Perfect Dark Accessibility

This repository is an accessibility-focused branch of the open-source Perfect Dark PC port. It adds screen-reader output, spatial audio navigation, object and character scanners, aiming feedback, and other nonvisual interfaces while preserving the original gameplay.

The project is being developed and tested primarily with blind players. It is already possible to navigate many menus, training activities, campaign levels, and Combat Simulator matches without sight, but this remains a work in progress. Expect occasional inaccessible objects, unclear audio cues, and level-specific gaps. Testing and detailed reports are welcome.

The accessibility work does not include Perfect Dark or any extracted game assets. You must provide your own legally obtained supported ROM.

Start here

Blind and screen-reader users should read the practical accessibility guide before playing. It explains setup, the major speech and audio systems, all accessibility keyboard shortcuts, configuration, and how to capture a useful diagnostic when something goes wrong.

For the easiest Windows setup:

1. Download an accessibility-enabled Windows package from this fork's Releases page, or ask the project maintainer for the latest test package.
2. Extract the whole archive. Keep the executable and all supplied DLL files together.
3. Put a supported US revision 1 ROM in the package's data directory and name it pd.ntsc-final.z64.
4. Start your screen reader, if you use one, before launching pd.x86_64.exe. Without an active screen reader, the Windows build falls back to its built-in OneCore or SAPI voice.
5. Headphones are strongly recommended because most navigation and targeting cues are spatial.

If the main menu is not spoken, see Troubleshooting.

What the accessibility build adds

• Screen-reader narration for menus, mission briefings, objectives, HUD messages, weapon changes, results screens, and other important text.
• Spatial scanners for doors, interactable objects, pickups, friendly or neutral characters, enemies, hazards, and supported mission targets.
• A virtual cane that sweeps the space ahead and describes barriers, openings, drops, stairs, ramps, crouch passages, and ladders with sound.
• Responsive targeting feedback, including direction, elevation, body region, protected or breakable targets, special devices, scopes, and the FarSight.
• A spoken and sonified compass, four player-placeable audible markers, and authored mission landmarks.
• Accessible support for devices such as the CamSpy, R-Tracker, IR Scanner, X-Ray Scanner, Threat Detector, Data Uplink, Door Decoder, ECM Mine, and Reprogrammer.
• Combat Simulator radar queries, contact alerts, King of the Hill guidance, player and team status queries, and accessible scenario menus.

These systems communicate information already available through the game's visual interface or established gameplay rules. They are intended to provide equal access, not automated play, extra health, or hidden information.

ROM requirements

The recommended ROM is:

• ntsc-final, also known as US V1.1 or US Rev 1
• Filename: pd.ntsc-final.z64
• MD5: e03b088b6ac9e0080440efed07c1e40f

The upstream port also supports these ROMs, though this accessibility branch is developed and tested mainly with ntsc-final:

Region/version	ROM filename	MD5	Notes
US V1.0	pd.ntsc-1.0.z64	7f4171b0c8d17815be37913f535e4e93	Supported but not recommended
Japanese final	pd.jpn-final.z64	538d2b75945eae069b29c46193e74790	Requires the matching custom executable
PAL final	pd.pal-final.z64	d9b5cd305d228424891ce38e71bc9213	Requires the matching custom executable

Standard controls

The port supports keyboard and mouse, Xbox-style controllers, and N64-style controllers. Controls can be rebound in pd.ini.

The best-supported setup is an Xbox-style controller and keyboard used together. Use the controller for ordinary movement, aiming, combat, menus, and interaction, and keep the keyboard available for changing accessibility settings and requesting accessibility information while you play.

Action	Keyboard and mouse	Xbox controller
Fire / accept	Left mouse button or Space	Right trigger
Aim mode	Right mouse button or Z	Left trigger
Use / cancel	E	B for previous/cancel; A for use/accept
Reload	R	X
Previous weapon	Mouse wheel forward	B
Next weapon	Mouse wheel back	Y
Weapon radial menu	Q	Left bumper
Alternate fire mode	F	Right bumper
Reset vertical view	End	Right stick click

See the accessibility shortcut table for F1 through F12 commands.

Building on Windows

The accessibility build currently targets 64-bit Windows because its speech backend uses Prism. Install MSYS2 and the MinGW64 toolchain, SDL2, zlib, CMake, Python, Make, and Git. Then configure and build from the MSYS2 MinGW64 environment:

cmake -G"Unix Makefiles" -Bbuild .
cmake --build build -j4 -- -O

The executable is build/pd.x86_64.exe. The build copies its required MinGW, SDL2, zlib, and Prism runtime DLLs beside the executable so it can be launched from Windows Explorer.

To create a clean accessibility-enabled Windows package from PowerShell:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File tools\build_windows_dist.ps1 -EnableAccessibility

The archive is written to build/dist/pd.zip. It intentionally excludes the ROM, extracted assets, saves, logs, diagnostics, and personal pd.ini. Omitting -EnableAccessibility creates a vanilla comparison package with accessibility disabled.

For other platforms, ROM versions, dependencies, and upstream port details, refer to the upstream Perfect Dark port.

Contributing

Developers should read the architecture and detailed feature reference.

The most valuable contribution is a precise blind-player test report: include the level, difficulty, task, what cue or speech was expected, what happened, and a Shift+F2 diagnostic capture number when possible. The diagnostic log is local and comprehensive; review it before sharing if that matters to you. File reports through the repository's Issues page.

Credits and license notices

This branch builds on the work of the Perfect Dark decompilation and PC port communities. Upstream credits include the Perfect Dark decompilation, the Perfect Dark PC port, pd-extract, sm64-port audio work, libultraship/fast3d contributors, minimp3, 1964GEPD, Mouse Injector, and everyone who has contributed fixes and testing.

Third-party notices for the accessibility speech components are provided in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md and in packaged license files.