Colorblind options are not effective

[sakodak]

This is frustrating and is probably going to disappear into the void, but since there appears to be no way to actually open a support ticket and I can't create a new thread then I guess this is what passes for support in 2020.

This game is unplayable for me. While I appreciate that you included colorblind options I have to wonder if you actually had more than one colorblind person test it out. There are many different "shades" of colorblindness outside of the three major types.

Anyway, one problem is that the colorblind options only apply to UI elements (and poorly at that) and not the actual gameplay. I got as far as "green lasers are friendly and orange lasers are bad" -- c'mon. Something that basic and you mess it up?

In regards to the interface: it's great that you change the text color based on the colorblindness type, but the important thing is *contrast*. Making the text for the deuteranopia option dark blue just makes it even harder to read against dark backgrounds. How about an option to have a contrasting background on the dialog text? It's on *some* text. But not all.

I'm just a drop in this financial windfall for y'all, but I'll be returning this to GOG until this can be sorted out -- it's impossible for me to play. And it makes me very, very, sad.

 

[SigilFey]

Post moved!

As far as I've ever seen, games that offer a colorblind option will normally affect only the UI. I've never encountered a game that would alter all of the graphics on the screen.

However, that would technically be possible using something like a ReShade or ENBseries. Just create a full-screen filter that alters all colors across a given spectrum. Not sure how much work that would be though, as normally, color alterations need to be done on a per lighting condition / per area system. So it may be really tricky to balance out what a certain type of colorblindness would wind up seeing as a final result.

 

[Shadd76]

I have the same problem. I'm an extreme deutean and the blue/purple text in subtitles is literally unreadable. Also the size of text for most items to pickup is so small I can't read it either. I want to like this game a lot. I'm only to where V has just gotten to his apartment so I'm not far, but it's so hard because I literally have to blindly pickup items and then go into my inventory to see what i picked up. It just slows things down tremendously.

 

[SigilFey]

I have the same problem. I'm an extreme deutean and the blue/purple text in subtitles is literally unreadable. Also the size of text for most items to pickup is so small I can't read it either. I want to like this game a lot. I'm only to where V has just gotten to his apartment so I'm not far, but it's so hard because I literally have to blindly pickup items and then go into my inventory to see what i picked up. It just slows things down tremendously.

I imagine simply altering the size/color of certain fonts would not be that huge undertaking. Sounds like a perfectly reasonable request.

Right now, there are issues with the game that are likely more pressing, but you may want to poke this again after a couple of weeks or so. Do you have any idea what color contrasts would work better in your case?

 

[Rawls]

This is frustrating and is probably going to disappear into the void, but since there appears to be no way to actually open a support ticket and I can't create a new thread then I guess this is what passes for support in 2020.

They had no color blind options in the Witcher 3 at first and following red tracks in green grass was SUPER challenging. Later that patched in an alternative option. Perhaps they'll add more for us this time? No idea, but you are not alone in the colorblindness issues with games. 2077 has been okay for me personally so far (I have protanomaly - a deficiency that leads to reduced sensitivity in perceiving red light), but I definitely feel your pain!

 

[sakodak]

Post moved!

As far as I've ever seen, games that offer a colorblind option will normally affect only the UI. I've never encountered a game that would alter all of the graphics on the screen.

It's not so much that I expect the colorblind options to change non-UI elements, it's that I'd assume if you're cognizant enough of the colorblindness issue to include the UI options that you'd strive to not make color the sole distinguishing feature of the other elements in the game. I'm well aware that "you" in this scenario refers to literally thousands of people who made the game -- this just tells me that while the team responsible for UI/UX wants to be inclusive, other teams (like QA) aren't including accessibility checks for colorblindness. I'm not complaining that much, the games industry has made pretty good strides. We just need to close the gaps.

I apologize for my frustrated tone in my initial post. I was just, uh, frustrated.

Post automatically merged: Dec 10, 2020

Also the size of text for most items to pickup is so small I can't read it either.

Another problem we share, apparently. I remember The Witcher 3 had a similar issue in the inventory / menu screens. I guess everyone at CDPR has eagle eyes.

