Borderlands 2 recieving colorblind mode

Gearbox will be adding a colorblind mode to Borderlands 2 in a future update.

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Developer Gearbox has continued to show support for its hit shooter sequel Borderlands 2 by releasing new updates and patches for the game, the latest of which will add in a colorblind mode when it goes live.

Gearbox felt that adding a colorblind mode to Borderlands 2 is essential due to the game's heavy reliance on color-based feedback, programmer Jeffrey Broome explained in a new post on Gearbox's blog (via Joystiq). Like many other loot-hunting games, Borderlands 2 uses a color-coding system to determine a piece of loot's rarity and worth to the player. However, as Broome points out, such a system does little good for a colorblind player.

Borderlands 2's colorblind mode will cater for three different kinds of colorblindness: deuteranopia, protanopia, and tritanopia. Each option will use a different color palette to color items' "loot beams" so they different rarities are distinct from one another. Loot cards will also list an item's rarity as a color, as not every player knows, for example, that "orange" items are technically called "legendary."

No specific release date for the colorblind update is set at this time but Broome promised that more info will be available in the near future.

Freelancer
From The Chatty
  • reply
    January 28, 2014 10:30 AM

    Nathaniel Hohl posted a new article, Borderlands 2 recieving colorblind mode.

    Gearbox will be adding a colorblind mode to Borderlands 2 in a future update.

    • reply
      January 28, 2014 10:48 AM

      I wish all games would do this.

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        January 28, 2014 11:40 AM

        Would be even cooler if they did it within 6 months of release...you know, when they are still relevant.

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        January 28, 2014 12:25 PM

        I know! Most games with loot I have no idea WTF. I usually have to look at the name and guess. For me it is especially difficult to spot colors when the area shown is very small. In BL2 they have those tiny beams of light coming up from items... it was difficult. Red, Yellow, Orange light beams all look the same to me. Blue, Purple, Light Green all kind of blend. It's a a big problem in games for me. In games like Battlefield I would get killed so many times just spending that extra second to figure out if it was a friendly or an enemy. I'd be looking at the clouds saying "oh... bad guy I guess".

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      January 28, 2014 12:53 PM

      These guys need some serious congratulations for going the extra mile like this

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      January 28, 2014 6:30 PM

      One of my customers turned on colorblind mode in CoD:Ghosts. Calls me to complain that his game is red and green or something. I connect remotely to figure out if it's the video card or something else.

      Finally dive through the settings to find that switched on. I didn't even bother to ask him why he would switch that on.

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      January 28, 2014 10:50 PM

      Subtitles, Close Captioning, Colorblind, Controller support (people with missing fingers or lack of motion in some fingers), and remappable keys/commands (similar reason but for keyboards), and configurable text/HUD size for vision impaired.

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      January 30, 2014 10:13 AM

      As a colorblind gamer, nothing ticks me off more than lack of a color-blind mode. As a guy who's played through twice now in TVH mode I can say that R/B's will rejoice, but luckily I'm Amber/Green which probably helped; especially in the opening ice part.

      Many games give me trouble but for some reason Borderlands 2 did not maybe due to the cell-shading style? FarCry3- now that was a colorblind disaster - you try finding an orange tiger in green brush! At least there are sites like ablegamer.com to let me know when to rent first rather than buy. You would think there would be some sort of posted disclaimer these days.

      One thing is for sure, we don't that the devs that put the mode in enough!!! Thanks GearBox! I'm looking forward to my next play-through.

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