Anthem - About PC Version Features

@Gamingbolt Bioware were asked recently about what features to expect of the PC version of Anthem.

In a separate thread, the question was raised whether the PC version of Anthem will support party chat, zone chat, global chat, and guild chat like you’d see in a game such as World of Warcraft. Holmes confirmed that it’s looking unlikely that the feature will be included, citing added costs that complicate the implementation of such features. “The main challenge is that there are a bunch of additional accessibility options that we are required to implement,” he wrote. “This increases the cost of these sorts of features. As an example I’m pretty sure one of the things we need to support is TTS for any in game text based chat. This sort of thing unfortunately complicates what might normally be an easier feature… Right now we’re still figuring out what is feasible to do.”

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Huh? They are saying it is too expensive to support chat? Isn't that a feature that 20 year old text based games could support? Yea I think so - I'm not sure I understand their issue - mind you chat might not be needed - at least among friends who can use alternative software but I'm not understanding the technical side of his comments.

Originally Posted by you
Huh? They are saying it is too expensive to support chat? Isn't that a feature that 20 year old text based games could support? Yea I think so - I'm not sure I understand their issue - mind you chat might not be needed - at least among friends who can use alternative software but I'm not understanding the technical side of his comments.

I'm sorry, but do you ever TRULY read what people are saying before you claim they said something else?

Here:

In a separate thread, the question was raised whether the PC version of Anthem will support party chat, zone chat, global chat, and guild chat like you’d see in a game such as World of Warcraft. Holmes confirmed that it’s looking unlikely that the feature will be included, citing added costs that complicate the implementation of such features. “The main challenge is that there are a bunch of additional accessibility options that we are required to implement,” he wrote. “This increases the cost of these sorts of features. As an example I’m pretty sure one of the things we need to support is TTS for any in game text based chat. This sort of thing unfortunately complicates what might normally be an easier feature… Right now we’re still figuring out what is feasible to do.”

I read it but tts I believe is an off the shelf plug in. Also not sure it would be required in all regions but to be honest I don't know the legal requirements or if there is a legal requirement.

Originally Posted by you
I read it but tts I believe is an off the shelf plug in. Also not sure it would be required in all regions.

You should call Bioware and explain to them how easy it is to make games properly

Why they have 100+ employees. Maybe they should call up Blizzard ?

Originally Posted by Darth Tagnan
You should call Bioware and explain to them how easy it is to make games properly

At the moment Bioware don't know how complicated its going to get so they can't commit to chat in terms of their existing budget and scope. Once they figure it out we will know one way or the other. At least they are being honest about it.

I'm pretty sure a text-to-speech implementation for chat would be more complicated than just activating a plug-in.

That said, I don't know why they're committed to that. Must be some kind of company policy.

In any case, I really couldn't care less about chat features in a game like this.

All video games released post December 31 2018 have to support text-to-speech (for every text in the game including UI elements) in the US among other accessibility requirements for visually impaired people (and others). It's a FCC policies that have been waived 3 times for video games, but the FCC doesn't want to waive it anymore…

Why the FCC thinks blind people want to play video games when 99% of the content is visual is beyond me though.

Oh and I expect lots of future video games to move to icons everywhere instead of text for UI elements.

Originally Posted by azarhal
All video games released post December 31 2018 have to support text-to-speech (for every text in the game including UI elements) in the US among other accessibility requirements for visually impaired people (and others). It's a FCC policies that have been waived 3 times for video games, but the FCC doesn't want to waive it anymore…

Why the FCC thinks blind people want to play video games when 99% of the content is visual is beyond me though.

Oh and I expect lots of future video games to move to icons everywhere instead of text for UI elements.

That does sound a bit weird, even text heavy games would be pretty damn impossible to play without looking at the screen…

I might have misread it as i only read the summary and not the actual rule but it sounds like only the portion of the UI dealing with communication has to be TTS:
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I'm quoting from the article not the actual fcc document:
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Rather, the CVAA requires any communication functionality like in-game chat and any UI used to navigate and operate communications functionality must be accessible to people of varying sight, motor, speech, cognitive, and hearing ability. Those stipulations are fully explained under section 14.21 here.
--
Of course I also believe this law is not appropriate for various reasons unrelated for gaming. It is sort of like providing facilities for a blind person to drive….
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Originally Posted by azarhal
All video games released post December 31 2018 have to support text-to-speech (for every text in the game including UI elements) in the US among other accessibility requirements for visually impaired people (and others). It's a FCC policies that have been waived 3 times for video games, but the FCC doesn't want to waive it anymore…

Why the FCC thinks blind people want to play video games when 99% of the content is visual is beyond me though.

