Fallout 1 mod Would a blind-accessible mod be possible for Fallout 1 or 2?

[Jennissary]

I'm looking into the possibility of commissioning an extensive mod for Fallout 1 or 2, which can make the game accessible for blind players. Typically, accessibility mods will convert on-screen text into text-to-speech, and replace mouse-clicks with keyboard or controller presses.

This mod would include the following:

• The ability to cycle through on-screen interactibles (such as enemies, items, doors, or hazards) with buttons instead of mouse clicks.
• The ability to navigate through menus (eg, dialogue, inventories) with buttons instead of mouse clicks.
• Ability to perform quick actions like navigate, reload, end turn, and open/close menus via buttons instead of mouse clicks
  
• All on-screen text and icons render to the users screen-reader program, allowing them to hover-over and select on-screen elements via keyboard presses.
• The activity feed in the lower-left reads all text aloud via TTS
• HUD elements read via TTS when prompted
• Addition of sound effects: footsteps for player's movement, and for attempting to walk into solid objects

Would this even be remotely feasible? I know there would be many, MANY more details to hash out. But right now I'm just looking for a general "this might be possible", or "this would be completely impossible".
Thank you!

 

[KingArthur]

1) this is a wonderfully compassionate thing and you’re too good for this site (kidding)

2) @Lexx is who I’d probably turn to when it comes to classic Fallout modding; he’s helped me a bit in the past.

Aside from him maybe you could try getting ahold of someone like Killap (who did the Fallout 2 Restoration), or anyone who did large-scale overhauls; the Fallout Fixt team also comes to mind, a few of which are members of this site, albeit not very active ones.

In any event, sorry for my lack of help, and best of luck to you one way or another.

 

[william dempsey]

I'm looking into the possibility of commissioning an extensive mod for Fallout 1 or 2, which can make the game accessible for blind players. Typically, accessibility mods will convert on-screen text into text-to-speech, and replace mouse-clicks with keyboard or controller presses.

I am a victim of Thalidomide. I have hearing impairments and psychiatric problems. My psychiatrist said I had Violin tendencies. I know nothing about music so I kicked him inda nuts. I think the devs that make game for VR machines may be able to recommend an implant to hard wire some braincells into the visual cortex. I am afraid I see ( sorry ) I would expect blindness the most cruel thing Gord bestows on some unfortunate souls This could effect game play. The game would have to come with pistols {plasma} and regular pistols and grenades. Sonic messages could be direction finders but throwing a grenade without ample points in throwing may damage the screen {point 1}. If smellyvision was added certain smells could provide prompts. Ooo that smells like a deathclaw . I think it is feasible, just difficult and point b unless there was a very big market for blind people nobody would bother. I will not ask you for money as this is vulgar. I was still busy finding circa 2000's items for another person who possibly hard of thinking.

 

[gustarballs1983]

I'm looking into the possibility of commissioning an extensive mod for Fallout 1 or 2, which can make the game accessible for blind players. Typically, accessibility mods will convert on-screen text into text-to-speech, and replace mouse-clicks with keyboard or controller presses.

This mod would include the following:

• The ability to cycle through on-screen interactibles (such as enemies, items, doors, or hazards) with buttons instead of mouse clicks.
• The ability to navigate through menus (eg, dialogue, inventories) with buttons instead of mouse clicks.
• Ability to perform quick actions like navigate, reload, end turn, and open/close menus via buttons instead of mouse clicks
  
• All on-screen text and icons render to the users screen-reader program, allowing them to hover-over and select on-screen elements via keyboard presses.
• The activity feed in the lower-left reads all text aloud via TTS
• HUD elements read via TTS when prompted
• Addition of sound effects: footsteps for player's movement, and for attempting to walk into solid objects

Would this even be remotely feasible? I know there would be many, MANY more details to hash out. But right now I'm just looking for a general "this might be possible", or "this would be completely impossible".
Thank you!

In all seriousness.. "Impossible is nothing" as Adidas company once claimed, however some things are much hardr to achive than others.

Adopting Fallout to be played without mouse usage, might proove to be extremely difficult, and is definetly not possible without 3rd party software, or some kind of code injection.
Fallout has some keyboard shortcuts for certain things but is mostly a point and click game with isometric view, and in addition to that camera doesn't center and follow the player like in Diablo series for example, but rather the player can use the mouse to navigate around each of the maps. so not only You'd have to write a program to overlap mouse moovement, but You'd literally have to write everything differently for every single map, as the maps varay vastly one from another, and certain npcs wander around the maps so doing some stuff like getting near them and stealing from them would bi virtually impossible for a blind person, not to mention some npc need to be sneaked upon to be stolen from as some run away from you (if you have insufficient town rep i.e. kids in klamath), and on top of that stealing succes is not guaranteed as there are various factors to determine if one succeds or not..

TLR
Noble intentions that I admire. In theory nothing is impossible to achive, although in your case the task is extremely hard, i simply wouldn't know where to start, though if You'd succed one day, I do have a friend that might make a use of your program

 

[william dempsey]

@gustarballs1983 n theory nothing is impossible to achieve "
This should go onto the philosophy thread. Positivism ? Is it possible to jump over a stream 20Metres wide ? No. Is it possible to jump the stream wearing say a jetpack ? Yes. If this isn't trolling then my arse is Chester zoo . Can Adidas cure blindness ? no. Marketing lingo often states the implausible, impossible. I could reel off many impossibilities in this request. All the nonsense over 3rd party coding makes no sense. Crashes and bugs in all latest Fallout mods . Even the originals have problems. How do I get into vault city someone asked. It wont work, what have I done wrong ? Age old advice uninstall reinstall

 

[Gizmojunk]

There is another possibility. Fallout released a DOS version on the CD. So it might be possible to devise a DOS executable with access to the game's memory space. I have seen 3rd-party utilities able to tweak a running game, even add features to it (like an automap).

This wouldn't work Fallout 2.

 

[Lexx]

As gus said, "nothing is impossible", but in this case it will be impossible to find someone who has the necessary skills to add features like requested by OP into classic Fo1/2. The only way to even just attempt it would be to use the new Fallout 2 CE as a base, as it can be modified without code injections, etc. However, the problem here is that this project is far from being completed even in its base shape.

tl;dr - with Fo2-CE it could be possible to do, but this is going to be a huge amount of work, and it needs real programmer to do the job.

 

[.Pixote.]

This is never going to happen, it might be a noble cause, but technically it can't be done (we don't have access to the games code). The only option would be to sit with someone playing the game and direct them as to what you want them to do. They can then describe the various settings and read characters dialogue. It would be a great way of sharing a wonderful game with a friend.