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Cash sought to improve online sword fights | |
(40 minutes later) | |
Sword fighting fans could soon be digitally duelling online thanks to the efforts of US author Neal Stephenson. | Sword fighting fans could soon be digitally duelling online thanks to the efforts of US author Neal Stephenson. |
Mr Stephenson is seeking funds via the Kickstarter website to create a game that will accurately portray hand-to-hand combat with swords. | Mr Stephenson is seeking funds via the Kickstarter website to create a game that will accurately portray hand-to-hand combat with swords. |
The game will build on years of research he has funded into different weapon types and fighting styles. | |
He hopes the move could grow into a larger project that turns his sci-fi novels into an open online environment. | He hopes the move could grow into a larger project that turns his sci-fi novels into an open online environment. |
Hands-on hero | Hands-on hero |
The pitch for the game, tentatively called Clang, has been put on Kickstarter, with Mr Stephenson seeking $500,000 (£322,000) by 9 July to get development started. | The pitch for the game, tentatively called Clang, has been put on Kickstarter, with Mr Stephenson seeking $500,000 (£322,000) by 9 July to get development started. |
Kickstarter works by letting members of the public put funds into ideas and projects they want to succeed. | Kickstarter works by letting members of the public put funds into ideas and projects they want to succeed. |
In a video accompanying the pitch page, Mr Stephenson said players of fantasy and historical games that centre on hand-to-hand combat were poorly served by the controls they used. | In a video accompanying the pitch page, Mr Stephenson said players of fantasy and historical games that centre on hand-to-hand combat were poorly served by the controls they used. |
By contrast, he said, players of first person shooters had a vast amount of customisation options at their fingertips that they could use to find their own way to play. | By contrast, he said, players of first person shooters had a vast amount of customisation options at their fingertips that they could use to find their own way to play. |
A similar suite of options was "glaringly absent" from most hand-to hand games, he said. | A similar suite of options was "glaringly absent" from most hand-to hand games, he said. |
It is hoped Clang would free gamers from the "prison" of repetitive button mashing currently used to represent duelling with a blade. The result, he said, could be described as "guitar hero with swords". | It is hoped Clang would free gamers from the "prison" of repetitive button mashing currently used to represent duelling with a blade. The result, he said, could be described as "guitar hero with swords". |
In the video, Mr Stephenson said he set up the Subutai Corporation a few years ago to start the detailed work needed to make computerised combat more realistic. | In the video, Mr Stephenson said he set up the Subutai Corporation a few years ago to start the detailed work needed to make computerised combat more realistic. |
"There's a galaxy of real weapon styles and variations just waiting to be incorporated into games," he said. "It's the same story with fighting styles." | "There's a galaxy of real weapon styles and variations just waiting to be incorporated into games," he said. "It's the same story with fighting styles." |
Using in-house sword makers and martial arts experts Subutai has built up a huge corpus of data about how to translate different weapons and combat moves into digital equivalents. | Using in-house sword makers and martial arts experts Subutai has built up a huge corpus of data about how to translate different weapons and combat moves into digital equivalents. |
Mr Stephenson is seeking funds to pay developers to create a simple arena-style multi-player game in which people take each other on in sword fights. | Mr Stephenson is seeking funds to pay developers to create a simple arena-style multi-player game in which people take each other on in sword fights. |
Early trials have used Razer's Hydra controller to more realistically mimic sword fighting. | Early trials have used Razer's Hydra controller to more realistically mimic sword fighting. |
"We're ready, we've got geeks in suits of armour, we've got geeks in front of computer workstations," said Mr Stephenson. | "We're ready, we've got geeks in suits of armour, we've got geeks in front of computer workstations," said Mr Stephenson. |
"We've got a lot of people out there who like to play games with sword fighting in them who might be ready to step it up to something a little bit more interesting." | "We've got a lot of people out there who like to play games with sword fighting in them who might be ready to step it up to something a little bit more interesting." |
If Clang is a success, Mr Stephenson hopes it will help to turn his latest series of novels, The Mongoliad, into an open online world. | If Clang is a success, Mr Stephenson hopes it will help to turn his latest series of novels, The Mongoliad, into an open online world. |
This, he said, was part of his attempt to find out what will happen to the craft of novel writing in the modern world. | This, he said, was part of his attempt to find out what will happen to the craft of novel writing in the modern world. |
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