January 2, 2025

Audiogames.net Monthly Digest - January 2025

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Welcome to the last audiogames.net monthly digest featuring news from 2024! It's crazy to think we've been doing these for 3 years now, but here we are. Writing these has been possible all thanks to you. Thanks to those posting about new games on the forum or elsewhere on the internet, thanks to all the awesome game developers giving us more to play, whether it's through games made specifically for blind gamers, adding accessibility to existing titles or making accessibility mods, and of course, thanks to everyone just reading these, whether it's on the audiogames.net forum or through email subscriptions. All of you help us keep going!

2024 ends with a bang. For the first time in a while the new releases section is just as large as the one for updates with a very diverse and exciting bunch of new releases, including a few adaptations of complex strategy board games, more rogue likes and RPG's, something for fans of story-focused games and visual novels, a few sports management games, and a new accessibility mod for a cult favorite beginning its development. So, as always, enjoy reading!

New Releases

SideParty (Windows, Mac)

Side Party is yet another spin off of Crazy Party, inspired slightly by Haunted Party. This is basically Crazy Party, endless mode!

Each level is divided up into areas. You start out with one area, filled with one enemy. On higher difficulty levels, you start out with more area types. For instance, on insane you may start out with a door area or a bouncing ground area. As the game progresses, you'll run into things such as fast rats, flying bats, elks, robots, and more! You'll also run into other challenges. Press the switch on one side of the level and run as fast as you can through the door before it closes on you. Avoid an electric eal in a body of water! And much more!

But wait, that's not all. The game will get faster and much larger the more levels you complete! How long can you stay alive in the increasing insanity?

Xia Xing tianxia Beta (Windows)

"Heroes Journey Across the World" is an online role-playing game that combines classic wuxia elements from Jin Yong, Gu Long, and other masters, currently available on PC and Android mobile platforms. You can travel through time and space to personally play as legendary heroes like Guo Jing, Huang Rong, Yang Guo, Little Dragon Girl, Duan Yu, Xiao Feng, Linghu Chong, and other martial arts champions, experiencing their adventures and extraordinary lives. You can also recruit these legendary characters as your subordinates, lead them in martial arts adventures, dominate the martial arts world, and even own your personal estate while managing your own business enterprises. Furthermore, you can team up with other players, compete for championships, form alliances and establish schools, experience the complex relationships of the martial arts world, feel the authentic wuxia spirit, and build your own reputation in the martial arts realm! Heroes Journey Across the World not only incorporates various game genres but also offers multiple combat modes to choose from, satisfying different needs and preferences of both PC and Android players. Additionally, the open and flexible game framework will continuously add new content and gameplay features. Through the joint efforts of developers and players, the game will keep evolving and enriching, striving to create a martial arts world that combines fantasy and reality! Join "Heroes Journey Across the World" now and write your own martial arts legend together with like-minded companions!

As is the case with other Chinese audio games, a translation addon will be required to play this game. For instructions on how to setup the game to speak through NVDA, please see post 2 in the topic linked above.

Eldrum: Black Dust (iOS, Android)

THE PAST IS NEVER JUST THE PAST. IT ALWAYS COMES BACK TO HAUNT YOU. Life on the road is treacherous. You are a drifter in a strange land, seeking refuge from the burning bed of your own making. People want you dead and for good reason. You stepped on the wrong toes and now you’re trying to get as far away from them as possible. The city in the desert seemed like a safe place to stay. Nobody knows you here. They can’t find you in the middle of nowhere. Things are not always what they seem. You walked right into their trap. You crossed them and now it’s time to pay the piper. Gold or blood. Money makes the world go round. Debts must be paid. It’s a matter of life and death. How far will you go to stay Dive into a dark, immersive world where your choices shape your destiny. Eldrum: Black Dust is a gripping text-based RPG that combines the depth of D&D, the strategic gameplay of CRPGs, and the narrative freedom of CYOA gamebooks.

Key Features

• Branching Storylines: Every decision matters in this grimdark adventure, leading to multiple endings.
• D&D-Inspired Gameplay: Experience the depth of tabletop RPGs in a mobile format.
• Turn-Based Combat: Engage in strategic 2D battles reminiscent of classic CRPGs.
• Rich, Dark World: Explore a meticulously crafted universe filled with moral ambiguity and tough choices.
• Immersive Experience: Vivid text descriptions enhanced by evocative imagery and atmospheric audio.
• Exploration: Roam the desert city and its surroundings, uncovering secrets and side quests.

Eldrum: Black Dust brings the essence of traditional gamebooks and CRPGs to your fingertips, with a modern twist. Whether you're a fan of Choose Your Own Adventure stories, D&D campaigns, or simply looking for a deep, narrative-driven experience, this game offers hours of captivating gameplay.

Our commitment to accessibility shines through - Eldrum: Black Dust is proudly created by a studio recognized for developing the Best Mobile Game for Blind Users (AppleVis Game of the Year 2020).

