Gauging Interest for Captioning/Subtitles (Mostly Intended for Source Port Developers)

[RestlessRodent]

I am making this post here to gauge interest in a captioning/subtitles system, of which I would implement myself with two simple C source code files which are agnostic to source ports and the games being played, additionally licensed under the Public Domain and CC0 for jurisdictions without a Public Domain. Any source port would be free to bring in the files and utilize and modify the API and library as they see fit, credit would be appreciated but not required at all. Such an API would only request to know which sounds have started to play, their duration, and their X/Y position along with the current player X/Y position. It would then use a callback and/or potential hooks into the game tic subroutine along with the rendering subroutines to draw the captions on the screen, however the source port deemed fit. Since there are many source ports in different languages, some might want to use a more accessible font or at least fall back on the Doom font. The drawing command would be kept simple. The captioning system would keep its own state and just be a simple input/output system requiring hooks only for audio queueing/playing, graphics, configuration, and general timing routines.

 

Such a feature would be a benefit for those of us with hearing issues. For myself I played with Mono audio, which works although it can be hard to distinguish sounds and there is no direction as to where they are coming from. I also mostly played with PC Speaker effects as they were simple tones, although they lacked any kind of direction or distance indicators, although the beeps were distinct they were very shared between monsters. I have implemented both of these features into my own source port because it helped me much. I never did finish captioning/subtitles for my own source port and the code was lost because of the severe pain it was to be in the community. This is a feature I want to finish not just for myself but for others as well, albeit from scratch and something that can benefit every source port willing to attach to the API.

 

I am hoping in the time that I have been gone, 5-6 years, that the vast amount of ableism within the Doom Community has gone away or at least lessened to be a minor element. I know previously I have been told that the community is different so I am taking a risk with this, has the community really improved to where a discussion can actually be had about this?

 

I know this is wordy, but I have always expressed myself with written words because it is how I have done so my entire life.

 

[dasho]

If you want to finish it, and it's more or less game agnostic, why are you asking for input from a community you don't even care for? To someone without context on this supposed ableism, it reads like you're coming in with a chip on your shoulder already.

[Shepardus]

There was a thread suggesting something similar about two years ago, and while people were in support of the idea, I don't think it went anywhere:

 

[Redneckerz]

I'd say yes, go for it. Ports have had seceral QoL features since you leaving (Colorblind support, for instance!) So a generalized system for subtitles is definitely to be welcomed @RestlessRodent. :)

[Dreemurr Deceevurr]

I'm not a source port developer but know I am in full support of this.