It doesn't help that the big companies really don't listen to a
small market like us.
Mainstream games have the stereo type of being graphical.
Therefore they don't have anything to do with us really.
THe fact we have hardware restrictions and other things put on
us because of being blind or any disability is just one of those things.
Not saying that we don't have the tech though.
Mid range systems, even lower core2 and duelcores are still widely used.
We have 3d sound, even xna in some cases can be used for audio development.
We have 3d sound the beginnings of mouse access and some joystick
access though thats also in its infancy.
Most games are still simple keyboard controled games.
One major limit is we only have in most cases, left centre and right.
True a few may have back, front, top and bottom but you really need
cash to play things like that.
Then there is memmory and cpu power etc.
We really need to use more power to play games, yet we can't really
because for what the average user can afford.
I for example work testing this and that but its spiradic really
don't have the cash to muck round with.
And when I do, whatever I buy has to last till either it breaks, or I
get funding or the thing given or whatever.
As a result the turn over of tech unless you are a hardcore gamer and
yes I have seen some of those on the list and forums.
However the average jo will probably still be using xp for years to
come, maybe win7 and maybe 8 but who knows.
We havn't really hit cross platforms much, linux and mac being one
though the ios system has some advantages though not really hit android yet.
I also feel that over the years devs and ideas have dried up to almost nothing.
Sure we survive but the days of old when things just popped up all
over the place just don't happen.
Even the audyssey issue doesn't really happen.
Most of it is a direct coppy from the list and gamers forums, and
most of the news may have been posted weeks or months in advance.
I sometimes feel we are getting tired before our time.
In the beginning I invisioned we would make great strides and
survive for ages.
Now though I can't see us surviving for much longer.
Unless we are able to get part of the mainstream tech we will never
move foreward.
Saying that we have got so used to using our blind friendly programs
there is no real adventure.
I must admit I really can't stand mota right now but then maybe its
not my type.
Fps is my type and I play shades of doom quite a lot even though its
oldas the hills.
At 03:19 p.m. 27/03/2012 -0400, you wrote:
Hi Ben,
Well, that's precisely why I am considering writing this document.
Too many blind gamers don't really have a real idea of what
mainstream games are like and tend to make judgments based on
accessible game standards rather than mainstream standards. While I
understand better than most we may never have an exact comparison
with mainstream games I know there is a lot more we can do to
improve the status quo if only more blind developers were made aware
of the areas they could improve upon.
Plus its not just developers that have this problem. We mention the
word side-scroller and most blind gamers think Super Liam, Q9,
Tarzan Junior which aren't good examples of the genre. We mention 3d
game and blind gamers automatically think Shades of Doom which is
not even true 3d. Its things like this which makes it difficult for
us to communicate ideas, concepts, to developers and players alike
because they don't really know the terminology for things and have
no concept of what some of us mainstream gamers are talking about.
To add to that some of the technical details like analog jumping
really haven't been explored to much in audio. There is no physics
modeling and as a result audio games tend to be very dumbed down
when it comes to game mechanics. As Dark says many audio games are
reduced to BopIt type reactions like hear it hit it, hear it jump
over it, and the player isn't engaged mentally in attempting to
increase the power of a punch or increase or limit the length of a
jump. Its all these little details that just haven[t been widely
tried in audio before and perhaps now is the time to explain how
this stuff works.
Cheers!
On 3/27/2012 2:19 AM, Ben wrote:
Hi Thomas,
Having played mainstream games for many years (despite my being blind from
birth), and that is why I am making my new game closer to mainstream things
- with multiple weapons and a somewhat odd control scheme as some would
consider it. But your idea is also a very good one since I believe that
people on this list, not trying to put it bluntly, need an education and
lessons in mainstream gaming before we can begin to catch up...
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