Embark on your journey through the dark and unforgiving world of Eldrum today. Every choice you make, every path you take, will leave its mark on the Black Dust. What tale will you weave, and which of the multiple endings will you unlock?

Download now and start your grimdark adventure!

Idle RPG - Cannibal Planet 3 (iOS, Android)

Embark on an Epic Adventure with the Idle RPG “Cannibal Planet 3”!

Join forces with characters like Kyle and Lydia to explore a vast world. “Cannibal Planet 3” offers a fresh take on idle RPGs, letting you equip characters with weapon and armor cards as they automatically journey through each area. Treasure chests, fierce battles, and new maps await, offering endless discovery and excitement.

With auto-exploration, you can leave the game for a while and return to find your companions bringing back loot! Enjoy strategic gameplay as the outcome of each journey changes based on your choice and order of cards.

In the Workshop, create powerful new weapons and armor! Use materials found during your adventures to craft strong equipment and power up your party. Recruit monsters to your team, equip them with cards, and fight together.

Expand the map to uncover new regions and hidden secrets, and step into an unknown world with your allies!

Your strategy and card combinations are the key to adventure! Download now to enjoy a grand story and the thrill of boundless exploration.

*Note: Each series installment offers a unique storyline, so you can start enjoying the game from this title. *We’ve added some accessibility support to assist visually impaired players.

The game can be downloaded from Google Play for Android or the App Store for iOS

BROK the InvestiGator - Natal Tail, A New Christmas (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android)

An official Christmas tale based set in the world of BROK the InvestiGator, presented as an independent visual novel. When students Graff and Ott are called upon to celebrate "Natal Untail," a corrupted version of Atlasia's ancient tradition, they'll discover that even in this decaying world, the values of sharing and friendship endure as life's greatest treasures. ------------------------------------------------------ Do I need to play the main game first? Not at all! This story serves as a prequel to the main game, introducing the characters and explain the game’s terminology. While playing BROK the InvestiGator first provides additional context, this visual novel is a valid entry point into the BROK universe. What is the length? I have written and made this visual novel in approximately 3 weeks of work, this re-uses a large majority of assets from the main game, and spans about an hour to get through. Free to download! The game is free, but any donations are greatly appreciated and will help support the development of future BROK projects. Any donation of $1.99 or more grants you 15 digital postcards ready to print and send to your friends or family! Accessibility This visual novel has full accessibility for blind players in English. ---------------------------------------------------- This visual novel was made entirely with my BROKVN engine tool. Check it out to make your own BROK adventures: https://cowcat.itch.io/brokvn-engine

You can get this prequel either from Itch, which is linked above, or here from Steam.

Blades Of Glory: Age Of Legends (Public Stress Test, Windows)

Note: The full version of the game isn't out yet, however as the public server test will continue to another 2 weeks from the posting of this digest there is still plenty of time to try the game out and provide feedback to Nimble Nerds

Grab your swords and raise your shields as you dive into the first online multiplayer game from Nibble Nerds! Equip yourself with a wide selection of weapons, armor, and even powerful abilities! Whether you prefer an agile play style or would rather overpower your opponents with brute strength, we have you covered! Enter the king's arena and dominate enemy players in open combat! Bring your friends and take on waves of evasive goblins, vicious trolls, and mighty ogres in Legends Mode! Will you survive in the chaos, or will you go out in Blades of Glory? We can't wait to see everyone in the arena!

Cyber Quest (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)

Cyber Quest is a cyberpunk roguelike deck-builder. Assemble a ragtag crew of hackers, mercenaries, and street-savvy rogues to take on the most feared crime gangs in the city. Each encounter is a high-stakes battle of wits and tactics as you pit your crew against rival factions in intense card-based combat.

• Deck-Building Strategy - Collect and customize an arsenal of powerful cards. Build your deck to exploit enemy weaknesses, unleash devastating combos, and outmaneuver your foes.
• Crew Management - Level up your crew members, unlock new powers, and transform your team into an unstoppable force.
• Roguelike Replayability - Every run is unique. Explore the sprawling cityscape, face randomized challenges, and adapt to new foes.
• Card Upgrades - Enhance your cards by changing their cost, damage, or color. Tailor your deck to suit your strategy.
• Cyberfunk Soundtrack - Groove to the finest fusion of funk and electronic music.

The game can be purchased either from Steam or Itch for Windows and Mac (the Itch purchase also includes a DRM-free version for Android.) For mobile devices the game can be bought from the App Store for iOS or Google Play for Android. There is also a free demo available on the Steam and Itch store pages.

Paladin's Oath (Windows)

You are a Paladin that took an Oath to liberate the land and its Cities from enemies coming from another plane of existence.

