Neal Stephenson's Sword-Fighting Kickstarter Has an Awesome Cameo

[The Wooster]

Neal Stephenson's Sword-Fighting Kickstarter Has an Awesome Cameo

Neal Stephenson wants you to help fund his sword-fighting game.

Now in a perfect world that sentence above would be the end of this article. I'd simply submit it, collect my check and return to drinking, while you scuttle off to give Neal Stephenson as much money as he wants [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/260688528/clang] because he's Neal Stephenson. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neal_Stephenson] Unfortunately, the recent deluge of Kickstarter projects has probably left you a bit burnt out and leery. Now, even the most promising Kickstarter project needs that special something to ensure it stands out. Well, that's where this promotional video comes [http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/260688528/clang] in, complete with a very pleasant surprise at 3:04.

CLANG, as the project is called, seeks to capture the exciting back-and-forth of sword duels. Stephenson starts off with a brief monologue, pointing out that video game melee weapons rarely receive the attention to detail afforded to firearms, and that current control systems simply aren't conductive to realistic hack, slash and stabery.

"It's not a sword game if you have to pull a trigger or push a button to swing your sword," he says, shortly before hurling an Xbox 360 controller into a trashcan.

Described as "Guitar Hero with swords," Clang appears to be the kind of in-depth fencing game couch samurais have been dreaming off since motion controls started gaining popularity. Apparently, early versions of the game will use an "off the shelf" motion controller - from the video it appears to be a Razer Hydra. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razer_Hydra] The Kickstarter is asking for $500,000, and has just passed the $150,000 mark.

"In the last couple of years, affordable new gear has come on the market that makes it possible to move, and control a sword fighter's actions, in a much more intuitive way than pulling a plastic trigger or pounding a key on a keyboard," reads the game's Kickstarter page. "So it's time to step back, dump the tired conventions that have grown up around trigger-based sword games, and build something that will enable players to inhabit the mind, body, and world of a real sword fighter."

Sold.



Permalink

 

[Twilight.falls]

Gabe Newell.
Forging a crowbar.
And saying "These things take time."

This is simultaneously hilarious and depressing.

 

[The Wooster]

Gabe Newell.
Forging a crowbar.
And saying "These things take time."

This is simultaneously hilarious and depressing.

Gabe Newell forging a crowbar while Neal Stephenson watches.

I think I've had dreams about that, actually.

 

[FogHornG36]

I like the idea that they want to make it work, so that other games can use it, just think if we took this and put it into other games were there are swords. or maybe we can make a bow, and a magic want or something and make it like Rock band.

 

[mad825]

Sword fighting? ahahahah, eat my crossbow. The skills of an archer are superior to that one who can hold a sword.

Sounds sweet but I would rather do it in real life.

 

[weirdee]

I will challenge any trash talking kids to fight like men in this game and then we'll see whose moms we are talking about.

I hope they'll have compatibility with the Leap.

EDIT: so, the motivational poster....lemme guess

it says "CLANG in there" doesn't it

 

[RaNDM G]

Gabe...

What's that screen behind you Gabe?

What'cha doing with that anvil, Gabe?

Why aren't you making Episode 3, Gabe?

 

[dragongit]

Gabe Newell.
Forging a crowbar.
And saying "These things take time."

This is simultaneously hilarious and depressing.

So thats why Episode 3 is taking so long, apparently the combat is melee focused and he has to forge every single crowbar by hand. You see they will introduce a new mechanic where you can throw the crowbar for damage, and you have to find new ones often to replace ones you lost like in Silent Hill Downpour. Silly Gabe, you can visit your local hardware store for more!

... seriously though, get to work you ingenious lazy fat tub of lard.

 

[Danceofmasks]

Well, this is a great idea and all, and as much as I am a fan of the Razer Hydra (YAY, motion controls that's good), I'm not optimistic.

The most important part of swordfighting is footwork.

 

[Korten12]

Wait... Did anyone else notice the Half-Life 3 logo in the background..?

 

[Bat Vader]

Wait... Did anyone else notice the Half-Life 3 logo in the background..?

Perhaps Mr. Newell is trying to tell us that Gordon Freeman will now be using knives as well as a crowbar in half-Life 3.

I do like the idea of this sword fighting game. I would donate to it but unfortunately I just bought a new computer.

 

[yayforgiveaway]

Well, this is a great idea and all, and as much as I am a fan of the Razer Hydra (YAY, motion controls that's good), I'm not optimistic.

The most important part of swordfighting is footwork.

Lack of feedback of a sword hitting something is a bigger problem. And the motion controller has no inertia, no problem in stopping a fast swing with a 2-hander if we wish.

 

[Somebloke]

Looks more like Gabe is... umm, "Un-forging" that crowbar, actually.

...and yes - the lack of force feedback would indeed seem the biggest problem.
Properly dosed and balanced mass can be added to the controller, a VR headset and large room would give you mobility, but tactile interaction with the virtual opponent, and I'm not talking just the blade? Hmm...

 

[Zerbye]

This is their response to lack of feedback:

"We've been thinking about this for years. It's not in the videos because to try to explain it here would get us hopelessly deep into the weeds. We think we have an approach that will work. It?s hard to explain in detail without a very lengthy brain dump. It's not just One Big Awesome Solution. It's a number of separate techniques working together. Some of these are familiar (visual, auditory, and haptic feedback) and others center on some innovative UI schemes. If you allow the controller?s position to get out of sync with what is shown on the screen, you get some feedback to that effect and you get UI cues on how to get back into sync.

In general,if you drill down deep enough on the actual sword techniques, the tree of possible outcomes gets pruned way down. It turns out that you rarely have to solve the fully general problem of one sword stopping another sword traveling at top speed at an arbitrary location in space. Which is a hard problem!

If you are "swinging for the fences" with a sword attack---which is to say, if you are assuming a long follow-through---then you're probably doing it wrong. You don't have to cut the other guy in half. You just have to hit him. In most of these arts, you're trained to pull the attack and stop with the sword between you and the adversary. If the attack succeeds, you're done. If it fails, you have stopped with your blade in a tactically sound defensive position instead of swinging all the way through and taking your sword completely out of the action."

If you don't start somewhere, you will never get what you want. For the first time, this looks like an ambitious step in the right direction.

 

[Alex Cowan]

Edit: I'm also really glad it's not first person to. If it's going to be all about swordplay, having elbows is a definite plus.

As much as I like third-person games, I might have to disagree with you on that one. This could just be a personal thing, but having been a competitive fencer for several years, I think I'd get very confused trying to judge distances/anticipate an opponent's movements looking from a viewpoint other than my own eyes.