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阐述提升游戏易用性的多种方法

发布时间:2011-10-17 17:00:53 Tags:,,,,

理解如何让游戏具有易用性的最为重要的方法是,理解玩家可能具有的不同短处。

玩家可能会在视觉、移动、听觉或者认知等方面遇到困难。强烈推荐的是,所有真正对制作易用性游戏感兴趣的人不仅要知道如何设计,还要去了解易用性背后的缘由。

以下列举了某些普遍采用的易用性方法:

可用的方法

许多方法都能够让游戏触及大量玩家群体。易用性方面较好的起步点是,执行IGDA的Game Accessibility SIG推荐的十大功能。

这些推荐既可以用于PC游戏,也可以用于主机游戏。

games'control scheme(from harvardmedicine.hms.harvard.edu)

games'control scheme(from harvardmedicine.hms.harvard.edu)

允许重新配置控制器以改善舒适程度

应用:所有游戏

描述:让玩家可以自由重新设定控制方式(游戏邦注:也就是重新定义按键或者重新配置控制器),以适应他们自己的习惯或者所使用的非标准控制器。与此相关的是,允许玩家调整控制的敏感度、设置反向操作并提供左手模式。理想情况下,应当允许控制器设置能够方便地保存和进入。

实现:允许玩家可以设定他们自己偏好的控制方式以及距离或移动速度。

测试:你的游戏是否允许玩家为游戏中可能出现的每个行动自定义按键?

提供其他的控制器支持

应用:所有游戏

描述:不要将玩家的控制方式限制在标准控制器或者键盘上,或者说不要让标准控制器成为体验游戏的必需品。至少支持一种可替代控制器,或者简化控制方案。应当考虑到那些无法使用游戏手柄和麦克风等传统输入方式的玩家需求。

实现:玩家可以使用自己更为习惯和满足自身需求的非标准控制器或者特殊控制器。

测试:游戏是否允许使用多种类型的控制器,抑或是游戏只能识别一种控制器?

提供音效替代方案

应用:所有使用音频来提供游戏玩法相关信息的游戏。

描述:使用小标题、封闭式标题、控制器震动和可视元素等替代方案来提供,或者加强那些无法听到音频的玩家可能无从获得的信息。

完成:让患有听觉障碍的玩家可以享受游戏。

测试:在无声的条件下玩游戏。是否存在某些音频打开时本可以获得的信息因此而丧失?

为音乐、音效和对话提供独立的音量控制选项

应用:所有含有音乐、音效或对话的游戏

描述:允许玩家分别调整音频中的各个部分,比如可以在关闭音乐的同时打开对话。

完成:可以调整音量,以提升关卡的可理解性和舒适程度。

测试:提供了这个选项,还是游戏只能调整整个音频的音量大小?

高清晰度图像

应用:所有的游戏

描述:让小型或者较为模糊的字体可以清晰显示。提供高对比度颜色方案,或者可以将其设置为可选项而非默认。调亮重要道具和菜单选项。允许关闭2D游戏背景或者调低亮度。

完成:考虑到那些视力较低的玩家,增加文字和重要道具的可视化程度。

测试:在标准清晰度电视或者低清晰度模拟器上运行游戏。然后站远些。能够轻松阅读和操作菜单和游戏,还是说较为困难?如果很困难的话,想想游戏是否正确地使用了这个功能?

针对色盲患者的友好设计

应用:所有的游戏,通过颜色来向玩家提供信息的游戏

描述:避免使用让色盲玩家难以或者无法分辨的颜色结合(游戏邦注:比如红色和灰色或者绿色的结合),或者提供其他传达信息的方式,而不只是单纯通过颜色。

完成:色盲患者可以理解游戏中的所有信息。

测试:游戏是否通过物品的颜色来表达相关信息?比如,好的东西是绿色的,不好的东西是红色的。如果没有的话,那么就算是正确地使用了这个功能。如果有的话,那么请确认颜色是传达信息的唯一方法吗?如果不是,那么就算是正确地使用了这个功能。如果是的话,可以参考列举色盲患者可能识别的颜色图表。游戏所使用的颜色是否与颜色图表上的颜色相同?如果相同的话,那么就是正确地使用了这个功能。

提供多重难度等级或者可以在必要时调整速度

应用:所有的游戏

描述:让玩家可以自由选择难度和速度,对某些玩家来说,根本不存在过于简单或者过于缓慢的想法。

完成:人们可以根据自己的能力调整游戏,并从较慢和较为简单的设置中获益。不要限制玩家的游戏选择,因为太难的游戏会让玩家产生挫败感。

测试:你的游戏是否允许玩家改变这些设置?如果是的话,游戏能否调整到某种玩家几乎不可能失败的模式?

