Map+Mode designed for accessibility without sight

Games Halo 5: Guardians
1

Allow me to first introduce myself. I am SightlessKombat, currently known primarily for my accomplishments in Killer Instinct. Why are these accomplishments important, you might ask? Because I am also a gamer with no sight.

The interesting part and arguably the most relevant thing I’ve said so far? I also play Halo 5 without sight.

I’m posting here to put the word out that I, with the assistance of other members of the Halo community, am developing a map+mode combination that will allow for an even playing field, even if I’m the only blind player in the mode.

I don’t currently have a finalised name for the map or the mode, but the principle thus far goes like this:

Players start with energy swords and gravity hammers in addition to a supply of grenades. Bottomless clip is enabled as this is a melee only mode (in my view hammers still count towards that as well). The map will, in the final iteration, be completely black, making it impossible to see anything meaningful that would allow sighted players to exploit/cheat the system etc.

In the test footage linked below, my sighted opponent was gracious enough to turn his monitor off for the duration of the match, so we were both evenly matched other than my experience with playing the game without any sight whatsoever. This is the third match we’d played on the map, so both of us had got used to how things worked, were figuring out strategies etc.

There are plans to expand this to multiple maps and the maximum custom game player count of 16 players, possibly with the assistance of Ducane23 as well. Let me know your thoughts on this concept and if you have any questions I’ll try and answer them, though given current issues with Waypoint’s accessibility to assistive technology including my screen reader of choice, I can’t guarantee to be able to reply.

Now, for the footage itself of a very early playtest.

2

Good luck.

3

Video link.

4

Good luck :slight_smile:

5

Checked it out, and I think it is a good idea. I left a couple of comments on the video.

https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/games/halo-5-guardians/xbox-one/game-clips?page=1&gamertag=TheJudgePaul91#ugc_halo-5-guardians_xbox-one_gameclip_TheJudgePaul91_7ebb901c-ea69-485f-89e5-276f81a5d724

Skip to 55 seconds in. Imagine this but with no radar or reticle.

6

Very interesting concept. I imagine that part of what could help with that is very careful sound-design, making each area of a map have a distinct soundscape to better inform the player of their current location and/or bearing.

7

> 2533274832528714;6:
> Very interesting concept. I imagine that part of what could help with that is very careful sound-design, making each area of a map have a distinct soundscape to better inform the player of their current location and/or bearing.

For the larger, up to 16 player variant? Maybe. Though admittedly we don’t want the screen being too cluttered audio-wise either. We’I’d be happy to have you along for a playtest if you like as well though to provide direct input.

8

> 2533274995319449;5:
> Checked it out, and I think it is a good idea. I left a couple of comments on the video.
> https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/games/halo-5-guardians/xbox-one/game-clips?page=1&gamertag=TheJudgePaul91#ugc_halo-5-guardians_xbox-one_gameclip_TheJudgePaul91_7ebb901c-ea69-485f-89e5-276f81a5d724
> Skip to 55 seconds in. Imagine this but with no radar or reticle.

I’m afraid I couldn’t see the comments on the video. If you could either put them here or on the youtube video itself, that would be very much appreciated. Unless, of course, I’ve missed/already replied to them.

9

> 2535437652903765;3:
> Video link.

Thanks for sorting this. For reference, how do you link directly as you’ve done here with this forum with just code? Unfortunately it looks possibly trickier using a screen reader.

10

> 2535424262716261;9:
> > 2535437652903765;3:
> > Video link.
>
> Thanks for sorting this. For reference, how do you link directly as you’ve done here with this forum with just code? Unfortunately it looks possibly trickier using a screen reader.

It’s something that is unlocked with forum ranks. Once you reach the forum rank of Marine (which requires a total of 100 posts on Waypoint), you are given the ability to post these kinds of links.

11

Just want to thank all those wishing myself and the rest of the “team” good luck, it’s very much appreciated. Hoping to have more footage up soon of a larger scale playtest but we’ll need a larger map ideally.

