Ever since Final Fantasy XIV producer Naoki Yoshida recently reaffirmed Square Enix’s stance against the use of third-party tools for the popular MMORPG, gamers have been hotly discussing options for using UI changes such as tools. of accessibility for the colorblind, which they state that they currently are not. enough. FFXIV. In-Game Options PCGamesN spoke with Yoshida about how his team’s development process affects accessibility considerations and some of the possible solutions being considered for the future of fantasy games.
Final Fantasy XIV handles many accessibility challenges well, including full controller support and wide HUD placement and scale. However, its accessibility tools for the colorblind are quite limited. The game currently has filters for three forms of dichromatic color blindness: deuteranopia, protanopia, and tritanopia, with sliders to change their intensity. Players can also manually adjust the colors of almost all text in the game, but there’s no way to do the same for other UI elements.
Colorblind players, such as Reddit user ReviloD18, have spoken of their difficulty reading mid-combat tooltips, such as markers and AoE ground bindings, which can appear in a very similar color to the ground in the game. that are found. This issue isn’t necessarily just for color blind people – the recently released raid combat Pandemonium Asphodelos: The Third Circle Savage was criticized for having an almost entirely red/orange color scheme, making AoE markers difficult to see, plus to cause general problems. they tire the eyes of some players during long periods of play.
In his article on the use of third-party tools, Yoshida says that the team understands that some people use mods to improve the HUD and UI because they feel existing features are not enough, and suggests that developers are trying to improve HUD functionality in Final Fantasy. XIV to help players and discourage them from using modding tools. However, Yoshida’s post doesn’t explicitly mention colorblind tools.
The Final Fantasy XIV team was sensitive to collision settings that have proven problematic for colorblind people in the past. An example is the battle on the southern front of Bozcan, where an overlay pattern was added to help the colorblind distinguish between areas of pastel blue and pink.
However, one of the most versatile threat indicators in the game, the area of effect markers on the ground, are usually orange and cannot be changed. ReviloD18 is following in the footsteps of other gamers, suggesting that a color wheel allows gamers to manually change each color to a color that best matches their own preferences, as “replacing a color that I can’t tell with a color that I can’t I can’t tell, not very helpful.”
Among the most popular solutions that fantasy RPG players have turned to is Gshade, which offers repaint options that allow users to better customize the look of the game. Although it offers nothing more than color and lighting customization, it is considered a third-party tool. and as such falls under the restrictions of Square Enix.
We recently had the opportunity to speak with Yoshida and ask him about the tools currently in FFXIV and his team’s general approach to accessibility when developing content for future expansions. Although he was unable to comment on specific plans for the future, Yoshida explained what factors influence his decision-making and development of new accessibility tools.
PCGN: In the past, your team changed the visuals for effects like Bozjan Southern Front to help players who had trouble reading colors. Have these changes affected your future content plans?
Naoki Yoshida: The FFXIV UI team keeps track of past cases and the feedback we receive. When we create new content, we always think about what colors to use and, not just the color, how to make the mechanics stand out. So instead of affecting the main plans, these instances constantly help improve the way we welcome players from different backgrounds when preparing new content.
A common suggestion among players who have difficulty seeing AoE markers, map waypoints, and other mechanics due to color blindness is the ability to manually change a color to one of their choosing. Is this something you would like to include in future updates?
If you are asked if we are considering an option like the one shown here, unfortunately the answer is no. Color expression isn’t just about using the color data provided in real time, it comes down to what is assigned as texture to the markers in the mechanic. If these colors were changed or set in real time, the graphics quality would be worse than what we currently have in the game and would require a massive additional data review. Therefore, in FFXIV, we continue to look for ways to avoid a data overhaul by creating markers that don’t rely solely on color to help as many players as possible in different circumstances distinguish between character-based mechanics, patterns, and mechanics. based on shape. .
More generally, how does your team approach disability initiatives in FFXIV? Your concern for your community is obvious, so what needs to be done to ensure everyone can play and enjoy FFXIV?
We think it’s important that more and more players, including those with different circumstances, enjoy playing FFXIV, which means that there are many people in the world with their own unique circumstances. In fact, without this knowledge and understanding of diversity, the concept and idea of accessibility in game development would never have seen the light of day. Understanding and learning about these factors led to the implementation of Color Filter Mode and the ability to visually represent sound waves in FFXIV. Getting the latest information, knowledge, and learning about diversity is often overlooked in game development, but at FFXIV, we’d like to continue our efforts to advance these activities.
While Yoshida’s explanation that a free-choice color change mechanic isn’t possible will no doubt be a bit disappointing to some, there’s certainly been a noticeable increase in mechanics that allow players with different influences in circumstances to tell them apart. through other design options. Yoshida couldn’t comment directly on any plans the team may have in the works to encourage players to stop using third-party tools, but we’ll see what future updates offer.
If you’re thinking of returning to critically acclaimed online multiplayer, there’s a free entry event in FFXIV that allows returning players to return without an active subscription. Yoshida also recently revealed plans to introduce “brand new” quests to the Final Fantasy series as the MMO approaches the 10th anniversary of the A Realm Reborn re-release.
Source : PC Gamesn