适当的实践、训练、自由漫游和教程

应用:所有游戏

描述:提供某种玩家可以不失败地参与游戏的模式,或者将如何玩游戏的信息提供给玩家的方法。

完成:对玩家的理解力、控制器调整和技能发展有所帮会组,同时为那些觉得标准游戏过难的玩家提供有趣的玩法。

测试:你的游戏是否有这些功能?玩家是否能够自由地在自己的领地内进行试验和学习?

易用性菜单

应用:所有游戏

描述:考虑快速启动模式,数据输入导航的重要性以及语音读问和标志等文字替代选项。对于有着复杂界面的游戏来说,需要提供只呈现最普遍使用的控制的简单化界面。所有的功能依然可用,但是有些被隐藏起来。

完成:觉得使用复杂菜单较为困难的玩家可以很快速地适应游戏,而且不会感到困惑。

测试:游戏中是否能够通过3次菜单选择或者更少就能够体验到游戏?

当然,除了以上提及的这些推荐方法之外,还可以采用其他的方法。以下是其他的推荐方法:

用键盘进行所有的控制,并产生视觉和话语反馈

应用:电脑游戏(游戏邦注:包括PC和Mac)

描述:通过键盘输入所有的命令。命令输入之后,提供视觉和听觉信息显示反馈。

完成:这个功能会为有着移动、视觉和听觉障碍的玩家提供帮助。

测试:你的游戏是否允许玩家通过键盘输入命令或者进行控制?当命令输入之后,对于已经被使用的命令,是否出现视觉和听觉的双重反馈?

自动瞄准或自动集中,锁定目标或者其他物品的能力

应用:所有允许玩家控制所视之处的游戏内容

描述:提供自动瞄准、自动集中或者锁定目标功能这些能够帮助玩家的选项。

完成:低视力的玩家能够快速找到目标并且不会丢失这个目标。

标准化文字呈现

应用:微软Windows系统游戏

描述:对于使用这个操作系统的游戏而言,需要提供与Windows操作系统屏幕阅读器相互兼容的文字。

完成:低视力用户可以使用所提供的工具来查看文字。文字也可以与供读写困难玩家使用的特别背景字典等其他软件兼容,这可以帮助此类人群理解文字信息。

测试:使用微软操作系统提供的屏幕阅读器。它是否能够准确地阅读游戏中的文字?

自行发音功能

应用:所有的游戏

描述:能够读出游戏中所呈现文字的功能。目前已经有许多种软件工具可以提供这种功能,可以将这些软件整合到游戏中。TTS解决方案应当能够同微软言语API之类的标准API配合。这样,文字就能够以多种不同的语言来呈现,可以被本地化言语合成器准确阅读。

完成:低视力或者盲人用户可以知晓游戏中呈现的文字内容。

测试:体验整个游戏流程,同时使用文字阅读应用。应用能否与你的游戏恰当配合?

更好的游戏内置教程、用户反馈和自动化帮助

描述:指导玩家体验游戏过程,提供反馈和教会他们控制方法。向玩家提供实体化的指示器或者方向箭头,这样能够为那些在游戏中迷路的玩家提供帮助。

完成;这项功能对几乎所有的玩家都有帮助。许多玩家喜欢直接进入游戏,跳过阅读游戏手册这个步骤。这项功能对那些有着学习障碍或者阅读障碍(游戏邦注:无法阅读篇幅较长的手册)的用户特别有帮助。

测试:玩家是否需要阅读手册,或者查看手册来了解如何玩游戏?

