Help us improve accessibility of our game Idle Crafting Kingdom

By Michelle, 17 March, 2017

Forum
iOS and iPadOS Gaming

Hi everyone,

I'm one of the developers of the game Crafting Kingdom.
We just released the game today and we would love to know what you think, especially in terms of the game's accessibility.

The game focuses a lot on crafting resources, producing goods and then selling them.
You start out small, chopping logs in your lumberyard. Eventually you will work your way up unlock new products, buy new buildings and production facilities which allow you to produce more valuable goods.
You can also build out your own estate, if you have the necessary construction materials.

The game is incremental, which means one of the gameplay mechanics is that you need to restart your progress every now and then to get ahead. You complete quests and earn bonuses like faster production and higher sale prices for your next restart.

The game is free. There are optional ads, but no in-app purchases. The ads are voluntary rewarded videos, which will give you a powerful boost for watching (for example double log production for 10 minutes).

You can find the game here:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/crafting-kingdom/id1190611967?ls=1&mt=8

We tried to make this game as accessible as possible, but know that there are probably plenty of things that could be better. We would really appreciate some feedback on what could be improved. Any feedback is welcome.

Please note: The game uses Unity and the Unity Accessibility Plugin (UAP), so not all VoiceOver gestures are supported.

Options

Comments

By Michelle on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Apple really came through and expedited the review. The new version is out and available now.
Here is the list of changes:

- Performance increased further
- Game now auto-saves regularly
- Accessibility: Products in City will announce how many are in storage together with the product name
- Accessibility: Produce button is now the first button in any production slot, to make updating automation quicker
- Accessibility: After selling a product, game will announce how many are left in storage
- Accessibility: After a progress reset, the sell buttons in the city are no longer inaccessible
- Accessibility: Added Sell All button to the city market product listing
- Accessibility: Boost Buttons in the Castle are now labeled with how long the boost will still be active

By Michelle on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

This is general question to everyone:
This game uses up and down swipes to let VoiceOver users quickly jump between groups of controls. Examples are jumping between products in the city and production slots in the locations. In both of these the help text specifically mentions this mechanic.
But the mechanic actually works in many other places as well, where it isn't specifically mentioned.

My question is - should we add additional tutorials or help texts or instructions somewhere to make sure players are aware of this mechanic? Or is mentioning a few times enough for people to just try it out?

We're adding more of these groups in future updates, too - it has been noted that the OK and Back buttons should always be quickly accessible this way in all windows, and we wholeheartedly agree. But we also want to ensure everyone is aware of this feature.

So what do you think? What's you're personal experience?

By Sunshine Daisies on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Thank you for the recent update. I like the "sell all" buttons in the city market, now I don't have to here the message over and over again lol.
One request, if it's not too much trouble, would it be possible to have a "sell all" button that would sell all my products at one time?
About the up and down flicks, it makes sense, and I try it all the time on different pages to see where it works. It actually helps me navigate the pages a little better when the focus jumps around.
Another request, would it be possible to add a gesture that would take you directly to the bottom of the page?
I don't know if everybody found out the the gesture of 2-finger swipe up takes you directly to the top of the page, and if you swipe down with 2 fingers, it reads the page from that point to the end. It helps to read the quest list without the focus jumping around everywhere.
Michelle, do you think the update for the numbering format can be added to the next update? please? with cherry on top? lol It's driving me bananas lol. I thought the expansion was only 100,000 but to my surprise, it was 1 million coins, wow!
It also made me think a couple of times that to unlock a product, it was 10,000, but it was 100,000. Since the roter doesn't work on the game, I can't read the numbers one by one. I would very much appreciate it if it's going to be on the next update since now I'm starting to be on the higher levels where I have to have 1 and 2 million coins to do an expansion and finish a quest.
Again, thank you very, very much for an awesome game, and thank you for all your time and hard work that you put on the game to make it more fun to play. I appreciate it very, very much.

By Michelle on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi sunshine,
yes, absolutely. I fixed the number formatting yesterday actually, but it was a few hours after we submitted the current version for review. So this will definitely make it into the next update!

By KE7ZUM on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Here is my feedack thus far.

