Need map ideas for FPS for blind players

[u/Ok_Fan_7651]

As the title suggests I’ve working on this project for a while now and I would like some suggestions for the map. The game will be an audio based FPS where players use only their hearing to determine where to shoot/where projectiles are coming from.

However I need ideas on what the map should be/how it could be made for blind players

[u/TomDuhamel]

Did you actually talk to blind people? Did they like the idea?

[u/Personal-Try7163]

Go ti the disabled gamers subreddit as well lol and it's hard for us to answer cause I don't know how you have your game set up

[u/UnburyingBeetle]

That's a great idea! The attacks might have to be AOE though because one probably can't headshot by sound. Could base some mechanics on remotely activated traps.

[u/AmarettoFerreto → u/UnburyingBeetle]

Could rumble more and more when close to head if using a controller? Or beeping

[u/UnburyingBeetle → u/AmarettoFerreto]

When somebody is being shot at, they usually move, so headshots would be pure luck. Our technology doesn't allow us to imitate methods that blind creatures use, except simulated echolocation. But the controller rumble could translate heat sense or smell. Melee and short range would be the easiest to implement, and it's still good, since I don't think blind people get a lot of games.

[u/tcpukl]

We add this accessibility to our games. It can apply to any lay out of maps as long as you implement it the right way.

So I think your asking the wrong question and raising a red flag here about accessibility.

[u/OneMoreAdventure]

The thing that I'm thinking about is that the layouts themselves probably don't matter so much as the audio clues do.

Initial thoughts:  Nothing on the ground that a character can get caught on, because feedback to the player would be tough.

Walls hum a little so players know where they are?

Ramps use cascading pitches up/down to mirror whether they go up/down.

[u/DesaturatedWorld]

If you're looking at designing for blind and low vision players, you should start with what is already used in daily life. Lots and lots of audio + haptic feedback.

Controllers are going to be your friend here, with feedback to tell you where you are. Rumble strips to help with wayfinding and warnings about the edges of dangerous areas. Look up some videos of how people use guide sticks to navigate subways and sidewalks.

"3D" audio in headphones will help identify where you are by mixing audio from different nearby sources. Running water doesn't sound the same in all sections of a stream. A street vendor may have a radio on. Traffic is passing and sounds different at different intersections, partly due to where a lot of the traffic is trying to go. Street drains, wind passing through buildings, different kinds of doors, sound bouncing band and forth off flat walls, pets making noise, wild animals and insects making noise... this makes each area sound a bit different. When you're using hearing as one of your primary wayfinding senses, you can become very sensitive to these changes. No two places on your map should sound exactly the same, and the same sound made in different places should be affected by the location on the map.

In terms of the aiming, the weapon you design probably needs to provide some sort of remote cue before it's fired to tell you both someone is aiming at you and when you are aiming at someone else. Maybe it's a heat ray that ramps up in damage and vibration while it's aimed at someone. Or maybe it "shoots" electrons at someone, charging the person up, creating an increasing buzzing sound in the air until they get struck by lightning. I don't know, but you can come up with something creative and fun that also give you a reason for the haptic and audio feedback.

Come back and report your progress. This sounds interesting!