The game combines elements of RPG and light deck-building where Cards / Mana / Recruitable Followers and always-on Blessings must be synergized to Move, Interact and Battle with unlimited undo mechanics during battles to find the best possible outcome. This game is a labor of love made by and for people that enjoy complex and thinky board games, digital or physical card games and deck builders, puzzles, strategy games and chess. The randomness is limited and somewhat mitigated making it ideal for players that like to plan ahead. Absolutely no micro-transactions, live service, virtual currencies, always online or any of that, ever. You just buy the game and enjoy high complexity challenging fun.

Since v1.9.0, the game can be entirely played via console and text to speech for blind or visually impaired players.

Free Online tool to create content for the game with the game integrated with Steam Workshop to download and distribute community content (see modding guide).

Key Features

• Card-based everything: movement, interaction, battles. Akin to a resource management game with puzzle mechanics.
• Slow paced: take your time, plan your turn, manage your cards and resources wisely.
• Heavy focus on Strategy: maximize your current hand and synergize all your resources to make the seemingly impossible, possible.
• Deep, intricate gameplay with sessions typically lasting 3 to 5 hours depending on the scenario.
• Turn-based battles with unlimited undo/redo possibilities to allow you to explore and find the best outcome - should you take wounds and clog your hands for the next 3 turns or should you use all those cards and come out unscathed but unable to move on the next turn.
• An ever-changing experience with randomized maps, decks and varied character combinations let you experience a different kind of puzzle each time you play.
• Configurable scenarios, characters and decks allow you to fine-tune the experience to the level of complexity and commitment that suits you best.
• Awesome power curve: you start powerful and grow even more powerful, if you can synergize your cards thoughtfully that is.
• Challenge-based tutorials to introduce you organically to major game mechanics.

Are You Up For The Challenge?

Similar to the thinky board game systems Paladin's Oath is inspired by, you are expected to rack your brain when playing this game if you want to succeed; although the experience is not stressful with no real-time pressure and unlimited undo/redo during battles (the most complex part of this game) allowing you to change your card configuration for better outcome as much as you want.

Extensibility

The game already ships with multiple scenarios each offering a unique type of challenge. The suite of Characters + Oath combinations also enables you to fine-tune the experience and provides varied playstyles: move more, recruit more, ability to use stronger cards more often, etc.

Paladin's Oath was designed to be extensible with full modding support so I'm hoping the community can contribute more scenarios, maps and heroes.

If you are really into the game and want to contribute and have some basic scripting experience don't hesitate to reach out.

If you are interested in checking out the game be sure to read the first post in the forum thread linked above which explains how to use the accessibility features!

Spirit Island: A Game of Settler Destruction (Web)

Description by Zkline:

