Hey everyone, I don't normally make discussions these days, but here's something I'm really passionate about.
I'm a visually impaired Simmer, and over the last year I've slowly been losing my vision. That's not something that scares me, or greatly bothers me, so please don't feel sorry for me. I'm very happy with my life. But I'm realizing it's harder to play Sims 4 because the text is so small and impossible for me to read, so lately I've just been guessing what I'm reading in option menus, object catalogs, and cheat text windows based off memory and pattern. I'd like to find a way to make Sims 4 more accessible to the blind and visually impaired like me.
My ideas:
1. Font changes for option windows
-Increasing font size, making the words bolder or using all-caps (all-caps is easier to read than lower case letters)
2. Small Magnifier
-Windows has a magnifier installed, but the levels you can zoom in are very limited and the sensitivity is too shaky and unpredictable to easily build anything or pick an option from the menu wheel.
-If Sims could create an in-game magnifier with adjustable zoom in size, smooth sensitivity, that would be incredible
3. Voice Over
-I'm sure there are other simmers out there who loved playing the game and had to give it up because they could no longer read or see the
screen clearly enough to play. If there was a voice over to read menu options in live mode, or button options in build/buy mode, or read catalog
items, it would be a game changer, especially if you could choose how much of this voice over there was (I would mostly need live mode option
voice over, but maybe somebody needs and wants the option for the build/buy mode)
-Using a voice actor would be ideal, because it's easier to understand this way, but electronic voices you see in modern voice overs will work just as well
I feel like this is asking a lot, but one of the few things I'm afraid of if I continue to lose vision is that I won't be able to play my favorite game any more. I've been playing Sims since I was 10 and Sims 4 is my favorite of the Sims generation games so far. An accessible version of this would change a lot for me and other visually impaired/blind players as well. Not many video games are accessible for the blind, and making changes towards that would change the world of video games. Even if I had to wait another year or two, or even for Sims 5 to get these accessibility settings, it would be worth it, because I can't imagine a part of my life where I don't spend my day off sitting in front of a computer playing Sims.
If the sims team could start working for a more accessible Sims game, that would change a lot for me
Thank you to all who read, here's hoping someone really hears this
*UPDATE 11/12/2019* I want to thank the Sims 4 team for this update to the UI. Being able to resize the UI has already made a big difference to my game, and I genuinely want to thank you. Playing Sims 4 will be much easier for me now and involve a lot less eye strain and allow me to play longer and with easier/more enjoyable sessions. I cannot thank you enough
Comments
I think this is something EA should do. just add this in options in the game, People of all ages have vision problems. I think EA should care, just like they cared about the dogs and helped.
It should have already been implemented. The Gurus seem to have a lot of play time on their hands nowadays, maybe they will see this and take out the time to fix this and help Simmers with sight problems. I am sure it was an oversight.
Who said EA doesn't have a sense of humor
Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)
Us Simmers contact the Gurus, the Gurus, then send the problem to UI designers, or whomever.
Thanks for bringing it to their attention.
@simgirl1010 None taken.
Who said EA doesn't have a sense of humor
Voice-over is something that would take some time - you have to acknowledge it would need to be added to EVERYTHING - but it sounds the most useful.
I'm very short-sighted and find life easier to wear strong glasses all the time so it actually doesn't affect me, but people who need reading glasses, or are mildly short-sighted but don't want to wear glasses all the time, but find themselves squinting at Sims 4, would find it extremely useful.
The part it would be most useful on, I think, is bringing up item descriptions when building.
there's a forum at AHQ which addresses exactly those issue: https://answers.ea.com/t5/Accessibility/ct-p/accessibility-en
Think it would be great if you also posted there.
Please do not send me PMs/post on my wall if you're looking for help. I can't attend to those. You can find me at AnswerHQ.
How to report bugs at AnswersHQ
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I think I like this one best if you have an account on twitter please help get this problem attention by writing to this link, thanks, If you run into issues using the accessibility forums, contact @ea_accessible on twitter.
I did post our problem (https://answers.ea.com/t5/Technical-Issues/Text-size-too-small-can-t-customize-it/m-p/6868130/highlight/false#M47)
there was play station simmer's with the similar problem.
Thanks, @Crinrict
The problem is getting attention, please post, this is just a process to get it done.
People love to play the Sims 4, If they need a little visual help with some visual aids, posting let them know Help is needed, so all can enjoy playing.
Just remember you are not alone, lots have this problem and keep silent. But we rather they keep playing.
EA helped the Dogs , they will help with this as well.
Who said EA doesn't have a sense of humor
I'm not sure what everyone's saying when they say EA helped the dogs? Literal dogs or Sims Pets?
https://www.ea.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4/news/you-create-we-donate
With the release of The Sims™ 4 Cats & Dogs Expansion Pack* EA helped real Pets in need all over the world.
These donations will go towards the Shelter Support Fund grants, which provides assistance to shelters throughout the United States and all over the world, and the Disaster Relief Fund program, which provides animal shelters with financial assistance when they need it most.
Anyone that would help dogs will also help people in need.
Who said EA doesn't have a sense of humor
For example the advancing green ring while doing stuff is extremely hard to see. I have to get very close to my screen to see where it is.
I tried it, and I'm not sure if I'm somehow doing this wrong, but it doesn't look like it will help me. Originally I was playing with it in fullscreen window mode and I switched the resolution, but it just went to a smaller window with font being the same, and going back to fullscreen would bring it back to the previous resolution. I tried setting my game in full screen mode and then switched the resolution but that created a glitch where Sims wouldn't work at all and started to crash, so I won't be trying that again. Maybe I did it wrong, but that can't have been fun for my laptop. I need to go reboot my computer after that, because the game still won't properly stop running. Back to the drawing board, but thank you to everyone who's trying to help me find a solution
P.S Adorable cat!
It's good to see other visually impaired simmers here. I'm not sure if many of us frequent this forum, but hopefully we can get a few changes made to the game that will be beneficial to ourselves and others. I'm not sure if you have a problem with this also, but I made a suggestion during one of the live Twitch feeds, that we should be able to enlarge the gallery pictures when clicked to see better detail.
As they are now, the pictures are rather small and hard (for me) to see with any clarity, and Sim GuruGrant liked that suggestion. So maybe in the near future, that option will be added.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=WbRQP-PXDpA
I had a similar experience - I changed the resolution because I was advised that it's the ideal resolution for the game. All I got was a tiny window in which everything was even smaller, and when I resized the window to fit my screen, the resolution changed back.
If not using a laptop because I wouldn't know how to set a game on a laptop with a screen size that will over ride your settings, change the resolution on a pc before you start a game, then play in full screen, not window/ full screen. But make sure the resolution in game is set to that of the changed screen. Always change the pc screen resolution first.
That's my very issue. There was a mod ages ago that darkened the green making it easy to see but I don't remember where it was much less if it's ever been updated.
Fun must be always -- Tomas Hertl (San Jose Sharks hockey player)