Sensory issues in relation to paint collecting system

[Syre]

❕Note: I added a summary of the main points of this dialog at the end of the discussion❕

Throughout the years playing, I was able to tolerate the visual bright wave of deep calls in Sky. I play with muted sound already, but the waves of calls/honks are simply hazard sometimes, which hurt my eyes.

Now, since the new season started, I find myself visiting Prairie and Forest less over the weeks, because I don't want to struggle with sensory overload by seeing the honk waves of players using deep call (added onto the big Manta calls in Prairie). Knowing that I will struggle with this wherever I'll go (when this season will end) doesn't make me happy.

I struggle less the further I am away from the honking person. But I am very close to others collecting paint as they want to.
It doesn't help that sometimes butterflies don't come to me after a person was collecting them by honking - I end up standing there for more than 20 seconds and end up honking myself just to continue my run/get away from other people who arrive while I am waiting for the butterflies to notice me.
I wish the honk waves would be more transparent.

I hope more people will see this.
I understand how convenient collecting paint by honking is, but as someone who struggles with sensory issues I want to spread awareness about this issue. I know that it's not your fault (nor is it my fault), I simply want to encourage a few to use the butterfly emote - it won't take thaaaat much longer collecting paint.

I hope the devs will see this post and may change the collecting system or adjust the honk wave - why do these butterflies not simply come to players like usual butterflies, but quicker? (This wouldn't stop the honking tho) Using the emote is a nice way to collect these tho, but I have nothing against using the emote per se - it's the honking which many started using right away, because it's simply more efficient in many ways, but not very sensory-friendly.

Thank you for reading this text. Have a lovely day. Feel free to leave a (polite) comment below.
I hope this post will help others who struggle with sensory issues to open up about it and talk about their requests and ideas to make the world of Sky more relaxing and playable for everyone.

❕Note: I added a summary of the main points of this dialog at the end of the discussion❕

[Lazy Afternoon]

This is good to know. I typically use the butterfly emote, but there are times when i honk for convenience sake when nobody is around, but I suppose one can never be 100% sure. If anything, I'd like to be considerate to other players like yourself. So thanks for speaking up.

[Syre]

Thank you for this lovely comment.
I think there will always be the two categories: honking and not honking ones.

Originally posted by शान्तिः:

I typically use the butterfly emote, but there are times when i honk for convenience sake when nobody is around

And, don't feel too stressed about not using it - Honk as much as you want. Of course, I won't stop you. And, after all, it's a way to communicate in Sky.
But: thank you for taking notice.

[crim]

i agree completely! ive always played the game muted near constantly mostly for honk-spammers and sound overstimulation.

i find this a problem especially with the larger dye-plants that *require* you to big-call just to start melting them in the first place. even then, they will glitch and need multiple big-calls just to burn one tendril.

i think the game would benefit overwhelmingly from large dye-plants and dye-butterflies to not respond to calls (in the case of the butterflies maybe until after youve collected their dye? or a cooldown from when theyre freed from the plants).

its only perpetuating the fast grind of people running in and spamming/glitching which feels completely counter-intuitive to the collaborative nature the game always pushes at its core yet all the more common in the years ive been playing. (think of any 2-4 player door/activity and my mood drops when people would rather just glitch inside quickly than stick around and help the other people waiting)

[D:\side\]

I'm actually not sure that deep-calls are required at all to burn some larger plants. When they refuse to, it might have something to do with delayed server response, the same that happened at Shattering shard events before. The solution is to those seems to be just waiting with the candle stuck into the vine/root. It starts burning eventually.

Though the issue isn't in how it works, but rather in what the players do in response.

What I cant find a quiet solution for though is when some butterflies just don't respond to the Beckon emote despite being in close proximity. Waiting doesn't seem to help.

I wouldn't call this a sensory issue for me, but maybe it is, a very minor one, if that; certainly a source of mild annoyance.

