[mac4theblind] FW: [A-iOS] Review of King of Dragon Pass
- From: "Bubba" <bubbathegeek@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <mac4theblind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 3 Nov 2011 10:56:05 -0400
Hi, not a big gaming fan myself but I pass this along to those that are. So
read below on the above subject.
Sign,
Bubba
bubbathegeek@xxxxxxxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: a-ios@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:a-ios@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
Hai Nguyen Ly
Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2011 10:40 AM
To: a-ios@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [A-iOS] Review of King of Dragon Pass
http://www.applevis.com/blog/review-king-dragon-pass
Review of King of Dragon Pass
Posted on November 2, 2011 by Michael Feir
Game available from the iTunes App Store for $9.95 regular price
<http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=NXRC4Doe7/E&offerid=146261&type
=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%25
2Fapp%252Fking-of-dragon-pass%252Fid335545504%253Fmt%253D8%2526uo%253D4%2526
partnerId%253D30>
Produced by A-Sharp Software: www.a-sharp.com/kodp
Fully playable without sighted assistance.
Reviewed by Michael Feir
Rating: 9/10
Introduction:
The Apple iPhone has certainly taken the blind community to an unparalleled
level of affordable accessibility. Its built-in Voiceover screen-reader has
managed to turn a flat-screen device into one of the most useful gadgets
I've ever owned. Years ago, I had bought King of Dragon Pass for the PC only
to discover that it was completely unplayable without sighted assistance.
The text was printed in a way my screen readers couldn't detect. There was
also a map to explore which required a mouse and sighted help to manage.
Worse yet, in a painful paradox, the game required continuous reading as it
was mostly text-based. Any sighted people I found who would try the game
with me would very quickly lose patience having to read everything out loud.
Now, thanks to the ingenuity and inclusiveness of the iPhone, I am able to
fully enjoy this unique game experience.
Let's be clear. This is a game made for a sighted audience first. There's
artwork on the screen and the map to be explored. Things are set up to be
easy for sighted players to scroll around when they need to. However, for
those who have the patience to explore the screen, every element of the game
has been made accessible thanks to the Voiceover screen-reader and the
efforts of programmers at A-Sharp Software. The developers continue to
update the game and have proved very responsive to peoples' reports of
issues they faced while playing using Voiceover. There have been several
updates since its release and they have included improvements for Voiceover
users as well as other additions to the game like new scenes. At this point,
the game is fully playable for blind people who have patience and recognize
that due to its visual nature, there are some quirks to be wrestled with
from time to time. If you can live with that, then get ready for a brilliant
game where a flexible but cohesive narrative takes centre stage. Blind
players may not be able to appreciate the artwork, but for a very refreshing
change, we aren't left out of the picture.
The Interface:
As I say, there are some quirks. One of these which I think is ultimately
favourable is that the game must be played in landscape mode with the home
button on the left or right. Presumably, this makes things like scrolling
around the map somewhat easier. Familiarizing yourself with the screen
layout is essential for this game. For instance, when the menu is toggled
on, it goes across the top of the screen. I used to have all sorts of
trouble getting to it reliably until I figured this out. Hitting the "menu"
button toggles the menu on or off. It makes a slightly different sound when
it's on. KODP uses ordinary controls familiar to Voiceover users. You can
flick left and right to go between options and double-tap to select them.
You can also scroll around the map with a three-finger flick in the
direction desired. The map is much larger than a single iPhone screen so
you'll need to do this eventually. One issue is that dialogues in the game
tend to stack on top of each other at times. A good example of this happens
when you explore. One dialogue active at that time is the map screen. Once
you hit the "explore" button, music plays and you can then position your
exploration cross on the map. Once that's done touch near the bottom of the
screen where you should come to the exploration dialogue. There, you can
choose who leads the exploration party and how many weapon thanes and
footmen to send. You also set the exploration pace between slow, normal and
fast. Once you have that taken care of, you can then go to the "explore"
button. The problem is that there are two of these. The first one is from
the initial map dialogue. The one you want is past the "menu" button. Hit
that and your expedition will be sent off. You'll here the exploration music
as well as horses.
Another issue can occur at various times. One of these is when sacrificing.
After you have sacrificed to one of the various gods or goddesses in the
Orlanthi pantheon, you might then find yourself on what seems to be an empty
screen. Patience is needed here as you should keep running your finger
slowly over the screen until it starts reading you the result of your
sacrifice or you encounter the "proceed" button. If you find the button
first, just flick left and you'll hear the result of your sacrifice. Flick
right again and you'll be on the "proceed" button.