What is Spirit Island? Spirit Island is a cooperative strategy game where you take on the role of a powerful spirit, protecting your island home from waves of colonizing settlers. Each spirit is unique, with its own abilities and playstyle—you might summon lightning storms to destroy cities, unleash devastating floods to drown invaders, or quietly guide the native Dahan to rise up and fight back. This isn’t a typical game of conquest or competition. Instead, Spirit Island pits you and your allies against a relentless, ever-adapting adversary. Every decision counts: will you spread your presence across the land, harness greater power, or counter the settlers’ plans before it’s too late? What makes Spirit Island stand out is its depth and endless replayability. With a huge variety of spirits, adversaries, and scenarios to explore, every game feels fresh and challenging, demanding creative strategies and careful teamwork. Whether you triumph by terrifying the settlers into fleeing, washing their cities away under the tides, or smashing them with raw elemental fury, Spirit Island delivers a truly wonderful and thematic  experience. What is this implementation? This is an unofficial, accessible  text-based version of the board game Spirit Island, a cooperative strategy game in which you play spirits defending an island from encroaching settlers. Note that I didn't write this game, I'm just in contact with the developer and have been given permission to distribute the link. The latest version of the game can always be found at this URL. What is currently included? At the moment, this implementation includes the following. - A complete version of the base game, and all expansions, up through Nature Incarnate, the latest release. All adversaries, spirits, event cards are included, and can be toggled individually. - Support for solo play. - Commands to read all the game state, board information, cards, spirit boards and lore, etc. - Support for various scenarios to increase replay value - Full undo and redo, game export and replay, and support for "controlled fate", to allow the player to use the program as a tool to track play by post games or similar. - Local, not online, multiplayer support, though it's a little rough around the edges - An AI oponent capable of playing at a high level, for multiple spirit games How do I play this game To start with, you need to be familiar with the rules of Spirit Island, which are linked to here. Note that this is not  the official rulebook, but has the virtue of being a readable web page. The official rules can be found in PDF format via Google or your favorite search engine as well. Note that the game engine tries to enforce all the rules, and will not let you make a play that is illegal or not appropriate for the current stage of the game. If there is ever a bug in this implementation, please report it, but note that the rules engine has been extensively playtested. The game uses a command line interface. It is played in a web page but acts a bit more like a text adventure or a mud. To start with, open the web page and you will be put into an edit box. The "Help" command is your friend. The first command you want to use is "settings", to change the game options. You need to use the following command: "settings show_icons false", to set it so that the game doesn't display graphical icons the screen reader cannot detect. This setting is persistent, and only needs to be toggled once. From there, use "new," to start a new game, "config," to change the game configuration, and the various commands to get info about the current state of the game. If you want to review older output you will find all of it above the edit box. Actual game moves are made using a menu. The game will display  something like this. Setup Presence of Lightning added to Sands A7. Presence of Lightning added to Sands A7. Initial Explore Explore: Sands Explorer added to Sands A4. Explorer added to Sands A7. Turn 1. Grow Grow Pick Growth Option [G1] [1] Reclaim cards [2] Gain Power Card [3] Gain +1 Energy [G2] [4] Add a Presence in Range 2 [5] Add a Presence in Range 0 [G3] [6] Add a Presence in Range 1 [7] Gain +3 Energy :  To select one of the growth options, you would press, for instance, 4, to select the first part of G2, the second growth option. Note that the menu is context sensitive and will not let you select things that are nonsensical. TO learn about the game state, you can use commands like the following. - Board or b, to show a full readout of the  current board state, excluding adjacency information. - Adjacency or a, to show the connections between lands on the board, which are not always obvious. "a a3," or "a a5," for instance. - land, to display the info of a particular square on the board. "land a3", "land a5," etc. - hand, to display a list of cards you can pick from to review. Note that this takes you into a separate list and doesn't actually play a card. - move or m, to display a full list of the currently available moves at present. You can also do something like "move a4," to select land a4, rather than typing its number. - Read or R, , to read cards when you are prompted to select them while gaining powers, and so on. "r 3," to show whatever card number 3 in the most recent list is, etc. - Undo and redo, if you ever make a mistake and want to try again. You can go back all the way  to the beginning of the game. There are many, many more commands for doing things like selecting spirits, reading information about cards, listing game elements, and so on. The help command is the definitive reference. What is the game like to play? This is not an easy game. The base difficulty is challenging, and there are a whole bunch of options you can set to make things more complicated. You will basically be playing against the game mechanics, but the actual experience will differ a lot depending on what spirit you play as. This game is extremely popular among sighted board gamers, so I recommend looking at guides or tutorials that explain beginner strategies or the like. I will point out that you can set the app to use the power progression cards, which are useful for your first game, using the config command, and that you probably want to start with low complexity spirits. Please keep in mind that this is an early release, and while it has been playtested quite a bit, bugs are always possible. Also, note that the developer is somewhat busy, so fixes may be intermittent. The base game content should work fairly well however, once you get used to how to play and get info from it. I'm happy to answer questions, as always. I'm excited to share this game with everyone. Enjoy :)

Tower Of Darkness (Windows)

Tower Of Darkness is designed with blind and visually impaired players in mind to be an accessible version of the 1981 electronic board game Dark Tower by Milton Bradley games, playable on a PC running Windows.

THE STORY:

The Lord of Darkness has stolen a magic sceptre of power which allows him to gain control over the four Kingdoms, he's taken this sceptre and hidden it in the Tower of Darkness, guarded by his army of dark knights. Each kingdom has appointed their best warriors, champions, to raise an army, storm the Tower and defeat the army inside, and so recapture the magic sceptre. The kingdom that gains possession of the Sceptre will gain control over the empire!

Each player controls a champion warrior and must travel through each of the four kingdoms seeking three keys to unlock the gates to the tower. Along the way they must raise an army large enough to defeat the Dark Lord's army. The first player to defeat the Dark Lord and retrieve the magic sceptre wins the game. Search tombs and ruins for gold or keys, seek refuge in a Sanctuary or visit bazaars to buy provisions or hire warriors but don't forget to haggle with the merchant to get the best prices! Beware of the dragon who will ruin your day if you don't have a legendary dragon-sword to defeat him with.

While Tower of Darkness is almost an exact replica of Dark Tower, it features some changes and enhancements: In this version solo play is very much supported, you can play alone versus the tower if you wish. The original board game had only one type of enemy: Brigands. Tower of Darkness features many more different enemy types who vary in numbers and aggression. Unlike the original game, Tower of Darkness features different terrain types; different terrains dictate the types of encounters a player may have. The game features a unique navigation system to enable a player to play without sight, exploring the layout of the board and moving around it. All menus are self voiced. The game features many of the original game's electronic tower sound effects but includes new sounds to enhance the atmosphere during play. Like the original board game, combat is very simplistic but in this version you can hire a wizard and during combat command him to throw a fireball at the enemy in an attempt to gain the upper hand. In the original game, wizards were found as a treasure and only used to curse another player, stealing a significant amount of gold and warriors from them. This is not implemented in Tower of Darkness because it's only a fun mechanic if you have four players and even then, it felt a bit lame.

The game is for Windows only. Android, IOS and Linux using a virtual machine are not supported. The game is for 1 to 4 players local multiplayer only, no online. English language only.

All menus are self voiced, screen readers are not supported.

