Ok, I would like to understand something. I have heard that there is a lot
of complexity in the fighting games, planning strategies and the like. I
accept that this is true.
Now, I have no vision. Strategy planning involves reacting not only to my
opponent, but to the environment, my current life level and weapon load
(where appropriate) my opponent's condition, and any time-based factors.
So, how, as I said with no vision, do I get this input in order to make the
tactical decisions that make the games worth playing? Is there enough
information conveyed by sound to provide me with this state vector?
You see, this isn't a matter of being unwilling to put in effort, or
memorize a bunch of menu sequences. I figured out how to play Anacreon, a
complex space conquest game with a lot of things that defeat screen readers
without a hell of a lot of effort, because the information was in fact there
if one expended the effort. As Anacreon was a turn-based game, I could take
the time to find it, incorporate it into my understanding of the game state
and make the complex decisions about production, fleet deployment and even
battle tactics that the game required. The game rewarded me with exactly
the experience a sighted player would have, though I had to put literally
tens of hours in just to figure out the interface, let alone the game
strategy.
I'm unconvinced that I would ever get that level of feedback, even with
substantial effort from a mainstream game of any sort. Without that
feedback, I am at best operating at a severe disadvantage. Perhaps there
are patterns that could bring me victory, there are patterns in say, Tank
commander that lead to a successful conquest of the levels, but the fact is
that I could learn those patterns by trial and error with full game
feedback, rather than simply trying something, learning it didn't work and
trying something else. I can diagnose *why* something didn't work.
So, if I am wrong about that, then I may be interested in exploring some
more mainstream gaming options. But frankly, it's a very high bar, and one
I have no interest in compromising about. Life is too short to play a game
at a disadvantage, no matter how wonderful the game might be. Or at least
that is my priority.
Chris Bartlett
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