Accessibility: Difference between revisions

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Any key used in the game can be rebound to something different, which may be important for some players: in general, everyone playing the game for extended periods should set the keys to bindings which are comfortable to use (and take breaks!)  As of game version 1.19.4, you can also configure any control to be a mouse button, including up to 5 extra buttons for multi-button gaming mice.
Any key used in the game can be rebound to something different, which may be important for some players: in general, everyone playing the game for extended periods should set the keys to bindings which are comfortable to use (and take breaks!)  As of game version 1.19.4, you can also configure any control to be a mouse button, including up to 5 extra buttons for multi-button gaming mice.
* '''Toggle Sprint''': [in game version 1.19, this setting is now found on the Accessibility tab] Check this box to reduce the need to use the [[Controls#Movement_controls|Sprint key]].  Tap Sprint once while walking to begin running; your character will continue running without keeping the Sprint key pressed, until you stop moving forward.  When you move again it will be at a walking pace.
* '''Toggle Sprint''': [in game version 1.19, this setting is now found on the Accessibility tab] Check this box to reduce the need to use the [[Controls#Movement_controls|Sprint key]].  Tap Sprint once while walking to begin running; your character will continue running without keeping the Sprint key pressed, until you stop moving forward.  When you move again it will be at a walking pace.
* '''Mouse modifiers locked to Sneak/Sprint''': Several actions in-game require a combination of either the {{Keypress|Shift}} key or the {{Keypress|Ctrl}} key, as well as a mouseclick (left or right mouse button).  By default, the Shift key is also the key used for [[Controls#Movement controls|Sneak]], and with that default this settings is probably not relevant to you. But if you happen to change Sneak to a different key, then it becomes important: by default (locked), changing the Sneak control will also have the effect of changing the key which has to be pressed for Shift + mouseclick as well.  Some people like that (thinking of it as "Sneak + mouseclick"), some people don't like that at all (they want to change Sneak without changing Shift ...)  If you are one of the people who wants to reconfigure Sneak without reconfiguring the {{Keypress|Shift}} key, then unlocking mouse modifiers means you can keep on using {{Keypress|Shift}} as the Shift key for mouseclicks as normal, even though the Sneak key has changed to something different. Or, if you like, you can leave the Sneak key as it is but change only the Shift key for mouseclicking. The same applies to the {{Keypress|Ctrl}} key and Sprint which are locked together by default - for example, use this setting if you want to change the Sprint key to {{Keypress|Q}} or {{Keypress|R}} (some people find that more comfortable) but keep on using the {{Keypress|Ctrl}} key for Ctrl + mouse clicks.
* '''Mouse modifiers locked to Sneak/Sprint''': Several mouse actions in-game require a combination of either the {{Keypress|Shift}} key or the {{Keypress|Ctrl}} key, as well as a mouseclick (left or right mouse button) - for example, placing down buckets requires both {{Keypress|Shift}} and {{Keypress|Ctrl}}.  By default, the Shift key is the key used for [[Controls#Movement controls|Sneak]], and the Ctrl key is used for [[Controls#Movement controls|Sprint]], and if you are happy with those defaults then this setting is probably not going to be relevant to you. But if you want to change Sneak to a different key, then it becomes important: by default (locked), changing the Sneak control has the effect of changing the key which has to be pressed for Shift + mouseclick actions as well.  Some people like that (thinking of it as "Sneak + mouseclick"), some people don't like that at all (they want to change the control for Sneak without changing the normal Shift + mouseclick control ...)  If you are one of the people who wants to reconfigure Sneak ''without'' reconfiguring the {{Keypress|Shift}} key, then unlocking mouse modifiers means you can keep on using {{Keypress|Shift}} as the Shift key for mouseclicks as normal, even though the Sneak key has changed to something different. Or, if you like, you can leave the Sneak key as it is but change only the key used as the Shift key for mouseclicking. The same applies to the {{Keypress|Ctrl}} key and Sprint which are locked together by default - for example, use this setting if you want to change the Sprint key to {{Keypress|Q}} or {{Keypress|R}} (some people find that more comfortable) but keep on using the {{Keypress|Ctrl}} key for Ctrl + mouse clicks.
People who use the mouse in their '''left hand''' might like to change these settings to use the right-hand side {{Keypress|R Shift}} key on the keyboard for Shift + mouse click actions.
People who use the mouse in their '''left hand''' might like to change these settings to use the right-hand side {{Keypress|R Shift}} and {{Keypress|R Ctrl}} keys on the keyboard for Shift + mouse click and Ctrl + mouse click actions.
* In the Mouse controls tab, from game version 1.19.4, the mouse buttons can themselves be reconfigured, for example to swap left and right mouse buttons, or assign a keyboard control instead of the middle mouse button.
* In the Mouse controls tab, from game version 1.19.4, the mouse buttons can themselves be reconfigured, for example to swap left and right mouse buttons, or assign a keyboard control instead of the middle mouse button.
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Revision as of 15:05, 25 February 2024