设定单位颜色的功能

应用:含有需要进行独特互动的不同组别的游戏

描述:能够控制游戏中不同单位颜色的功能,比如敌人、队友和游戏中的其他重要单位。

完成:通过选择自定义颜色来呈现游戏中的不同区域,玩家可以更加容易地识别出游戏中的重要对象。

测试:玩家是否能够自行设定这些颜色?

自动GPS

应用:3D游戏,盲人游戏

描述:在可以供盲人体验的游戏中,全球定位系统可以被用来获得区域内某对象的精确位置以及虚拟形象的位置。语音化的菜单系统可以提供附近对象的总览。

完成:盲人玩家可以畅游游戏世界

测试:闭上眼睛玩游戏,你能否找到所有重要道具的位置以及在游戏世界中行动呢?

音效指南针

应用:3D世界,电脑游戏

描述:独特的3D音效或者言语反馈以及键盘上的按键代表着游戏世界中8向指南针的每个方位。当玩家按动代表某个方位的按键时,就会播放音频告知方位在玩家的哪个方向。

完成:低视力或者盲人玩家可以明晰方位并建立起方向感。

测试:游戏是否提供了某种让低视力或盲人玩家明白游戏中哪个方向朝向北?

指引方向

应用:3D世界,电脑游戏

描述:使用数字来让游戏中的虚拟形象面对8个方向。比如,按2可以让玩家面朝南,按8会让玩家面朝北。

测试:游戏是否提供某种可以让玩家转向特定方位的方法?

非3D图像模式

应用:3D世界,电脑游戏

描述:让玩家可以关闭3D图像。

完成:盲人或者低视力玩家可能没有游戏运行所需的3D图像硬件,因为他们不需要。而且,提供让3D引擎不使用硬件加速的选项是正确的做法,可以避免不规则图像驱动产生的问题。这使得盲人玩家无需为图像驱动器的更新而担忧。

可替代的音效文件方案

应用:电脑游戏

描述:提供可替代音效文件可以为那些存在听觉障碍的玩家提供帮助。比如,提供使用震动的音效方案可以给予耳聋玩家重要反馈。

完成:在无需增加额外视觉元素的前提下,耳聋玩家可以从音效方案中获得重要信息。

测试:在重要的音频中,你能否感觉到来自发言者的震动?

手语识别

应用:利用网络摄影以及Kinect等其他摄像头技术的游戏

描述:玩家可以通过手语识别进行交流

完成:耳聋玩家或许难以使用语音认知软件,但可以通过这种替代性的方法进行交流

测试:游戏是否为声音认知提供了某种替代选项?(本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,拒绝任何不保留版权的转载,如需转载请联系:游戏邦

Providing Accessibility in Games

One of the most important ways to understanding how to provide accessibility in games is understanding the different disables that gamers may have.

Gamers may experience difficulties in the area of vision, mobility, hearing or cognition. It is highly recommended that anyone interested in truly making accessible games to learn the why behind accessibility, not only the how.

For a more general view of accessibility approaches, please reference the list below.

Possible Approaches

There are several ways that games can be made accessible for a wide range of people. A great place to start in accessibility is implemented the top ten recommended features by IGDA Game Accessibility SIG.

For information on particular disabilities, you can find information the sub sections of this page.

These recommendations can either apply to PC games, console games, or both.

Allow controller reconfiguration for improved comfort.

Application: All titles

Description: Offer players freedom in repositioning controls (also known as remapping controls, or reconfiguring controls) to suit them and their possibly non-standard controller. Where relevant, allow adjustment of control sensitivity, y and x axis inversion and provide left-handed/south-paw modes. Ideally allow for a controller profile to be conveniently saved and accessed.

Accomplishment: Allows players to set controls up in a way that works for them, and their range or speed of movement.

Test: Does your title allow the player set the button mapping of each action possible in game?

Provide alternative controller support.

Application: All titles

Description: Do not limit the player to only using standard controllers or keyboards, or require a standard controller for use of your title. Seek to offer support for at least one alternative controller and/or simplified control scheme. Consider those unable to use traditional input methods such as joy-pads and microphones.

Accomplishment: This allows the player to use non-standard controllers or special build controllers that work better with them and for their needs.