12

> 2535424262716261;7:
> > 2533274832528714;6:
> > Very interesting concept. I imagine that part of what could help with that is very careful sound-design, making each area of a map have a distinct soundscape to better inform the player of their current location and/or bearing.
>
> For the larger, up to 16 player variant? Maybe. Though admittedly we don’t want the screen being too cluttered audio-wise either. We’I’d be happy to have you along for a playtest if you like as well though to provide direct input.

That’d be interesting, but I’ll have to pass for now. I do have to say though that when I say audio cues I mean small stuff. For example, a lot of breakout pieces make a sort of digital buzz with each step you take on them; why not use some to create inclines, so you can use that little buzzing sound as an audio cue that you or an opponent is on the incline? It would add a nice bit of verticality to your map, while also being distinct enough for you to better ascertain your whereabouts. You could also do this with floors, have your ground be natural, middle floors be platforms, and topmost would be glass.

13

> 2535437652903765;10:
> > 2535424262716261;9:
> > > 2535437652903765;3:
> > > Video link.
> >
> > Thanks for sorting this. For reference, how do you link directly as you’ve done here with this forum with just code? Unfortunately it looks possibly trickier using a screen reader.
>
> It’s something that is unlocked with forum ranks. Once you reach the forum rank of Marine (which requires a total of 100 posts on Waypoint), you are given the ability to post these kinds of links.

Fair enough. That’s useful information to be aware of.

14

> 2533274832528714;12:
> > 2535424262716261;7:
> > > 2533274832528714;6:
> > > Very interesting concept. I imagine that part of what could help with that is very careful sound-design, making each area of a map have a distinct soundscape to better inform the player of their current location and/or bearing.
> >
> > For the larger, up to 16 player variant? Maybe. Though admittedly we don’t want the screen being too cluttered audio-wise either. We’I’d be happy to have you along for a playtest if you like as well though to provide direct input.
>
> That’d be interesting, but I’ll have to pass for now. I do have to say though that when I say audio cues I mean small stuff. For example, a lot of breakout pieces make a sort of digital buzz with each step you take on them; why not use some to create inclines, so you can use that little buzzing sound as an audio cue that you or an opponent is on the incline? It would add a nice bit of verticality to your map, while also being distinct enough for you to better ascertain your whereabouts. You could also do this with floors, have your ground be natural, middle floors be platforms, and topmost would be glass.

That would be an interesting idea to consider, but we’re thinking of working with footsteps directly to avoid any confusion. I’d be willing to look into this though if we disover it’d be as useful as you seem to think. Thanks for the continuing input.

15

Here’s the second playtest, appologies that it’s not linked but I currently don’t have the correct rank.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFv6JXqHqoY

16

> 2535424262716261;14:
> > 2533274832528714;12:
> > > 2535424262716261;7:
> > > > 2533274832528714;6:
> > > > Very interesting concept. I imagine that part of what could help with that is very careful sound-design, making each area of a map have a distinct soundscape to better inform the player of their current location and/or bearing.
> > >
> > > For the larger, up to 16 player variant? Maybe. Though admittedly we don’t want the screen being too cluttered audio-wise either. We’I’d be happy to have you along for a playtest if you like as well though to provide direct input.
> >
> > That’d be interesting, but I’ll have to pass for now. I do have to say though that when I say audio cues I mean small stuff. For example, a lot of breakout pieces make a sort of digital buzz with each step you take on them; why not use some to create inclines, so you can use that little buzzing sound as an audio cue that you or an opponent is on the incline? It would add a nice bit of verticality to your map, while also being distinct enough for you to better ascertain your whereabouts. You could also do this with floors, have your ground be natural, middle floors be platforms, and topmost would be glass.
>
> That would be an interesting idea to consider, but we’re thinking of working with footsteps directly to avoid any confusion. I’d be willing to look into this though if we disover it’d be as useful as you seem to think. Thanks for the continuing input.