UnderCon icon.png

This page is under construction.
This page is being created, or is in the process of extensive expansion or major restructuring. Until this notice is removed, please do not translate this page. Expect the content of this page to change significantly.


This page was last verified for Vintage Story version 1.19.0-pre1.


Settings menu

Click on an image to open a larger version. See the Settings page for descriptions of every option, or open the menu in-game and hover over each option. Options that seem especially relevant to accessibility are featured below.

Graphics tab

the first tab of several at the top is selected, displaying an array of options for the game's graphics
Graphics tab of Settings menu
  • Resolution: If the game looks blurry, increasing the percentage on the Resolution slider to 100% might help.
  • Gamma: Increasing the gamma value might improve visibility in darkness.
  • View bobbing: [in game version 1.19, this setting is now found on the Accessibility tab] Uncheck this box if you tend to experience motion sickness. With view bobbing enabled, your character's field of view would bounce up and down while (s)he runs.


The Settings page should cover all the features in the Graphics tab in detail.




Mouse tab

the second tab of several at the top is selected, displaying an array of options for the game's mouse features
Mouse tab of Settings menu
  • Item collect mode: Check this box to reduce the need to use the Shift key.












Controls tab

the third tab of several at the top is selected, displaying a list of the keys bound to various game actions
Controls tab of Settings menu

Any key used in the game can be rebound to something different, which may be important for some players: in general, everyone playing the game for extended periods should set the keys to bindings which are comfortable to use (and take breaks!) As of game version 1.19.4, you can also configure any control to be a mouse button, including up to 5 extra buttons for multi-button gaming mice.

  • Toggle Sprint: [in game version 1.19, this setting is now found on the Accessibility tab] Check this box to reduce the need to use the Sprint key. Tap Sprint once while walking to begin running; your character will continue running without keeping the Sprint key pressed, until you stop moving forward. When you move again it will be at a walking pace.
  • Mouse modifiers locked to Sneak/Sprint: Several mouse actions in-game require a combination of either the Shift key or the Ctrl key, as well as a mouseclick (left or right mouse button) - for example, placing down buckets requires both Shift and Ctrl. By default, the Shift key is the key used for Sneak, and the Ctrl key is used for Sprint, and if you are happy with those defaults then this setting is probably not going to be relevant to you. But if you want to change Sneak to a different key, then it becomes important: by default (locked), changing the Sneak control has the effect of changing the key which has to be pressed for Shift + mouseclick actions as well. Some people like that (thinking of it as "Sneak + mouseclick"), some people don't like that at all (they want to change the control for Sneak without changing the normal Shift + mouseclick control ...) If you are one of the people who wants to reconfigure Sneak without reconfiguring the Shift key, then unlocking mouse modifiers means you can keep on using Shift as the Shift key for mouseclicks as normal, even though the Sneak key has changed to something different. Or, if you like, you can leave the Sneak key as it is but change only the key used as the Shift key for mouseclicking. The same applies to the Ctrl key and Sprint which are locked together by default - for example, use this setting if you want to change the Sprint key to Q or R (some people find that more comfortable) but keep on using the Ctrl key for Ctrl + mouse clicks.

People who use the mouse in their left hand might like to change these settings to use the right-hand side R Shift and R Ctrl keys on the keyboard for Shift + mouse click and Ctrl + mouse click actions.

  • In the Mouse controls tab, from game version 1.19.4, the mouse buttons can themselves be reconfigured, for example to swap left and right mouse buttons, or assign a keyboard control instead of the middle mouse button.