[Syre]

Originally posted by D:\side\:

I'm actually not sure that deep-calls are required at all to burn some larger plants

Sky gives us a "this plant will burn under impact of strong light" text as a hint regarding certain plants (I don't know the original English phrasing) - and, yes: not every big plant root does need a deep call, but there are many which do, which, indeed, can come with delay and require constant call input to burn and not return to their original unburnt form.
That's my experience with these ones.

But... maybe.... they don't require this. I wouldn't miss the honking 😅

[D:\side\]

The closest thing I remember seeing is "hard to reach vines are also responsive to deep calls" (I play in English, but I don't remember the exact wording). And that just seemed like advice in general, plants with this prompt burned without deep calls just fine (maybe slower, but hard to tell with server lag). If it's not the same… I don't know, then I probably never saw it, which with a couple dozen dye bottles collected so far seems increasingly unlikely.

Anyways, I still stand behind the sentiment that this new use for deep calls has made them from infrequent and probably important into ubiquitous and annoying, which is probably for the worse.

[Syre]

Originally posted by crim:

(think of any 2-4 player door/activity and my mood drops when people would rather just glitch inside quickly than stick around and help the other people waiting)

I am one of these people who are willing to help others - even wait with them when I didn't plan to enter these areas at all.
I do help when I see people waiting at the entry after I glitched through as well.
I only honk one time or twice when I see a person nearby to get their attention...

But I absolutely agree: it's not fun seeing others glitching through the areas while you or others are waiting right next to them. And I don't understand why it's not common sense anymore to help others - must be the fomo mindsets.
Honk spamming makes me think twice about waiting with another person 😅 I will wait in distance then, which may cause others to not join the waiting, because there is only "one person" waiting nearby the door....

[Syre]

Originally posted by D:\side\:

The closest thing I remember seeing is "hard to reach vines are also responsive to deep calls"

That's exactly what I meant. I simply assumed they do need deep calls.. I tried with burning without calling and .... well.. it took too long for me, but maybe I was too inpatient and wanted to leave as quickly as possible before the honking ones arrive...

Originally posted by D:\side\:

Anyways, I still stand behind the sentiment that this new use for deep calls has made them from infrequent and probably important into ubiquitous and annoying, which is probably for the worse.

Yes, it makes the honking less impactful and sticking out - as a way to ask for help with multiplayer doors, for example, or shards.... I struggled with one red shard event once and it took very long until another person came to help me - maybe none nearby needed shards anymore, but maybe they assumed I would collect some paint as well..... Geyser event was in around 15 to 5 minutes - the server was full in that area, and I knew there were enough players out there collecting the paint by honking. We would have been done far quicker together.

Back to the sensory light. After all, we do get this eye icon every time someone honks in far distance. I believe the bright honk wave is not directly needed - this may help a lot.

I am not sure if it's possible to add a setting for honk sounds only (like we do have one for instrument, but that one may work differently). I do like the environmental sounds of Sky, but the honking ones make me aggressive for unknown reason.

[Syre]

Just wanted to thank everyone showing up here.
I apologize for writing so many messages. I tried keeping the flow going - but there is not much to say anymore.

I am glad I am not the only person struggling with this.

Have a lovely day, guys.



Short summary (I may miss a few, sorry):

-honking can cause overstimulation or discomfort, visually as well as auditive
-honking looses its original "meaning" and connection to the world (as communication aspect) by being used to collect paint - it gets annoying now
-wish: big paint plants don't require to use deep call to burn every root
-request: adjustment of big paint plant burning roots functioning properly (not requiring constant calling to stop regrowing)
-wish: paint butterflies can be collected quicker by butterfly emote or simply fly to every player like usual butterflies (won't stop people from using honks, but may work better against using honks when the butterflies come quicker without using it)
-request: adjustment of paint butterflies being aware of close players after they got picked up by someone nearby honking
-request: setting to turn off honk sounds completely and independently from the other sounds
-request: turning down the sound wave brightness - making it transparent ... or just having the eye icon showing up


If I missed a point, please tell me - I'll add it to the list