The god of war Ragnarök comes with a huge number More than 60 accessibility options, from auto-sprinting down muddy roads to remarkable direction indicators for fight scenes. On top of that, a deeper level of customization allows players to tweak their own winter apocalypse. PlayStation enthusiasts may recognize the phrase “Play without limits” from a string of advertisements. Ragnarök’s top UX designer, Mila Pavlin, echoes similar sentiments and speaks to her dedication to bringing together players from all walks of life. “This is a fantasy epic,” Pavlin said. “This is about a father and son. This is about fate and the Nine Realms. And the ability to go into that, regardless of your background, and be able to experience all of this rich detail and history and story? That motivates me every day.”
A wide range of consultants and testers, including veterans and visually impaired players, helped Pavlin’s team focus on four key areas: Vision, hearing, motor skills, and understanding about awareness. And some impressive new features are now covering those design goals. High Contrast mode allows players to apply specific colors to item types, character types, backgrounds, etc. to increase overall visibility and reduce visual clutter. Audio cues along with captions indicate buttons in the common area and hint at puzzle timing modifications. For example, skill shots – hitting an object in the middle of a fall or swinging a rope on an arc – are made easy by accessing game settings and slowing targets in the environment. Without these helpful tweaks, Ragnarök is prone to “blocks” or difficult interactive moments that can potentially inhibit progress and alienate players. Pavlin said the most important task is to find a healthy balance between the intensity of God of War and allowing players to overcome challenges in meaningful ways.
The so-called “dual channel” methodology is key to resolving this trade-off. The UX team’s efforts ensure players receive sensory information in multiple forms – visual, visual and tactile. Furthermore, the options from the 2018 game, mainly text and icon size customization, are back and more refined than before so that all text in the game is legible. Abilities like Spartan Rage, quick spins, shield attacks, and even a high-contrast palette can all be activated with the DualSense controller’s touchpad swipes. And auto-pickup makes intense battles more manageable, so replenishing health or rage meters with respective stones in a given area won’t require much thought. “Accessibility features are more than just accessibility features,” Pavlin told me. “They also help improve the experience for everyone. Ragnarok is about to move on to the next phase. For us, that means including more people, making sure everyone is more customizable, and making sure it’s a comfortable playing experience for everyone. “
Supporting view-oriented camera navigation to current targets, the platform can be automated, and controller visualization allows streamers to share moment-by-moment node input with multiple audiences. more fake. These are just a few options that players can tweak. But Pavlin still aspires to expand Ragnarök’s overall reach. “Over 60 features is huge to use,” she said. “I still think we can do better. I think we can push it further. But to be honest, I feel people will be excited to see how many more players are added. And if I could push a feature to the point where one more player – just one more player – could play, that would be the greatest thing in the world; to be able to see that one player and understand how to allow them to connect with the community and connect with everyone. “
This article originally appeared in Chapter 349 by Game Informer.