Oh and I expect lots of future video games to move to icons everywhere instead of text for UI elements.

Hang on, text to speech for people who can't see the screen but want to play games?

Or is this about making people dumber by not forcing them to learn to read?

I once knew a dyslexic girl who couldn't read until she started playing WoW at 19. Apparently they'd tried everything, coloured lenses in glasses and things, private tutors. But needing to type to people was what actually got her reading at an adult level in under a year.

Originally Posted by you
I might have misread it as i only read the summary and not the actual rule but it sounds like only the portion of the UI dealing with communication has to be TTS:
-
I'm quoting from the article not the actual fcc document:
-
Rather, the CVAA requires any communication functionality like in-game chat and any UI used to navigate and operate communications functionality must be accessible to people of varying sight, motor, speech, cognitive, and hearing ability. Those stipulations are fully explained under section 14.21 here.
-

If a person can't create a character, they can't use the chat to start with, so that should falls under "any UI used to navigate" technically.

Please read what has been said. This is not about enabling game playing for blind people. This is about enabling communication for blind people. The problem is the way the laws are written and enforced communication (chat) with in a game has become lumped with communication in general. It is stupid but that's USA for the common folks.

Originally Posted by SirJames
Hang on, text to speech for people who can't see the screen but want to play games?

Or is this about making people dumber by not forcing them to learn to read?

I once knew a dyslexic girl who couldn't read until she started playing WoW at 19. Apparently they'd tried everything, coloured lenses in glasses and things, private tutors. But needing to type to people was what actually got her reading at an adult level in under a year.

I'm not a lawyer and I suspect you are not a lawyer; and while you might be correct I suspect you are not.

Originally Posted by azarhal
If a person can't create a character, they can't use the chat to start with, so that should falls under "any UI used to navigate" technically.

Btw here is a bit more interesting text from the above link. The two key points are that games already in development can apply for exclusion and they allude to some tools that might help:
(I did find a couple of free plugins for linux but did not test them for ease of integration).
--
The FCC agreed to extend the waiver until December 31, 2018, meaning any game released after this date must be compliant, unless they can prove to the FCC that it would not be feasible for them to do so given the "effort and expense needed to achieve accessibility at that point in the development stage." Games that are part way through development when the waiver expires will then be able to take its stage of development into account when considering that feasibility.

While the FCC did agree to extend the waiver until December 31, 2018, it did note that a number of games like Splatoon 2 and Minecraft have introduced accessible communication options through either smartphone apps or text-to-speech tools. In its eyes, those features prove that the industry is making progress on the accessibility front and that the final one-year extension should then be sufficient.

The ESA itself also notes that communication between video game developers and accessibility advocates have increased in the past year, something the FCC says further reinforces its decision.

That sounds like a supremely stupid law put in place with very little actual thought behind it.

But you learn something new every day, they say

Visually impaired doesn't mean only blind. The term covers myopia, hyperopia and other such things. Such people can have a limited vision and still function (with the aid of glasses or contact lenses, usually). The more severe forms will require bteere accessibility options, though.

Meh let me know when they announce DA:4, or another Mass Effect as that's all I care about from this developer. Yes I know my reply is full of hate as usual but I don't care.

Originally Posted by Darth Tagnan
That sounds like a supremely stupid law put in place with very little actual thought behind it.

Well welcome to the US where every state has stupid laws.

For examples.

Link - https://www.thrillist.com/entertainm…ird-state-laws

The high level law sort of makes sense the problem is the way it is written that results in it being applied to things like games where (imho) it doesn't make sense to be a law. It would make more sense to have a law that requires every book to contain Braille (and no I don't recommend that as a law - but it would make more sense !).

Originally Posted by Darth Tagnan
That sounds like a supremely stupid law put in place with very little actual thought behind it.

But you learn something new every day, they say