Please note: Launching this game for the first time will create a folder called Tower Of Darkness in your documents directory. This folder contains a text file that stores saved game data.

AI was used to make some voice assets for this game.

Please read the included text game manual for full instructions on how to play the game.

The current game version is 0.6. The game is entirely playable for 1 or 2 players locally. Local multiplayer for up to 4 players will be added soon.

Soulblaze (Windows, Mac, Linux)

Hi, everyone! My name is Zein, I'm a sighted solo dev working on a Pokémon-inspired creature collecting rogue-lite Soulblaze, made in Godot, currently in development. I have added a TTS mode with the last update to make the game playable for blind players. It supports NVDA if installed / running and falls back to Godot's internal text-to-speech if not. The mode is far from perfect or polished but I wanted to get it in as soon as possible to improve on it while I develop the game. Any feedback can help me make this better over time. You can download the game here: https://sword-and-quill.itch.io/soulblaze You can enable text-to-speech with V on your keyboard A short game introduction: You are an animancer, someone who can capture creatures called animons and use them to fight battles for you. Your goal is to fight your way through a map to beat the boss and then proceed to the next region to repeat. You capture animons on your way, train them, teach them techniques, collect items, and more. A few things to note: - the TTS mode works with keyboard and gamepad - use LB on gamepad, R on keyboard to hear the last message again - as said, the game is in early development: things aren't finished and bugs can happen, some things might be confusing - there is currently no tutorial - there are currently three regions, three bosses, and specific creatures to capture for each region, the third region is not fleshed out yet an creatures are missing visual descriptions - Godot's internal tts causes a bit of input delays, so I recommend NVDA if possible - I'm doing everything by myself, that means design, code, art, sound, etc.: so please keep in mind that I have to juggle all that when adding or improving new features. I won't be able to do everything immediately but I'm definitely listening to all feedback! - I played it with the screen turned off and managed to be able to play everything but I also know the game inside-out so I might not notice when some information was skipped so I rely on feedback of willing players Thank you for reading! Zein from Sword & Quill

Paper Perjury: An Ace attorney-inspired visual novel (Windows, Mac, Linux)

Your first day as a police clerk... unveils a tapestry of mysteries! You play as Justina Smith, a newly hired clerk at the Azure City Police Department, as she finds out the truth behind a series of suspicious crimes. Work with the eccentric detectives Ernest Hunt and Sophie Swift as you investigate crime scenes, interrogate suspects, and discover the secrets hidden among the paper trails. Five interconnected cases to explore! From wealthy manors to parking garages, you'll get down in the weeds across five different cases, each with a connected narrative, as you work to expose one large mystery. Investigate Azure City's largest investment firm and expose the shady dealings they've tried their best to cover up. From robbery, to embezzlement, and even... murder! Question the suspects... and shove the truth in their face! As you explore the city, you'll be able to take the statements of the bystanders you come across. Review their statements carefully, as not everyone in this city is honest! When you finally catch the prime suspect, take them back to the station for interrogation, and expose their crimes! A bustling city with memorable characters and locations! Azure City is a diverse place, teeming with all sorts of interesting characters. Explore a cast ranging from a tea-loving lawyer, a cowboy barber, a magician, and even... a cat? Each person you talk to has a wide range of dialogue for you to explore! Collect evidence to solve the case! Examine various crime scenes as you hunt for clues in even the most unlikely of places. Even the smallest piece of evidence could turn out to be crucial! You'll have to use logic to discover what bits of evidence you collect are useful, and which ones you need to solve whatever puzzle you're up against! Befriend a cat The most important part of any game.

As with other games using the RenPi Engine, you can press V to enable self voicing via SAPI or Shift+C for self-voicing via the clipboard. Version 1.01 of the game addressed the initial accessibility bugs as well as added keyboard controls for the "Dispute" and "Question" commands, making it fully playable by blind gamers.

YAGA - accessibility mod for Gothic 1/2: public alpha (Windows)

