Mudlet & screenreaders

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Vadi
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Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2009 3:13 pm

Mudlet & screenreaders

Post by Vadi »

We'd like to make Mudlet accessible to screenreaders as the next big thing after the mapper. Could blind players please post feedback in regards to

a) what's currently wrong with Mudlet
b) what would you like to see in Mudlet?

Baethyn
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Dec 18, 2011 6:43 am

Re: Mudlet & screenreaders

Post by Baethyn »

Ok about to join in on the experiment, for email purposes it is Baethyn@gmail.com

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Heiko
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Re: Mudlet & screenreaders

Post by Heiko »

I'll add this after Christmas in order to get it into 2.0 final if I get enough support from the blind community. I'm thinking about the following:
I'm thinking about adding a console interface. This can be done quickly and it's got most value for power users.
You get a screen reader readable command console and a game text console.
e.g.:
cd triggers/fighting/group23
list
#130 asdf
#131 lkasdf
#134 fooBla
#210 blub23
#242 barBla
list *Bla
#134 fooBla
#242 barBla
pattern #134
^asdf$
edit pattern #134 "^foo$"
pattern #134
^foo$
script #134
if bla then
echo("foo")
end
edit script #134
(jaws aware text editor opens to edit and save the script)
cd aliases
list a*
#22 abc
#23 a23
#43 asdf
cd defense
pwd
/aliases/defense
new alias "foo", "^asdf$"
(jaws aware text editor opens to write the alias script)
cd /triggers/fight
new trigger group "group2"
cd group2
pwd
/triggers/fight/group2
new trigger "bar", regex, "^asdf$", lineDelta=2, filter=true
(jaws aware text editor opens to write the trigger script)

Triggers, aliases and keys will be fully editable via the command console.
Mudlet GUI will not need to be used except for the options dialogues.

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Vadi
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Re: Mudlet & screenreaders

Post by Vadi »

I think it's a pretty good idea; people from zmud also miss their command-line facilities.

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Heiko
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Re: Mudlet & screenreaders

Post by Heiko »

A first test version of Mudlet-2.0-ScreenReader is now available. Tell your blind friends about it, because we need as many testers to make it the best possible client for blind players.

Download: http://sourceforge.net/projects/mudlet/ ... e/download

JamieM
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Joined: Fri Jun 01, 2012 1:16 am

Re: Mudlet & screenreaders

Post by JamieM »

Hello everyone

My name is Jamie. I'm a blind user trying out this new screen reader accessible mudlet.

First can I say I appreciate all your efforts to even think of making this possible and I thank you very much.
I hope my input will help you to fine tune it easier.

I have installed it onto my laptop with a vista operating system using jaws version 12.0.

I instal and start up the mudlet client. AT the moment I have jaws read to me the titles at the top. That it's mudlet for screen readers and the version.
Everything is read on the screen but I tried to read back on what it said to begin using mudlet. However simple navigation didn't work neither did jaws curser. I had to use "invisible curser" to read anything.
This is not a good way to rely on however as invisible curser isn't bound to one application on the screen. It's boundries are more anything that's visible on the screen. when navigating with it going off into other applications that are on your screen is very common. In fact this is what happened when I opened mudlet later after closing it. I couldn't read anything on the screen with invisible curser because it was fixing itself on my applications running behind it.

When it did work I was able to re-read the instructions and type out what was told to connect to achaea. Again my screen reader began reading the initial welcome screen to the achaea mud giving the options at the bottom to type 1 to make a new character and so on.
However once more I was not able to use any jaws methods to read this page again. It all was only announced as it was scrolled up. After that all jaws picks up is a bunch of random graphics that I don't understand. Like i'd do jaws curser then move up and down and all it would say over and over is "graphic 471, graphic 512, graphic 225" this is all it reads to me.

If I can make a suggestion if it is possible. There is a client out there made for the blind called V.I.P mud. It was a mud client made especially with blind and partially sighted users in mind.
It has many limitations mostly because it appears it's creator only made a version enough so that it would work and then abandoned it with no updates or improvements. However some of the things which was set were good ideas. For instance, it splits everything up into multiple windows, an input window, an output windo. An error window which you don't see unless you select it specifically. When you begin typing in a command you are automatically placed in the input window. This means that a jaws user doesn't have to use any of the special cursers, they can just scroll up and down and see all their previous commands they have inputted to the mud like how they navigate a word document.
The output window is accessed by simply pressing "f6". that moves the focus to the output window where anything from the mud can be read very much like how a blind person would read a word document. All the commands work like up arrow moves up a line. The "control + left arrowkey" goes back a word. Plus in this mode the blind user can select text just as they would with a word document.
Inputting isn't possible in this window because as soon as you start typing it puts focus into the input window.

This to me has proven to be a good method of doing it as I have to say, fiddling around with jaws curser, invisible curser, rooting jaws curser to pc and pc to invisible curser is just not simple or efficient in any practicle way. Especially for playing muds.

that's all I have for the moment as I was only able to interact with this new mudlet on a very basic level. Any questions or anything you'd like me to check just let me know.

Thank you very much again for your efforts everyone.


Jamie

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Heiko
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Re: Mudlet & screenreaders

Post by Heiko »

new update with much improved text navigation and a better login screen

http://sourceforge.net/projects/mudlet/ ... e/download

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Vadi
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Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2009 3:13 pm

Re: Mudlet & screenreaders

Post by Vadi »

Useful info to know, it's not listed in the main menu: function keys: f1 game, f2 workbench, f3 script editor, f4 irc help channel, control+s close editor and save, control+return close split screen and go to the end of the buffer

tspivey
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Joined: Fri Aug 03, 2012 7:26 am

Re: Mudlet & screenreaders

Post by tspivey »

I'm also interested in this. Could you dump the source somewhere?
I'm using NVDA as my screen reader, and downloaded this. Without playing a mud yet, I noticed that keyboard focus is set to the output edit box, with no way of moving it to the input box (even though my typing goes there).
This is really inconvenient, because my usual arrow keys for reviewing my input don't work. Also, I can't tab from input to output.
Once connected to a game, it crashes pretty quickly. I'm not sure what's up with that.

parham
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2012 9:29 am

Re: Mudlet & screenreaders

Post by parham »

Hi,

Thanks for wanting to make Mudlet accessible for the blind.

I have tried the system, and have had the same problems as tspivey. I am, also, using the NVDA screen reader (http://www.nvaccess.org/)

Thanks again!

[Moderator Edit {2016-07-25}: updated link - old one was http://www.nvda-project.org but was being redirected anyhow! :D ]

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