Test: Does the title allow use of a various controller types, or does the title only recognize one controller?

Offer sound alternatives.

Application: All titles in which audio is being used to give information about gameplay

Description: Using sound alternatives such as subtitles, closed captions, controller vibration and visual queues to provide or reinforce information to the player that may be lost when audio cannot be heard.

Accomplishment: Allowing deaf gamers or gamers with other hearing disabilities to fully engage the title.

Test: Play the title on mute. Is there any information that is being missed that would have been received if audio were on?

Provide separate volume controls for music, sound effects and dialogue where applicable.

Application: All titles with music, sound effect or dialogue

Description: Allow the player to adjust the different areas of audio individually, such as being able to turn down music volume while turning up dialogue volume.

Accomplishment: Being able to tailor volume levels can aid comprehension and comfort levels.

Test: If this option offered, or are you only able to adjust audio on a global scale?

High visibility graphics.

Application: All titles

Description: Alternatives to small and/or indistinct fonts. Provide high contrast color schemes or having it available as an option if not default. Highlighting important items and menu selection. Allow Turning off or dimming backgrounds 2D games.

Accomplishment: Increases visibility of text and important items for players with low eyesight.

Test: Run the title on a standard definition television or a low resolution monitor. Stand back. Can you read and navigate through the menu and game, or is it difficult? If no, the title is using this feature correctly?

Color-blind friendly design.

Application: All titles, Titles providing information to the player via color state

Description: Avoid color combinations that are hard or impossible for the color blind to distinguish (e.g. red on grey or green) and/or offer alternative ways to convey meaning than color alone.

Accomplishment: Allows those that are color blind to have access to all information being outputted by the title.

Test: Does your title display information based on any object based on its color? For example, something good is green and something bad is red? If no, this feature is being used correctly. If yes, is this the only way this information is conveyed? If no, this feature is being used correctly. If yes, reference a color chart that displays colors as a colorblind person may see them. Do the colors appear to be the same on the color chart? If no, the title is using this feature correctly.

Provide broad difficulty level and/or speed adjustment where applicable.

Application: All titles

Description: Allow the players to choose from a very broad range of difficulties and speed, while understanding that for some players there is no such thing as too easy or too slow.

Accomplishment: People can benefit from slower and easier versions by adjusting the game to tailor to their abilities and do not restrict a player’s game choices because a title is too difficult of frustrating for them.

Test: Does your game allow for these setting to be changed? If yes, can the title be adjusted to a mode where it is very hard to fail or loose?

Practice, training, free-roaming and/or tutorial modes if applicable.

Application: All Titles

Description: Offer a mode where the player is able to engage the game with out failing, or in a way that provides information on how to play the title to the player.

Accomplishment: This helps with comprehension, controller adjustments, skill development, and also simply offer a fun way in for those struggling with the standard game.

Test: Does your title this feature? Is the player free to experiment and learn at his or her own pace?

Accessible menus.

Application: All titles

Description: Consider quick start modes, the importance of digital-input navigation and text alternatives such as text-to-speech and symbols. For a game with a complex interface, provide a simplified interface that displays only the most commonly used controls. The full features are still available, but are normally hidden from the user.

Accomplishment: Allows players who may have difficulty navigating complex menus do to vision jump into game quickly and with out confusion.

Test: If there a way for to get into some form of gameplay in 3 menu selections or less?

Of course, there additional steps that can be take in additional to the top ten. Here are additional recommendations.

Keyboard navigation of all controls, with visual and spoken feedback

Application: Computer titles (PC or Mac)

Description: Allow all commands to be entered via the keyboard. As each is entered, provide both a visual and auditory message to indicate what has been done.

Accomplishment: This feature would assist players with mobility, vision, and auditory disabilities navigate through the game and its menus.

Test: Does your game allow the player to enter commands or navigate via a keyboard? When commands are entered, is there both a visual and auditory indication as to what command has been used?

Auto aim, or auto centering, the ability to lock on a target and more

Application: All titles that allow the player to control where they are looking

Description: Assist the player by offering the option for auto aim, or auto centering, the ability to lock on a target.