 

[SigilFey]

They had no color blind options in the Witcher 3 at first and following red tracks in green crash was SUPER challenging. Later that patched in an alternative option. Perhaps they'll add more for us this time? No idea, but you are not alone in the colorblindness issues with games. 2077 has been okay for me personally so far (I have protanomaly - a deficiency that leads to reduced sensitivity in perceiving red light), but I definitely feel your pain!

I forgot about this! I am already planning to get you a shirt with horribly clashy red-green plaid or something, and tell everyone to act like it looks sooo slick...!

It's not so much that I expect the colorblind options to change non-UI elements, it's that I'd assume if you're cognizant enough of the colorblindness issue to include the UI options that you'd strive to not make color the sole distinguishing feature of the other elements in the game. I'm well aware that "you" in this scenario refers to literally thousands of people who made the game -- this just tells me that while the team responsible for UI/UX wants to be inclusive, other teams (like QA) aren't including accessibility checks for colorblindness. I'm not complaining that much, the games industry has made pretty good strides. We just need to close the gaps.

I apologize for my frustrated tone in my initial post. I was just, uh, frustrated.

Post automatically merged: Dec 10, 2020

Another problem we share, apparently. I remember The Witcher 3 had a similar issue in the inventory / menu screens. I guess everyone at CDPR has eagle eyes.

No worries! It's a good argument to make. It's still challenging, though, as there are so many different types of colorblindness. What works for one type may be totally irrelevant for another type. It might be worth it for games to offer a range of different colorblind settings. (I mean, if we can just figure out a universal system of color tones that work well for different conditions, should be pretty easy to just plug that same system into lots of different games.)

 

[ztherion]

Posting here because I don't have permission to create a thread. I have red-green color vision deficiency, and the Deutan colorblind mode actually makes the game more difficult to play. It changes HUD elements and text to from light blue a dark blue that has low contrast against the subtitle background as well as the game environment. This is especially weird because I don't have any problems seeing blue, so I don't know why the Deutan mode would change blue elements!

 

[SigilFey]

Posting here because I don't have permission to create a thread. I have red-green color vision deficiency, and the Deutan colorblind mode actually makes the game more difficult to play. It changes HUD elements and text to from light blue a dark blue that has low contrast against the subtitle background as well as the game environment. This is especially weird because I don't have any problems seeing blue, so I don't know why the Deutan mode would change blue elements!

You're in the right spot. We don't actually want lots of threads about the same topic. One thread with lots of posts is much more efficient in making things stand out.

As for the colorblindness issue -- ahahahaha!

If I'm understanding correctly, what you're saying is: the shade used would work for deutan...but that shade happens to disappear into the aesthetic colors used in the game's visuals? That's so annoying...but also quite funny!

(2+2=4, but 4-2=2...so let's just -2 from...@#$%!)

 

[sakodak]

No worries! It's a good argument to make. It's still challenging, though, as there are so many different types of colorblindness. What works for one type may be totally irrelevant for another type. It might be worth it for games to offer a range of different colorblind settings. (I mean, if we can just figure out a universal system of color tones that work well for different conditions, should be pretty easy to just plug that same system into lots of different games.)

Well, you just don't use color as the sole distinguishing feature. You can use different textures, have lighting blink at different rates (not strobing because, you know...) or you can use sound cues, stuff like that. As I mentioned before, increasing contrast really helps, and all that can be done in artistic ways that enhance things for all players.

I mean, 10% of all men have some sort of color deficiency, that's a lot of people to exclude.

Anyway, thanks a lot for your attention to the issue, I hope this can make its way to someone who can do something about it.

 

[Badkat18]

Why can't you open a support ticket!? That's ridiculous!!! Every developer should strive to follow the example of developers like Naughty Dog, who really set the standard for accessibility settings in video games. They might be hated by a lot of gamers right now, for their own absurd reasons. But hands down, their accessibility settings are the best around. Hopefully this generates enough buzz that you get a patch soon, and can enjoy the game you spent your hard earned money on...

 

[SigilFey]

Well, you just don't use color as the sole distinguishing feature. You can use different textures, have lighting blink at different rates (not strobing because, you know...) or you can use sound cues, stuff like that. As I mentioned before, increasing contrast really helps, and all that can be done in artistic ways that enhance things for all players.

