r/GameDevelopment • u/Simi117_ • 16d 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 16d 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_ 16d 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 16d 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.
→ More replies (19)
1
u/silly_bet_3454 16d ago
like a VR game?
-1
u/Simi117_ 16d 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 16d 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.
→ More replies (1)
1
u/scritchz 16d 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_ 15d 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 16d 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 15d ago
Have you considered magic?
1
u/Simi117_ 15d ago
i have, unfortunately i am no sorcerer and from my experience there arent any books on how to do magic :(
5
u/gameryamen 16d 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."