[NJTechDiv] upcomming game

[Tracy Carcione]

Thanks.  Sounds like fun.
I gotta retire, so I have more time to play.
Tracy


-----Original Message-----
From: NJTechDiv [mailto:njtechdiv-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Mario Brusco via NJTechDiv
Sent: Friday, February 14, 2020 3:57 PM
To: njtechdiv at nfbnet.org
Cc: Mario Brusco
Subject: [NJTechDiv] upcomming game

Local man develops groundbreaking fantasy-game for blind players
(https://www.thoroldnews.com/local-news/local-man-develops-)groundbreaking-fantasy-game-for-blind-players-2091157

A groundbreaking PC-game where the player has to rely entirely on 
hearing is in its final stages of development in St Catharines, and 
could be ready for release within a matter of months.

The player takes on the role of a blind adventurer, trapped in hostile 
lands after his caravan is ambushed, and thrown into a thick medieval 
plot that keeps getting more intense with every footstep.

Using state-of-the-art audio tools and 3D audio, experienced developer 
Dave Evans has made his script come to life in The Vale, a process 
involving both local- and foreign talent to create one of the most 
ambitious hearing-only games ever made.

"When you are not having a screen to contend with, the threshold drops 
for the production costs. You get around having to animate facial 
expressions, hair... You can create a real feeling, visceral world 
relatively cheap. You close your eyes and immerse yourself in the 
experience", he tells Thorold News.

The game features the usual bag of intense melee combat, side-quests in 
villages where the sounds of cattle and roaming villagers surround the 
player who has to make their way through action-packed scenarios such as 
escaping from a burning barn on horseback, or fend off enemies appearing 
randomly throughout the roughly five hours of gameplay.

Some final announcements will be made at a game developers conference in 
San Francisco later this spring, when a hard launch date is expected.

Many of the voices heard in the game are from Toronto, but some overseas 
voice talent was recruited too, to give a wide variety of accents.

"The quality of the voice acting is very important since it is an 
audio-only experience."

The game writing has also been challenging.

While the feedback from the visually impaired community has been 
positive, it has taken more than just a blind character to impress the 
most hardcore crowd, who have been playing traditional video games for 
many years to the best of their abilities.

"It is a split in the community. There are people who play games for the 
seeing population, who are happy to have another title to play. 
Representation and empowerment means very little to the,/ It is a bit of 
a trope for them since they are always playing blind characters, so it 
was a challenge to write a character that had more to them than being 
blind".

As a developer in tune with accessibility, Dave says his ultimate goal 
is to design a role-playing game where a disability is among the traits 
the player can chose from when designing their own character, affecting 
the entire game experience.

The Vale, he says, isn't by far only catered for the visually impaired, 
but for anyone wanting to test their senses in an action packed 
fantasy-adventure.

"I want this to be about empathy, the experience and transporting 
yourself in the experience, as much as it is about being accessible".

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