Sailing is gradually becoming accessibility hostile

[perseid]

So some of these complaints I realize are the product of trades that might not have easy solutions. For example, I think the current gui system is a bit of a downgrade for usability in the sense that the old system supported both keyboard exclusive operation and mouse operation. But the explanation for that trade also made sense in that it was generally from my understanding a combination of the old system being more stressful on the server and the effort to maintain both keyboard+mouse support on the new system being a larger commitment than could be made at this time.

But there's other aspects of sailing I've seen vocalized for awhile that I don't think are nearly as difficult to remedy and the justifications for which are more tenuous. Specifically, I think the camera hijacking swivel is generally hostile to players with a variety of disabilities and adds little to the actual experience of sailing. I've hard some players argue that it communicates unique information about the state of a ship in a storm but even if that's true I don't see why something that can trigger issues like vertigo can't at least be a toggle since if such were true then turning it off would only represent the player opting out of added information on their part and it would help a lot for people who find themselves unable to easily engage with the system due to storms.

I'd love to hear other players thoughts on areas I haven't addressed but I wanted to make this thread because we currently have another thread elsewhere about population growth and I think the other side of that is population retention of which I think Accessibility is a neglected area in design philosophy here.

[Diegovog]

By camera hijack swivel you mean the automatic turning of the camera when you open a dialogue box?
If so, it's incredibly annoying, but you can fix it by going: Game Options - Input - Camera - Advanced - Tick off "Enable Dialog Zoom"

[perseid]

By camera hijack swivel you mean the automatic turning of the camera when you open a dialogue box?
If so, it's incredibly annoying, but you can fix it by going: Game Options - Input - Camera - Advanced - Tick off "Enable Dialog Zoom"

I mean the camera panning around erratically when in a storm specifically. Though I didn't know about that option actually so thanks! Does it also work for storms?

[Hazard]

By camera hijack swivel you mean the automatic turning of the camera when you open a dialogue box?
If so, it's incredibly annoying, but you can fix it by going: Game Options - Input - Camera - Advanced - Tick off "Enable Dialog Zoom"

I mean the camera panning around erratically when in a storm specifically. Though I didn't know about that option actually so thanks! Does it also work for storms?

Yeah that stuff is super annoying. Would love to disable it. I'm perfectly capable of just pretending, I don't need to have my eyeballs rattled around for me.

[Diegovog]

Oh, during storms? I think for me the ship turns but my camera doesn't. Maybe it's another setting I have?

[perseid]

Oh, during storms? I think for me the ship turns but my camera doesn't. Maybe it's another setting I have?

It's extremely aggressive and definitely a camera thing at least as far as I can tell. If it was just annoying I wouldn't find it so problematic. But I've met more than a few players who've said it makes it hard to sail because it aggravates issues like vertigo or just general motion sickness. And it doesn't really seem foundational enough as a mechanic or engaging enough for the sailing experience to justify that level of disregard for users with conditions that might be triggered by the effect.

[In Sorrow We Trust]

Oh, during storms? I think for me the ship turns but my camera doesn't. Maybe it's another setting I have?

It's extremely aggressive and definitely a camera thing at least as far as I can tell. If it was just annoying I wouldn't find it so problematic. But I've met more than a few players who've said it makes it hard to sail because it aggravates issues like vertigo or just general motion sickness. And it doesn't really seem foundational enough as a mechanic or engaging enough for the sailing experience to justify that level of disregard for users with conditions that might be triggered by the effect.

I am one of those players, but it only started to get bad a few years ago. I have an inner ear complication that causes me to get motion sick pretty easily, so I have to disable camera shake in games

[Tikin]

oh my!

Something has recently changed concerning visual and the storms indeed!

Just happened to me. It continued when I went down from the boat, wasn't able to turn it off (I can confirm that alas the dialog zoom tip, while a fantastic one, is of no help in that regard).

I'm not subject to vertigo and rarely experience nausea personnally.
But I was forced to turn off the game frankly and am still feeling sick as I write this.

I see no win with this change, only loose. Can it please be reverted?

[TheDoctor]

If you leave the ship during a storm it seems the visual continues until the next server tick and then goes back to normal.

I am very not into the camera lock either. LOVE that the storms get a nice effect but perhaps something can be altered?

Then again. Don't hold your breath. We are very light devs who work the ship system.

[The GrumpyCat]

Perhaps simply an option to turn it off, for players who don't cope well with motion sickness, if that's possible?