No problem. I design game environments for a living, as well as a hobby, and one of the things I’ve learned is to make areas within a playspace look, feel, and sound distinct, and interesting. Everyone can make an octagon map, but it takes real skill and forethought to make anything more complex. My reasoning as to why I think it might be a good idea to test out draws from my experience in film, more specifically sound design and musical scoring. Think about how even without sight you can still kinda follow along with a well-scored film; the music changes to set the pace, the mood, and the atmosphere. A slower tempo establishes a very different mood from that of a faster, more urgent rhythm. Different melodic cues establish different vibes, much like how different ingame sounds make distinct the differing actions of a player. The AR sounds very different thsn the BR, and the hammer sounds nothing like the sword. With that in mind, if you want to make something with a lot of complexity that can easily and effectively communicate it to the player exclusively through sound? Well, let’s go back to my example from earlier, of the three-tiered map: footsteps alone with a surround sound system can give you a rough idea of how far above or below someone is to you; with different materials and sound properties for each level? You have a much more precise idea of where your opponent is in relation to you. You can tell immediately whether they’re one or two floors above or below you. My point in all this? Concise information delivery.

17

> 2533274832528714;16:
> > 2535424262716261;14:
> > > 2533274832528714;12:
> > > > 2535424262716261;7:
> > > > > 2533274832528714;6:
> > > > > Very interesting concept. I imagine that part of what could help with that is very careful sound-design, making each area of a map have a distinct soundscape to better inform the player of their current location and/or bearing.
> > > >
> > > > For the larger, up to 16 player variant? Maybe. Though admittedly we don’t want the screen being too cluttered audio-wise either. We’I’d be happy to have you along for a playtest if you like as well though to provide direct input.
> > >
> > > That’d be interesting, but I’ll have to pass for now. I do have to say though that when I say audio cues I mean small stuff. For example, a lot of breakout pieces make a sort of digital buzz with each step you take on them; why not use some to create inclines, so you can use that little buzzing sound as an audio cue that you or an opponent is on the incline? It would add a nice bit of verticality to your map, while also being distinct enough for you to better ascertain your whereabouts. You could also do this with floors, have your ground be natural, middle floors be platforms, and topmost would be glass.
> >
> > That would be an interesting idea to consider, but we’re thinking of working with footsteps directly to avoid any confusion. I’d be willing to look into this though if we disover it’d be as useful as you seem to think. Thanks for the continuing input.
>
> No problem. I design game environments for a living, as well as a hobby, and one of the things I’ve learned is to make areas within a playspace look, feel, and sound distinct, and interesting. Everyone can make an octagon map, but it takes real skill and forethought to make anything more complex. My reasoning as to why I think it might be a good idea to test out draws from my experience in film, more specifically sound design and musical scoring. Think about how even without sight you can still kinda follow along with a well-scored film; the music changes to set the pace, the mood, and the atmosphere. A slower tempo establishes a very different mood from that of a faster, more urgent rhythm. Different melodic cues establish different vibes, much like how different ingame sounds make distinct the differing actions of a player. The AR sounds very different thsn the BR, and the hammer sounds nothing like the sword. With that in mind, if you want to make something with a lot of complexity that can easily and effectively communicate it to the player exclusively through sound? Well, let’s go back to my example from earlier, of the three-tiered map: footsteps alone with a surround sound system can give you a rough idea of how far above or below someone is to you; with different materials and sound properties for each level? You have a much more precise idea of where your opponent is in relation to you. You can tell immediately whether they’re one or two floors above or below you. My point in all this? Concise information delivery.

I know it’s been a while since I last updated this thread. Your ideas are certainly valid, though not everyone (myself included) use surround sound systems.

However, I have a question for you. How are you going to allow for easy movement between floors in your theoretical multi-tiered map? Easy meaning in this case with clear methods of getting in and out of areas and finding where the next entrance/exit is.

Also, very interesting perspective, if I haven’t said it before. Glad to have your assistance.

18

I think this would work well for people like me who try to memorise maps.

good concept

19

Good luck