I mean, 10% of all men have some sort of color deficiency, that's a lot of people to exclude.

Anyway, thanks a lot for your attention to the issue, I hope this can make its way to someone who can do something about it.

Yeah, but it's not so "simple" to handle in a game. Getting the game to look right to people that can see all colors is not easy. Many games suffer from looking "over-exposed", or "washed-out", or "[InsertColor]-saturated".

To try to get the right balance, games use layers of texturing and intricately crafted lighting to evoke just the right tone and mood. Unfortunately, for people with colorblindness, many of those nuances will disappear into one another.

To fix it, it would require a complete redesign of the entire color palette. Not something that is even 100% possible unless the visual designer has the appropriate colorblindness.

Thus, it's not likely to affect the entire game. Only specific HUD elements to make critical feedback more clear. (When things like the subtitles are not disappearing into the ambient background. Sorry, there!)

 

[ztherion]

GMK just posted their 2020 accessibility in review video. It has lots of examples on how games can be CVD accessible without changing their aesthetic- or alternatively, letting players choose to change the HUD, textures and lighting to ones that work better for them.

 

[kabeladapter]

Considering everything else thats going on (refunds, crashes etc.) I also think that this thread is going to disappear into the void. Nonetheless I want to share my color-blind experiences playing Cyberpunk 2077, and hope that accessibility of videogames will continue to improve in the future (for your information: I have a more severe form of red-green color-blindness, but mixed colors like blue and purple are also a huge problem).

And to be honest: My experience was a total fu** up! The problems I encountered were severe, and worsened by the state of the game on the PS4. Among the worst I encountered are/were:

1. The color-blind mode. It seems to be kinda useless, enough said in the posts above.
2. Worse than that is the scanning mode. Thanks to the flip of my L1 button the game turns into a wild mess of green with countless other colors (e.g. a lot of red, yellow, blue, and no idea what else), feeling strangely uncomfortable. It's hard to explain, but there are just too many colors in a greenish world for me. I struggle with this mode a lot, thus I avoid it along with excessive hacking, sneeking etc. Thanks for the icons though, i would be lost otherwise.
3. But hey, I can shoot my way through Night City, right? Lets try out those nice handguns with a red(!)-dot sight... I mean who needs a crosshair when targets are small, moving and have their own colorful scheme (clothes etc.).
4. Very frustrating and close to game breaking: I have immense problems spotting enemies, especially during daylight and in the free world. I think it's because I tend to lean on contours and movements rather than color. That however is quite a a challenge when your game performs bad and tends to drop below 20fps. Yo know enmies teleport around and stuff...
5. The minimap is not very helpful in this regard, because enemies are marked in: red (!).
6. The low resolution and blurry textures make (4.) even worse.
7. Camera beam? I thought I was playing a game of roulette...
8. Common or uncommen item? Don't know, don't care!

Please note that I can only speak for myself, because color-blindness is very individual. I do however believe that Cyperpunk and many other games would be far more accessible if only a few steps were taken. Modes that heavily lean on color (witcher-sense, scanning mode) need a customizable color scheme or a tune-down option (e.g. remove the green filter). The important aspects of the UI (Minimap, crosshair, icons) should be customizable in a similar fashion. Gameplay aspects like camera beams need some kind of seccond system besides color. I know - Ther's still a lot for the devs to do, and those changes would cost ressorces and time. Perhaps anyone reads this and accessibility will continue to get better.

Stay safe!

 

[SigilFey]

Considering everything else thats going on (refunds, crashes etc.) I also think that this thread is going to disappear into the void...

I don't think so. It's certainly not a major focus for the vast majority of players, but I think it's a totally worthy consideration. Here's something that will mean night-and-day difference to players of all games in general, and it's also something that I don't think would be a very major endeavor to fix and expand on.

On the same token, I don't think it's ever going to command priority attention...but it doesn't need to. It just needs to be looked at eventually.

 

[ztherion]

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Here's a screenshot from Reddit /r/colorblind that demonstrates the text contrast issues.