Author Topic: Red/Green Colour Blindness (Read 755 times)

Thrawn · « **on:** May 18, 2001, 08:19:00 PM »

A friend of mine was trying out AH. He's red/green colour blind and needless to say, he was somewhat frustrated that he found it very difficult to tell the difference between enemies and friendlies. I was wondering if HTC could make it possible to customize or change the colours of the icons.

Otto · « **Reply #1 on:** May 18, 2001, 08:45:00 PM »

Forget is Thrwan. This has always been a major problem that on one in the Gaming Industry understands.
If you have it you will never get a job. If you have a job you'll never understand it.
It's not going to change and they insist in excluding 15% of there potenional customers.

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CO - 111th Fighter Group

Lephturn · « **Reply #2 on:** May 18, 2001, 08:55:00 PM »

That's just not true Otto.

HTC has never said they wouldn't do something to help those with red/green color blindness. They haven't done it YET, but that doesn't mean it's not on the list. There may be technical reasons why it's difficult, but it can be done. I know solutions have been found before, and you may see a solution in AH one day. It's not fair to just say "forget it" when you don't even know if HTC is planning on doing something about it.

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Sean "Lephturn" Conrad - Aces High Chief Trainer

A proud member of the mighty Flying Pigs
http://www.flyingpigs.com

Check out Lephturn's Aerodrome for AH articles and training info!

Otto · « **Reply #3 on:** May 18, 2001, 10:00:00 PM »

I don't like banging my own posts but Lep you said:
"It's not fair to just say "forget it" when you don't even know if HTC is planning on doing something about it."

Sorry, but I don't have to prove a negative.

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CO - 111th Fighter Group

anRky · « **Reply #4 on:** May 18, 2001, 10:07:00 PM »

It is a major problem for me. I've got a headache right now from trying to see the icons, and had to log because of it.

anRky

Gadfly · « **Reply #5 on:** May 18, 2001, 10:57:00 PM »

It can be done, WB did it a few versions ago, and you can adjust them from black to white.

Octavius · « **Reply #6 on:** May 18, 2001, 11:43:00 PM »

It happens to me a *little* bit when the red icons show on the green backround of the earth. Thats why I never really liked to BnZ unless its a different color in the dive =] The icon fades away and I overshoot

I've trained myself to see it fine now, but some nights its just annoying.

Oct

jihad · « **Reply #7 on:** May 19, 2001, 12:02:00 AM »

It really affects me also.

Saintaw · « **Reply #8 on:** May 19, 2001, 03:06:00 AM »

Yup, been colourblind ever since I was born... gives me a hard time in AH too, especially @ dawn or Dusk.

Ask my squaddies, I never know where I'm going anyway

Saw
[Mass]

fats · « **Reply #9 on:** May 19, 2001, 05:35:00 AM »

While user configurable colors would be _extremely easy_, I do think your friend will have easier time once he learns icons for each plane type. That is '190' prolly isn't a friendly though he might not be able to tell the color ( no idea how color blindness works ). When a plane type icon isn't showing I guess he is out of luck for the moment.

// fats

oboe · « **Reply #10 on:** May 19, 2001, 07:46:00 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by fats:
...I do think your friend will have easier time once he learns icons for each plane type. That is '190' prolly isn't a friendly though he might not be able to tell the color ( no idea how color blindness works )...

Not sure what you mean by this, Fats, as all sides have access to any aircraft in the game. So that 190 could just as surely be a friendly as an enemy...

What about flying with Friendly Icons Only? It would be a distinct SA disadvantage for your friend, but at least it would clearly distinguish between friendly and enemy a/c.
With time and practice, I think a person could learn to be effective even with enemy icons turned off. In the meantime, you could help your friend greatly by winging with him and help him ID enemy a/c. It'd probably be more fun and successful for him to wing with a trusted friend inthe environment anyway...

Tac · « **Reply #11 on:** May 19, 2001, 08:16:00 AM »

*puts a candle and prays for this beaten horse*

Aye fellow color blind brothers! I can tell red and green apart, but when they mix (especially when they move) it becomes a blur or plain dissapear.

I LOVE the nights because thats when I can SEE everything AND others are as blind as I was during the daytime. GIMME A P-38M

Some folks say that vid cards allow you to change colors, that is true, but it changes ALL colors. And I tell you, flying in a purple landscape with pink sky is NOT good for your health. Advil made a lot of money the week I tried that.

besides, we can make someone's icon turn white (wingman) or an annoying light orange (again, dissapears) for squad highlight. Why isnt it possible to change ENEMY icons to a certain color?

Rooster · « **Reply #12 on:** May 19, 2001, 09:02:00 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Otto:

Sorry, but I don't have to prove a negative.

The only thing you have done is prove that you can whine. Havent seen a post where you have requested a change to rectify this problem. Or even a query on the status of this in the "to do" list. For the benefit of the people with red/green probs I hope that HTC can make a change in the future too.

anRky · « **Reply #13 on:** May 19, 2001, 09:43:00 AM »

fats:
---------------------------------------
I do think your friend will have easier time once he learns icons for each plane type. That is '190' prolly isn't a friendly though he might not be able to tell the color ( no idea how color blindness works ). When a plane type icon isn't showing I guess he is out of luck for the moment.
--------------------------------------------

For me, the problem isn't so much telling the red icons from the green ones (the green ones look yellow to me), but it's *reading* the red ones at all. Not only against the green ground, when they're almost impossible to read, but against the blue sky as well, where the red text and the blue sky seem to blur into each other.

And I can see the enemy 'dots' at a distance, but when the dot goes from one pixel to to two or more, it effectively dissapears for me, until it gets really close. So I have to watch the text, instead of the plane, and the text is very, very hard to read.

In AW, the only color combination I could use was green for one enemy country, yellow for the other (both of these looked yellow to me), and white for the country I was on.

anRky

2Late4U · « **Reply #14 on:** May 19, 2001, 10:03:00 AM »

The problems of color blindness have always been a problem in computer gaming (well, since VGA anyway). It is very understandable in some instances, why game designers have trouble adapting their games to be more adjustable. AH however, should have no problem adding an option for adjusting the icon colors.

I understand its not a 5 minute fix, but I for one would be happy to delay 1.07 another few days to help out those who have difficulty with the current colors.

[This message has been edited by 2Late4U (edited 05-19-2001).]