Player Customization of Sound Levels and Brightness of Blind Visual Effect

plantera

The suggestion is in the title.

Customizable sound levels for:

• Chase music;
• Crows;
• Map environmental elements (e.g., lockers, decorative assets);
• Hook sound effects;
• Generators (progress, explosions, etc.);
• Killer and Survivor-specific sound effects.

Justification: DBD should be accessible to players with mental illnesses. Some mental illnesses impair a player's ability to process and filter certain types of sensory stimuli (i.e., information). Universal volume permissions do not reasonably accommodate people with novel sensory issues by virtue of the design. If someone turns down the game volume because the chase music is too overwhelming, they cannot appropriately listen for other context clues that provide players (both killers and survivors) with essential information about the game state. The universal volume control, then, functionally disables players who are vulnerable to sensory stimulation, which is not something that can be 'improved upon' like other skills in the game.

If anything, reducing the volume of any of these elements creates greater obstacles for player performance by reducing the amount of information they receive in general. Therefore, the most appropriate and meaningful initiative here would include in-game subtitling for players who are heard of hearing or who cannot endure certain soundscapes.

Customizable brightness of the blind visual effect:

Justification: Though this should be self-explanatory, the current design of the blinding animation is incredibly hostile toward people who are vulnerable to headaches and migraines, and who experience eye strain more generally. The blinding animation does not functionally necessitate a fade-to-white animation given that the purpose is to simply obscure the visual picture. This is also readily accomplished by a fade-to-black animation.

AngyKiller

If you could turn down the sounds; everyone would.

While I'm all for disability awareness (See: How often I push the issue with flashlight macro-clicking and light sensitivity); there are just some things you have to accept may not be possible if you have a disability.

One of those things is the sounds; if players could turn down the chase music; they would. It offers a HUGE advantage to turn it down & hear the Survivors breathing/panting/grunts of pain/running.

While I am for the blind animation being different; it still has to blind the Killer in some way, or it would, again, be turned off simply to get the stronger effect of seeing where Survivors go.