The following covers the good and the issues with crafting kingdom
The music cuts out when voiceover speaks. This is a bit of an issue as it interrupts the game play. I have ducking off.
There is a bit of a lag from when the user flicks to when voiceover reads the choice. This might have something to do as well with the music cutting off.
the screen are well lag out but they are a bit hard to navigate at times.
There is also lag when I flick up and down in the city to view my items to sell. See note above

By Michelle on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi KE7SUM,
thank you for your feedback. I am especially concerned about the music cutting out.
Would you be so kind as to update to the latest version in the store and tell me whether this is still happening? We just made an update today which improved the lag by a lot, and I am hoping that it will also fix the music cutting out.

By Sean Terry on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi, Getting to the bottom of a screen would be quite useful as,, the treasure chest is sometimes at the bottom of the world menu, and being able to flick to the bottom of the menu with the up/down gesture would allow us to get to the chest much quicker. thanks so much for the update. Have you figured out how to add the "Screen description button to all the world places as well as the world's main menu? That would be awesome to hear descriptions of all the places. Again, thanks so much for such an awesome game. and Thank you for your awesome work with accessibility.

By Ornella on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi Michelle. I could help you out with sound effects for any category. Just let me know how to get them to you. I just downloaded the game and now going to try it and see if its working.

By Brian Giles on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

I echo everyone's sentiments that it's great that the game is accessible, and that the dev is so responsive to input here. I'm having a harder time getting into it as much as some other commenters here, but I think that's down to me not really understanding this genre of game. What other popular mainstream games is this comparable to? I also installed the new update, but the game still crashes when I open it, and I have to go into it via the app switcher. Once I do that though, the game works great for me. running iOS 10.2.1 on a 64 gig iPhone SE. A somewhat amusing point, anyone else find themselves swiping up in iOS after playing the game and expecting VO to jump to the top of the screen as it does in the game? lol.

By snowyowl on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

In reply to by Michelle

Hi Michelle.

I am loving this game and I to would like to test it as well. I can see now why we have videos for bonuses and I forgot about my phone potentially going into landscape. My email address is [email protected].

thanks for all the work you have done on this game.

I hope that one development means we don't have to restart after completing quests.

Cheers and thanks and keep up the good work.

By TamagotchiTune on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi. I just started playing this yesterday after I saw this post and I love this game!!!!!!! A game where I can sell and produce and build. Didn't think there would be any games like this anytime soon. So thank you for making this accessible. I also got the new update for it today and as far as lag I still notice it. I'm using an iPhone 7. Still love this game though.

By Sean Terry on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi, I'm having an issue with the Princes. When it says that sale prices go up by 2 percent, Ok, I understand that, But, it gets confusing. It then says, It goes by 4 percent higher, then by 6 percent. Maybe it should say, All sales are not 2,4, 6 percent higher than the default price, or something like that.

By KE7ZUM on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

I am actually using the latest update as I just got the game today. At least according to the ios app store.

By Anthony on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hello there I like this game very much thank you for doing what you're doing for us but I have a couple questions I am not under percent sure on what I keep and what I will leave it if I do the reset to get more click quest but I have the new update where it saves automatically I was just curious what are you and what I keep If I reset it it what would I lose it went well I keep is what I was wondering I haven't done that because I'm not hundred percent sure I will I will lose it will I will keep but I am loving this game I hope this is understandable because you're using dictation

By KE7ZUM on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

When you reset the game you get to keep the rewards you earned and I beliwve the achievements like the 5 percentsales but I'm also not sure.

By Sean Terry on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

If you've started progress on your Estate, the progress is still there. so, say you get to level 4, like I'm just about to do, that is still there when you reset the game by claiming your rewards.

By KE7ZUM on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Ok, How do I know I've leveled up? I am confused about the upgrades

By Sean Terry on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi, I see that the "Sell 1" option is no longer in the selling options for each product. Is there any way we can have this back as I have 403 leather, and I only need 400. I'm unable to sell those 3, unless I sell them all, witch, I don't wanna do as I need the 400 for my Estate.

By KE7ZUM on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Never mind, I found it. I missed it as focus for some reason kept changign on my end. I can't expand just yet but I'll get there.

By Ornella on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

The game works good but the only real issue is the lag.

