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Xbox X|SWe've documented 28 accessibility features for X4: Foundations, including Control Assists, Remap Buttons, Play Without Hearing, Directional Audio Cues and Audio Cues. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Getting Started but it also has features in Reading, Navigation, Visual and Audio to reduce unintended barriers.
This report is created with input from accessibility experts and the player community to help people find games that have the accessibility features they require. Once you have found potential games on the database, there are excellent specialist accessibility sites that offer in-depth reviews to guide your purchasing decisions.
External examiner, Gregory Wintgens, first checked X4: Foundations accessibility 6 months ago. It was re-examined by Andy Robertson and updated 5 months ago.
Accessibility Notes
Almost all dialogue is voice, although some elements (such as player dialog options) are not. The subtitles are quite small although you can scale them, and the UI elements from 0.5 to 1.5 which is on top of any scaling that happens due to resolution changes.
The game provides directional arrows on the screen to show you which way to go for targets or objectives you have currently selected. There are also guidance lines for mission targets, both in space and when walking around.
There is visual feedback when you are shot. But the nature of the combat means that it's not directional in the way you'd see in first-person shooters, with an arrow or marker. But the impact effect appears in the correct direction.
There is a comprehensive logbook with a tab for the different types of messages. You can select the missions tab to see just mission-related messages.
Game Details
Release Date: 30/11/2018
Out Now: Mac and PC
Skill Rating: 12+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Action, Simulation, Strategy (Adventure, Collecting, Sequencing, Shooting, Traversal and World Building)
Accessibility: 28 features
Components: 3D First-Person
Costs: Purchase cost
Controls
We've documented 11 accessibility features for Controls in X4: Foundations which deal with how you control the game, different options for alternative inputs and whether you can remap these settings to suit your needs.
Gamepad
Can play with the following:
Multiple Buttons & Single Stick: Can play with multiple buttons and a stick.
Multiple Buttons & Two Sticks: Can play with multiple buttons and two sticks.
Mouse And Keyboard
Can play with the following:
Mouse and Keys: Can play with mouse and multiple keys.
Mouse and Controller: Can play with mouse and controller simultaneously.
Remap Controls
Can customise the controls for the game as follows:
Remap Buttons: Can re-map all buttons so that you can use alternatives that better suit your play.
Remap Sticks: Can remap the stick controls to controller buttons for easier access of direction controls.
Remap Mouse and Keyboard: Can remap mouse and keyboard key bindings, on systems that support these controls.
Remap Extra Mouse Buttons: Can remap additional buttons on mice that provide more than the two standard buttons, on systems that support these controls.
Remap Mouse Wheel: Can remap the mouse wheel to control aspects of the game when you move it up/down, on systems that support these controls.
Controller Vibration
Vibration Optional: Controller vibration not used in the game or you can disable it.
Sensitivity
You can adjust
Adjust Mouse/Stick/Touch Sensitivity: Adjust how sensitive touch/mouse/stick controls are.
Difficulty
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Difficulty in X4: Foundations which deal with how you can adjust the challenge of play, and whether this is locked once chosen or can be adjusted as you play. The following games are similar to X4: Foundations, and offer accessibility features for Difficulty:
- Railway Empire 2 (3 Difficulty Features)
- Imagine Earth (1 Difficulty Feature)
- Two Point Hospital (1 Difficulty Feature)
- Cities: Skylines (1 Difficulty Feature)
Getting Started
We've documented 5 accessibility features for Getting Started in X4: Foundations which deal with what support is offered to get started with the game. This includes customising the experience when you first open the game via any onboarding processes it provides as well as tutorials and other assistance when you first start playing.
Assistance Getting Starting
These features aid your play of the game in terms of cognitive load on learning controls, dealing with pressure and coping with the environment and challenges.
Tutorials: There are helpful tutorials and instructions on how to play. Information is provided in a timely manner, with appropriate level of detail.
View Control Mapping: You can view a map of controls during play. This clearly displays the mappings of actions to buttons/keys/mouse/keyboard without having to leave the game. This includes games that always display buttons to press during play.
Assistance With Controls: The game can automatically assist with aiming, steering, reloading, jumping, running etc. This reduces the challenge of certain aspects of play to remove barriers and make control of characters more accessible.
