Introduction to Online Accessible-Bluff 

Games play a crucial role in human life; they help in improving concentration, skill development, social interaction, improve memory, teamwork building creativity etc. However, when it comes to games, there are limited options available for visually impaired individuals. For instance, there are specialized games like xBoard, which is a graphical user interface for playing chess on a computer, and TuxMath, an educational game aimed at enhancing math skills. One popular game that stands out is Bluff, also known as Cheat. This card game is typically played with a standard deck of cards. The objective of Bluff is simple, players aim to get rid of all their cards by successfully playing them in a sequence. 

How to play bluff game? 

Like a regular card game, a group of players gather and shuffle the cards. The game begins with the first player placing one or more cards while either telling the truth or lying. For instance, if the player places “the king”, he/she can claim it is as “a queen”, “a jack”, or “any other card”, or truthfully state it as “a king” itself. Other players can raise a challenge if they suspect deception/ cheat. If a player falsely claims “a queen” as “a king” and gets caught, they receive a penalty, while the challenger earns an extra chance. However, if the challenger is wrong, he/she receives the penalty. Players can choose to “Pass” if they don’t want to participate in the round, but they can still “Raise” a challenge. A round concludes only when all players “Pass”, or someone “Raise” the challenge. The player who initiated the round selects the bluff text . The winner is the player who clears his/her cards first. 

How to Play Online Accessible-Bluff 

This is an inclusive application. Visually challenged users can use the application with the help of screen reader. They can activate the screen reader by following the instructions provided in this section Once activated, they can proceed to start the game. This enables them to play the game seamlessly. 

When you open Accessible Bluff, you’ll see the initial screen as the login page. If you choose the “Login with Google” option, you’ll be directed to the next page where you’ll need to enter your email ID and password. This step is required only during your initial login. By clicking the “sign in” option, it will take you to the next page. Here, a window titled ‘Profile set-up’ will appear you will have to create a profile by entering your name, nationality, and gender. This page is also a part of the initial login process. Subsequent logins will directly take you to the home page from the login page, as Google authenticates only once.  

 After successfully signing up, you will be directed to the home page. Here, you have the option to create a room. You can specify the room name and select the number of players; maximum number of players is 7. Clicking on the “Create” option will take you to the gaming page. In the “Available Rooms” section, you can find all the rooms that have been created. Rather than creating a new room, you have the option to join any available room. Upon clicking the “Join” option for a specific room, a request will be sent to the room admin. If the admin accepts your request, you will be admitted to the room. Entry is subject to the number of players chosen for that room. The game begins once all the players have joined the room.  

 The deck of the cards would be displayed only after all players enter the room.  The cards are then displayed in ascending order. Player profiles are visible above, with the profile of the current player highlighted in green.  players have three options: ‘Place’, ‘Raise’, or ‘Pass’. Upon selecting a card, it will turn green. Single or multiple cards can be selected, and only the player who starts the round has the right to choose the bluff text. The bluff text refers to replacing the name of the selected card with another card name when placing it, allowing players to lie instead of telling the truth. For example, placing ‘K’ and representing it as ‘J’ or any other card name, or even place it as ‘K’ itself. This is known as the bluff text, and only the player who starts the round has the right to do it.  

 After selecting the card/cards and clicking the “place” button, the card/cards will be placed, and an option to enter the bluff text will appear. At this point, player can choose to either tell the truth or bluff. Following this, the raising time will commence with a sound, which lasts for 9 seconds. During this time, other players can “Raise”. If bluff text is true, the card goes to the player who Raised it. However, if the bluff text is not true, the player who placed the cards will retain them.  

In a round where all players choose ‘Pass,’ the round concludes, and a new round starts with the last player who chose ‘Pass’, getting the first turn. Any player who neither chooses to ‘Place’ cards nor ‘Pass’ his turn within 3-minute time will be marked as ‘inactive’. When a player’s profile is in the inactive list, his/her turn is considered as “Pass” until the round completes 

That means that the player does not get to participate in that round of the game. If a player remains inactive for two consecutive rounds, he/she will be blacklisted, and he/she will not be allowed to participate in the following rounds and the player’s profile will display a red colour. Similarly, if there are network issues indicating a ‘disconnection’ then player’s profile will display a yellow colour. After a player wins, others must continue playing until only one player is left out with cards. 

The joker card plays a crucial role in card games as it can substitute for any other card. If a player challenges a joker card, the penalty shifts to the challenging player, as the joker card can match any bluff text. 

Home Page Options 

There are four options on the homepage, as listed below.  

  1. Account: To view our profile details.  
  2. About: To know more about our application.  
  3. User guide: Guidance to use the application.  
  4. Log out: To exit the application.   

        Winning Criteria 

        1. The player who has no cards left with him/her to place.  
        2. All players except one player remaining in the room win. A list will be displayed with the ranks of all the winning players and the game ends.  
        3. All players have been blacklisted, leaving only one player in the room. The last player left in the room is considered the winner, and the game ends.  
        4. Some players have been blacklisted, while only one is left in the room and he/she is considered the winner. The game ends by listing all the players in the order in which they have won. 

              Round Changing Criteria 

              1. The round can only be changed if everyone chooses to ‘Pass.’  
              2. If anyone clicks ‘Raise’, the individual who incurred the penalty will initiate the next round. 

                Competency Criteria 

                Competency levels will be assessed after 11 games and displayed within the ‘Competency Profile’ section on the account homepage. The levels displayed will include Good, Very Good, Excellent, and Expert. 

                Levels are declared based on marks scored by the player. 

                1. Expert – 76-100 marks 
                2. Excellent– 51-75 marks 
                3. Very good – 26-50 marks 
                4. Good – 0-25 marks 

                      Mark = Total mark / (no. of. Participated plays – no. of. abandoned plays)   

                      Note: Abandoned plays means, if there is a disconnection at the time of announcing the winners, it will be considered an instance of abandoned play. Marks will not be awarded in such cases. Participation marks will not exceed 25. 

                      Marks criteria     

                      No. of. players 

                      1  st quartile 

                      (100 mark) 

                      2   nd quartile 

                      (75 mark) 

                      3  rd quartile 

                      (50 mark) 

                      4  th quartile 

                       (25 mark) 

                      (Looser) 

                      2 

                      1st winner 

                       

                       

                      2nd Player 

                      3 

                      1st winner 

                      2nd winner 

                       

                      3rd player 

                      4 

                      1st winner 

                      2nd winner 

                      3rd winner 

                      4th player 

                      5 

                      1st winner 

                      2nd winner,3rd winner 

                      4th winner 

                      5th player 

                      6 

                      1st winner 

                      2nd winner,3rd winner 

                      4th winner,5th winner 

                      6th player 

                      7 

                      1st winner 

                      2nd winner,3rd winner,4th winner 

                      5th winner,6th winner 

                      7th player 

                       

                      Keyboard Shortcuts  

                      1. J – Card placing 
                      1. F – Card raises 
                      1. ; – Pass 
                      1. H – say selected cards 
                      1. S – Move focus to first card in deck 
                      1. L – Move focus to last card in deck 
                      1. G – Say last game 
                      1. A – Say all cards as sets 
                      1. Back space – Focus instant message entry. 
                      1. Tab – Quit instant message entry. 
                      1. F2 – Say all keyboard shortcuts. 

                      Keyboard Shortcuts for screen readers 

                      1. NVDA – insert+space  
                      1. JAWS – insert+z  
                      1. ORCA – insert+z  
                      1. VoiceOver – control+opinion+shift+u