DOOM 3 -- For the Deaf and Hearing-Impaired

Dyre Straits · Mar 21, 2006, 10:33 AM

One thing that most people don't realize is just how difficult it would be to play most video games if they couldn't hear anything. You can easily find out how frustrating it would be by simply turning off your audio and try to play a game like DOOM 3 for even 30 minutes.

I got the game over a year ago and did try playing it. BUT, the game developers overlooked the need for the option to provide subtitles for the game. Due to that, DOOM 3 was set aside and not given much thought for all this time.

Well, thankfully, at the behest of several deaf/hearing-impaired gamers, a team was put together that included a professional game designer/developer and a MOD created that now provides subtitles for DOOM 3.

Finally, after sitting on my shelf for over a year now, I've been able to play this game for a few hours and am enjoying it a LOT. Talk about goosepimples and hair turning white!! LOL!

For those who've already played the game, you probably recall the scene in the restroom. After fighting off some mutants in there, I went to the lavatory to grab an armor shard and nearly emptied a full machine gun clip......at my own reflection!

Anyway, I know most of you have already played this through, but, I just wanted to let you know that it's playing and looking FANTASTIC on my system. I'm getting 60+ FPS with high settings.

If anyone missed this game due to the lack of subtitles, you need wait no more. The mod is totally free to download and the support is excellent.

Let me know if you need a link.

Cheers! (And keep your flashlight handy.

)

SFOSOK · Mar 21, 2006, 11:02 AM

Wut you want it to say RRRRRRAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWR (coming from directly behind you)....?

~~Sanafabich~~ · Mar 21, 2006, 11:50 AM

why did you need subtitles?

Flexkill · Mar 21, 2006, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sanafabich

why did you need subtitles?

Well obviously he is hearing impaired, and at the post above my quoted one....i don't find that funny at all!!!

~~Sanafabich~~ · Mar 21, 2006, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flexkill

Well obviously he is hearing impaired

I didn't know you were hearing impaired, Dyre. I guess I never thought about what is it like when it comes to playing videogames. Now that I think about it, subtitles are MANDATORY!

Dyre Straits · Mar 21, 2006, 04:03 PM

Yes, fellas, I'm almost totally deaf.

And, a lot of people have no idea what it's like. There have been a lot of games I had to pass on because of the lack of subtitles.

OmegaRED · Mar 21, 2006, 04:37 PM

Wouldn't it be easier to have force feedback mice? Or use vibrating headphones (I got a pair) to feel the game instead of hearing it.

Dyre Straits · Mar 21, 2006, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OmegaRED

Wouldn't it be easier to have force feedback mice? Or use vibrating headphones (I got a pair) to feel the game instead of hearing it.

I think you don't understand. What about all the dialogue? There's plenty of conversations going on, tape recorded messages, etc. Without any of that, how would the game make any sense?

OmegaRED · Mar 21, 2006, 07:07 PM

Ya thats true. Although I've noticed almost all the games with cutscenes have subtitles on by default. They should add some support for hearing impaired its not like it will be difficult to do.

Maddogg6 · Mar 21, 2006, 07:45 PM

Id expect a 'force feedback' mouse (I like a mouse best for games like that) would be a great help for those with hearing loss. Even if not totally. My uncle has very restricted hearing from his job and has trouble with simple things like a drive through window.

We definitly take our hearing for granted, and because I LOVE music - I can't even begin imagine what its like.

But, I'm sure no one really means any offense here to the OP ... as I've never seen a forum where sooo many people get along so well with sooo little flamage...

daedal · Mar 21, 2006, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dyre Straits

Yes, fellas, I'm almost totally deaf.

And, a lot of people have no idea what it's like. There have been a lot of games I had to pass on because of the lack of subtitles.

I bet. Thinking back on the games I've played that bring back fond memories are nearly always related to particular songs or voice clips. Quick examples are several of the songs from Full Throttle and Grim Fandango, which reminds me I need to install Scumm VM..

