With over 300 million gamers globally having some form of color blindness, developing video games supportive of all ability levels presents both a social responsibility and business opportunity for studios.
When Overwatch 2 launched in early access on October 4th, 2022, fans praised its commitment carry on the franchise‘s culture of inclusivity through features like enabling voice chat transcription. However, some color blind players reported issues distinguishing allies from enemies.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explain the critical nature of enemy colors for competitive play, how specific types of color blindness affect Overwatch 2 graphics, and provide expert instructions on updating enemy UI colors personalized for your needs.
The Vital Importance of Enemy Colors in Fast-Paced Shooters
Unlike turn-based games, first-person shooters like Overwatch 2 require split-second reactions. Teamfights flip between coordinated offense to frantic defense in seconds as the frontline pushes. A moment of confusion could lead to missing a crucial ability combo with teammates or being ambushed by approaching enemies.
That’s why easily identifiable colors for allies vs enemies proves so key for maintaining spatial awareness, tracking positioning, and strategically using your hero’s abilities effectively.
Industry research on eSports accessibility guidelines backs up the competitive edge customizable team colors can provide players:
“Being able to differentiate between colors and clearly see allies and enemies directly impacts a player’s ability to react in time and make strategic decisions.”
With inclusivity as an Overwatch hallmark, we’ll demonstrate how to tailor enemy colors to avoid visibility issues that color blindness could otherwise cause.
Common Forms of Color Blindness That Affect Gaming
Color blindness comes in different forms, each with their own challenges in parsing graphical information:
- Deuteranomaly (red/green): Blending red hues making them harder to separate from green backgrounds. Most common at 5% of men.
- Protanomaly (red deficiency): Diminished red light reception that lowers red color intensity. 1% of men.
- Tritanomaly (blue/yellow): Confusing blue/purple from green, and yellow/red/pink. Extremely rare.
For fast recognition, strong color contrast stands critical. But the common red vs green enemy scheme has issues.
Overwatch maps like Temple of Anubis or Ilios feature beige, green and red stone blending environments. For deuteranomalous players, enemies could likely blend into the background often.
By manually selecting a distinct color like neon purple as your enemy tone instead, you guarantee visibility regardless of environment colors.
Step-by-Step: How to Change Enemy Colors for Color Blind Accessibility
Ready to customize your Overwatch 2 experience? By accessing the easy-to-use Accessibility Options during play, you can mitigate color vision confusion through a personalized enemy color setting in just a few minutes:
1. Open Game Options Menu
From the lobby or hero selection screen, click Esc (or Start) then the Options icon to access the general game settings overlay.
2. Click "Accessibility" Category
Along the top bar, click the Accessibility icon to open color blind and subtitle accommodations.
3. Enable Color Blind Options
In Accessibility, toggle the Color Blind Options slider to the ON position first to activate the mode fully.
4. Open Enemy UI Color Selector
Scroll down until you highlight the Enemy UI Color selector menu.
5. Choose New Enemy Color
Click the drop-down arrow to open a color picker menu. Select your desired tone like Yellow or Purple.
6. Confirm Changes
Make sure to click the Apply button to save newly chosen color!
7. Load into Map & Check Results
Upon starting a new match, your customized enemy tone will now display. Enjoy your new settings!
And that’s the full workaround for updating Enemy UI colors tailored to your color vision needs! Our bonus tips section below has even more ways to boost accessibility.
Bonus Accessibility Tips for Color Blind Overwatch Players
Beyond altering Enemy UI color, Overwatch 2 provides additional graphic settings to further highlight heroes for those with color blindness:
- Change Ally UI Color: Similarly set your own allied team color if blue is also problematic.
- Assign Hero Icon Tags: Names in text chat can swap with identifiable hero face icons.
- Activate Color Filters: Try color correction filters like deuteranomaly support built-in.
- Adjust Contrast: Boost brightness/contrast for bolder graphic contours.
Test out combinations of settings to discover your ideal accessibility configuration for competitive play. Small UI tweaks can mean the difference between intensely fun matches or unplayable frustration.
The Future of Color Blind Support in Gaming
As developers increasingly recognize the need for inclusive character and interface design, we‘ll continue seeing enhanced color blind modes with more customization options across PC and console gaming.
Regulatory agencies have also taken notice on the issue’s importance. Per Section 508 government IT accessibility standards in the United States:
“Software/websites shall not use color combinations that would be problematic for people with color blindness.”
Look forward to deep dives into evolving best practices for color blind support at gaming conferences like the annual Game Developers Conference (GDC).
Through guides like this from experts enthusiastic about the technology’s potential, may all players enjoy their favorite multiplayer titles through color blind modes tailored to their unique needs.
The Overwatch development ethos stands founded on upholding fun and fairness for all. We hope this quick start tutorial on updating Enemy UI colors helps you better experience the game’s vibrant world.
Now – ready to try out your new color settings in your next iconic Overwatch 2 teamfight? Our guide has you covered. Game on!
