Blind and Visually Impaired Community
↑
18
↓
Text based strategy games ala Civilization for the blind? (self.Blind)
submitted by Envrin
Does anyone know of any good text based strategy games I can play on the computer when I want to take a break from work? If it matters any, I'm totally blind, as in can't see the screen at all, and 100% audio based.
I always loved games like Civilization where you build your cities, technology, military, diplomatic relations, wars, etc. Does anything like that maybe exist in a text based format that I can play via screen reader?
Thanks in advance!
BlindGuyNW 9 points 3y ago
Hey,
I'm also a huge fan of these kinds of games, and have a couple recommendations. Civilization itself isn't very accessible, but there are a few games which are similar.
If you like science fiction, check out $1. This is basically a huge space sandbox, which is quite complicated but happens to be almost completely accessible. It's not really for the faint of heart but there are plenty of people on /r/aurora who are willing to help you out, in addition to the game forum I linked.
Again sci-fi, look into the $1. This is a text-based port of Master of Orion, which was basically the sci-fi answer to Civilization back in the day. It's not dumbed down in any way, and combat is a little hard with a screen reader, but the whole game is there if you can tolerate the command line. The link is to my Dropbox, with a ready-to-run version of the game, including a manual and command reference.
Finally, look into $1. This is a much more casual game than either of the above, but is at least themed around the same kind of worker/building/production cycle as Civilization. It's fun if you want something you can enjoy in your web browser, though the details are of course quite different from its obvious inspiration.
I hope that one or two of these at least catch your interest. I"m happy to help out and provide guidance if you have any questions.
I'm also a huge fan of these kinds of games, and have a couple recommendations. Civilization itself isn't very accessible, but there are a few games which are similar.
If you like science fiction, check out $1. This is basically a huge space sandbox, which is quite complicated but happens to be almost completely accessible. It's not really for the faint of heart but there are plenty of people on /r/aurora who are willing to help you out, in addition to the game forum I linked.
Again sci-fi, look into the $1. This is a text-based port of Master of Orion, which was basically the sci-fi answer to Civilization back in the day. It's not dumbed down in any way, and combat is a little hard with a screen reader, but the whole game is there if you can tolerate the command line. The link is to my Dropbox, with a ready-to-run version of the game, including a manual and command reference.
Finally, look into $1. This is a much more casual game than either of the above, but is at least themed around the same kind of worker/building/production cycle as Civilization. It's fun if you want something you can enjoy in your web browser, though the details are of course quite different from its obvious inspiration.
I hope that one or two of these at least catch your interest. I"m happy to help out and provide guidance if you have any questions.
Envrin [OP] 1 points 3y ago
Awesome, thanks very much! I'll check them out.
BlindGuyNW 1 points 3y ago
Good luck. Aurora in particular is a beast but it's the most in depth game of its kind we have available. The new C# version is wonderful and will be even more accessible whenever version 1.10 comes out.
modulus 1 points 3y ago
Hi there,
On your dropbox link I don't seem to find the executables to run the game, 1oom_cmdline doesn't seem to be anywhere in there, unless I'm missing something. Can you help?
On your dropbox link I don't seem to find the executables to run the game, 1oom_cmdline doesn't seem to be anywhere in there, unless I'm missing something. Can you help?
BlindGuyNW 1 points 3y ago
I renamed it to Orion.EXE, just because I thought it looked a little nicer. Sorry for the confusion, I forgot I had done that.
CloudsOfMagellan 1 points 3y ago
Do you have a Mac or Linux version
BlindGuyNW 1 points 3y ago
Sure, I can produce either, though mac is my native platform. I'll get one compiled this week for you.
modulus 1 points 3y ago
Ah, thank you, now I found it!
BlindGuyNW 1 points 3y ago
Good luck with the game. It is a little complicated, and the interface could be clearer in some respects, but I hope that you can have fun with it.
modulus 1 points 3y ago
Those suggestions sound great. Going to definitely check those out.
The one I'd add, though it's not really quite the same, is $1, which is an audio-based real-time strategy game. Civ is turn-based so it's somewhat different, but there are similarities in building infra and units, exploring, etc.
The one I'd add, though it's not really quite the same, is $1, which is an audio-based real-time strategy game. Civ is turn-based so it's somewhat different, but there are similarities in building infra and units, exploring, etc.
Laser_Lens_4 1 points 3y ago
Ooooh, nice. I'll be checking these out too. Thanks for posting.
Superfreq2 1 points 3y ago
Try "knight commander", "A few minutes of glory", and "nano empire" for the iphone, if you have one.
More story based but still strategical games for IOS also include the highly acclaimed "A Dark Room" and "King of Dragon pass" along with their respective sequels.
All of these games are highly accessible using Voiceover.
Another good text bass game for PC would be "Warsim: the kingdom of Aslona" though the scope is limited and there is more emphasis on exploration and deal making than combat.
If you aren't dead set on text only, than "Tactical Battles", "castaways", and "time of conflict" are all audio strategy games worth trying alongside the aforementioned Sound RtS.
There are also a ton of MMORPG's with a strategy focus both for IOS and in the browser, but unfortunately I don't know as much about those.
Here are links to the databases where you can find out more about these games I've mentioned.
IOS games
https://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/search
All platforms
https://audiogames.net/dbindex.php
If you want more advice on which games are the best, how to play, or more titles I haven't mentioned, I would suggest making an account on the "applevis" and "audiogames.net" forums and asking there.
More story based but still strategical games for IOS also include the highly acclaimed "A Dark Room" and "King of Dragon pass" along with their respective sequels.
All of these games are highly accessible using Voiceover.
Another good text bass game for PC would be "Warsim: the kingdom of Aslona" though the scope is limited and there is more emphasis on exploration and deal making than combat.
If you aren't dead set on text only, than "Tactical Battles", "castaways", and "time of conflict" are all audio strategy games worth trying alongside the aforementioned Sound RtS.
There are also a ton of MMORPG's with a strategy focus both for IOS and in the browser, but unfortunately I don't know as much about those.
Here are links to the databases where you can find out more about these games I've mentioned.
IOS games
https://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/search
All platforms
https://audiogames.net/dbindex.php
If you want more advice on which games are the best, how to play, or more titles I haven't mentioned, I would suggest making an account on the "applevis" and "audiogames.net" forums and asking there.
[deleted] 1 points 3y ago
[removed]
KerbalSpark 1 points 3y ago
*Kingdom of Grain*
This nonprofit website is run by volunteers.
Please contribute if you can. Thank you!
Our mission is to provide everyone with access to large-
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
©2023 HumbleCat Inc • HumbleCat is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Michigan, USA.