Visual effect for centering the ships wheel (accessibility setting)

@schwammlgott No one has asked for notifications for every aspect of the game that contains audio, the spirit of this suggestion is that this small singular feature would offer no more of an advantage over being able to actually hear the audio cue and would allow those who can’t hear it a level of immersion that we don’t currently enjoy when we have to count wheel turns

@schwammlgott "where would this lead to"
To people with disabilities enjoying the game and being competetive just as others?

OP has an accessibility issue, has a solution and has asked for support. If you don't need it or can manage with current settings, great. Please try to remember that others may not. Only OP knows what they need, which is why they've asked for it, and chances are they're not the only one.

As far as I can see, this is no different to the recent addition of fish names for colourblind and VI players. Just a little note in the HUD to even the playing field. All accessibility settings have a toggle, nobody would be forced to use it.

OP, have an upvote. The rest of you, maybe give your heads a wobble.

@aerotsune said in Visual effect for centering the ships wheel (accessibility setting):

So to move this along, what suggestions might those seeking this function supply to help with this? While it's a great idea, it's the implementation that may have some ramification issues. (As in not so easily added.) So again I ask, how would the folks here suggest it to be addressed? A box that pops up and says centered? A visual that shows wheel turn degree that goes from 0 degrees to the outermost degree on either side? How would the people here suggest this to be corrected? That's the information that can help the most.

A circle outline that blinks in the center of the screen in a similar fashion to a hit marker. Would be minimal enough but noticeable, yet not intrusive, for those who need it.

@realstyli hey that’s a great idea!

@aerotsune Thank you for your reply, like already suggested, a little unobstrusive icon maybe in one of the corners that flashes up briefly would do it. Or like suggested by @RealStyli a hitmarker-like flash-up in the corner.

I wish everybody trying to dismiss OP's genuine issue a very warm shut up.

Let me respond to the ignorance one-by-one.

1. "The peg is different."

The wheel on a galleon can do 2 full rotations in both directions before being locked out. You could turn it one rotation back to the centre and the peg would be upright. This wouldn't indicate the ship is centred. Yes, there is a VERY subtle sound that plays on each full rotation and a different one for the full lock. I'm not hard at hearing, and I wasn't even aware of the 2 sound cues until reading this thread and double-checking myself. It really isn't that obvious.

I'm guessing some kind of HUD element that pops up, whether a symbol, or text, that fades out after a second, would be a good addition and solution.

2. "Well, where does it end?"

Ignoring this is a slippery slope argument just to respond to it. Knowing when the ship is centred is something EVERYBODY can know. Whether you are informed by an audio cue or a HUD indicator makes no difference to the outcome. There is no notable advantage to either, other than one being better for those hard at hearing. You can even enable it yourself if you're really that worried about the huge advantage it'll supposedly provide.

Obviously, being hard at hearing will impact other aspects of the game. Each case should be looked at one-by-one to decide what can be done to mitigate the disadvantage you might have without making the solution tilt the balance the other way.

3. "You can see the ship turning, that's a visual indicator."

Yes, and if I removed your ammo count, you'd know you're out of bullets when you try to shoot and air comes out of the barrel. If I removed your health bar, you'd know you were low health when I splash you with water and you die. If I removed your ability to hear water flooding your ship, you'd know the ship was filling with water when your clothing is soaking wet when you go and grab planks.

Those with difficulty hearing are missing an early indicator that is present to all players. If you're going to argue that the ship turning is a visual indicator, then the audio cue should be removed for everybody and everyone can just use the ship turning as the indication that it isn't centred. This is obviously not desirable as it's a) not the case, b) nobody has asked for this to ever change, and c) it would make aspects of combat tedious without adding anything fun to it.

In conclusion, engage brain before commenting.

@loaf-cat1384 Can I marry you? XD This is my exact thoughts so well written out! Thank you!

@schwammlgott said:

sure I can turn accessibility options off...but then they can put me into a disadvantage

Accessibility options are meant for those who are starting off at a disadvantage, so that they could compete with others.

And I dont think any of the options Rare added so far have given players any sort of advantage over others. Leaving them off doesn't put you in any sort of disadvantage.

@schwammlgott said:

I know, but you see, where this leads to?

The point you're attempting to make here is referred to as a "slippery slope," and is fallacious.

@captblue3052
I am not sure if anyone has suggested this, but maybe they could add controller vibrations when you center the wheel?

While I am of mind that the center peg being different and just keeping track of your wheel are a big portion of steering.

What if instead of an icon, we broke it down a bit. What if at center it would cause the wheel to pause in its turn. like .25 seconds. Its not the best solution, but I def prefer it over a marker (unless i can toggle it).

@captain-coel this solution is really unintuitive and would likely be just as difficult. Plus, if you want to quickly spin the wheel, it'd get annoying. Like all accessibility options, there'd be a toggle.

@lucky11 this is already the case but if you're using KBM, you don't have that option.

@loaf-cat1384
Using a keyboard didn't even occur to me when I was thinking of a solution. That's my bad. Is there any possibility Rare could add a gauge next to the compass on the ship's railing that has only has a "C" (for "Centered") written on it instead of "N, E, W, S...etc?" Maybe it could spin clockwise/counter-clockwise to the compass and allow the pirate on the wheel to visually see if the ship is centered or not?

@captain-coel you can toggle every other accessibility setting - no reason for this one to be any different, wouldn't even need to know it existed!

@lucky11 said in Visual effect for centering the ships wheel (accessibility setting):

@loaf-cat1384
Using a keyboard didn't even occur to me when I was thinking of a solution. That's my bad. Is there any possibility Rare could add a gauge next to the compass on the ship's railing that has only has a "C" (for "Centered") written on it instead of "N, E, W, S...etc?" Maybe it could spin clockwise/counter-clockwise to the compass and allow the pirate on the wheel to visually see if the ship is centered or not?

