Accessibility in gaming is one of the more important areas for improvement within the video game development industry. Sea of Thieves has done a fantastic job in the past and plans to add more features in the future. In the most recent Sea of Thieves News video from July 15, Lead Engineer James Thomas discussed in detail what lies ahead.
The upcoming feature will focus on expanding player configurations of controllers. This feature, named “single stick mode,” will allow players to rearrange their inputs for all camera control options, which will be interchangeable between either the left or right stick. According to Thomas, this means that there will be “less complexity and less reliance on holding a single joystick down.”
Building on the idea of creating improved camera controls, there will also be a new option for an auto-centering camera to the horizon. This will add an entirely new level of accessibility, in that players will not even need to think about manually moving their camera perspective.
For those who dislike the feeling of being submerged in water, there will soon be a feature that will automatically float characters to the surface after entering the water. Players will bob to the top without having to worry about being stuck beneath the surface.
Beyond that, Thomas explains that there is much more to come, as there is always something that can be improved in terms of accessibility, “The community of Sea of Thieves is wide, but we want to make sure that everyone has the possibility of coming in, joining their friends on a boat, and seeking out adventure.”
Overall, Sea of Thieves has done a great job so far in making their game accessible to many players. Up to this point, the following are most of the major improvements made in game:
- Support for ‘Locking Interact Prompts into View’
- Support for ‘Toggle to Use Item’
- Support for Radial Menus
- Support for ‘Escape’ to back out of settings pages in stages
- Support for ‘Tap to Interact’
- Improving Text Chat Visibility
- Colourblind Support
- Configuring Text to Speech Game Transcription
- Configuring Speech to Text Game Transcription
- Configuring ‘Let Games Read to Me’ Game Transcription
Sea of Thieves is not only doing a great job for its players, but also stands as an example that all other game developers should follow. Especially AAA developers with more than enough resources to ensure that as many people as possible can enjoy a game.
We cannot wait to hear what else is in store for Sea of Thieves, and we are glad to hear that accessibility remains such a high priority.
Source: Sea of Thieves