No Jump Scares: No sudden loud noises or popping-up scary visuals that unexpectedly appear without warning, or the option to disable them.
Assistance For Progressing
These features aid your progress through the game offering different ways of maintaining your progression.
Save Progress Anytime: The game automatically saves progress or you can save any time. This doesn’t mean you never lose progress, but it does mean you can stop whenever you want (without having to get to a save point) without losing progress.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started
If you want to play X4: Foundations, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- Cities: Skylines (8 Getting Started Features)
- Railway Empire 2 (7 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Reading in X4: Foundations which deal with how much reading or listening comprehension is required, how well the game provides visual and audible access to the text and whether subtitles and captions are a good fit for purpose.
Reading Level
How much reading is required to play the game's main path or story and how complex the language is. The presence of voiced characters doesn't reduce this requirement, as it's recorded as a separate datapoint.
Moderate Reading: Moderate reading required. The quantity and complexity of reading are at a level that a high school student (14-year-old) would appreciate.
Subtitles
All Speech Subtitled (Or No Speech In Game): All spoken content has subtitles, or there is no speech in the game. This means there is no requirement to hear spoken dialogue or narrative to play the game.
Captions
Speaker Indicator: Textual captions indicate who is speaking (or there is only ever one person speaking). This can also be indicated visually in the game with character icons or placing text in speech bubbles next to the person speaking.
Voice Acted
Some Dialogue is Voice Acted: Some of the game dialogue and narrative is voice acted. This reduces the pressure on reading all the dialogue text, although not everything is provided audibly.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Reading
If you want to play X4: Foundations, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Reading accessibility:
- Railway Empire 2 (6 Reading Features)
Navigation
We've documented 4 accessibility features for Navigation in X4: Foundations which deal with how the game provides guidance and assistance to navigate its worlds. These are only for games that have traversal and exploration in 2D and 3D spaces.
Clarity
Large Clear Navigation: The in-game navigation and maps are clear to read. They offer large text and offer markers that are large and of high contrast. Where text or information is small, there are settings to zoom-in and increase visibility.
Clear Mission Objectives: The game provides clear, structured missions with directional guidance and advice on which can be attempted next. This also indicates (ideally on maps where they are provided) which missions can't be attempted because you do not have the appropriate items yet.
Visual Directional Cues: Additional in-game visual cues that signpost where to go next and how close you are to arriving. This can be with camera movement to focus on your destination or important items. It can use light, breadcrumb trails, in-world pointers to identify your mission's target location.
Head-Up Display
Head-Up Display Navigation: Indication of where to go next with overlaid arrows, minimaps and waypoint markers. This supplements in-game visual and audible cues with additional guidance about where you are and where you need to go.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation
If you want to play X4: Foundations, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, this similar game extends the Navigation accessibility:
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild (7 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Visual in X4: Foundations which deal with how you can adjust the visuals to suit your needs, and offer additional information if you can't hear the game.
Audio Cues for Visual Events
Audio Cues for Visual Events: Audio is provided to indicate visual events. Game events or progress highlighted by visual icons, effects or animations are also accompanied by audio to signify that progress. This is useful for blind players.
Audio Depiction of Event Location: Indication with positional/stereo audio of where directional events are on the screen for things like damage, footsteps, environmental elements. This is useful for blind players.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual
If you want to play X4: Foundations, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Warsim: The Realm of Aslona (7 Visual Features)
- The Pale Beyond (5 Visual Features)
- Imagine Earth (4 Visual Features)
- Dysmantle (4 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Audio in X4: Foundations which deal with how you can adjust the audio of the game and whether audio cues compensate for aspects of the game that are hard to see.
Adjustable Audio
Balance Audio Levels: Set music and game sound effects separately. This enables you to select your preference as well as ensure critical game sounds aren't obscured by other audio.
Play Without Hearing
Play Without Hearing: No audio cues are necessary to play the game well.
System Accessibility Settings
In addition to the accessibility features provided in the game, you can also use system-wide accessibility settings:
PC
Windows has extensive accessibility features. Some, like colour correction, work with games. Lots of accessibility software can be used with PC games, from voice recognition to input device emulators.
Read more about system accessibility settings.
Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors Andy Robertson