Accessibility tab

the fourth tab of several at the top is selected, displaying a few options thought to be most relevant to users in need of accommodations
Accessibility tab of Settings menu

Options:

  • Toggle Sprint: Check this box to reduce the need to use the Sprint key. Tap Sprint once while walking to begin running; your character will continue running without keeping the Sprint key pressed, until you stop moving forward. When you move again it will be at a walking pace.
  • View Bobbing: Uncheck this box if you tend to experience motion sickness. With view bobbing enabled, your character's field of view would bounce up and down while (s)he runs.
  • Camera shake strength: When your character's body temperature drops dangerously low, (s)he will begin shivering and the edges of the screen will become frosty. Increasing the Camera shake strength slider should reduce the degree to which the character's view is disrupted. You'll need to use other indicators such as the frosty screen to warn you of low body temperature. Your character will begin losing health points if you don't take steps to raise her/his body temperature.
  • Wireframe thickness: This affects the thickness of the selection box drawn around the block you are looking at. It also affects the colored voxel gridlines seen when knapping, clay-forming and smithing. Some people may find thicker lines easier to see - especially on very high resolution monitors eg. 4k monitors.
  • Wireframe colors: From game version 1.19.4, the game offers two alternative color presets which can be used in place of the green/orange voxel grid seen when clay-forming and knapping stone, and when smithing metals; these may help visibility of the different grid colors with certain forms of colorblindness or color vision anomaly.
  • Glitch strength waviness: Temporal Storms can be disabled entirely through commands. It might be preferable to preserve this feature of the game while removing effects that are uncomfortable. Reducing the Glitch strength waviness slider should make visual distortions during storms more tolerable. Expect the normal colors of the world to become reddish until the storm ends. (Those feeling experimental can even increase the Glitch strength waviness to more than 100%.)


Sound tab

the fifth tab of several at the top is selected, displaying a few options for the game's sounds
Sound tab of Settings menu

The sound levels for various types of sound can be set individually.












Interface tab

the sixth tab of several at the top is selected, displaying a few options for the game's interface
Interface tab of Settings menu
  • GUI scale: Increasing this slider will make the text larger in most places. However, the field for text might not always be large enough for the selected font size. Experiment to find a text large enough for you to see that is still small enough to fit in its field.
  • Block info overlay: This is a tremendously useful feature, identifying the block/entity your mouse is aimed at. In addition to the name of the item, other useful hints might be included. If it obscures your view, hold Ctrl and press B to toggle the overlay off.
  • Coordinate overlay:
  • Minimap: By default in a Standard playstyle world, a minimap will be visible in the top-right corner of your screen. Press M to show/hide the world map. Press F6 to show/hide the minimap. It's always oriented with north upwards.



Debug tab

Only visible if you check the Developer Mode box in the Interface tab.

Mods

The modding community for Vintage Story has produced several excellent mods that might help with one or more Accessibility issues. Examples of useful mods are listed under the Visual, Dexterity and Auditory headings below.

General guidance for using mods:

  • It's generally safe to add/remove convenience mods even after playing a world for awhile. But best practice includes creating a backup before changing mods. (If a mod adds blocks, items, entities, or new worldgen, a backup may be more important.)
  • Mods are specific to game versions. If you update the game it's worth checking your favorite mods to see if they have also been updated (which is up to the individual mod authors). A mod that hasn't been specifically updated for your current game version can sometimes still work or mostly work, it is always worth trying this. Again, back up your world before experimenting.
  • Code mods - especially if not updated for the current game version or only recently updated - can cause issues or crashes (either directly, or more subtly if they prevent another game system from working properly; also check client-main and server-main logs for reported errors). Test them out and report any issues direct to the mod author.
  • In single player games, mods are installed by downloading them and then dragging and dropping to your Vintagestory Mods folder. On a Windows PC, the Mods folder is found at %appdata%\Vintagestory\Mods. Alternatively, a mod's download page may offer '1-click install'.
  • In multiplayer games, when you join a server, the required mods are automatically downloaded to a specific folder for that server, kept separate from your single-player mod folder (in your Mods folder, the main folder is for single-player and the game creates a subfolder for each multiplayer server). To also use one of your single-player client-side mods in multiplayer, copy-paste it into that server's subfolder. Several accessibility mods are client-side only, meaning that you can use them even on multiplayer servers without causing problems. Other mods require the server admins to install them, if you want to see them in a multiplayer game.

Visual

Gamma

The Graphics tab of the Settings menu has a slider for Gamma, which might improve ability to see in some situations.

World map

The map prior to version 1.19 was colorful and could be used to locate resources when familiar with their appearance from a birds-eye view. The classic world map visuals can be restored in a singleplayer world using the command /worldconfig colorAccurateWorldmap true in the chat overlay; then exit and re-launch that world for the change to take effect.

