Low vision / Low Vision Games – Raw Data

Introduction

First – a little about myself and my playroom.

My name is Dominic Donegan and I was born legally blind, with a vision of about 20/300 in my left eye, and 20/400 on my right. I can see colors, and in everyday life I can usually survive with a combination of several types of magnifying (or only allowed to see very close to things), and zoom on my camera to see things far away. I have been a gamer all my life, and when VR became popular, I was what might be described as “Early Adopter”. I play raw data on HTC Vive (OG version).

The room where I play is my living room, in the room about 3 x 2 meters. I have played this game in a smaller room, and I will say that even though the bigger the better, this is one of the games that is quite good in a smaller room if necessary (just be careful not to crash into anything)!

Raw data has been a few years now, after finally leaving Steam Early Access in October 2017. But there has been longer than that, and VR fans will tell you that this is the closest thing that VR has with three titles for a very long time.

This game is beautiful. Acting sound is fun and decent quality. This game features campaign modes, various multiple -play modes, and attractive tutorials and training areas. Progress in solid character and has depth. At the time of my writing, there are 4 characters that can be played available to choose from. Depending on where you choose, how can this game play for you if you are a blind player, can vary.

Arrangement

But before I discuss it, let’s talk about the menu and UI.

To decide whether the VR game will be played by me as a low vision player, one of the first questions I ask is about the menu. How is the font size? Can that be enlarged? Can we approach the menu without them closing / moving automatically from us / getting a mistake “you leave the playroom”?

For raw data, the font size will be considered average for VR, which means the possibility is too small for most VI players. Which said, one tool we have while playing while playing VR game is the ability to approach the menu and close enough to read it (as we might do for a sign in real life). Fortunately, raw data allows this.

Gameplay

Okay, so we can navigate the menu. But can we really play?

The answer is more complicated and back to the 4 characters that I can play. For credit for Survios (developers), play style for each character varies greatly and produces a very different gameplay experience. In most cases, this is something that must be praised, but for blind players, it can make everything complicated. So to start, I will give me my thoughts about each type of character, from the perspective of a low vision player.

• Bishop “Don’t succeed. Double Wield.”

The bishop is what I will describe as the “First Person” character.

This character, while most likely fun to play, is the person I have the most difficulty with the blind. He holds the gun in each hand, and their boys are seen and feel happy to shoot -but I can’t see enemies from far enough to play with him effectively. The idea is that you should see enemies and shoot them before they approach, and once they approach, it’s too late. The problem with this is that I cannot see enemies or shoot them accurately until they have swarmed me. To help with this, Bishop also has a close -range blow that allows him to fill forward through the group, but it is not enough to make this character a decent choice for me. Your mileage may vary.

Next is

• Boss, “Human Demolition”.

Boss is a badass who uses a rifle, throwing a grenade from a character that looks like Morpheus from the matrix. He has a rifle that you have to cock before you shoot him, so it’s basically a click-click boom, a havoc style character.

Depending on which trigger you pull, you might blow up shots from your gun or launch a grenade from it. The bishop is a more middle class character who does not need to be accurately shooting to survive. Still, the shot did not fire the projectile that I could see, so this character, although fun, was not my first choice. Tilting your gun and pulling the left and right triggers, while keeping your hands up and together -the same can be a little like the exercise “Patting your stomach and rubbing the old head”, which may be found by some challenging players if the complex movement and high -level coordination is not their business. Speaking as a low-vision player, I will say the boss is a “fun” option, but for serious players who want to do well or play competitively with other players, he may not be the best choice.

The third line is

• Saija, “sharp knife. Deadly mind.”

Saija is my personal favorite. He is a character like Jedi who uses katana who is not only able to do a big damage up close, but he can also throw his katana, which is clearly the easiest long-distance attack in the game (or maybe whatever VR game I have met so far) to be seen and targeted. Although a little complicated, as soon as you get used to, Saija can send a large katana and shine spinning to the other side of the room, attacking many enemies from a respectable distance. That means whatever you cannot reach with a strong close-range katana attack, you can take care of the weapons attack that is thrown so that you can really see all the time. And the coolest part? It returns to your hands that are stretched out automatically like a kind of boomerang lightsaber. Saija is a force that must be taken into account, and in my opinion, the easiest to play for blind players.

Finally we have

• Elder, “For them to tremble.”

Elder is the latest addition to character actor that can be played in raw data, and reminds the Green Arrow characters from comic books. Its main weapon is a bow combo and arrow, which requires the use of both hands. Secondary weapons are the ability to place automatic towers on the battlefield. This character is one of the most fun to play, and some low vision players may be able to play effectively because the arrows shine bright green, which makes it easy to see. The tower that he can place can also be proven to be beneficial to the character VI, because they automatically shoot enemies, which, in addition to contributing to the output of damage we can also help us find out where to direct our bows and arrows when the enemy is too far for us to see clearly (this runs doubled to fly flying drones)! Which says, if you have problems with in -depth perception, it might prove it is difficult to do accurate shots, as is the case for me. However, the arc mechanics and arrows feel quite good and if you want to try long distance characters, elders are a pleasant alternative and a little more worthy of bishop.

Now regardless of which character I play, there are certain problems that can not be avoided that I encountered during my game in the game.

For example, larger maps are sometimes proven to be challenging to me. Stage 4 is the first point where I began to feel like being a VI player was a loss in the game. The greater stage in the game requires you to have an awareness of things that occur in all places, above the relatively large game space. I imagine it will help if you can see and measure the situation, but that is a luxury that I do not have.

In an effort to learn more, I handle this stage with a friend in a multiple cooperative multiple I believe that with enough training, I might be able to find an effective strategy to win with the help of a friend. However, it should be noted that this is the first time I feel like a little burden on my team because I can’t follow as good as I like.

I admit that this problem might be unique to me, but I decided to register here because this was the first time I had a problem that I felt might be related to my vision.

Apart from the challenges, raw data is still an extraordinary game and I have fun playing it alone, with friends, and introducing it to people who are new to VR.

Conclusion

Raw data is one of the highest quality VR games available today, and as old school gamers who prefer VR games they have the depth of non-VR games, this is everything I want from the VR game for a long time.

Which says, there is a possibility you will face problems when playing certain characters, or at a certain stage that will be in the game. I personally feel that this game has a high enough quality to be sought by blind players regardless of this challenge, and will recommend it to fellow VR Vision Low fans.