Guild Wars 2

In the first of the attached photos you can see what color blindness looks like. Anet really needs to address this problem for a lot of folks because of the color related content in fights.

The photos are from: The Wall Street Journal/Terrance L. Waggoner, O.D. – People with green blindness, known as a deutan deficiency, have trouble distinguishing between greens and reds, and both can look greenish gray.

Second photo is: What the first photo looks like to people with normal vision (Source: Terrance L. Waggoner, O.D.)

yeah a colorblind mode is really something they need to work on.

meanwhile, have you tried using SweetFX? it’s a post processing mod (and thus, safe) that is usually used to enhance the image, but you might be able to tweak the settings and get a colorblind mode of sorts. not sure though, but it’s worth looking at.

BrunoBRS.5178:

yeah a colorblind mode is really something they need to work on.

meanwhile, have you tried using SweetFX? it’s a post processing mod (and thus, safe) that is usually used to enhance the image, but you might be able to tweak the settings and get a colorblind mode of sorts. not sure though, but it’s worth looking at.

Thanks for the info, however, I am posting this not for myself, but for others. My son is partially color blind and therefore, does not see some of the things that would clue him into what is coming. He dies a lot.

Also I know a lot of friends who are totally color blind and complain bitterly about this problem. They really like the game but it is getting ridiculous to continue if they cannot see what they need to, in order to respond adequately to telegraphed hints of moves coming their way.

that makes it even better then, because in this case, it would be easier for you to see if you can effectively change the necessary colors, and ask your son if it’s any better.

i imagine recoloring reds and greens is far easier for someone that can actually spot the difference between them.

Colorblind mode for me is just turning off the aoe indicators and watching the rest of my screen. If you know a lot of “totally” colorblind people you know a lot of liars. True colorblindness in affects fewer than 1% of the color deficient population. As for tweaking color balance just for UI, no thanks. Red/green distinction is near impossible for me due to the severity of my color deficiency I would prefer an in gaame option to change my threat color to yellow and my friendly color to blue… and that wont help the blue/yellow deficient freaks out there ( not intending offense, but you folks are super rare), they’re good with the current colors though if I’m not mistaken.

Lastly, those pictures do not look the same to me. It would be great if you stopped trying to simulate a disability to pretend you understand. You cant, and until you wont, because at the start of the day you can still see all the colors in your closet and know you match when you walk out the door.

Colourblind Mode would be nice, I guess. No real harm in it.

However, there is no real colour-related content in fights. Friend/foe difference is easily solved by remembering what your allies look like, or what their names are. Target calling/assisting also helps a lot. And for the AoE indicators, really, all you need to do is notice the massive particle effect going on.

BlueStoat.9157:

Colorblind mode for me is just turning off the aoe indicators and watching the rest of my screen. If you know a lot of “totally” colorblind people you know a lot of liars. True colorblindness in affects fewer than 1% of the color deficient population. As for tweaking color balance just for UI, no thanks. Red/green distinction is near impossible for me due to the severity of my color deficiency I would prefer an in gaame option to change my threat color to yellow and my friendly color to blue… and that wont help the blue/yellow deficient freaks out there ( not intending offense, but you folks are super rare), they’re good with the current colors though if I’m not mistaken.

Lastly, those pictures do not look the same to me. It would be great if you stopped trying to simulate a disability to pretend you understand. You cant, and until you wont, because at the start of the day you can still see all the colors in your closet and know you match when you walk out the door.

You make good points, but what a rude way to say it..

OP: The technology for creating color blind options is becoming more refined. It’s beginning to make an appearance in many other games. Specifically competitive games. Since ANet is hoping to make an eSport out of their sPvP modes, I’m sure we’ll be seeing it sooner or later.

BlueStoat.9157:

Colorblind mode for me is just turning off the aoe indicators and watching the rest of my screen. If you know a lot of “totally” colorblind people you know a lot of liars. True colorblindness in affects fewer than 1% of the color deficient population. As for tweaking color balance just for UI, no thanks. Red/green distinction is near impossible for me due to the severity of my color deficiency I would prefer an in gaame option to change my threat color to yellow and my friendly color to blue… and that wont help the blue/yellow deficient freaks out there ( not intending offense, but you folks are super rare), they’re good with the current colors though if I’m not mistaken.

Lastly, those pictures do not look the same to me. It would be great if you stopped trying to simulate a disability to pretend you understand. You cant, and until you wont, because at the start of the day you can still see all the colors in your closet and know you match when you walk out the door.

I did not “simulate” those photos. They are actual photos taken by a respected entity (which I made sure to list), that if you check via the internet, you can actually read the entire article.

I am not one to try and snow anyone on anything, least of all something that affects others so profoundly. As a mother, I take helping out seriously.

Can’t you put the game in windowed mode and adjust your ‘desktop’ color balance through Catalyst or NVIDIA control panel?

Thanks for posting the pictures. I’m not colourblind myself so it helps to understand what it’s like.

There needs to be a colourblind mind. Can anyone confirm the difficulty of adding such a feature?

Nels the Cornwhisperer.8025:

Colourblind Mode would be nice, I guess. No real harm in it.

However, there is no real colour-related content in fights. Friend/foe difference is easily solved by remembering what your allies look like, or what their names are. Target calling/assisting also helps a lot. And for the AoE indicators, really, all you need to do is notice the massive particle effect going on.

I disagree about the color related content. The AoE rings for me are sometimes very hard if not impossible to see. These are the pre-hit types of rings, big neon signs to most saying “dodge out of this now!” I got nearly slaughtered in the Mad King fight because I couldn’t see AoE rings at all.

