WotC_Dave: Color Power!

[arscott]

As a colorblind person, I declare this decision to suck. Colors are the absolute worst way to graphically differentiate things, and choosing red and green is pretty much the worst choice of colors to use. This is strike two against 4e for me.

Blah Blah Blah. The colors I can't see are the ones you should avoid. Forget about the people who can't tell blue and yellow apart--they don't matter.


You're right though. If your going to use color to differentiate things (even as a backup), red and green aren't the best to use. I know the books are at the printer, but from what I remember, they can still make color corrections--you should bug The Rouse or somebody about getting the colors tweaked into something more distinguishable for the color-receptor impaired.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Huh? For colorblind people such as yourself, maybe, but for the rest of us, that's a cornerstone of graphic design.

Doesn't mean the cornerstone is a good cornerstone. Not picking better colors is simply lazy depending on the precise hues. They just might have picked good hues accidentally, but they could have avoided it completely. There are excellent resources available to pick appropriate hues for colorblind people. ColorBrewer is an excellent one for using colors on maps that was funded by the National Science Foundation.

Red and green can still be fine if the appropriate hues were picked. I would be stunned it WotC graphic designers put any thought into the matter. Almost all graphic designers are clueless to what to do for the color-impaired and so we get "cornerstones" of design that ignore these people.

 

[Rex Blunder]

Come on, guys - in 3.5, everything is printed in black on a fake parchment background. Since 100% of the population has black/black colorblindness and fake parchment/fake parchment colorblindness, should we get them to reprint the 3.5 books?

The color thing is extra, bonus information, repeating what's there in the text.

Unless this is a Justice Issue, in which case I'm out of line.

 

[keterys]

I would really like to know more about this. Can you cite your source, please.

Same thread we talked about it last time, including this post. So, nothing ironclad, but if all the at-wills are 1st level powers (which makes sense - even if you pick up another at 9th level, it should still compare to your other at-wills otherwise you trump them all)

 

[davethegame]

Doesn't mean the cornerstone is a good cornerstone. Not picking better colors is simply lazy depending on the precise hues. They just might have picked good hues accidentally, but they could have avoided it completely. There are excellent resources available to pick appropriate hues for colorblind people. ColorBrewer is an excellent one for using colors on maps that was funded by the National Science Foundation.

Red and green can still be fine if the appropriate hues were picked. I would be stunned it WotC graphic designers put any thought into the matter. Almost all graphic designers are clueless to what to do for the color-impaired and so we get "cornerstones" of design that ignore these people.

I'm not disagreeing with this, but the quote I was responding to was "Colors are the absolute worst way to graphically differentiate things", which is not true. And for people who can see colors, it's definitely a good cornerstone.

And I'd disagree with the assumption that "almost all graphic designers are clueless" about visual impairment, but that's taking this thread further off course.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I've you've gotta listen to something that's not FRIGGIN' METAL, Dave, the least you could do is listen to the Decemberists.

"Gygaxian Prose" indeed...and it might improve some of 4e's naming conventions.

 

[TerraDave]

Both Daves, you're just that cool.

I am finally cool! Thanks to Gleemax? :\

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I am finally cool! Thanks to Gleemax? :\

Booh! Cool is bad for you! No real roleplayer is cool!

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

I'm not disagreeing with this, but the quote I was responding to was "Colors are the absolute worst way to graphically differentiate things", which is not true.

With that, I agree with you. Colors are not the absolute worst way. In fact, colors are often underutilized.

 

[tomBitonti]

I hope they've tested their 'green' and 'red' blocks with a colour blind male.

My thoughts exactly. (I have a friend who has a severe color blindness, and there are board games that are very hard for him to play because the color palette is non-distinguishing to him.)