We have launched it as a public Alpha and have had some great feedback thus far. We never considered the demographic of blind people until one of our players messaged us stating that he plays the game with a screenreader and that I should submit it to this very website, and here we are.

As mentioned the game is played through Facebook Messenger and the direct link to play is: http://m.me/TextSpaced

If you are the type of player that prefers to read up first, we have a getting started guide within our help centre at: http://textspaced.com/new

Finally, we have a trailer with narration on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-05LLWUcPw

We would welcome any and all feedback.

(If you find a bug in the game you can also report it at http://www.textspaced.com/bug where new bugs receive an in-game reward.)

2017-05-08 13:26:16

I'd like to play this, but when i click the link, the only thing that comes is the messaging interface. Any tips?

Hail, Daughter of Hatred. Creator of Sanctuary. Hail...Lilith.

2017-05-08 14:00:24

Hi Arnold18, it is played through Facebook Messenger. If you type anything to the bot the game will begin.

2017-05-08 14:11:27

Oh okay  thanks. Actualy i was afraid to send messages, i thought that i did something wrong smile

Hail, Daughter of Hatred. Creator of Sanctuary. Hail...Lilith.

2017-05-08 14:12:24

Hi.
I have tried to play this game by using messenger for ios and I have found that options in this game are not labelled.
When I am moving between options voice over says that it is edit field but I dont know, which option it is.

2017-05-08 14:18:39

mojsior wrote:

Hi.
I have tried to play this game by using messenger for ios and I have found that options in this game are not labelled.
When I am moving between options voice over says that it is edit field but I dont know, which option it is.

Yes, unfortunately I have experienced this while using Voice Over in iOS too. I have raised a bug with Facebook, and I hope they will fix it, an alternative for now is to play it within the browser using the direct link: http://m.me/TextSpaced , using JAWS the menu items are read out.

2017-05-08 16:31:43

Hi.
Sounds interesting. Is this a single player or multiplayer game?

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

2017-05-08 16:47:59

SLJ wrote:

Hi.
Sounds interesting. Is this a single player or multiplayer game?

Its MMO style, so one big shared (and perpetual) universe.

2017-05-08 17:04:46

I would like to play this but I can't really use the web version of messenger. I've even tried doing it on the mobile sight but I get caught out whenever there's options and I can't seem to get passed that.

2017-05-08 17:07:41

darren wrote:

I would like to play this but I can't really use the web version of messenger. I've even tried doing it on the mobile sight but I get caught out whenever there's options and I can't seem to get passed that.

That's a shame, are the options to select not read out for the browser based Facebook Messenger?

2017-05-08 17:17:06

not that I can see no.

2017-05-08 17:51:07

@Text space, welcome to the website.
I do like the look of the game it rather reminds me of trade wars, (my character is imaginatively called dark).
I did have to get used to using the web messenger and looking for the buttons with the options, but I will admit I'm not the biggest fan of facebook, indeed I only created an account to test it out ages ago and had actually forgotten my password big_smile.
the game looks nice so far, especially for someone like me who enjoys exploring, I'm not sure about pvp but we'll see. I also do wonder what the game is like in terms of maps since I do know graphical representations of maps in these sorts of situations can get interesting,  I'm still exploring the in game options at the moment.

Btw, Text space, you might consider using the quick reply box or the reply links to send your message replies to topics on this forum rather than the quote function.
When you quote a message you leave all the text from the person your quoting which can make reading your replies a little long winded, considering that most people here use screen readers so have to listen to the hole message when reading it. Indeed I'd recommend only using the quote function when you actually need to quote a few words from someone and respond accordingly.


@Darren, I tried the game with nvda and internet explorer on windows 10, plus I gave supernova a go as well.
The controls in the game show up as buttons towards the bottom of the screen, however I found I had to send a couple of messages to the program sometimes to get the buttons to show up, especially when beginning the game (I just typed hello a few times), this also seems to happen when returning to the game after an absense.

I believe the buttons are graphical with alt text,  both screen readers I tried I could go between them using the b key. the only miner issue I got is sometimes not being able to find the output text,  most things go on near the bottom of the page.
the best method I found was to go down to the  bottom and hit shift b to get back to the buttons and read from there.

Since the buttons appear as controls within the space of the conversation, I suspect the best way to play on ios would be to load the page directly in safari.

hth.

I'll likely be able to say more when I've looked into this game a bit further though I need to give things a break for now, ---- heck I don't believe it, I swore I'd never use facebook, and now I'm proved dead wrong big_smile.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2017-05-08 19:10:50

This is so cool. I'm definitely gonna try it. I'll also post the intro message on this forum which is post one on Facebook. Just so it gets more attention. I'll leave out the name of the poster, just to be on the safe side.

Audio game king

2017-05-08 19:18:00

Is there a way to reset/restart the game? It's asking me to create a faction for some reason, even though I said no when it said if I wanted to make one. And I made my name test by accident. Also I read the guide (admittedly just sort of glanced at the getting started page) but is your race random?

Go, balloons. I don't see anything happening. Go, balloons. Go, balloons. Go, balloons. Stand by, confetti. Keep coming, balloons. More balloons. Bring them. Balloons, balloons, balloons! More balloons. Tons of them. Bring them down. Let them all come. No confetti. No confetti yet. No confetti. All right. Go, balloons.

2017-05-08 19:43:20

yeah I was wondering that myself. I'm starting to be able to play it but I don't like the interface I must admit. but then again I don't like the facebook site either.

2017-05-08 20:05:35

Wow so many replies, I'm glad you guys are giving it a whirl - good shout about the quote function. We plan to change and improve the game with feedback from the community so to be sure to post any ideas on Facebook. Also, it should be noted that it isn't meant to be an easy game or a short game, some of you may have already noticed it takes time to travel to begin with, now some answers.

