Zachary Kline

Hi, I realize that the likelyhood of anything being done about this idea of mine is rather slim. However, I just felt I should say that I am not the only person in the blind gaming community who is interested. I have a few reasons for wanting the accessibility of GC 2 to be a reality, most of which I've stated on here previously. One is that it requires no reflexes on the part of the player. Ironically, games which do require reflexes--RTS games, first person shooters, arcade-s

Hi, I suppose that in terms of playability and not losing anything, if at all possible, I favor options 1 or 2, in that order. Now, I realize option 2 in particular might be an extremely time consuming application to write, unless my knowledge of programming is so limited that I don't know of a quick and dirty way to do it. The fundamental consideration for me is whether or not I can play the game that sighted people play. This includes diplomacy, trade, combat, etc. I suppose I see n

Hi, Yes, the mouse is not an option--at least not in the physical sense. I can use hotkeys to move the mouse around--but that's by logical units, I.E. lines, words, etc. There are no screen reader hotkeys that could move the mouse with the precise control needed for GalCiv 2. Also, I am somewhat disheartened that diplomacy would be out of the question. Is this only with the third option, or with all options? Thanks for a speedy reply, and for your willingness to help, Zack.<br

Hello, Speaking from an admittedly somewhat limited point of view here, I believe n interface such as the one you describe might be a little cumbersome. It is actually a little harder to picture maps, especially, when they're described in general terms like that. The way I am better able to deal with maps involves them merely being presented as a grid. This is the way a chess game works. The contents of a square read out to me might be something like: Position 11,1, No planets, in

Hi, I know Stardock isn't a game developer in terms of primary focus. I can't speak to the budget concerns or anything else that might be an obstacle. However, I can ask that every effort be made to try and make something of this. If Stardock can't do it, please, let someone else try. I don't know what kind of access the modding community has to GalCiv 2. I've also heard of numerous grants, funding opertunities, etc. They all relate to accessibility. Thank you much, Zac

Hiya, As concerns Stardock leaving GalCiv 2 behind them, I can recognize and understand that possibility. It does sadden me quite a bit, but then again I wouldn't know about specifics as far as it all is concerned. As far as commercial viability, or the distinct possibility that nothing will come of this, I accept that. Once again, it saddens me somewhat, but I guess life works that way sometimes. Despite that, I seriously hope that Stardock will at least give consideration to th

Hiya, It heartens me somewhat to learn that even ship design is in its essentials a statistical concept. The thing I would want to ensure is mainly that nothing that makes GC 2 a great game--amazing AI, lots and lots of options, freedom to do what the player likes--is lost. Contrary to what a sighted gamer might think, I believe graphics are far less essential than is a good experience and a fun game. It is interesting to me how many people I've tried to encourage to look at textual and a

Hi, I did not know about Section 508, actually. However, it makes relatively little difference in a case like this--GalCiv 2 isn't productivity software. However,, it is software which could with a little tweaking be made perfectly accessible, I believe. The 3D renderer already needs to keep track of objects in order to display them. It is only a single logical step or two farther to say that an audio interface could be written. Even a text-based interface is not entirely out of the

Hi, I can't speak for developers, of course. All I can say is that I would hope it can be done, and wouldn't be too difficult a job. As I've said before I'm more than willing to test things. The world of blind computer gaming has always been an interesting one. Most if not all the games currently available on the market are relatively simple, arcade-style affairs by today's standards. In recent years there has been a divergence, a desire to try new things. All I can say is I hope

Well, if developers are interested in doing this kind of thing I am quite willing to answer any questions they may have about what might work. Now, here is an unfortunately troubling fact: what works well for me may not for any other blind folks I know, but c'est la vie. We can only do what we can do I suppose. The 2D maps work quite well for me. Truth be told I'm able to play, with a little fiddling, roguelike games with similar concepts. Now, I don't knowith ASCII graphics that way. G

Hiya, Well, it is difficult for me to describe how a game I've never played could be made more accessible. However, there are a couple points... 3D graphics, or indeed any graphics at all are probably unnecesary. I can work just fine with a purely audio interface or text-based interface even. Next, as long as the controls are reasonably close to standard Windows ones, and are standard Windows where ever possible, I can manage. This is assuming the game isn't just entirely audio ba