Okay, this is something which I've been thinking about recently, as I've been getting back into playing Starbound with some mates. So far this hasn't caused too many issues, as we're playing on the stable build. However. In recent news posts I've seen that flashing or flickering lights will be making their way into the main game eventually, and this is something which is going to seriously affect my gameplay experience. I have epilepsy, and, while I am fortunate in that I'm not so photosensitive that I can't play games, lots of flashing and flickering lights seriously mess with my head. They can give me headaches, or if I'm a little tired they can be the last trigger for a seizure. So far, the flickering of lamps and torches in the game only really niggles when I'm so tired that, really, I ought to be in bed. It's annoying at times, but, oh well. I'm a minority on that one, and I make do. However, if we get dungeons which are filled with lights all flickering out of sequence, that's content which nearabout gates me out entirely. I'd have to play with someone who went in first and swapped out the lights, which kinda takes all the fun out of it. What I am asking is probably one of those things which sounds small but actually is complicated, so I understand if it can't be done. But is there a way we can toggle on or off those flashing lights? If it's a gameplay balance I don't mind the "off" toggle leaving all flickering lights dimmer than normal ones, but I can't play with a screen full of flashes, and I know I can't be the only person with epilepsy who plays starbound (It's one of the most common neurological conditions). I'm not asking for any kind of advantage here, just a way that I can continue to enjoy the game while not...well. Winding up on the floor twitching and spasming.
Fairly sure that we'll get graphics settings wich will include lighting, eventually. Y'know, just like in Ter-
I've seen something similar in a sneak preview of the upcoming moon base biome. Check out the Dev news articles.
That could certainly be an issue, but considering I've seen the devs try to help colorblind people (which is much more difficult to do) I'm sure they'll use this suggestion as well
Heck, if the devs don't, would a mod be feasible? I can't say I've any knowledge of code beyond a bit of html, but if someone reckons it's doable, I could get reading and work it out in the end.
@mollygos You able to comment on whether people would be able to toggle flashing lights, as it may flare up someone's epilepsy and other diseases??
i think flashing/flickering is ALREADY ingame,instead it would be awesome if you could turn lights on/off instead,would be useful for some builds or just an awesome light,also possibly timer logic(if it doesnt exist yet)
Yup, after posting this thread I found some flashing lights in an asteroid base. For the moment I'm just taking them off the walls and replacing them if they're needed (mostly I just use my torch). The reason I would like an overall toggle is that the devs have talked about dungeons being more tamper-proof, and lighting having a bigger role in their design at points. Equally, there's a difference between taking out one or two lights, and having a large dungeon filled with them (which I haven't encountered yet). If a dev can confirm that we'll always be able to remove the flickering lights, that would be another solution (although a bit more of a pain), but I also know that there are people who are more sensitive to flashing or strobing lights as well, and they might not be able to remove them so easily. A toggle would be of greater benefit overall.
+1; accessibility for all parts of the playerbase should be an exceptional priority, especialy if the feature could result in negative physical implications. there shouldn't be any excuse for not having these sorts of things be toggleable, especially if it's a feature only really done for aesthetic value (since gameplay impact is very negligible here)
