A new article published on the Forza Motorsport support site details the accessibility settings that are available in the game. Each setting has its different possibilities listed with an explanation. In addition to the settings, the article also lists known issues. A handy link to submit a support ticket is also provided, in case an issue the player encountered isn’t listed.
Driving assists and controls
Driving assists are available for several categories. There are presets, making it easier to quickly set up driving assists, or players can individually change settings. Settings range from the Suggested Line, indicating the driving line on track and when to brake, to traction and stability control. Brake, throttle, and steering assists offer a wide range of assistance, helping players control the car with minimal inputs if needed.
A small section tells us remapping is available for any in-race action. Players can customize presets, which will be automatically saved as a copy of the preset. Dead zones, vibration and force feedback are customizable for different types of controller.
Subtitles and audio
Players can enable subtitles, which covers all dialogue including audio descriptions. Text size and background opacity of subtitles are adjustable too.
To adjust the audio mix to a player’s preference or need, they can adjust volume of many different categories of sounds. From voice over and voice chat, to music and SFX (sound effects), to more granular control over car sounds. This includes different settings for the player’s engine and tires, as well as opponents, impacts, and environments. Players can also adjust the volumes for UI sounds in menus and in-game.
If a player doesn’t want to be heard by others in an online session, the microphone can be turned off in the settings. Lastly players can enable speech to text for voice chat, and text to speech for sending messages.
Visual accessibility and blind driving assists
Several settings are available for visual accessibility in Forza Motorsport. These include colorblind modes for the UI and the world. For the world (tracks, cars, etc.) this comes in the form of filters, where the UI allows players to change certain colors. Increased contrast helps readability of certain UI elements, while HUD (Heads Up Display) contrast and text scaling is adjustable as well. Similarly, menu text sizes are adjustable, and players can disable moving backgrounds in menus.
Screen reader and audio descriptions
Screen Narrator is available in several languages, and players can customize the volume, speed, and pitch. Players can also select from the voices installed on their system for their chosen language. To adjust the amount of narration, players may choose which information it narrates. This includes the current position in a list, selected control type, and title of the segment before the name of the menu item, and hints among others. This kind of granular control should help players adjust the screen reader to their preference.
When audio description is enabled, cinematic moments in the game are audibly described to the player. The volume of audio descriptions can be adjusted separately.
Blind Driving Assists
A large part of the article dedicates itself to the impressive suite of blind driving assists. Explanation is provided for each assist. Players can adjust the volume and pitch of each separately. As the assists rely heavily on stereo panning of the sounds, they are best experienced with headphones.
Steering Guide helps players by panning engine and tire sounds in the direction they need to go. Players can also choose to invert this if they prefer. Deceleration Cues are audio indicators warning players when to decelerate (and how much). Both the Steering Guide and Deceleration Cues have a lookahead offset, which may give players more time to react.
Turn Navigation provides cornering assistance by verbal cues, indicating the direction and severity of the corner. This is reminiscent of how rally navigators call out the upcoming corners for their drivers. Additionally Turn Cues indicate the approach, middle, and end of a turn.
To help with manual gear shifts, Shift Up Cues and Shift Down Cues indicate when a player should shift up or down. In addition Gear Indicator Cues can verbally alert the selected gear, using the screen reader.
Track Limit Cues are audio cues to help players keep their car within the lines, or alert them when they are outside the bounds of the race track. Wrong Way Cues alert the player when their car is pointing more than 90 degrees away from the driving direction. Lastly AI Takeover cues will announce when the AI has taken over control, such as during pit stops.
Customize notifications
The in-race activity feed notifies the player in real-time of on-track events as they happen. To ensure this does not overwhelm the player, they can disable notifications they don’t need. These range from certain multiplayer events to experience and level gains, to timing, wear, and penalties.
Support pages like these are a great resource for players to find out what they can expect from a games customizability. By providing explanations it is also a guide for players to determine which exact setting they need. When we know of pages like these, we also include them in our games codex. Look out for an accessibility review on Forza Motorsport when it releases in a few weeks.