Accomplishment: Allows players with low visibility to quickly find targets and stop from loosing them.

Standard Text Presentation

Application: Microsoft Windows Titles

Description: For games targeted at this operating system, have text that are compatible with the Windows screen readers that are provided by the operating system.

Accomplishment: Allow users with low vision use the provided tool to view the text. The text could also be used for other software like special contextual dictionaries for gamers with dyslexia, which help them in understanding the text.

Test: Use a screen reader provided by the Microsoft operating systems. Does it correctly read the text in you title?

Self-voicing Capability

Application: All titles

Description: The ability to provide speech from text being displayed in the game. There are already a variety of software tools that provide this feature and could be integrated with games. The text-to-speech (TTS) solution should work with standard API’s like Microsoft’s Speech API, SAPI. This way text can be present in different languages and be read correctly by localized speech synthesizers.

Accomplishment: Allow low vision and blind users to know that text being displayed in game.

Test: Navigate through the game while using a text to speech application. Is it working correctly with your title?

Better in-game tutorials / user feedback / automatic help

Description: Guide the player through the title, providing feedback and teach them controls. Provide the player with objective indicators or directional arrow can provide assistance to players who are lost.

Accomplishment: This feature would be helpful to almost all gamers. Many people like to jump right in to a game without reading the manual. It would be of particular help for people with learning disabilities who did not have the attention span or reading ability for focus on a long manual.

Test: Does the player need to read the manual or look up how to properly play your game?

Ability to set unit color

Application: Titles in which there are distinctive groups in games which require unique interactions

Description: The ability to control the color of the different units in the such as enemies, teammates, and other important units within a game.

Accomplishment: Allows the player to more easily identify important object in game by selecting custom colors to represent different areas of the game.

Test: Does the player have the ability to set these colors?

Audio GPS

Application: 3D Games, Games for the Blind

Description: In a game accessible for blind, a Global Positioning System can be used to get the exact positions of objects in an area as well as the position of the avatar. A voiced menu system can provide an overview of nearby objects.

Accomplishment: Allows a blind player to navigate the game world

Test: Close your eyes and play your title. Are you able to local all items of important and navigate the world?

Sound Compass

Application: 3D world, computer titles

Description: A unique 3D sound or spoken feedback and a key on the keyboard represents each direction on an eight directional compass in the game world. When the player presses the key representing that direction, the audio then plays to show where that direction is in relation to the player.

Accomplishment: Allows low vision and blind games get their bearings and establish directions.

Test: Does the game offer a way for low vision or blind players to establish which direction is north in game?

Direct orientation

Application: 3D world, computer titles

Description: Use the numeric to orient the avatar in 8 directions. For example. Pressing 2 will allows have the player face South, and pressing 8 will always have the player face North instead of directions such as forward, backwards, left and right.

Test: Does the title offer a way to allow the player to orient based on the cardinal directions?

No 3D graphics mode

Application: 3D world, computer titles

Description: Give the player the ability to turn off 3D rendering.

Accomplishment: Blind or low vision gamers may not have the proper 3D graphic hardware to run your title because they do not use it. Also, an option for the 3D engine to use no hardware acceleration is good, to avoid problems with erratic graphic drivers that cause crashes. This will enable blind gamers to not have to worry about updating graphic drivers

Test: Try to run you title on a computer with less then the optimal visual graphics card needed to run the title. Is there a way the visuals can be adjusted to allow the title to still run?

Alternative sound files setup

Application: Computer titles

Description: Provision of alternate sound files could assist those who are deaf or hard of hearing. For example, providing sound files that use bass vibration from the subwoofer to give important feedback to deaf gamers.

Accomplishment: Allows deaf gamers to get important information from sound queues with out the additional of visual elements

Test: Can you feel the vibrations from the speakers for important audio queues?

Sign Language Recognition

Application: Games that utilize a webcam, or other camera technology such as the Kinect

Description: Allowing the player to communicate via sign language recognition

Accomplishment: Deaf players who may struggle with voice recognition software would be able to communicate via alternative means

Test: Does the title offer a alternative to voice recognition? (Source: IGDA Game Access SIG)


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