Talk about Head Mounted Displays (HMDs), augmented reality, wearable computing, controller hardware, haptic feedback, motion tracking, and related topics here!
Looks pretty rough right now, but has the makings of something good. They plan on using the Razer Hydra, seems like the perfect kind of game for an HMD, actually feeling like the swordfighter rather than looking at a screen.
Yeah that would be pretty cool. Strange that none of the motion control systems in the last few years have tried to approximate sword play - particularly the Move. It seems like people have been wanting this for years. I know I've wanted it since I was 6. One word - LIGHTSABERS !!
Oh and Neal Stephenson rocks! He's one of those guys that I can listen to talk about anything.
The best part about lightsabers in virtual reality is that (unlike real swords) they need zero force feedback, because they instantly cut trough anything, they don't have any weight beyond the hilt and the latency can be disguised a bit with motion blur.
I still don't understand why Lucasarts hasn't made a lightsaber simulator videogame yet. I guess the Lego Star Wars games and the clone wars cartoon are more important.
The best part about lightsabers in virtual reality is that (unlike real swords) they need zero force feedback, because they instantly cut trough anything, they don't have any weight beyond the hilt and the latency can be disguised a bit with motion blur.
I still don't understand why Lucasarts hasn't made a lightsaber simulator videogame yet. I guess the Lego Star Wars games and the clone wars cartoon are more important.
Actually, according to several canon sources, a lightsaber's arc generate an extremely strong gyroscopic effect. The light weight is deceiving for novice users, they actually require a great amount of strength just to swing through the air. That is one of the reasons Jedi knights are so impressive, they have to learn to exert huge amounts of force while maintaining pinpoint precision and control.
Not like I would mind bending the rules, but maybe George Lucas would.
Well the last I heard the Clang project met its 500K funding goal on Kickstarter so hopefully something will come of it.
Something just occurred to me. As much as I support the concept of realistic sword fighting it seems like it has one glaring fundamental problem. No matter how accurate you are able to interpret the motion, the one thing that you can't simulate is the opposing force of your opponent's weapon. Now I know absolutely nothing about the sword fighting arts, but I would assume that a good portion of the techniques are based on contact, rebound, and force management of your opponent's sword/shield. So it seems like even a super accurate Clang implementation could still only be a rough "guitar-hero-esque" approximation of true sword play.
Edit: Some sort of force-feedback exoskeleton arm glove would help though
Maybe force feedback can be created by using compressed air directly in the sword ersatz. It could look like a flute with the air going out of the holes when there is a contact. You'd need to have at least 4 columns of holes instead of 1 though, but I guess the general idea could work.
Maybe force feedback can be created by using compressed air directly in the sword ersatz. It could look like a flute with the air going out of the holes when there is a contact. You'd need to have at least 4 columns of holes instead of 1 though, but I guess the general idea could work.
Damn it Fredz! I thought that was my good idea. Yep, IMHO you could achieve this with a plastic sword, with 4 air holes at the tip. That would allow you to force feedback the tip using air pressure, and the leverage from the length of the sword would help. With enough pressure, you could easily achieve at least a basic force feedback, without needing lots of extra gear.
Or if you wanted light saber force feedback, you could have a flywheel for the gyroscope that spins up as you fight. When you hit something though, it brakes the wheel and deflects the motion of your saber.
I doubt a rotational gyroscope that big would be useful for sensing though.
Clang is on the right path, I just hope it doesn't become one of those gesture kind of games, approximating true 1-1 with premade animations. That's the mistake that most sword fighting games to date have made. Twilight princess was guilty of it, skyward sword was better, but still not perfect. With the Hydra, Clang has the potential to make it perfect though.
