Innovative Sword-fighting Game Project RECRUITING – Prototype Available! Thread

The expanding genre of weapon-based melee games has attempted to solve many problems to depict combat in a way that strikes the right balance between realism and accessibility. Some of the problems that have already been solved, though rarely all in the same game, include:

• Lock-on, which limits freedom of movement and the number of opponents players can freely select to engage
• Lock-in, which unrealistically prevents players from cancelling certain actions, such as “strong” or “power” attacks
• Passive survival, where players can remain alive for a long time while under attack with very little active engagement

In spite of progress in these areas, a few important problems have so far remained unsolved:

• Seams and snapping – animations that do not flow together smoothly, or which cause characters to unrealistically “snap” from one position to another, eliminating tactically important distinctions between different sequences of actions in combat, and
• Over-simplified footwork – which removes important tactical cues and damages games’ aesthetics

Drawing on our combined 30 years of martial arts experience, and on our successful and quickly completed mod project, Combat Animation Enhancement, which redesigned the animations in Mount & Blade: Warband to better account for its mechanics, we have developed a combat system which solves all of these problems and simulates the tactics of real sword-fighting to an unprecedented depth.

We now have a near-finished prototype built with CryEngine 3 and, with this foundation, a clear and finite plan for developing a complete, sellable game in a relatively short period of time.
To achieve this, we are seeking a programmer with skill in LUA and C++, a character animator, a 3D artist, and a concept artist. If you would value the experience of working in a small, focussed team towards a clear goal, and are up to the challenge of creative problem-solving in the context of innovative mechanics, we want to hear from you. Selected applicants will receive access to the latest version of the prototype.

All work undertaken will be paid in full on the basis of the team-member's negotiated hourly fee as a proportion of the proceeds of sale. In addition, team-members will each receive a royalty in perpetuity.

To apply, contact us at impossible.pinwheel@gmail.com, and include a summary of your experience and/or representative portfolio material.

UPDATE - Added a paragraph concerning remuneration.

Edited by: ImpossiblePinwheel