Re: Open world RPG questions
Vision certainly allows for much more immersive and enjoyable environments.
That said, when that sense is not available we rely heavily on 2 things: Audio and player imagination.
The first thing is to get unique ambient sound for all of your varied areas.
Jungles don't sound like snow covered mountain tops, nor the inside of caves, or the middle of a desert.
The kinds of animals you hear, the sounds in the far distance, and even the wind sounds vary.
Even forests can be dark and foreboding or light and peaceful.
Use different background music for each area as this further sets the tone and makes the area feel distinctive.
Play footstep sounds appropriate for the terrain. This changes within a single area as stepping on a dirt path sounds different than stepping on leaves.
Consider terrain that makes sound, like streams, rivers, waterfalls, or buildings with mechanical devices, such as windmills or watermills.
Each area no d
oubt has different types of creatures which make unique sounds and wander around in the area.
Static non sound emitting objects like trees and bushes are tougher, though of course you can have appropriate sounds for bumping into trees or walking through brush.
You can adjust the environmental reverb of sounds to make them fit the environment.
Sounds in a cave have a lot more echo than sounds outside.
Sounds in a dense forest sound different than sounds in an open clearing.
Even small cave tunnels have different reverb properties than large open underground rooms.
You can also generally describe an area through text or voice acting when the area is first entered.
Do the best you can to build the atmosphere and environment with rich and varied audio, and player imaginations will fill in the gaps.
While I would love to see again, it does not stop me from enjoying books, which don't have visuals or audio at all!
I think the other advice is to find other parts of the game to make great.
A game with breath taking scenery can still have a terrible story and poorly implemented game mechanics, and thus be considered a poor game overall.
Since blind players won't enjoy your visuals at all, the idea is to pour more energy into other aspects of the game to make it great.
Making this environment accessible is another question, and to give appropriate advice it would be good to understand if it is first person, or top down (like old Zelda games), etc.
Also, do you envision turn based combat or real time?
If turn based, tactical on a grid? or classic Final Fantasy JRPG style?
If real time, what is combat like? Elder Scrolls?
Is it more likely to be Fantasy or Sci Fi?
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