Hello everyone, after a two years break I finally returned to modding Gothic with powerful support. Before anything else I would wish to extend my sincerest gratitude to the following people. Without them the mod would be nowhere where it is now. If I forgotten anyone I am sorry and I'll fix it as soon as i can ;) - Gratt - Auronen - Patrix9999 - Boguś, Franisz and the rest of the Gothic Modding Community for their awesome support and suggestions. Disclaimer! The mod is in an alpha state. It means that its feature set is nowhere near complete and it is not possible to complete the game autonomously yet. By continuing, you understand that development of such a large scale project takes considerable time and effort and that development might not be as fast as we'd all want it to be. Obtaining the game. Both games that work with yaga can be obtained from Steam - Gothic I - Gothic II: Night of the Raven There's not much else you need to do after purchasing and installing them from Steam. Obtaining Union Union is a set of tools that allows modding the game's engine directly. Thanks to it we can interface with a screenreader, perform wall detection or create an accessible map. Union is not installed in the Steam version of Gothic by default. The installation process is relatively simple however, depending on your screenreader it might require using object navigation or the similar feature. After you download the file, run the installer and check whether the game path aligns with yours. If it does, click on "Continue" and let the mod install. Download Union Installing Yaga After Union is installed you can install the mod that allows blind people to experience the game. The mod is packed in a VDF file, after downloading the file from the Github releases tab you can put it in the following path - For Gothic I: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Gothic\data\plugins - For Gothic II: NotR: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Gothic II\data\plugins Visit Yaga's releases page After copying the file, launch the game. You can skip the intro cutscene with ESC. If you are using NVDA, the game should start reading the main menu. Quit the game before performing any additional configuration. Additional configuration Here we will discuss gothic.ini. For now VIP. If you need to change your screenreader, you can do so in a Gothic.ini file located in the System directory of the Gothic installation directory (see above). Find a line DefaultSpeechEngine = 1. The following options are available - 0 = ZDSR - 1 = NVDA - 2 = SAPI 5 Of course the game need to be restarted for changes to take effect. Mod key binds Mod gives us additional accessibility-related key bindings. Here is the non-exhaustive list - F1: reports current player facing, E.g. North at 0. - H: reports player's health - SHIFT+LEFT/RIGHT arrow: Snaps the player to the nearest cardinal direction - M: Opens an accessible map Accessibility sounds Sounds that are included in this version are mere placeholders. They will not be used in the final build of the mod. Here is their list together with their meaning. - Sliding sound: a ledge - Creaking sound: a chest - A duck: Means a wall. The duck moves in a direction of where the wall ends. - A hitting sound: you are colliding with a wall - A double, sharp beep: An item Why to release now? Hey hey, the game can't be completed and yet you give us this mod? Yes! When I started I made a very bad mistake, I took only one friend as a tester with me which has a serious disadvantage: instead of having tens or hundreds of perspectives, we've got only a couple which made it difficult to make decisions of the further development of the mod. Can i say, it is quite fortunate that I couldn't work on the mod any further those 2 years ago, as we would be two years in a project, which maybe is unplayable and unmanageable for most of the players. now we're early enough in development where we can alter and change most things, and its YOU who should tell us how the mod should proceed. I invite you to join the Gothic Modding Community server on Discord where Yaga has its own, dedicated channel. Come, chat with us, ask questions and contribute! Chat with us on Discord

Visit the Yaga project on Github

Super Race Grand Prix (iOS)

Super Race Grand Prix, are you the fastest pilot? Super Race Grand Prix is a race in which blind pilots are allowed to participate. Your pleasantly crazy co-pilot will try to guide you to victory. Use your concentration, reaction speed, memory and tactical insight to bring this game to a successful end.

• Concentration: Concentrate on the different sounds you hear during the race.
• Reaction speed: React quickly when steering, braking or accelerating.
• Memory: Try to remember the curves of the circuit so that you are prepared for the next curve.
• Tactical insight: Decide whether to make a pit stop and what improvements you make to your racing car.

This audio game is fully accessible for people with a visual impairment using VoiceOver. Use your iPhone or iPad as the steering wheel of your racing car. Super Race Grand Prix integrates Game Center, allowing you to compare scores and race against your friends in real time. Don't hesitate to try Super Race Grand Prix for free.

Nono Blocks Formula (iOS, Mac)

Nono Blocks Formula is a logic puzzle game based on Nonograms — a type of grid puzzle where you fill in cells using hint numbers to reveal the correct pattern. Each row has hint numbers beside it, and each column has hint numbers above. These numbers indicate stretches of consecutive dark cells separated by crossed cells. Tap to mark cells as dark, cross them out, or tap again to change their markings. The goal is to fill every cell in the grid correctly, leaving no empty spaces.

With over a hundred levels, Nono Blocks Formula offers puzzles that become more challenging as you progress, helping to develop your logic and problem-solving skills. Play using simple tap-based controls on iPhone and iPad, or enjoy the experience with a mouse on Mac.

Key Features:

• Over 100 levels, ranging from beginner to advanced difficulty.

• Intuitive and simple controls.

• Available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

• Leaderboards to track progress and compete with others.

• The game is fully accessible with VoiceOver support.

Whether you're new to Nonograms or a fan of logic puzzles, Nono Blocks Formula delivers an engaging challenge for players of all skill levels. Download today and start solving!

Accessible Math Match (iOS)

Math Match – Challenge Your Mind with Math

Put your mental agility to the test with Math Match, the ultimate math game for iPhone. Solve math operations in a race against time or challenge yourself to get as many correct answers as possible without making a mistake. Have fun while improving your math skills!

Game Modes:

• Count down: Get as many correct answers as you can in 1 minute.

• No Mistakes Mode: Keep going until you make a mistake.

• Multiplication Practice: Master the multiplication tables with this practice mode.

Difficulty Levels:

• Easy, Medium, and Hard: Adjust the difficulty based on your skills. Higher levels bring more complex math challenges.

