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Accessibility Features

TowerForge includes comprehensive accessibility features to ensure the game is playable by everyone, regardless of their needs or preferences.

Features Overview

1. High-Contrast Mode

High-contrast mode enhances the visual contrast of UI elements for better visibility.

Benefits:

  • Improved visibility for users with low vision
  • Easier to read text and distinguish UI elements
  • Enhanced focus indicators

How to enable:

  1. From the main menu, select "Settings"
  2. Choose "Accessibility"
  3. Toggle "High-Contrast Mode"

Visual changes:

  • Brighter, more distinct colors (Yellow/White instead of Gold/Gray)
  • Thicker borders on UI elements (3px vs 2px)
  • Higher contrast between text and backgrounds
  • More visible selection indicators

2. Font Scaling

Adjust text size throughout the game from 50% to 300% of the default size.

Benefits:

  • Larger text for users with visual impairments
  • Smaller text for those who prefer more information density
  • Customizable to individual preferences

How to adjust:

  1. From the main menu, select "Settings"
  2. Choose "Accessibility"
  3. Use LEFT/RIGHT arrow keys or drag the slider to adjust font scale
  4. Font scale is displayed as a percentage (e.g., 150%)

Supported range:

  • Minimum: 50% (half size)
  • Default: 100% (normal size)
  • Maximum: 300% (triple size)

3. Keyboard Navigation

Full keyboard support throughout the game interface.

Benefits:

  • Complete game control without a mouse
  • Consistent navigation patterns
  • Visual focus indicators show current selection

Keyboard Controls:

General Navigation

  • UP/DOWN or W/S - Navigate between menu items
  • ENTER or SPACE - Select/activate item
  • ESC - Go back/cancel

Settings Adjustment

  • LEFT/RIGHT or A/D - Adjust sliders or toggle options
  • SPACE - Toggle checkboxes

In-Game

  • ESC - Open pause menu
  • R - Toggle research menu
  • N - Toggle notification center
  • All menus support full keyboard navigation

Focus Indicators:

  • Selected items are highlighted with a colored border
  • Pulsing effect on the current selection
  • Arrow indicator (">") shows current menu position

Accessing Accessibility Settings

From Main Menu

  1. Launch TowerForge
  2. Select "Settings" from the main menu
  3. Choose "Accessibility"
  4. Adjust your preferences

From In-Game Pause Menu

  1. Press ESC to pause the game
  2. Select "Settings"
  3. Choose "Accessibility"
  4. Adjust your preferences

Settings Persistence

All accessibility settings are automatically saved to accessibility_settings.json in the game directory. Your preferences will be retained between game sessions.

Default Settings

When running TowerForge for the first time, the following defaults are used:

  • High-Contrast Mode: Disabled
  • Font Scale: 100% (normal size)
  • Keyboard Navigation: Enabled

Tips for Best Experience

For Low Vision Users

  1. Enable High-Contrast Mode
  2. Increase Font Scale to 150% or higher
  3. Use keyboard navigation for precise control

For Mobility Impairments

  1. Use keyboard navigation exclusively
  2. Adjust font scale as needed for comfortable reading
  3. Take advantage of keyboard shortcuts

For Customization

  1. Try different font scales to find your preference
  2. High-contrast mode works well on both light and dark displays
  3. All settings can be changed at any time

Troubleshooting

Q: Settings aren't saving between sessions

  • Check that the game has write permissions to its directory
  • Look for accessibility_settings.json in the game folder

Q: Font scale makes text too large/small

  • Reset to 100% and adjust in smaller increments (10-20% at a time)
  • Text is limited to 50%-300% to prevent display issues

Q: Keyboard navigation not working

  • Ensure Keyboard Navigation is enabled in Accessibility Settings
  • Some elements may require focus - use TAB to cycle focus

Technical Details

Settings File Location

accessibility_settings.json in the game's root directory

Settings File Format

{
  "high_contrast_enabled": false,
  "font_scale": 1.0,
  "keyboard_navigation_enabled": true
}

Supported Platforms

  • Windows
  • Linux
  • macOS

All accessibility features work on all supported platforms without requiring additional configuration.

Future Enhancements

Planned accessibility features for future releases:

  • Screen reader support
  • Color blind modes
  • Customizable keybindings
  • Audio cues for UI interactions
  • Motion reduction options
  • UI element size scaling (in addition to font scaling)

Feedback

We welcome feedback on accessibility features! If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improvements, please:

  1. Open an issue on our GitHub repository
  2. Provide details about your accessibility needs
  3. Suggest specific improvements

Your feedback helps make TowerForge accessible to everyone!