Street Fighter 6 also includes another option called “Dynamic controls,” which automatically performs special and standard moves, as well as moves characters toward their opponents with the push of a single button. This scheme is only available for single arcade fights and local versus. Nakayama explains that this control option “allows younger children and people new to fighting games to be able to have a good match.” Unfortunately, physically disabled players can’t use it to compete with others online, or use it within World Tour, but it does provide another alternative to Classic, albeit in a limited capacity.
Visualizing Through Audio
Street Fighter 6’s accessibility goes far beyond control schemes for physically disabled players. For blind/low-vision competitors, the new entry comes equipped with numerous options and features that provide aural indicators. From settings that regulate volume for mechanics like Hit Sounds and Drive Gauge, every aspect of a fight can be learned through sound alone. And like the development of Modern controls, Nakayama notes that the conceptualization of these options began during Street Fighter V.
“We had been working on improving the sound accessibility since Street Fighter V, and after consulting with the sound director, we decided to challenge ourselves as much as possible,” Nakayama and the sound design team explain. “The main reason for this was because of a letter I received from a young player from England. He wrote, ‘The sound effects in Street Fighter V are well done, and I am happy to be able to play the game with just the sounds. However, the same sound effects are used for both forward and backward jump, so it can be difficult to grasp the location of the character.’ After receiving this letter, we immediately changed the sound effects. This one letter became a big reason for us to want to make it better in Street Fighter 6.”
Community input was a catalyst for the plethora of blind/low-vision accessibility features. And it was with extensive knowledge from the accessibility community that Nakayama and his team designed and implemented each sound option. With the help of ePARA, an organization that seeks to assist disabled individuals in esports, the new audio accessibility features went through several iterations before the game’s release.
“After consulting with our sound team, we implemented various sound effects and had ePARA visit Capcom’s Tokyo office for them to test it out,” Nakayama says. “ePARA gave us practical advice such as certain sounds being easier to hear for the sound effects corresponding to the distance from the opponent. Through implementation, test play, and exchanging of opinions, improvements were made repeatedly until it reached its current state.”
The Fighting Game Community and Accessibility
The combination of physical and blind/low-vision accessibility is indicative of an overall shift within the fighting game community. Prior to the release of Street Fighter 6, Capcom announced the inclusion of Modern controls within the Capcom Pro Tour, the official league for Street Fighter. Not only does this allow people to consistently practice with Modern controls, it’s also an explicit invitation to disabled players. And this announcement directly relates to Nakayama’s philosophy of opening the series to newcomers.
“Our intention was to allow more people to be able to play Street Fighter 6,” Nakayama says. For Modern controls specifically, we wanted the game to be accessible when playing with the controller that comes with the game console. As a developer, I believe that Modern should be considered one of the standard control types. We also wanted to see how new players would perform and see experienced veterans using Classic controls to face off against young players.”
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