I have problems with jungle trolls because the red AoE of their poison attack blends in with the green jungle textures. Then I’m standing in the poison for a second or three. I don’t typically have a problem with cave trolls, their AoE rings are often on dark stone or dirt, I can dodge out of those easily before rocks fall and everybody dies.

I frequently miss the AoE rings on snow as well. The ring is far too pale in comparison. I usually find out because there’s a big chunk of ice hitting my character on the head.

There’s some AoE I can avoid easily, even if I can’t see the rings. That pile of burning hot lava on the ground near the fire elemental in Metrica Province? Probably not somewhere I want to stand. But there’s a whole lot more that I get hit by simply because I don’t see the warning.

I’ve said it before, but I’d really like to be able to customize some of these colors so that I can play the game more easily.

Hexd.4796:

Can’t you put the game in windowed mode and adjust your ‘desktop’ color balance through Catalyst or NVIDIA control panel?

Thank you for your suggestion, however, it is my son’s computer and gaming here we are discussing. It just happens to be something other folks are dealing with as well…I was just trying to bring this subject up to the Dev’s attention as I’ve seen color blind options in other games.

My son is adamant about me NOT touching his equipment. For obvious reasons, I don’t mess with his stuff (I’m his mother, lol).

Cheers to a colorblind mode.

Do other games offer anything to aid folks who are colorblind?
I’m not looking to rain on anyone’s parade, as the more people who can play a fun game the better imo, but I also am not sure this is a problem specific to Anet. However if any of you have knowledge of things implemented in other games I’d be interested in reading about them.

Hexd.4796:

Can’t you put the game in windowed mode and adjust your ‘desktop’ color balance through Catalyst or NVIDIA control panel?

that’s essentially what SweetFX would be able to do, which is why i recommended it.

synk.6907:

Do other games offer anything to aid folks who are colorblind?
I’m not looking to rain on anyone’s parade, as the more people who can play a fun game the better imo, but I also am not sure this is a problem specific to Anet. However if any of you have knowledge of things implemented in other games I’d be interested in reading about them.

Yes.

I don’t keep up with which game has what, but I know at least BF3 and BF:BC2 had those options (the latter added in a patch). There was another of the common FPS, but I don’t remember which. MW3 maybe?

Anyway it’s not unheard of, even in popular games.

World of Warcraft does have a colorblind setting, including a few different options for different types of color blindness. Ten different settings, if memory serves. Though it’s been a while, so I might be misremembering the exact count.

They also added text to describe rarity of items when the colorblind mode is enabled (so instead of the yellow/green/blue/whatever color text, you’d have an extra line saying rare/masterwork/fine/penguin in the tool tip).

It’s still not perfect for all color blindness. For my case, I had a hard time with enemy players marked for PvP (yellow names) and friendly players marked for PvP (bright green names). Also had a problem with flight masters (green exclamation mark) and quest givers (yellow exclamation mark) — but only on the compass.

So I’d still be more in favor of customizable settings rather than trying to accommodate different styles of color blindness.

synk.6907:

Do other games offer anything to aid folks who are colorblind?
I’m not looking to rain on anyone’s parade, as the more people who can play a fun game the better imo, but I also am not sure this is a problem specific to Anet. However if any of you have knowledge of things implemented in other games I’d be interested in reading about them.

it’s not often, but there are games that feature colorblind modes, especially multiplayer centric games like MMOs.

minecraft had it IIRC.

lynspottery.6529, my comment was misdirected at you, sorry. I did recognize those pictures and I have worked with photographers in the past to try to come up with something that simulates what I see for other people. Unfortunately, since very few of the people who have color deficiency are truly “blind” to a color, it is not possible to do easily and I’ve seen no real reason to try to simulate it other than as a way to try to get pity for a “disability” (Fun fact: color deficiency is not a protected disability under US law and it is legal to discriminate against people without “normal” color vision in hiring). I don’t want pity. I don’t need people trying to understand what I see. I need people to go “ok, you can’t see red/green distinction. you can use blue/yellow… check this box to activate that feature.” Simply changing tint with graphics messes up the rest of the games colors too, and I love what it looks like now, and I dont lik what it looks like when I adjust for the ability to see the rings (I got frustrated and turned the off so I wouldn’t get frustrated, I can handle the occasional boom and I’m dead.)

Just because most games don’t have it doesn’t mean that GW shouldn’t… most games don’t have Charr, but GW2 does.

I’ve never toggled colorblind mode in a game as I am lucky enough to have near perfect color vision. However, I had a guildmate in WoW who is totally red/green blind and says that the mode he used there actually labeled colors. Like, little rectangular text blocks saying “red” or “green” or “yellow” in the appropriate places on the screen. It seems a bit cluttered to me, but I know it was the only way he could manage the Beth’tilac fight there.

Would that be something that would help in GW2?

Huh, I’ve never thought to look for that option in WoW. That’s pretty terrific, even if it does make some clutter.

BlueStoat.9157 – that’s ok, I wasn’t sure so decided to err on the side of caution. I actually have made a suggestion for the dev’s to consider but do not know if the programming would be feasible.

I suggested the following:
“I have to look very closely most of the time to make out the thin red circles whenever they pop in combat. I am not color blind but for some reason the size of the lines being thin make them hard to see when they do pop.

Perhaps making the red lines thicker and perhaps pulsate, might help some. I do know that something that pulsates gets my attention even when I can see that it is a red line.

Just a suggestion for them."
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/suggestions/Color-Blindness-Accommodations/first#post664195