As much as I really like your idea, this would sadly not help given the fact, that this accessibilty feature is meant to work in the same way the sound effect does - so that someone who has hearing loss is just as free to not look at the wheel while being notified when it hits the center spot.

But generally, I like when features are getting implemented in the acutal gameplay rather than a HUD element or something. Rare already did a great job making this game feel so natural, with a very minimal and unobstrusive HUD. For example, we can vote up voyages, emissaries, alliances etc - all that without clicking through menus. Thats why I really wanna credit your thought and idea, as explained sadly this would not be the right solution here.

@ikaz66 said in Visual effect for centering the ships wheel (accessibility setting):

@schwammlgott said in Visual effect for centering the ships wheel (accessibility setting):

@captblue3052 as been said...it's already in the game...the main peg looks different...also if you play with a controller, it vibrates a bit when centered...
I'm really confused about this suggestion...what else do you need? Some kind of "🎊" or blinking lights, or a pop up window that tells you when centered?
I've nothing against accessibility functions, but this is ridiculous...this feels a bit like Navi sayin' "Hey, listen", just worse, maybe even worse than Phai...if you know what I mean

But seriously, what other visual effect, than the center-peg of the wheel and the ship not going straight do you need?

The main peg on some wheels is hard to differentiate, especially during night.
[…]

If there have issues for a crewmember with a certain wheel - pick another wheel is IMO the best solution.

I sometimes pick a cannon that is according to the cannoneer unusable, so we pick another one.

I'm honestly a little surprised by this thread. I saw a great idea to be able to help out those with impairments, loss of hearing, whatever. I fully expected it to be a discussion of "Oh, good thought! How should this be implemented?" I never thought there would be actual backlash to such a small, simple, and harmless addition.

Some people seem to be saying "I walk perfectly fine, I can't even see why wheelchairs are a thing" or "I have plenty of money, why does low-income housing exist?"

If you can't see the purpose for it, then it's not for you, but that doesn't mean it's not needed/helpful.

Sheesh.

As for implementation, I agree that the benefit of the sound is that you can turn the wheel and know when it's centered without having to look at the wheel itself. Very helpful when trying to park at outposts, islands, forts, etc, as well as in a storm, lots of places. So how do you best implement that same type of thing without it being intrusive or causing the player to have to look in a specific place...

I liked the idea of a little wheel or something popping up like a hit-marker for a cannon shot. Just a little flash on the screen that indicates the wheel is centered. Maybe a literal little flash at the tip of the wheel spoke, kind of like the sparkle really good loot gives off, but just for a moment. That way it's very noticeable, even in your periphery.

I went ahead and made an example video of my proposal. Note the indicator is center of the screen for visibility, not on the wheel (which the player may not be looking directly at). The indicator syncs with the audio, not the position.

https://youtu.be/8AG008cEmZQ

@realstyli Brilliant. Love it. Non-intrusive, easy to notice. Having it be center screen is a great idea.

Why don't they just put a little different coloured arrow on the ships compass that points at where the ship is turning?

@captblue3052
I see what you are saying. I'm not sure if you saw, but I thought @realstyli had a great idea. I'll try brainstorming some more. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

@realstyli oh now, see that's really quite an elegant solution.

@captblue3052
After testing a few things with the wheel, I definitely think @realstyli's suggestion would work the best. The only problem is that I'm not entirely sure how he can formally notify Rare about the suggestion. I hope your friend is able to find a solution!
-Lucky11

@realstyli that’s amazing!! Would work exactly as needed!

@galactic-geek That wouldn’t really help, the solution we need here is a visual cue that can be seen without even looking at the wheel. I absolutely love @realstyli‘s Solution!

@galactic-geek yes? That’s exactly what would help me. The audio cue enables people who can hear it to understand they have centred the wheel without even looking at it. I would like to be able to do the same thing. To be watching another ship, to be looking at an island, to be looking up at sails to check the wind and to just know the wheel is centred as those who hear the sound can know without ever looking at the wheel.

@aerotsune I think the solution provided by @realstyli is absolutely perfect!

@galactic-geek said in Visual effect for centering the ships wheel (accessibility setting):

Just brighten the lighting on the main peg when it's perfectly centered - it's visual enough to get your attention, but not obstructive enough to detract from the style or immersion of the game. Kind of like how Minecraft highlights blocks. See if you can make a video of that, @realstyli. 😉

I know how I would make that video but I'm not a VFX artist and it would take me hours to do that, I just threw the other one together in Motion in a few minutes.

Also, I think when it comes to this feature, the solution should emulate the sound, not augment the visuals. As the intent is to help those who struggle to hear. You don't hear things only when you are looking at them, so it makes sense that any visual aid would not be fixed in the world.

I'm not a huge fan of adding too many HUD elements usually but there is a precedence already set for this style of quick indicator with hit markers. There are also wind lines, which are a visual aid as well.

As long as it's non-obstrusive and optional, plus doesn't give any advantage, that's the main aim.

@galactic-geek May I ask? Do you require this solution? Because if you don‘t then there is 0 need for you to toggle it on… if you are being precious about the immersion of the game over a feature aimed at making SoT more inclusive and accessible that you do not even need then I think you need to give your head a shake

@galactic-geek I mean, nobody's gonna make you use it 🤷‍♀️ Just like somebody else needing a wheelchair doesn't mean you have to sit down all the time.

If something like this breaks your immersion, don't turn it on. I guess you could also do without hit markers and wind lines, or are those not immersion breaking because you have a use for them?

Accessibility settings are always optional and they are designed to give better access to people who need it. If you don't need better access, you don't need to use the accessibility settings so really your point is moot.