By Sean Terry on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi, I'm still having the lag issue as well. Even after the latest update.

By KE7ZUM on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Even with the latest update I get the lag as well. Music still cuts off as well, but the user can if they need to shut it off.

hope that helps a bit.

By Sunshine Daisies on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi Michelle, I have a question about the quest.
Does it give you random quests to do, or is it based on the things that you do in the game?
A friend of mine and I started playing the game together, but we don't do things exactly the same. He has different list of quests to do, and I didn't get the same ones that he got when I did the previous quests that he finished.
So, just wondering if the quests is given randomly or not.
Also, his "sell 10" button is disabled most of the time. Sometimes it's there and sometimes it's not, even when he has way more than 10 products to sell. Just wanted to let you know what's working, and what's not.
Thank you very much for fixing the number formatting. I can't wait for the next update lol.
Again, thank you for all your hard work and dedication to make this game accessible for us.

Thank you, Michelle. I am glad my suggestion seems like something that can be done. I also like the idea of visual descriptions. An extra button would be great. Thank you for doing such a terrific work on this game. The more I play, the more I like it.

By Maria on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi. I am getting some lag. I haven't tried turning the music off yet. Think I might complete a few more quests though before I reset my game. As previously stated, I am really liking this game.

The up and down flicks certainly have proved to be very useful for they help us navigate faster between one product and the other. I personally try to flick up and down every time I open a new screen just to see what it does. Honestly, I think that just mentioning it a few times at the beginning of the game should be enough for these are some of the most frequent or used VoiceOver gestures. I also think it would be nice to have a gesture that would take us to the bottom of the screen. This would aid us in finding the treasure chest faster and easier. If we could have one more flick or swipe to take us to the bottom of the screen, we would not need so much time to find the treasure chest.
I just downloaded the new version of the game and I have to say that I like it. Right now I am playing with the music off and the lag issue that we all are experiencing seems A little bit less noticeable. Thank you for the great job you are doing. I am liking this game more and more every time.

By Roxann Pollard on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Good Morning Michelle. thanks for the latest update. I also experience some Voiceover lag, but, it has improved a bit.

I also like the changes in the city market. The flick up and down helps a lot. I think that, when a new user plays the game, perhaps they should be given an automatic hint, for a predetermined amount of time, with regard to the value of the flick up and down. this would help to break them into efficient nagivation within the game.

Keep up the great work.

By Karok on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

hi all, i find that with the latest update, when i change a slot, to produce a different material voiceover still says the original status, for example, if i changed 1 to timber, from logs, it would say this slot has now been changed to logs yet which i go back, voiceover says slot 1 timber.

By Michelle on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi Will,
Excellent catch and thank you for reporting. I'll put that on the list of bug fixes for the next update.

By KE7ZUM on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

I also noticed that asbug reported well. Also when I'm turning on my automation slots I'll lose focus and end up at the bottom of the screen. Is there a way to start all of your automations slots in a given place such as the farm etc? I'm loving the game.

By Sean Terry on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi all. I got the sell 10 disabled bug earlier today. I had like 22 timber, and over 10 logs, but, I couldn't sell by 10s.

By KE7ZUM on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

I have not seen that one as of yet, Is this a random hard to reproduce bug or can you reproduce it on demand?

By JeffB on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi my friend using a SE is getting stuck in the farming screen. The curser is jumping around alot and she can't get to the back button now that their are more slots. Have you thought about adding a scrub jesture in the game to go back. It would make things faster instead of swiping all the way to the left.

By Ornella on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

The lag is the only main issue for me. I think its worse now than when the game first came out. I even turned off the music. Tomorrow I will play again. My fingers are hurting from the game. And the focus drops when I try to either get out of a screen or when I'm trying to grab the treasure chest.

By Sean Terry on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi, I also find that the "Sell 50" button is enabled even if you don't have 50 of the currently viewed product. so, It seems as if the button actions are reversed. If you have, say, 35 logs, it enables the sell 50 button, and disables the sell 10 button.

By Michelle on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi, that is indeed a bug, the buttons don't get enabled/disabled correctly.
We'll fix that in the next update. Thank you for reporting!

