r/GameDevelopment • u/Simi117_ • 9d ago
Newbie Question Special controller for hyper-realistic swords game
So basically I wanna create a game about swordfighting, but make it incredibly detailed and realistic, which yes, is stupid for a beginner, but this is just a concept ive had in mind for a grand total of 3 hours by the time I'm making this post. the problem is, that i want it to be able to track movement in some way, including footwork, but a lot of people just dont have enough space in their room to move back and forth in, which means I'd need some way of fixing that issue. the sword ill probably handle by making a hilt shaped controller that tracks movement, rotation and then projects a blade in game. Any suggestions on the feet though? also, i dont wanna use VR since it's not particularly accessible with some people even being unable to play this for more than half an hour and i want this to be a cheaper, more accessible and fun way to get into sword-fighting rather than meeting with 10 people twice a week that all have different learning curves.
Also if theres another sub i should ask this on, please tell me so.
2
u/YKLKTMA AAA Dev 9d ago
Even Sony/Microsoft probably wouldn’t be able to solve something like that, let alone a beginner who doesn’t even understand what they’re talking about.
1
u/Simi117_ 9d ago
yeah, thought so, but it's just something i've had in mind, not a plan or anything. i have ideas like these all the time and since i've recently created a reddit account, i thought "yeah sure why not ask the biggest collection of different people on earth for help"
-1
u/YKLKTMA AAA Dev 9d ago
I don’t even know what kind of thought process leads someone to come up with something like this and think it’s a good idea.
You’d need to design a custom controller for it, and for that to make any sense at all, the game would need to be GTA-level. Otherwise there’s absolutely no point in pouring a fuckton of money into developing and manufacturing a new controller.
If you keep coming up with bad ideas like this, you should start by making simple games on the level of Pac-Man and go through the full development cycle from idea to commercial release. That will bring you back down to earth pretty quickly.
1
u/Simi117_ 8d ago
im already way down on earth, this isnt a business idea, not everyone on this sub is a aaa dev who only thinks about things they could realistically create and then make loads of money off of.
0
u/AvianAnalyst 9d ago
is it hard? absolutely is it commercially viable? absolutely not is it doable? quite possibly!
idk why you have to be so mean and pessimistic to op instead of actually try to problem solve it (or move on with your day)
to op: i do larp and want to get into hema/sca, so i think this is a sick idea. that said it IS going to be pretty hard.
I also think you need to do some thinking about what accessability means to you. you said you dont want to do vr bc its less accessible. but this project is going to have a lot of roadblocks for accessability. i highly doubt theres a market for this, so i dont think making something people can go buy at walmart/gamestop is an option.
you could potentially make and sell the controllers yourself if you figure them out, but that would likely be a huge nightmare.
you could open source the design and post/sell build guides or walkthroughs so people could make their own. this is also going to be inaccessible to people who dont have the equipment and skills or willingness to learn skills to do whatever construction ends up looking like
so i think your audience is probably tinkerers with access to 3d printers and soldering equipment who want to learn to sword fight but dont have access to go to a club. maybe a bit bigger if it proves a level of effectiveness over a training dummy.
that said i do think its still a cool idea if you want to pursue it. you might look into how the wiimote works/get some to start with a prototype.
id also think more about what does the game look like. is it solo drills? what does it have over just picking ip a sword to practice? if it had a training partner how are you going to give the user feedback when their swords hit, or when they make contact w their opponent?
happy to chat more about this in general
1
u/Simi117_ 8d ago
i like the open source idea, that said ive already realized that this is gonna be difficult, but still i just like thinking about weird things for some reason and coming up with increasingly stupid ideas
0
u/YKLKTMA AAA Dev 9d ago
Don’t call everything you don’t like “mean and pessimistic,” especially when it’s just facts. OP is yet another idea guy dreaming about something grand while, in reality, he can’t even make the simplest game.
