Using The Discord Game Chat
This guide will not be an in depth how to for discord, rather I will just be going over the basics you need to know to get started. Mainly I will not be covering voice chat, only how to use the text chat. Allot of people complain about Discord and because of that many believe it is not useable. I've used it quite a bit. All the things I thought to be inaccessible turned out to only be a result of my lack of knowledge on the topic.
Page navigation
This page will mainly be navigable by heading. There will be different topics covered all separated by headings. This guide is only text as an audio guide is not necessary to explain how to use discord.
Installing Discord
Though you can use Discord in your browser without any problem, it is much easier to customize it and use it via the Discord app. I will both post the link to download discord, and link to the official discord direct download link hosted on their server.
If you choose not to install the app then allot of this guide may not apply. I have not tested most of this in the browser version so I don't know if the shortcut keys are all the same. I have used both the browser version and the app and can say the app is by far easier to use with a screen reader. Also I don't use mac and I don't intend on using mac, so if you do you are on your own.
The installer is really straight forward, you don't even have to do anything at all. Just launch it and let it run. You can use up and down arrow or insert + V to read the page but it will just do everything for you. Once it is done it will ask you to log in. You will have to create an account, this only takes a minute or two. You want to make sure you use your captain's name as your nickname when signing up or joining the core-exiles server.
Launching Discord For The First Time & Joining The Chat
When you are signed into the game you will have a chat graphical link in the bottom toolbar. Click on this in your browser and it will open a new window. You will have an edit box where you can enter your nickname, ignore this, do not enter anything. Instead click the link under that to sign in. After you sign in, it may or may not ask you if you wish to join the server. Whatever it asks just follow the steps. The main goal here is to get signed in. Doing this adds the server to your discord app. You may end on a blank window which only says discord and nothing else, that is fine, just close it. You will now have the core-exiles server saved in your Discord app. If you are in a guild which also has a Discord server you can join their chat the same way. Someone in the guild needs to send you an invitation to their server.
Some General Layout Notes For The Discord App
The best way to explain this is to layout the basics and let everyone just get use to using the app, it isn't that difficult once you have a basis to work from.
<The basics for getting started
Though you are using the Discord app, it is the same as using it in a browser. You can use all the same navigation shortcuts as you could in a browser. Jumping by graphics, headings, buttons, forms, virtual find, all that works the same.
Control + 1 is your main user tab, control + 2 - 9 are your servers. For example control 2 brings me to core-exiles, control + 3 brings me to my guild's server. You can also use control tab to cycle through them. With jaws it will say the name of the server when you switch tab, but the header at the top of the page won't change, just do a screen refresh to update it, insert + escape.
There are two edit boxes, the first is a search, the second is the chat input. The chat input accepts shift enter for new lines, and enter to send your message.
The most recent messages are at the bottom, directly above the chat input box.
Each chat message is actually a heading, so you can jump to the most recent message by going to the chat box then pressing shift + H. With jaws you can just do control + home, shift + E, then shift + H, with NVDA there is no screen wrap so you cannot do this, you have to use control + end as the first step.
at the top of the page you will see something like
/ 0 ONLINE 221554402778021888/221554402778021888 225337827993321472/225337827993321472
These are the links for your tabs, you can click on one, see what server it belongs to and use insert + f2, then custom label to name it properly. The slash is the control + 1 tab.
To bring up your general settings press the discord hotkey control + comma. This won't actually be a new window but an overlay, nearly every thing in discord is an overlay. Most the time they show up at the bottom of the page just under the user list for us using a screen reader. You won't know it showed up through any loading or new windows, just go to the bottom of the page and read up from there.
By default discord pops up a notification window that gets in the way every time someone sends a chat message. To stop this press control + comma, go to notifications and uncheck the first option for desktop notifications. You will still have sounds but you won't have the pop up.
If you wish to leave a server, edit notifications like sounds for a server, or change your nickname click on the server's name near the top of the page, it is a clickable link. This will give you an overlay at the bottom of the page again. If the overlay is not popping up check and make sure there isn't already one showing at the bottom of the page. Escape 1-10 times is how I dismiss the overlays. You don't save anything after you change options, it is done automatically.
If you wish to send someone a private message just click on their name. It will open up a new edit box at the bottom of the page to send them a direct message. To view your direct messages just go to the control 1 tab and click on the person's name you wish to read or continue messaging with.
The channel list for the server is directly under the button that says control _+ K. I don't know what that button does, and I've never needed to use it.
Note: don't get confused and click the channel at the bottom of the channel list on the core-exiles server that says general, that is the general voice chat. The general text chat is the general at the top of the channel list. I have no clue how to exit the general voice chat channel, the only way to get out of it is to exit the server and re join it.
There are two unlabeled buttons, both a 4 and a 5, they have something to do with audio and they play a sound as you toggle them on and off. I have no clue what they do however. It may be something involving your microphone.
That is a quick hit list of what to expect with discord, it really isn't that hard to get to know.