BWX · Mar 21, 2006, 08:00 PM

I was with a girl for about 3 years that was almost totally deaf. Yeah you don't think about it as someone that can hear perfectly, you just take it for granted. That's really cool they made a game patch specifically for the hearing impaired. That does make you think, they could do it for a lot of games fairly easily, they should do that.

pr0digal jenius · Mar 21, 2006, 08:22 PM

I'm wondering if voice to speach software isn't the way to go...they have it available as a driver for most TV tuner cards...why not video games?

Dyre Straits · Mar 21, 2006, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maddogg6

...

We definitly take our hearing for granted, and because I LOVE music - I can't even begin imagine what its like.

...

You can only imagine then, how much I miss music. I play piano/organ and have played other instruments in the past. I haven't always had such a severe hearing loss. Music was a BIG part of my life in years past.

I think of all the things I miss the most, it's the music.

~~Sanafabich~~ · Mar 22, 2006, 12:31 AM

music is still in your head. don't forget that, nobody can take that from you. Most of the time, I'm "listening" to songs in my head. I don't use walkman/mp3 players, etc. Just my brains.

Dyre Straits · Mar 22, 2006, 12:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sanafabich

music is still in your head. don't forget that, nobody can take that from you. Most of the time, I'm "listening" to songs in my head. I don't use walkman/mp3 players, etc. Just my brains.

You have that absolutely right. And, it doesn't keep me from singing in the shower, either.

I also wake up nearly every morning with a song in my head. So, I haven't forgotten.

It's just such a shame that I can't sit down and enjoy playing the instruments anymore.

Most sounds above C above middle C only sound like clicks of a typewriter now. No tones at all.

Flexkill · Mar 22, 2006, 04:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dyre Straits

You have that absolutely right. And, it doesn't keep me from singing in the shower, either.

I also wake up nearly every morning with a song in my head. So, I haven't forgotten.

It's just such a shame that I can't sit down and enjoy playing the instruments anymore.

Most sounds above C above middle C only sound like clicks of a typewriter now. No tones at all.

Damn Dyre....that really sux man. I am a music lover and guitar player myself....I cant and don't even want to think about losing my hearing. Is it anything that can be corrected in your case ....with surgery or something maybe???

BWX · Mar 22, 2006, 04:46 AM

Dyre, can you still use the telephone?

My ex g/f could, barely, but she could. She had the type of impairment that could not be fixed, it was a nerve thing, and it was all the mid and high pitch frequencies she couldn't hear. Basically all treble and midrange was gone, and only the low frequencies could be detected, I say that because she could hear them, but not clearly. For her it was like that since here birth though.. so she had a speech impediment, but she had no trouble communicating.. but you could tell she had some hearing loss. She loved music BTW, and loved dancing.

Dyre Straits · Mar 22, 2006, 06:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BWX

Dyre, can you still use the telephone?

My ex g/f could, barely, but she could. She had the type of impairment that could not be fixed, it was a nerve thing, and it was all the mid and high pitch frequencies she couldn't hear. Basically all treble and midrange was gone, and only the low frequencies could be detected, I say that because she could hear them, but not clearly. For her it was like that since here birth though.. so she had a speech impediment, but she had no trouble communicating.. but you could tell she had some hearing loss. She loved music BTW, and loved dancing.

No, my ability to use the telephone ended about 18 years ago. Fortunately, there is now what's called, Relay Service, for the hearing and speech impaired. This involves dialing a 711 number (in most States) and using some kind of Teletype machine that allows the operator (Caller Assistant) to type the text back to us. It essentially becomes a 3-way call with the CA handling the conversations.

Now, with Internet access, this can be done over the Internet without incurring any additional long distance or even local call charges.

But, you'd be surprised how many people aren't familiar with this type of call and will hang up thinking it's a prank call.

I'm on the advisory council for the State of Georgia Public Service Commission that sets the rules and regulations for this. We even help decide just which company is going to be the primary Relay Service company in the State. Presently, our biggest goal is getting the public aware of this type of service so that people such as myself don't have to go through so many 'hangups' when we try to make Relay phone calls.