In a multiplayer world, the classic world map can only be restored by someone with admin privileges editing the serverconfig file or running a similar command.

  • enables for all players on the server: /worldconfigcreate bool colorAccurateWorldmap true
  • enables for individual players: /player [playername] privilege grant colorAccurateWorldmap

Restart the server for changes to take effect.

GUI scale

The scale of the GUI - which also includes the size of items in the hotbar, and the size of the mouse pointer - can be adjusted in Settings / Interface.

(Note: it is possible to make the GUI so large that the Interface tab is off the screen, when you next visit Settings, especially from the main menu. If this occurs, the guiScale number can be adjusted by editing the clientsettings.json file in a text editor, find this file in the VintagestoryData folder.)

Windows Magnifier

If using the Windows Magnifier to enlarge parts of the screen, note that the mouse pointer (and therefore the ability to control the Magnifier) will disappear during normal gameplay. To make the mouse pointer visible again, hold down the Alt key.

Visual mods

Epilepsy and other flicker or motion sensitivity

Some mods give greater control over visual effects such as lightning flashes and the screen warping during Temporal Storms or drunkenness.

Color vision deficiency or color blindness

Some mods help players to distinguish the block selection box (the outline around the currently looked at block)

  • Better Outline mod [1] can change the color of the block selection box, or add glow effects etc., to make it more visible.

Light

Some mods give greater control over the lighting levels.

Resources visibility

Some mods make key resources easier to distinguish from their surroundings.

Map

Dexterity and repetitive actions

Key mapping

See Controls tab.

Hardware

While Vintage Story has no native controller support, some people use Steam to add controller support, and others use third party apps (like Antimicro). Controller Compatibility has an example. Others get Vintage Story to work on a Steam Deck.

An ergonomic mouse might be helpful - but minimizing repetitive stress also includes considerations of posture, taking breaks, and more.

Dexterity Mods

Several mods modify one or more aspects of the game to reduce repetitive motions.

Crafting


Movement


Map


Resources

Auditory

The Sound tab in the Settings menu lets you adjust "ambient sound" volume separately from weather volume and music.
See Considerations in the Notes section.

Hardware

Headphones are useful for identifying the source of a sound, which can help you avoid danger or find resources.

Assets

You can replace audio files individually.

  • AppData\Roaming\Vintagestory\assets\game\sounds primarily sounds related to the player
  • AppData\Roaming\Vintagestory\assets\survival\sounds sounds related to creatures, processes, and weather, including thunder
  • AppData\Roaming\Vintagestory\assets\assets\game\music a few music files
  • AppData\Roaming\Vintagestory\assets\survival\music most music files
  • AppData\Roaming\Vintagestory\assets\creative\music a few music files

Auditory Mods

Some mods give greater control over the volume levels of sounds that may be disturbing.

Some mods give visual alternatives to auditory cues.

Other accessibility issues

One of the dev team members created tutorial videos that might be of help to people with dyslexia, low literacy, or dislike of reading. Vintage Story Bit-By-Bit - How to Handbook on YouTube

History

  • A few Accessibility features were added in version 1.19.0: "Added Accessibility tab. Moved View Bobbing and Toggle Sprint settings there. Added 2 new accessibility settings: Camera shake strength and Wireframe thickness.
    • Tweak: Added ability to adjust temporal instability waviness in the new Accessibility tab
    • Tweak: Added experimental minbrightness client config, potential use for YouTubers/streamers to prevent pitch-black areas." Official Devlog

Notes

  • Tyron gave permission for this page to include brief descriptions of mod functionality. In general, this wiki is only for vanilla content.[1]

Audio considerations

  • Bees are an important resource that can be difficult to find. The most-recommended technique is to increase the Ambient Sound slider and decrease the Weather Sound and Music sliders while hunting for beehives.
  • Wolves are a dangerous enemy that can often be avoided due to their periodic howls announcing their location.
  • Bears growl but usually the player is within attack range when that happens.
  • Low Temporal Stability triggers ominous music. The player should take action to reduce the stability drain and restore stability soon.

Speculation needing testing:

  • If you simply delete an audio file, the game might crash.
  • When you update to the next game version, you might lose the changes made.

Gallery

Displays a partial screenshot of the Settings menu.
Accessibility tab of Settings menu










See also

References

  1. ↑ Comment in the #wiki-and-translations channel of the official Discord: https://discord.com/channels/302152934249070593/420476226420080670/1208117493772849272
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