Accessibility Matters - Content Needs To Be Playable For Disabled Players

[Zhalar]

I'm a relatively new player. I started FFXIV in 2019 after playing World of Warcraft for over a decade. I'm no stranger to MMOs nor hardcore PvE content (I did Heroics in WoW.)

Sadly, the overall feeling I have toward Dawntrail's PvE content is that SE devs looked at it and said, "How can we weed out all the disabled players and only keep our hardcore players entertained?"

Before all the uber hardcore raiders jump in here and scream I should go play something easier... No, I shouldn't. I'm entitled to play FFXIV just as much as anyone else and enjoy the game just as much as anyone else. It shouldn't take me a dozen tries or more to get past one boss in a Duty Support dungeon because I'm struggling to deal with the visual effects and keep up with my motor skills disabilities.

Accessibility matters.

The game needs to be playable for EVERYONE, not just the hardcore raiders who feel the content isn't challenging enough for them.

That's what the high end content in the game is there for—so people who want those challenges can seek them out.

Basic MSQ dungeons should not be so difficult and challenging that disabled players have to make many attempts trying to get through them, often with various side effects (i.e. vertigo, nausea, headaches, hand cramping/numbness/tingling). No, we're not playing too hard. These are average effects of trying to just play the dungeons for many people with disabilities. And I've heard this from multiple disabled people who've experienced these symptoms due to Dawntrail's PvE content.

SE, please reconsider PvE content design in Dawntrail and going forward in the future. If you don't have disabled players testing this content, you need to. Accessibility matters!

[Supersnow845]

In your example here why is everyone either “player with potential disability who is struggling with DT’s MSQ” or “toxic savage raider”

Does nobody consider that ALOT of EW’s negative feedback came from people who sit somewhere in the “aetherfont put me to sleep but I don’t want to do a savage raid to fill that niche”

Like people endlessly proclaim 14 is overwhelmingly casual in its playerbase. Why do we assign (in the nicest way possible) “lowest possible competency to barely be able to play the game” as the general competency level of the entire casual playerbase

[Carighan]

Yeah I was thinking the same thing, why does it have to be such an us-vs-them mentality, OP? Shouldn't the vast vast vast majority of players be between those two extremes?

[Zhalar]

Yeah I was thinking the same thing, why does it have to be such an us-vs-them mentality, OP? Shouldn't the vast vast vast majority of players be between those two extremes?

I think the "vast vast vast majority" of players are quite capable of playing the game as it is. But there's also a decent population of older and disabled players who struggle. I've especially noticed the remarkable difference in mechanics in DT compared to the previous expacs and base game. I've never found any of the content boring, but then again, maybe I'm not an "average" player due to my disabilities always making content more challenging for me?

Even right now, after having completed the trial from 7.3 MSQ a few hours ago, my hands are still having waves of numbness and tingling. This is a usual reaction for me after doing PvE (and PvP) content. What was really miserable for me was the spinning bits on the platform (wee vertigo), but I survived it and completed it with only one wipe. (Compared to the dungeon with over a dozen wipes on the second boss for my Duty Support run.) I just feel DT content is "overtuned" for difficulty and leaving disabled players struggling with effects and mechanics we simply can't overcome due to accessibility issues.

There has to be a suitable middle ground to make everyone happy.

[Xenoviastar]

No, I like watching people die in dungeons.

[17cupsofcoffee]

While I absolutely empathize with people who are struggling with the difficulty spike in Dawntrail, I feel like there has to be better solutions to that than just 'make the dungeons easier for everyone'?

For example, I think they could make dungeons feel a lot less punishing in Duty Support if they gave you a few auto-raises per dungeon/boss, like they do in trials. That way, people would have a chance to process what killed them (like they would if they were playing with real people!), rather than immediately getting booted back to the start.

[Zhalar]

While I absolutely empathize with people who are struggling with the difficulty spike in Dawntrail, I feel like there has to be better solutions to that than just 'make the dungeons easier for everyone'?

For example, I think they could make dungeons feel a lot less punishing in Duty Support if they gave you a few auto-raises per dungeon/boss, like they do in trials. That way, people would have a chance to process what killed them (like they would if they were playing with real people!), rather than immediately getting booted back to the start.

I would LOVE if they gave us some rez in Duty Support instead of booting us all the way back to the beginning. Alisae is not a very good rezmage! LOL

[AmiableApkallu]

Framing accessibility as pitting "disabled players" vs. "hardcore players" is a tragic misunderstanding of what "accessibility" is.

Basic MSQ dungeons should not be so difficult and challenging that disabled players have to make many attempts trying to get through them, often with various side effects (i.e. vertigo, nausea, headaches, hand cramping/numbness/tingling).

Vertigo, nausea, headaches… these sound like things caused by Dawntrail's VFX, for which I've seen no serious defense. Tweaking them would likely benefit everyone. For example, VFX that are unpleasant in the normal version of a trial are probably just as unpleasant in the extreme version, if not actually worse.

Hand cramping/numbness/tingling… I don't actually know what changed in Dawntrail that would make these more of a concern now. So, what is the cause here?

[Catwho]

Hand cramping/numbness/tingling… I don't actually know what changed in Dawntrail that would make these more of a concern now. So, what is the cause here?

Back in FFXV this happened to me because I got so stressed out I ended up gripping the controller too tightly.

Mostly during fishing.

But this is why I play battle content exclusively on keyboard in XIV.... don't have that issue. I use the controller for low key, low stress, menu heavy things, like gathering.

[Zhalar]

Framing accessibility as pitting "disabled players" vs. "hardcore players" is a tragic misunderstanding of what "accessibility" is.



Vertigo, nausea, headaches… these sound like things caused by Dawntrail's VFX, for which I've seen no serious defense. Tweaking them would likely benefit everyone. For example, VFX that are unpleasant in the normal version of a trial are probably just as unpleasant in the extreme version, if not actually worse.

Hand cramping/numbness/tingling… I don't actually know what changed in Dawntrail that would make these more of a concern now. So, what is the cause here?

I play with my visual effects turned down as much as I possibly can.

Otherwise, it's just the basic mechanics of the new dungeons. Having to quickly spin around and navigate mazes in seconds while my character is given a dizzy effect (which triggers my real life vertigo, too) has me CLENCHING the mouse for dear life. As much as I want to tell myself to NOT strangle it, it's just a natural reaction and I can't help it and the rest all follows. Trying to make mad dashes here, there, and everywhere when mechanics are happening at a pace that seems far more rapid than previous expansions coupled with extreme VFX is also very hard on my hands (and my vertigo). It's not just ONE thing that is causing it—it's multiple effects in the content which combined trigger several of my disability functions. And this is happening in almost every dungeon in Dawntrail, especially the end game content.

Compare some of the end game ShB and EW dungeons with some of the end game DT dungeons, and there's a marked difference in pace, style, and VFX of mechanics.