Email is so nice, though.

SFOSOK · Mar 22, 2006, 07:08 AM

Well I mean what I said was a legitamte question. I really don't know how it works or how it would work. Kinda interested to find out now

Dyre Straits · Mar 22, 2006, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Green Death Flavor

Well I mean what I said was a legitamte question. I really don't know how it works or how it would work. Kinda interested to find out now

I can do a little video capturing that has these captions that we use and you can see what it's like. It's very similar to what you would see if you turn on the Closed Captions on your TV or during a DVD movie.

The subtitles do show things that indicate things like: footsteps nearby; metal moaning; doors creaking; that sort of thing. This is along with the dialogue that's carried on by the game characters.

I'll do a little video when I get DOOM 3 cranked up again so you can see exactly how it works.

BWX · Mar 22, 2006, 08:11 AM

Yeah I know about those phones.. They should incorporate caller ID to make sure it says that it is one of those types of calls so people know.. why don't they just do that?

~~Sanafabich~~ · Mar 22, 2006, 12:15 PM

dyre, what's with this "born in 1948" line in your profile?

anyway, as far as modern music is concerned, you're not missing anything. Believe me.

BWX · Mar 22, 2006, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sanafabich

anyway, as far as modern music is concerned, you're not missing anything. Believe me.

LOL- that is a damn god point. All the good music was made a LONG time ago.. Lately it mostly sucks. and I am a person that loves all different kinds of music.

~~Sanafabich~~ · Mar 22, 2006, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BWX

and I am a person that loves all different kinds of music.

me too! I like gershwin, mozart, beethoven, bach, haydn, billie holiday, sarah vaughan, don mclean, frank sinatra, elvis presley, ray charles, brenda lee, KC and the sunshine band, the doors, earh wind and fire, madonna, michael jackson, bon jovi, jose satriani, a-ha, metallica, toto, europe, yngwie malmsteen, extreme, john williams, AND MANY MORE!
I just love good music. But I guess it was in the middle 90's I began losing interest in modern music. Now I hardly ever listen to modern music in radio stations or TV. Sometimes there are 1 or 2 tunes that catch my attention on MTV, like some music from maroon 5, or Pink (yeah, I like her!

)
But modern music = CRAP

Dyre Straits · Mar 22, 2006, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sanafabich

dyre, what's with this "born in 1948" line in your profile?

.

Yep! Same day and year as Barbara Mandrell -- the Country Singer.

~~Sanafabich~~ · Mar 23, 2006, 03:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dyre Straits

Yep! Same day and year as Barbara Mandrell -- the Country Singer.

so you're 58

. You know, all of my friends are around your age, even much older. I'm only 28 but never got along with people my age.

Dyre Straits · Mar 23, 2006, 04:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sanafabich

so you're 58

. You know, all of my friends are around your age, even much older. I'm only 28 but never got along with people my age.

Actually, just turned 57 this past Christmas.

YAYitsAndrew · Mar 23, 2006, 05:56 AM

As a game designer I'm always keeping impaired users in mind. I don't make puzzles or features that rely on colors or audio cues.

~~Sanafabich~~ · Mar 23, 2006, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dyre Straits

Actually, just turned 57 this past Christmas.

you're like driver heaven's mesiah

Mar 21, 2006, 11:02 AM	#2
SFOSOK 939 Goin Strong Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Ontario Posts: 7,033 Rep Power: 90 System Specs	Wut you want it to say RRRRRRAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWR (coming from directly behind you)....? __________________ Warning - Explicit Content Preceeding METAL!!