Connect with GameCenter:

• Share your score and compete with friends and players around the world. Become the best at Math Match!

Discover how fun it can be to train your brain. Download Math Match now and start adding, subtracting, dividing and multiplying today!

This application is compatible with VoiceOver and other accessibility features.

Maxithlon (free online athletics manager)

Description by Caccio76 and Jim Duggan:

Maxithlon is a free, totally screen reader accessible athletics (track and field) manager. I mean "totally accessible" literarily, so that even those less adept with screen reader, (like myself), can play it easily, I encountered no single screen reader related issue in it so far. All we need to do is tabbing, arrowing, paging up/down, hitting "enter" or "space", and in some rare cases, when following event results, for switching between events, (using the "relive" option is recommended), the alt+o and alt+p shortcut keys.

The link to the game: https://www.maxithlon.com/

However, since the game is quite complex and strategically detailed, I asked one of its experienced players to make a summary for its introduction, here it goes:

Maxithlon: The Ultimate Online Track and Field Management Game

Maxithlon is a unique and engaging online game (some say addictive!) that allows players to manage their own track and field club. Launched in 2006, it has grown to become a popular choice for sports enthusiasts who enjoy strategy and management games. Here’s why Maxithlon stands out and is worth your time:

1. Unique Concept Maxithlon is the first and only online game dedicated to managing a track and field club. Unlike other sports management games that focus on team sports like football or basketball, Maxithlon offers a fresh and unique experience by diving into the world of athletics.
2. Realistic Management Experience In Maxithlon, you’re not playing against computer-generated teams. You compete against other real players from around the world. This adds a layer of realism and competitiveness that makes the game more engaging. You’ll need to strategize, train your athletes, manage finances, and make crucial decisions to lead your club to success.
3. Comprehensive Gameplay The game covers all aspects of managing a track & field club. You’ll be involved in training athletes, selecting teams, developing facilities, whilst handling the financial aspects of your club. This comprehensive approach ensures that you’re always engaged and have multiple areas to focus on.
4. Tutorial and Game Guide Maxithlon offers a detailed tutorial and game guide to help new players get started. The tutorial walks you through the basics of the game, ensuring you understand how to manage your club effectively. The game guide provides in-depth information on various aspects of the game, from training techniques to financial management, making it easier for players to master the game.
5. Mentors One of the standout features of Maxithlon is its mentor system. Experienced players can volunteer to mentor newcomers, offering guidance and advice to help them navigate the complexities of the game. This mentorship program fosters a supportive community and helps new players improve their skills more quickly.
6. Community and Interaction Maxithlon boasts a strong online community. You can interact with other managers, share strategies, and participate in forums. This sense of community enhances the gaming experience, making it more than just a game but a platform for social interaction and learning.
7. No Bot Players In Maxithlon, all players are real people. There are no bot players, which means every competition and interaction is with another human being. This adds to the authenticity and excitement of the game, as you’re always competing against real strategies and decisions.
8. Accessibility One of the best things about Maxithlon is its accessibility. You don’t need to download anything to play. It’s a browser-based game, meaning you can play it on any device with an internet connection. This makes it easy to jump in and start managing your club without any hassle.
9. Time Once you’re up and running, Maxithlon is not too time-consuming. You can manage your club effectively with just a few minutes of attention each day. This makes it a perfect game for those who have busy schedules but still want to enjoy a deep and engaging management experience.
10. Free to Play Maxithlon is free to play, which is a huge plus. While there are premium features available, the core game is accessible to everyone without any cost. This allows a wide range of players to enjoy the game and compete on an even playing field.

Conclusion Maxithlon is a fantastic game for anyone interested in sports management and athletics. Its unique concept, realistic management experience, comprehensive gameplay, gentle tutorial and game guide, supportive mentor system, forum community, real player interactions, accessibility, low time commitment, and free-to-play model make it a standout choice. Whether you’re a seasoned manager or new to the genre, Maxithlon offers a rewarding and enjoyable experience. Finally, and from a personal perspective, I can say without doubt this is the on line game I play the most, and get the greatest thrill from. Enjoy!

So all athletics, aka track and field fans interested, give this game a try, and maybe arrange a meeting where we can test our starting, crappy athletes against eachother!

My manager name: Caccio My club's name: Crumpley my arena: Potato Field nation: Hungary (dél alföld region)

Many thanks to Jim Duggan for the detailed introduction and concept

Table Tennis Manager (Web)

Description by Caccio72:

Table Tennis Manager is a much more simple online manager game than my previous suggestion, Maxithlon athletic manager, so this one I will try to present myself:

In Table Tennis Manager you manage your table tennis clud, whose main team consists of 4 players for singlse, and 4 for doubles matches, normally yosettings, ur singles can all be asigned to play as doubles too.