Other than these minor issues, things are quite straight-forward. The
background music and sound can be toggled on and off from the "controls"
option screen which is accessed from the menu or before a game starts.
Especially while familiarizing yourself with the game, it would be prudent
to turn off the background music to make certain that everything is heard. I
certainly found this helpful. There's no way to regulate the volume of the
background music separate from overall volume. However, Voiceover does
automatically lower the music volume while it is speaking. Reading event
text works quite well. Most of the time, there's no need to scroll. Once
you've flicked onto event text, all of it is read out to you. Continuing to
flick right goes across the choices available.
When using the advice, it works much like the menu button in that it toggles
the adviser selection screen on and off overtop of whatever dialogue is
already present. Advice is always contextual to the screen or current
situation the player is presented with. Flicking right goes across the
adviser buttons whose names will be read out. Once activated with a
double-tap, their advice will be read out. If you need to find it on the
screen, you'll have to learn where it is on the screen or find it by
flicking through elements. When you're done with getting advice, find the
"adviser close" button. Activating this removes the adviser selection and
any displayed advice from the screen.
Game Play:
After choosing the duration and difficulty of your game, you must set up
your clan. You can call it what you like and then begin to make various
choices which effect how the game unfolds. Your saga starts here. Don't
expect to just jump into this game and do terrifically right off the bat.
Reading the manual is a very helpful thing to do in this case. Also, during
the first year you play, a tutorial box is present which provides guidance
for what to do on the various screens. After going through it, you'll at
least have a basic grasp of the options and different game screens that
you'll use throughout your clan's history. Once you have completed the
tutorial, you will no longer have to contend with the tutorial box. It will
never appear again unless you reset your game centre achievements even if
you start a new game.
Essentially, the game is one of decision making on behalf of your clan as
its history unfolds. There are many factors which influence the results of
your decisions. These include random chance as well as such things as the
skills of your clan leaders. You are always able to receive advice from
members of your clan ring. This is very helpful particularly as you are
first digging into the game. It may be helpful to keep notes on things you
learn. A lot of information is available to you in the game but details such
as the personalities of clan leaders you encounter can be useful to refer
to. Not everything is kept track of in the saga screen of your clan. Also,
during hero quests, you can't refer to the relevant mythology. Be certain to
check out the "lore" screen. There, you'll find a vast amount of information
about the myths, culture, history, and much more. The game manual can also
be accessed from that screen via the button near the bottom right. The
manual is also available in pdf form from the "tips" section of the game's
web site. This pdf is unrestricted and may easily be converted into text by
Kurzweil1000, Adobe Reader, or other software. Remembering details can make
a very big difference in how things turn out for your clan.
Combat in the game is quite straight-forward in terms of the decisions you
can make. However, there's a whole lot going on under the hood. A clan's
personality might effect how prepared their forces are. How much magic you
or the enemy devotes to the battle can make a substantial difference. At
times, individual leaders involved in the battle will be placed in key
situations where their choice can strongly effect the outcome. Battles occur
throughout the game but this aspect doesn't dominate play unless you wish it
to. If anything, the game encourages careful consideration about what is
worth fighting for and why one goes to war. You cannot simply conquer your
way to victory in King of Dragon Pass.
Much of the farming which takes place is handled automatically. However,
there are points where decisions such as how much land to set aside for
which purpose, how many hunters to have, and how much magic to invest in
crops can make or break a clan. Thankfully, it's very hard to make decisions
in the course of a single year which would completely wreck one's chances of
winning. The game is won or lost in increments over time rather than in some
sudden large-scale disaster or stroke of good fortune. Your clan ring is
always there to advise you of problems and will have useful things to say
about most decisions. However, during hero quests or combat, you
understandably cannot seek their advice.
Your people, particularly your clan leaders, are capable of a degree of
growth and change over their lives. In my Tandora clan, I now have a lady
who is renowned for her bargaining skill. Over time, completing hero quests,
fighting battles, and other experiences may produce exceptional individuals
in your clan. These should be used with care and protected as much as
possible.
Don't treat each year as a separate entity. Decisions you make in earlier
years may have effects which carry on through the game. From how you choose
to deal with the large pantheon of gods to which clans you are feuding with,
it's all interconnected. In effect, you're building a house of cards with
each decision you make. While the game is fairly forgiving, it is quite
possible and inevitable that a game not won will eventually be lost. Things
don't just keep going forever.