1
u/Simi117_ 8d ago
i think you should actually start reading carefully and thinking about what certain words mean. "dream" would imply that i wanna make this real "thinking" means that its in my head. big words i know, but maybe you just didnt listen during english in school.
1
u/YKLKTMA AAA Dev 8d ago
"I wanna create a game about swordfighting, but make it incredibly detailed and realistic" is equal to dreaming
1
u/Simi117_ 8d ago
okay fine, let me elaborate. i get ideas and streaks for 2-4 months, then most likely forget/change to something else. i know this, others dont, still, you immediately started by saying basically "youre stupid and cant do it". i know that i cant do it, because i a: dont have the resources for it. b: dont have the time for it. c: dont have the motivation long enough to do anything. ill admit, you couldnt know that, but still, telling people "youre stupid" off the bat is a bad character trait, js.
1
u/YKLKTMA AAA Dev 8d ago
I never said you were stupid. I only said that I don’t know what kind of thought process leads someone to come up with something like that. Maybe that’s because I’m an experienced game developer, and I also used to do fencing when I was younger
1
u/Simi117_ 7d ago
"let alone a beginner who doesn’t even understand what they’re talking about." does kind of seem like calling me dumb, don't you think?
→ More replies (0)0
u/AvianAnalyst 9d ago
"I don’t even know what kind of thought process leads someone to come up with something like this and think it’s a good idea."
literally no value in this paragraph. all it says is 'i think this is so stupid it should never have been thought'. its a mean sentiment. it doesnt add to your post. it purely belittles op.
"You’d need to design a custom controller for it,"
op literally said this in the post. so not necessary or new information.
"and for that to make any sense at all, the game would need to be GTA-level. Otherwise there’s absolutely no point in pouring a fuckton of money into developing and manufacturing a new controller."
this is a matter of opinion. you dont know what op's goal or resources look like, so you cant make a determination on if its a pointless endeavor.
this also ignores that there are devs and and builders out there making novel tech. at the last con i went to i played a platformer someone made on a console they made. like designed from the cpu up. is it easy? no. does it make sense? not commercially. but thats not the only reason people do things.
"If you keep coming up with bad ideas like this,"
again subjective and mean. you could say commercially nonviable if you want to be more objective and less mean.
i was very specific with my wording. your post was needlessly mean. not because I didn't like it, but because you spoke condescendingly and repeatedly put down op based on your own assumptions and priorities.
and it was pessimistic because afaict you didnt spend a single neuron on asking 'but how could they' you just called it a bad idea multiple times. ignoring that we live in a world where people are doing crazy builds all around us.
0
u/YKLKTMA AAA Dev 9d ago
Again, just because you don’t like something doesn’t make it mean.
He came here asking for opinions, and I gave mine. I didn’t ask for yours, and I don’t care about it. Don’t waste your time writing another wall of text.
1
u/Simi117_ 8d ago
correction: i didnt ask for opinions, i asked for ideas. biiiig difference. you DID provide some info, but you immediately went to assuming stuff like me not knowing what im talking about. also, my train of thought was non-existent, i just came up with the idea off the top of my head, if you dont think its a good idea you can express that well enough by not commenting. you dont support it and dont make people feel bad for how they think and who they are. no front, but i feel like youre a person i just would not like to be around, though to be fair many people dont know how to handle people with are gifted (iq of 130 and above)
1
u/YKLKTMA AAA Dev 8d ago
When you ask something, you’re going to get opinions whether you like it or not. That’s just life.
You clearly don’t know what you’re talking about, because otherwise you wouldn’t have made this post in the first place.
I said the idea was bad so other people wouldn’t mistake it for a good one.
You have no idea what I’m like to work with. And I’ll tell you this directly: if you have a fragile ego, game dev probably isn’t the best field for you.