By Michelle on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi everyone,
I know this is a lot to ask, but I was wondering if anyone who is experiencing the lag issue would be able to make a recording of it and send it to me? Preferably with audio and video capture.
I can't reproduce it here and I think I might need a visual to confirm what's going on and make sure it is related to the swipe sensitivity that we are trying to fix, or whether this is a different issue altogether.

By Karok on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

hi how do i get that audio share to work? sounds a great way to record iphone related podcasts direct from the device.

By Sunshine Daisies on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi Michelle, I have a couple things to report, and some request for the game.
First, it seems like the Princess bonus is not applying to the sale price of the products.
I was selling leather strips for $135, then I got a 2 percent bonus from the princess, but my leather strips was still selling for $135.
The leather strips was originally $120, so I should have at least gotten a $1 or $2 increase in my sale price, right?
Also, I tried using the system voice for a little bit today, and I noticed that it doesnt lag so much as the voice over. It still loses focus like the voice-over, but it doesn't lag as much. So I was wondering, is there a way that we can get something to adjust the speed of the system voice?
Another request, if it's possible, is there a way that you could put the automation timer with the title of the slots?
What I mean is, for example, when I flick down, we would hear "production Slot 1 logs 5 minutes remaining". Is that possible?
I think it would help with navigating the page easier since we don't have to flick twice to hear the time, and flick back to the "produce" button.
It's just frustrating at times when the focus jumps around so much, and I can't seem to find which ones I did already, and which ones I didn't, especially when you have 10 to 15 slots in one place.
On a side note, why do we make pots in the jeweler? smiles
I'm still enjoying the game very much, even when I'm ready to pull my hair out because the focus just won't get to where I want it to be smiles.
Thank you very, very much for all the hard work and dedication you give in making this game accessible for us.
I do appreciate it very, very much.

By Sean Terry on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi. I have a request for automations. Is it possible to have either VO or the system voice tell us on the main world screen and others that the automations you are currently running have ran out. so, it would say something like, automation for Lumber Yard slot 1 logs has run out I do understand that it could get quite hectic the more automations you run. But, I think it would help if you are doing stuff in another screen such as the main world map, or the city or other places. The reason I bring this up is that my wife says she can see that her automations have ran out anywhere she is in the game.

By snowyowl on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi.

I did the update last night and each time I click on the boost most of the time I don't get the video and it goes back to the castle. If I tap my way around the screen very occasionally I find a back button that takes me back to the castle. Before I did the update there was an L button that took me back but that seems to have gone.

Does anyone play this game without boosts is it possible to do that?

Another suggestion I thought of maybe if the videos are problematic unlocking a boost with either gold or a mini quest either sell so many items etc.

Loving the game still Cheers.

By Karok on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

hi all, once i have accumilated quite a bit of storage space, can i do anything to maintain its currenj state even when i reset my game to earn rewards? thanks, Will

By Sean Terry on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

I like that idea. especially as the cost for the amount of storage space you gain gets quite costly. You have to pay quite a lot for other things which isn't a problem, I just think that a good balance would be that your storage space stays at what it was when/if your reset the game for current rewards.

By Karok on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

hi again, i note that i can make and combine products to make more useful materials later on is this correct?

By Sean Terry on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi, this is correct. You will also need certain raw materials and/or to combine products to expand your Estate. You also need to sell a certain amount of raw or combined products to complete quests.

By snowyowl on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Hi.

I have got the second estateexpansion done and I have got lumber, logs, and my farm is doing grain and meat.

How many production slots do people normally have on each property? Should I get the quarry next?

Should I look at going for the sales man boost and the quick study one?

Cheers.

By KE7ZUM on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

You actually get all of them in slot 1. I use the sharped axe a lot. Lol!

By KE7ZUM on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

Quick observation. Has anyone else noticed when using the system voice the game still lags and loses focus? I'm wondering if this has anything to do with some accessibility element put in. I can't code, but that's just a theory.

By Sean Terry on Wednesday, April 5, 2017 - 19:30

I believe they are still working on things to help the lag. We also have to remember that the accessibility plug-in for Unity or however you spell it is still in beta and most likely still being worked on. It being in beta could be the cause of some of the lagging and focus jump issues.