Hey,
I was wondering if there was a way to write a program for a colorblind option in a game. I'm talking about changing colors around like,
(pseudo)
if (color = 233,267,100){
color = 21, 100, 56
}
for example if there is a color I can't see I could change it.
Any help on this topic would be very appreciated! I would be looking for this to work with games like maplestory, runescape, etc.
I'm kind of beginner at this, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes.
Thanks!
How would you make a colorblind option?
Generally, switching out specific colors for different ones is not a good solution, as there are many different types of colorblindness that affect many different colors. You can't rely on color as the distinguishing factor in any game that claims to be colorblind-friendly.
A better approach is to distinguish the colored elements in another way as well, i.e. have different colored options also be a different shape or size.
A better approach is to distinguish the colored elements in another way as well, i.e. have different colored options also be a different shape or size.
Making software colourblind friendly is a bit more complex than just swapping out some colours, I'm afraid.
I guess you could capture the final rendered screen and apply a complex postprocessing shader, that would analyze the spectral properties of the image, match it with the spectral response curves of a user-selectable type of colourblindness (several types exist), and apply a correction profile. This is quite non-trivial, requires advanced image analysis and processing algorithms (taking into account not only chromaticity, but also local contrast and similar), and should probably be implemented with assistance of a medical professional and some actually colourblind beta testers.
The best option for indie developers is to rely on shape and contrast more than on colour. Colour should make the game look pretty, but game mechanics should not rely on it.
I guess you could capture the final rendered screen and apply a complex postprocessing shader, that would analyze the spectral properties of the image, match it with the spectral response curves of a user-selectable type of colourblindness (several types exist), and apply a correction profile. This is quite non-trivial, requires advanced image analysis and processing algorithms (taking into account not only chromaticity, but also local contrast and similar), and should probably be implemented with assistance of a medical professional and some actually colourblind beta testers.
The best option for indie developers is to rely on shape and contrast more than on colour. Colour should make the game look pretty, but game mechanics should not rely on it.
Author
Thanks for the quick responses. I understand that this is not the best solution, but Nexon (maplestory company) refuses to implement a colorblind option. There are some items in game that I would like to switch the darkness values for, because I'm honestly not very experienced and I feel like it's all I can to do a game that isn't mine.
i don't know what i am saying,but how about post processing the screen into black and white colors?
You can start by making sure all the objects and characters have unique and easily recognizable silhouettes, which is what most well designed visuals do anyways.
Valve's games are a good example, as is Bejeweled. Bejeweled is color based, but all the gems have their own shape.
Valve's games are a good example, as is Bejeweled. Bejeweled is color based, but all the gems have their own shape.
Author
All good suggestions, but there's nothing I can do with shapes in a game that's not mine. I just need a way to change colors!
Author
All good suggestions, but there's nothing I can do with shapes in a game that's not mine. I just need a way to change colors!
There are online color-blind simulators for web sites. You could run a screenshot through there and see if it looks acceptable. It does not matter if colours look a bit odd -- acceptable means one can read text, see all controls, and distinguish the key elements.
Colour blind people do not "see different" like these simulators suggest (as in, black and white, or green and yellow). The brain can only work with what it knows, so a colour blind does not realize that the colours are "wrong" (what is right, and what is wrong, anyway?). Many colour blinds do not even know -- I didn't until the age of 19 (and still would not know if the military didn't want to make me a jet pilot).
Colour blind people do have difficulties distinguishing certain shades of colour, though. So, what's really important is that in the simulated image, things like for example text can still be easily discerned from the background.
If you can't make out the key features in the altered image, you have a hint that something should be tweaked. Otherwise, leave everything as it is.
Colour blind people do not "see different" like these simulators suggest (as in, black and white, or green and yellow). The brain can only work with what it knows, so a colour blind does not realize that the colours are "wrong" (what is right, and what is wrong, anyway?). Many colour blinds do not even know -- I didn't until the age of 19 (and still would not know if the military didn't want to make me a jet pilot).
Colour blind people do have difficulties distinguishing certain shades of colour, though. So, what's really important is that in the simulated image, things like for example text can still be easily discerned from the background.
If you can't make out the key features in the altered image, you have a hint that something should be tweaked. Otherwise, leave everything as it is.
Quote:Original post by samothSomewhat more insidiously, we can also differentiate between shades of colour that people with "normal" colour-vision see as identical. This leads to some unpleasant surprises in "smooth" gradients...
Colour blind people do have difficulties distinguishing certain shades of colour, though.
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