Sound and Music:
The background music for King of Dragon Pass is quite well done. It suits
the epic but fun feel of the game and enhances the various moods experienced
by your clan. Sadly, as I previously mentioned, it can interfere with one's
ability to hear Voiceover. You can download the soundtrack from the game web
site and enjoy it separately. One way or another, the music ought to be
experienced. Much like in a movie, it adds a lot to the feel of the game
world.
Sound effects are experienced while dealing with various dialogues. They
often include music as when you send off a caravan or exploration party.
They are used to add life to things such as battles, feasting, or other
events triggered by your choices. The sound vignettes are brief so they
don't interfere with one's ability to hear Voiceover. Beginners can fully
enjoy the game's sound without any added frustration. Much like the music,
the brief sound scenes add just enough detail to the game world to tantalize
the imagination. Due to their brevity, the sound vignettes don't become
annoying after repeated exposure.
While not effective to blind readers of this review, it should be noted that
King of Dragon Pass features original hand-drawn artwork. Not having seen
it, or anything else for that matter, I can't give any detail or first-hand
opinion about it. However, from what I've read in other reviews, people who
are lumination dependent seem to think highly of it. Artwork is displayed
during scenes and is likely also present on the various game screens. Mugs,
shirts and original art from the game can be purchased if desired. Details
are on the game web site. Therefore, if you're playing along and a sighted
person asks "What's that?" they may very well have glimpsed some of this
artwork past your fingers. You'll then have to decide whether to show and
explain, or simply turn on your screen curtain with howls of derisive
laughter.
Conclusion:
This game is by far the most meaningful and detailed I have ever been able
to play independently. I don't believe any other accessible game even comes
close to what King of Dragon Pass offers the patient thoughtful player. The
re playability level is astounding. There are over 500 scenes which may or
may not occur in a given time. The results of your choices are impacted by
many variables which may differ should you encounter a familiar scene. Even
in cases where you do all the "right" things such as the hero quests,
results might differ due to the preparedness and suitability of the person
chosen to undertake the quest. Different treasures may or may not be found.
You become a co-author of an epic novel which never reads the same twice but
always maintains its cohesion.
You don't have to be a mathematician or social scientist. The text is very
well-written and you'll find yourself drawn into the story. After a while,
you'll feel that you've gotten to know leading figures in your clan over the
years of game time. The leadership and management decisions feel very
natural and intuitive. Keeping a good overview is important to eventual
victory. However, you never lose sight of how much individual community
members matter. They just keep popping up. The game has a whole lot to teach
about the value of community cohesion, leadership, and other things besides.
Should I ever be successful in winning even the short game on easy
difficulty, I'll be left with fond memories and a true sense of
accomplishment. I'll also be driven to start a fresh game knowing there are
still possibilities I have yet to encounter. Thankfully, it is possible to
record and share one's accomplishment via the iPhone Game Centre, Twitter,
Facebook, or via emailing your game saga to yourself and then to others. The
iPhone is the perfect device to play such a game on. Despite its complexity
and length, it lends itself to casual play. You can pull it out of your
pocket, make a few decisions, and then simply put it away again until a few
moments of free time present themselves. That is, if you can resist finding
out whether your weaponthanes manage to drive off the ice demons. Like drops
of water in a bucket, all these short cessions will add up and you'll be
amazed how far your clan has come along.
I have always believed that games are more than mere frivolous wastes of
time. Games are like journeys for the mind. We learn best while at play and
games can teach us a great deal in an environment where wrong decisions
don't equal real disaster. Considering this game's fantasy setting,
mythology, gods, creatures and people, King of Dragon Pass can teach us an
awful lot of deep truth. At its core, King of Dragon Pass lets us play with
leadership and power. It does so while showing us the consequences of our
decisions in a very engaging way. If ever there was a game which defied its
critics to call it devoid of any meaning and value, King of Dragon Pass is
such a one. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if it proves to be a
watershed game for blind owners of IOS devices. It has the potential to be
played both at a casual and a serious level. This could prove to be the
closest the blind gaming community has come to a phenomenon like Pac-Man was
for the sighted world. What's more, we're playing on an equal footing and
can let our accomplishments be known. Thanks to the inclusiveness of Apple
and the considerate folks at A-Sharp Software, this game truly bridges the
blind/sighted gaming divide. It's worth every cent of its $9.95 regular
price.
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