Mar 21, 2006, 04:37 PM	#7
OmegaRED Relapsed Gamer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Ottawa , Canada Posts: 5,688 Rep Power: 173 System Specs	Wouldn't it be easier to have force feedback mice? Or use vibrating headphones (I got a pair) to feel the game instead of hearing it. __________________ E Penis Specs: <------------- See System Specs

Mar 21, 2006, 07:07 PM	#9
OmegaRED Relapsed Gamer Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Ottawa , Canada Posts: 5,688 Rep Power: 173 System Specs	Ya thats true. Although I've noticed almost all the games with cutscenes have subtitles on by default. They should add some support for hearing impaired its not like it will be difficult to do. __________________ E Penis Specs: <------------- See System Specs

Mar 21, 2006, 08:00 PM	#12
BWX unplugged Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: USNY Posts: 19,669 Rep Power: 110 System Specs	I was with a girl for about 3 years that was almost totally deaf. Yeah you don't think about it as someone that can hear perfectly, you just take it for granted. That's really cool they made a game patch specifically for the hearing impaired. That does make you think, they could do it for a lot of games fairly easily, they should do that. __________________

Mar 22, 2006, 04:46 AM	#18
BWX unplugged Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: USNY Posts: 19,669 Rep Power: 110 System Specs	Dyre, can you still use the telephone? My ex g/f could, barely, but she could. She had the type of impairment that could not be fixed, it was a nerve thing, and it was all the mid and high pitch frequencies she couldn't hear. Basically all treble and midrange was gone, and only the low frequencies could be detected, I say that because she could hear them, but not clearly. For her it was like that since here birth though.. so she had a speech impediment, but she had no trouble communicating.. but you could tell she had some hearing loss. She loved music BTW, and loved dancing. __________________

Mar 21, 2006, 11:50 AM	#3
~~Sanafabich~~ BANNED Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 511 Rep Power: 0	why did you need subtitles?

Mar 21, 2006, 07:45 PM	#10
Maddogg6 Tail Razer Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Bernyurass, AZ - USA Posts: 4,027 Rep Power: 0	Id expect a 'force feedback' mouse (I like a mouse best for games like that) would be a great help for those with hearing loss. Even if not totally. My uncle has very restricted hearing from his job and has trouble with simple things like a drive through window. We definitly take our hearing for granted, and because I LOVE music - I can't even begin imagine what its like. But, I'm sure no one really means any offense here to the OP ... as I've never seen a forum where sooo many people get along so well with sooo little flamage...

Mar 21, 2006, 08:22 PM	#13
pr0digal jenius Delete Me Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 14,648 Rep Power: 0	I'm wondering if voice to speach software isn't the way to go...they have it available as a driver for most TV tuner cards...why not video games?

Mar 22, 2006, 12:31 AM	#15
~~Sanafabich~~ BANNED Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 511 Rep Power: 0	music is still in your head. don't forget that, nobody can take that from you. Most of the time, I'm "listening" to songs in my head. I don't use walkman/mp3 players, etc. Just my brains.

Mar 22, 2006, 07:08 AM	#20
SFOSOK 939 Goin Strong Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Ontario Posts: 7,033 Rep Power: 90 System Specs	Well I mean what I said was a legitamte question. I really don't know how it works or how it would work. Kinda interested to find out now __________________ Warning - Explicit Content Preceeding METAL!!

Mar 22, 2006, 08:11 AM	#22
BWX unplugged Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: USNY Posts: 19,669 Rep Power: 110 System Specs	Yeah I know about those phones.. They should incorporate caller ID to make sure it says that it is one of those types of calls so people know.. why don't they just do that? __________________

Mar 22, 2006, 12:15 PM	#23
~~Sanafabich~~ BANNED Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 511 Rep Power: 0	dyre, what's with this "born in 1948" line in your profile? anyway, as far as modern music is concerned, you're not missing anything. Believe me.

Mar 23, 2006, 05:56 AM	#29
YAYitsAndrew Anti-Piracy Poster Boy Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: NJ Posts: 2,605 Rep Power: 79 System Specs	As a game designer I'm always keeping impaired users in mind. I don't make puzzles or features that rely on colors or audio cues. __________________ "It is because the resistance to paying for copyrighted material, although often characterized as arising from a supposed technical burden or principled concern for the public interest, arises rather from exactly the same segment of the brain that is dominant in shoplifters." - Mark Helprin, Digital Barbarism In other words, it's never okay to steal even if you think you have a good reason! www.yayitsandrew.com