In terms of the options not being read out on iOS, we have reached out to Facebook to try and improve this. Also, you don't need a Facebook account to use Facebook Messenger you can just sign-up with a phone number, whether you want to give that to Facebook or not is a different matter.

You can indeed reset your account, you'll find the option to delete your account under settings and then delete account. The race and gender you are given is tied directly to your Facebook ID (which is just a public integer) so even if you delete your account you'll end up the same character. Being selected as human is very common, clone is less common and being an Android is rare, so if you turn out to be an Android at the start you are quite lucky.

In terms of the interface if there is anything that we can change, please do let us know.

In terms of the map we tried to keep it very simple since its meant to be tactical, not technical. The universe therefore is laid out in only two dimensions, the clearest way to understand this is by using the

2017-05-08 21:42:38

Hi.

This is cool so far, I like how you integrated the game with the platform (the audio logs, videos, etc.) Is there a way to see where star systems are in relation to each other? All I can get is an ETA for each one and not where they actually are. Also the chart for the faction controlled systems is just a picture; it would be nice if a text version could be made also. I have no problem with the option buttons on Firefox.

Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic.

2017-05-08 22:38:48

How does one play the narrative campaign in this game? I looked on the site and it says you can play the campaign of only one out of six characters.

2017-05-08 22:39:04

Hello everyone,

I was the one who found the game and suggested about the posting of it in audiogames.net.

Well, on Android, Talkback is Reading the options perfectly and, in the PC version with Internet Explorer, Jaws reads it quite well too. In the rare occasions it does not, I send "help" to the bot and refresh the screen with insert+escape and the options appear.
Another hint I can think of is: try, instead of the m.me version (mobile), use the complete page's version:
http://www.messenger.com/t/TextSpaced
and see if that Works! You can even send the first message through that interface and then use Facebook itself and check your incoming messages to continue playing!

2017-05-08 23:48:03

@malavox thanks for directing people here, it's definitely the right place, also Text space, I definitely like your commitment to accessibility in games (not all fthe developers I've seen have been so reasonable).

I do wonder about the faction thing myself since I created a faction myself at startup and wasn't sure if I really needed one or not.
Sadly I'll be unable to play for a few days, but I should be back next weekend.

With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)

2017-05-09 02:47:30

@Dark It is the least I can do considering that many of the audiogames I have played were heard from in this site!

2017-05-09 08:29:56 (edited by TextSpaced 2017-05-09 08:30:33)

@stewie The best way to understand where you are is to use the near by filter within FTL under helm, this will show sectors around your current position. You can also choose report under the tactical menu which shows just your current location. In terms of the map of known space, I'll include a text version in this post, at the end.

@Orin The story is triggered for your character when conditions are met, certain locations are visited or certain actions are performed. This is to make the story more natural, the best way to progress the story therefore is to continue exploring.

@supermalavox thanks for the info, and thanks again for recommending this site!

@Dark the only time you are able to create a faction is at the start of the game, if you decide to switch to a different faction and you are the only person, it will be disbanded. Factions are good if you plan to build and expand as resources stored in faction structures are shared amongst the entire faction, there are also controls to quickly message other faction members and sync your discoveries to help explore quicker.

Known space in text, please note this was accurate when the game initiated however the NPC factions do as they please so they could have built more stuff by now (or had it destroyed). Also different to the picture, this includes the areas of space in-between.

Horizon Caspian / Descendants / Merchant Station

Horizon Pacific / Descendants

7 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

Horizon Atlantic / Descendants

7 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

Cloud Terminal / Civilian / Null Space Catapult

7 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

Venus Major / Descendants / Merchant Station

7 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

Jupiter Minor / Descendants / Merchant Station

8 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

New Earth / Descendants / Merchant Station

5 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

DMB Everest / Descendants

20 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

DMB Kangchenjunga / Descendants / Shipwright

10 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

DMB Makalu / Descendants

3 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

DMB Cho Oyu / Descendants

1 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

Dead Zone / Civilian

1 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

Flash Point / Civilian

1 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

Dead Zone / Civilian

54 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

Defence Boundary Alpha / TransGov

3 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

Defence Boundary Beta  / TransGov / Shipwright

2 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

Amici / TransGov / Merchant Station

6 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

5206 - Kodia Colony / Civilian

8 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

Extent Alpha  / TransGov / Merchant Station

10 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

Echelon / TransGov

12 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

Minaret Sere / Civilian

14 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

Extent Beta  / TransGov

37 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

Extent Gamma  / TransGov / Repair Station

13 LYs of unclaimed sectors.

Extent Psi / TransGov / Merchant Station

2017-05-09 13:14:10

so does the niverse expand when and as necessary or is the universe a fixed size?

2017-05-09 14:29:11

Hi Darren, yes the universe expands as required when players get close to the edge. It currently sits at 6,275,531 sectors.

2017-05-10 12:30:46 (edited by Soul Keeper 2017-05-10 12:31:29)

How do you buy a ship? I located a shipwright, navigated to it and docked with it. I have a buy option in the menu, which presents me with a list of ships, but no buy option. When I hit more info (the only link under each) it gives me more information, but I get an empty options list at the bottom. I have 525 credits and am attempting to buy a scout, which is 500. Is there something I'm missing?
Once I buy this scout ship though, what else is there to do? Mining is getting kind of dull, and I don't think I'm strong enough to do missions yet...
Is there any story line or something I should be looking for?

Go, balloons. I don't see anything happening. Go, balloons. Go, balloons. Go, balloons. Stand by, confetti. Keep coming, balloons. More balloons. Bring them. Balloons, balloons, balloons! More balloons. Tons of them. Bring them down. Let them all come. No confetti. No confetti yet. No confetti. All right. Go, balloons.