[games_access] Player Tailoring, Tomb Raider Underworld

[Reid Kimball]

Thank you Sandra, great write up with detailed examples. I will keep
your info in mind when play Tomb Raider myself. Related, I've been
playing Mirror's Edge and have had similar thoughts regarding changing
accuracy of player's actions. In Mirror's Edge, you have to jump a
lot, from rooftop to rooftop while being chased. It's very exciting at
times, but can be very frustrating if you are not accurate, just like
your example of the motorbike in Tomb Raider Underworld. You have to
position your character far away from the jump, gain enough speed,
jump at the right time and hopefully aim accurately so that you can
grab a pipe on the other side of the jump.

In Easy mode, I argue that there should be "attractors" that pull and
orient the player towards grab-able objects, like pipes so that if
players are not accurate, the game gives them a helping hand. This is
Game Accessibility through game design.

-Reid

On Fri, Nov 28, 2008 at 1:07 PM, Sandra Uhling <sandra_uhling at web.de> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
>> From: "Reid Kimball" <reid at rbkdesign.com>
>> Tomb Raider Underworld has something called Player Tailoring that I
>> plan to look at. I think it has implications for game accessibility
>> from a game design perspective. Allowing players to tweak how much
>> damage they take, thus making the game easier. Sandra, if you have
>> used the player tailoring options I'd like to know your opinion of
>> them. Do they make the game easier? Are they missing anything?
>
> First:
> I think it is a good idea.
> You can change single parameter during the game.
> You do not have to wait for the next level.
> And you can change it back, whenever you want.
>
> But they still have only three difficulties for each parameter:
>
> Enemie-Health:      70%      100%       120%
> Lara Amunition: ?
> Lara's live energy:  80%     100%        130%
> Time to press E:   0,5 sec   1,67 sec     3 sec
> (When Lara for example hangs only with one hand and
> how long time the gamer has to press E)
> (Source: solution manual)
>
> To be able to compare it with other, there are still "main" difficulty levels,
> that set every parameter automatically.
> 1. low
> 2. middle
> 3. high
>
>
> But yes, there are some parameter missing:
>
> The time for "Time Puzzle" or "Time Trials" in the game.
> I did not see a possibility to change this time.
> For example:
> You have to go to a door, that will close in a certain time.
> Or Lara is hanging on something, that will break down in a certain time.
> Or Lara has to go to the top of the level and "blue lava" is coming from the bottom.
>
> And there is another thing, that is missing:
> How good you have to be to control Lara.
> For jumps or the control of the motorbike.
>
> I think that it is already good for normal gamer.
> You do not have to be accurate like in other Tomb Raider.
> But there are also sometimes situation, where you have
> to be very very very accurate.
>
> For example you have to place the motorbike far away,
> to get enough speed and control it straight, to go over a hole.
> Or for the magnet thing: you have to throw it very very accurate.
>
>
>
> ##### Help System:
> The help system works. But there should be more hints.
> They have 1. one hint: what is the next aim.
> Then the 2. hint: how to do this.
>
> There could be a 3 or even more levels.
> How to do it exactly.
>
> For example:
> 1. "You need to make a bridge"
> 2. "You need to use the switch go down."
>
> But I was  also helpless here, where is the switch ?
> The answer is, that the switch is part of the column
> and you need to use a new move that Lara can make.
>
>
> ##### Awareness of Game Accessibility:
> I think there is still the awareness and understanding of game accessibility missing.
> Maybe we should make a list with wrong imagination about Game Accessibility.
> I heard about:
> We do not want to make it too easy.
> We do not want to have a high contrast mode, they will not see the beautiful graphic.
> Cheats are only for the tester.
>
> I hope know that they seem to have a "Community Management",
> they will be more open for this kind of things.
>
>
> Best regards,
> Sandra
>
>
>
>
>
>
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