Hey everyone!
Due to an upcoming discussion on the forum about this title, I thought I'd throw my hat into the ring with a detailed post for you all. For reference, I accumulated around 600 hours in this game when I was sighted, and even after losing my eyesight, I was able to continue playing portions of it with some assistance. So, I do have substantial experience with this title.
In Terraria, you play a side-scrolling sandbox RPG. Movement is primarily limited to left, right, up, and down. Essentially, it's like a two-dimensional, side-scrolling version of Minecraft, with some distinct differences. For starters, there's no complicated crafting interface like you might find in intricate Minecraft mods. Instead, you mainly use a vertically scrolling menu or a larger grid-like menu you can open when crafting. But mostly, it’s just that simple vertical scrolling bar. You gather the required materials, approach the appropriate crafting bench, and open the vertical menu to craft the item you desire.
Inventory Management
Regarding inventory management, Terraria uses a grid-based system that automatically sorts items from oldest to newest as they're collected. You have your hotbar at the top and your main inventory below it. Both are easily navigable with a gamepad, but we'd still need a way to implement speech output here. With the previously mentioned font mod, this could actually become manageable through OCR. Personally, I haven't experienced significant issues with inventory management, because the automatic sorting allows me to quickly locate newly picked-up items by navigating to the last inventory slot and working backward. While speech output would greatly enhance this experience, inventory management remains doable even without speech, albeit with some trial and error.
Gameplay Loop
The gameplay loop is as follows: you start by chopping trees—simply approach them and hold down the interact button, and the gamepad automatically takes care of the chopping. Next, craft a workbench to create other useful items, build a house using wood, and survive the night so you can safely gather more resources in the morning. Alternatively, you can mine underground, gathering resources to craft stronger weapons or accessories, which help you defeat the bosses you'll encounter later in the game.
In a game like Terraria, we avoid many accessibility pitfalls thanks primarily to excellent gamepad support. When performing tasks like aiming at enemies, collecting resources, or activating doors, the game provides something called Smart Cursor, which automatically helps you target these objects. Smart Cursor is fantastic—it almost always knows exactly what to aim at and when.
When gathering resources, significant mining is involved. Similar to Minecraft, the deeper into the world you dig, the more valuable ores you'll find—until eventually, you dig too deep and enter hell.
Accessibility Improvements
Regarding accessibility, what would it take for this game to become fully playable for the blind community? Frustratingly little, it seems. I understand that armchair programming can often seem overly simplistic to actual developers, as solutions that appear easy to us might require extensive troubleshooting. I could be entirely off-base here, and I acknowledge this possibility—I don't have programming experience myself, so please take this as more of a passionate call to action rather than a detailed technical plan.
But here's my perspective: adding speech output would dramatically improve accessibility. Smart Cursor already targets enemies, ores, and other objects automatically, but we need audio feedback to know exactly what we're aiming at. Speech output would also be necessary for navigating menus and interfaces. OCR isn't very helpful with Terraria’s default cartoonish, stylized font. However, mods already exist that implement standardized fonts, potentially making OCR more viable and worth exploring.
Once speech output is implemented, many challenges become easier. Movement in Terraria is already quite simple. In later game stages, traveling across the map can be as easy as holding down spacebar and either A or D, depending on your desired direction. Wings, obtainable later in the game, allow you to fly high across the map and completely prevent fall damage, making them the ultimate blind-friendly travel companion.
Combat is straightforward as well, as Smart Cursor automatically handles enemy targeting, eliminating significant concerns.
Building and Optional Wiring
Another notable challenge is building. While building would indeed present a challenge, it's simpler than making Minecraft's building accessible. Terraria uses a tile-based system, allowing players to rely heavily on X and Y coordinates. Items already exist that let you identify exactly which coordinates you're aiming at, along with items that allow building without range limitations. Thus, accessible building is already achievable—we just need speech output indicating the coordinates we're targeting. A simple announcement like "Dirt Block at coordinate 0x, 1y" could suffice.
There's also a wiring system in Terraria for creating complex contraptions, but wiring is entirely optional. You never have to touch wiring to beat the game multiple times. The core building mechanic truly relies only on a simple, block-based system similar to Minecraft, but significantly easier thanks to its two-dimensional design.
World Events and Sound Cues
Regarding world events—such as boss spawns, Blood Moons, or Solar Eclipses—these events are already announced in the game's chat messages, ideally enhanced with speech output. Terraria also provides distinctive music cues for biomes and world events. For example, if a Solar Eclipse begins, special music and chat announcements immediately inform you. Each enemy also features unique sound effects, adding another layer of audio awareness.
Numerous mods exist that enhance auditory navigation, such as ambient environmental sounds and realistic footsteps that change based on terrain, providing additional spatial orientation.
Health, Mana, and Status Feedback
Monitoring health, mana, and status ailments is straightforward, thanks to mods providing audible alerts when your health or mana reaches certain thresholds. Depending on your character build, mana management may even become effortless due to gear offering constant mana regeneration.
Keyboard vs. Gamepad Controls
I've talked extensively about gamepad accessibility, but regarding keyboard controls, things could be more complicated. Currently, keyboard navigation of inventory or hotbar isn't possible, and Smart Cursor functionality isn't available with the keyboard alone, as it doesn't allow independent aiming. Making this mod accessible with a keyboard would require more significant and creative adjustments. It remains doable, but in general, a gamepad would clearly be the ideal choice.
Additional Considerations (Menu Guides, AI Systems)
Menus in Terraria don't wrap around, making it possible to create detailed menu guides even before speech output is available. This could temporarily help with menu, inventory, and hotbar navigation. Additionally, though I haven't tested real-time AI vision systems extensively with Terraria, I imagine they could significantly assist in navigating the inventory or reading certain interfaces.
Let’s Collaborate! (A Call to Action)
If you're interested in exploring Terraria's current accessibility with me, creating a Discord server could be an excellent first step. We could discuss aspects of the game that could be improved for blind or low-vision players, brainstorm possible solutions, or even organize multiplayer sessions. Server API's like TShock already allow teleport commands, and we could also join the same team in-game and use Wormhole Potions for easy teleportation. Honestly, I believe we stand a real chance of beating the game—even without dedicated accessibility mods—but with mods, success would be practically guaranteed.
While I'm not a developer myself and can’t contribute directly to modding, I’d be more than happy to help test, give feedback, and share my knowledge of the game’s accessibility challenges. If you have modding experience, accessibility expertise, or simply wish to support this initiative, please consider reaching out.
I genuinely believe Terraria is a unique experience worth sharing, and I'm excited about the possibility of making it accessible to everyone.
Please leave your questions, suggestions, or ideas below—I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Thanks for reading!