Despite being pretty simple to get a hang of, with all screen reader accessible and self-explanatory menues and options/settings, the game features everything a sport manager type game should have: Team and individual tactics for players, coaches, facility upgrades and improvements, (hall), hiring new, better players if you can afford them, (player pool), hiring coaches, (staff), finances, (choosing sponsors for example), league competition, (starting lower leagues full of bots), youth training and competition, friendly matches,  some quite simple tactical settings,(team and individual if chosen), following the match, meaning how scores evolve is also quite simple, a forum for discussions and advices...

The link to the game: https://www.tabletennismanager.com/uebersicht.html

However, I must note 2 slight screen reader accessibility issues I encountered, they of course don't prevent us from playing the game normally, but can probably still make some people annoyed:

1. This is a german game, it normally has language settings, including english too of course,and the setting itself works, the game text is indeed displayed in english, but screen reader keeps pronouncing those english words in german accent. So either get used to it, and make screen reader spell the words if you are unsure of their meaning due their german pronouncing, or if you know german, simply change the game language to german.

2. When setting team and individual tactics, there are 5 main options, from most aggressive to most defensive, aka passive. The slider showing the current chosen option on the scale is unaccessible, but there is a combined list which we can use instead for the whole team, (remember, if you save it, your choice will of course be saved and applied, but the shown setting will remain on its default, the most aggressive setting, don't get confused by this), while for individual players there are 5 tactics applications listed in a row, choosing which works the same way as the combined list, just remember to always save your changes with the option for it below.

So those of you, who are interested or curious enough to try out a quite simple, but still good enough online  table tennis manager, and won't feel annoyed by the above mentioned 2 slight issues, feel free to try this game out!

Game Updates

• Advance Wars 1.2.2 includes a number of fixes to various command officers and their abilities, makes some AI tweaks, adds a customizable war funds cap for each faction and introduces new rail units and rail and swamp map tiles
• SimpleFighter had a bunch of updates in December which greatly expanded the map building capabilities. Characters and platforms can now have more custom sounds, you can now add bosses to your maps, reverb zones can be tested during creation, and much more. There are also a number of bug fixes as well as an overhaul of the text input and UI system
• TobyDoom 8 is a major update to the excellent doom accessibility mod which now also supports Hexen complete with a more blind friendly map pack, a new proximity radar, a new map exploration path finder which will guide you to unexplored areas, a key to read various stats like number of kills and discovered secrets, new footsteps that change based on the surface you're walking on and much more.
• Infinicrawl had a major combat update in December that introduced new types of encounters and overhauled the weapons system. Weapons can now be either 1 or two handed allowing you to also use a shield. There are now also both ranged and thrown weapons. There are also many other tweaks to combat enemy loot drops, zone encounters and much more.
• Blackhole (the accessibility mod for Balatro) supports challenges, added optional positional audio queues for navigating through cards, as well as fixed reading of skip rewards for other languages and Mac support
• Alter Aeon December updates focused on wrapping up the big equipment overhaul featuring the new material-based crafting system, with most commands now supporting a much easier to use natural language parser.
• ErionMud has had a lot of updates since we last caught up with them in February. A Christmas event was ran featuring having to defeat everyone's favorite — The Grinch (surely he's everyone's favorite right?) For more all-year long news, plenty of new content has been added including the expansion and rewriting of several areas, new crafting blueprints, new achievements and more.
• BardCard 3.29 included a number of big improvements for accessibility, including better reading of battle messages, various events during exploration, the and intro cinematic is now fully described.
• Dawncaster 1.14.098 features 5 brand new community designed cards as well as localization fixes
• Danger on the Wheel was rebuilt with the NVGT engine, which should make the game more compatible with modern systems. The update adds binaural audio with a Mac port on the horizon
• Warsim 1.2.8 subtitled "The Staff Executions Update" lets you, well, execute most of your court staff, as well as send adventurers who venture into your throne room down the trapdoor. As well as this there's the usual bunch of bug fixes as well.
• Forza Update 15 is all about racing culture in Australia, featuring the Bathurst track, a new racing series focused on Australian cars, the ability to upgrade your car during feature multiplayer events, faster loading and camera transitions and more. The update also unfortunately breaks the reading of driver suit descriptions in the customization menu
• The Tornado Chicken 3.0 is now available on Android and Mac, the documentation is now built-into the game and changes were made to one of the secret treasures.
• Hearthstone Patch 31.2 started the previously announced 95th season of battlegrounds which introduces a ton of new minions, 3 new heros , as well as the ability to reroll a hero you don't like on the selection screen.
• Periphery Synthetic 3.2.10 included more accessibility enhancements, notably sounds for scanning should be even more clear especially if you're facing away from a potential item of interest. The game now also includes instructions how to use the various upgrades which will be filled in with more details as you unlock more subsystems. 2 subsequent smaller patches were also released. The developer also shared a trailer of the upcoming Site D expansion, complete with audio descriptions. THis new area will feature a new gliding system, materials floating in the atmosphere, the ability to break down and exchange minerals and much more

Authors

This edition of the digest has been written by:

• Piotr Machacz (pitermach@dragonscave.space on Mastodon)