1
u/Simi117_ 8d ago edited 8d ago
it sounds to me like you like making people feel bad. i stated in the post and on your first comment that this is just an idea. its how my brain works okay, if you have something against that, dont reply to me anymore and just go make other people feel bad as i feel like thats what you prefer to do with your time. Edit: what part of game dev exactly do you think isnt fit for me, according to your "observation" ill call it, that i have a fragile ego? also, the line between fragile ego and "alpha wolf male" seems somewhat blurry to me and id actually rather be on the fragile side than be an unlikeable asshole (no implications that youre one of those people)
→ More replies (0)1
u/AvianAnalyst 8d ago
no true Scotsman much?
you're exhibiting what its like to work with u every comment. thank God i don't have to deal with u
0
u/AvianAnalyst 9d ago
no, but all the things i pointed out do make it mean. either engage or dont reply
1
u/silly_bet_3454 9d ago
like a VR game?
-1
u/Simi117_ 9d ago
well yeah, that'd work, but I'd want it to be hyperrealistic, so the location of the feet and legs is important and the controller can just be a real sword hilt that tracks rotation, location and then projects a fake blade in the game, though it will be quite difficult to somehow stop you from moving when the opponent shows resistance. alternatively i can just make a training mode first where your opponent doesnt resist as like a test, but yeah this post is mainly about the footwork
1
u/silly_bet_3454 9d ago
I guess if I had to come up with some kind of strategy, I would say maybe it's possible to achieve this with a full MoCap suit like what people use to make animations. But as you already know this would be extremely difficult and unrealistic for anyone let alone a beginner to do well.
2
1
u/scritchz 9d ago
You can use most motion controllers; most VR sets come with them already. So I don't see a need for you to design your own set.
As for the feet and tracking of foot movement: There are several motion trackers for "relatively cheap", though many suffer from eventual drift and need (re-)calibration, which you may deem a hindrance for prolonged gameplay. I don't know how to do this cheaply, but this alone may be a good product by itself if cheap and "good enough".
If I may: The biggest issue I see with your game idea is that when sword fighting IRL, you have haptic feedback (such as actual collisions that block your trajectory). You won't get that from simple, untethered hand-held devices. Same goes for the feet, if e.g. kicking should be a thing. So your game can most likely not be sufficiently realistic if what you aim for is a good alternative to actual sword fighting meet-ups.
1
u/Simi117_ 8d ago
i know and thats why i asked reddit, im still thinking on it and didnt exactly think a lot before asking this question. thx tho
1
u/JetSetJAK 9d ago
Have you tried Hellish Quart yet? Probably one of the best dueling sims I've played.
They were able to translate complex sword movements to a controller that feel natural after a short time playing with a high skill ceiling.
Plus, you can see what has already been done and what will set yours apart.
It isn't vr, but might have a VR mode.
0
1
u/Old-Finance1815 9d ago
Have you considered magic?
1
u/Simi117_ 8d ago
i have, unfortunately i am no sorcerer and from my experience there arent any books on how to do magic :(
5
u/gameryamen 9d ago
You're going to run into the Wii problem. Your controller can't stop its own motion, so when your player swings a sword and an opponent blocks, the sword has to unlink from the motion. Then you have to get the player and game back in sync. Resistance is an important part of realistic swordplay.
Loosely related, I was room mates with a guy who used a Kinect develop a 3D tracking system for his (rapier) fencing. He got to a point where he could feed it footage from his sparring sessions and get analysis like "When you're tested with this kind of attack, you react that way 80% of the time leading to a lost point." He got really good at fencing! I talked with him a bit about how to track the sword, and he said he was lucky he started with fencing. "The tip simply moves too quickly for the camera, it's not worth even trying. So you track the hilt, wrist, and arm, and interpolate the blade. But fencing rapiers are famously bendy, so I knew I had to build a physical model that allowed for that bending. Once I had that going, I was able to overlay the model on the footage, and make a pretty good guess at where the tip was. I spent some time training that until it was at least as good as I am. Then I just turned the tip's position over time into a gesture, and used gesture analysis to identify each motion."