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shinobi602 · May 13, 2013

We all know that Kickstarter has been quite a haven for fresh game ideas and some innovative titles over the past couple years (and some lame ones), and unfortunately a lot of games get recognized and put into the limelight more so than others. These types of little projects are really dear to me because I see the passion that a lot of teams have (while some admittedly don't) and I feel like we can really see creativity from these small developers.I thought it would be nice to bring some that are deserving of more attention into the fold here on GAF in a sort of "Kickstarter Spotlight" type weekly or bi-weekly thread. (With mod's approval).

This first one is one I find a little intriguing. It's been spoken about here and there, here on GAF, but not more than that. It's a little bit janky at the moment, nevertheless it has a certain old school charm to it. It's called Son of Nor:

From the Studio Head (Julian Mautner): ”We have been tirelessly working on the game, funded largely by our own savings, for quite some time now and would love to see our Kickstarter succeed so that we can finish and bring it to market soon.”

Link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stillalivestudios/son-of-nor-the-world-is-your-weapon

Website: http://stillalive-studios.com

Developer: StillAlive Studios

Pledge: $150,000

Genre: Action-adventure

Players: Single and co-op

Interviews
iGR (IGameResponsibly) did an in-depth interview with Julian on the game. Very much worth the read: http://www.igameresponsibly.com/201...udios-discusses-their-kickstarter-son-of-nor/

Videos

Multiplayer Co-op walkthrough
Controls & Gameplay Mechanics
If you're wondering the thread title is about: Control objects in-game with your goddamn mind

Screenshots

I'll only summarize a little about the game (you can read full story details in the link):

-You play as warriors battling the Sarahul Army when you come across Noshrac's desert world
-Battles are won by using your creativity via magic spells, terraformation, and telekinesis.
-Puzzles are in the game which require your mastery of magic to proceed past them
-Succeeding in these puzzles grants your more magical abilities to control elements in the world

Player powers

As a Son of Nor you control the following abilities:

Telekinesis: Use your environment as a weapon. Throw rocks and other objects with the power of your mind to deal damage or to trigger carefully prepared traps or mechanisms.

Terraforming: This power allows you to manipulate and shape desert sand. Use it to overcome obstacles with ease, build paths where there are none, raise up protective barriers or slow down incoming enemies.

Elemental Magic: Use the power of the elements in your surroundings. Cast powerful spells made of fire, wind, or essence and combine them with each other to conjure even more powerful effects.

Immersion

The game is being designed in a way to have as little HUD and UI as possible. There will be no on-screen icons you have to click to trigger magic, or life bars that show how many hit points a player has left. As much information as possible is delivered using natural interaction, visual effects, animation and sound.

You will also be able to control objects in-game using signals from your brain with this peripheral:

http://emotiv.com/

Combat

Levitate rocks above the battlefield and release them to bury your enemies underneath as soon as they pass. Raise up protective barriers using the desert sand surrounding you to shield you from ranged attacks or to hide from enemy patrols. Take advantage of every loose object, set carrots on fire, conjure earthquakes or gale-force gusts of wind to stand your ground in fights.

Puzzles

Son of Nor will have several interesting physics-based puzzles that can only be solved by using a clever combination of the player's abilities (telekinesis, terraforming, magic and its combinations). Cast a wind spell to fill sails, cast a fire spell on desert sand to turn it into glass. Use terraforming to lower sand below an impenetrable wall and make it crumble. Use telekinesis to trigger distant pressure plates, traps or block enemy troops.

Final vision for the game

Son of Nor should become a fully featured action-adventure game that can be played in single-player or cooperative mutliplayer mode. The final game is going to consist of about 50% fights and action and 50% puzzles and exploration. We aim for about 8 hours of gameplay that is subdivided into 6 story chapters with various challenge maps in between. There is a substantial re-play value when you play Son of Nor in singleplayer or multiplayer mode, as you can access new areas with friends.

Anyway, that's it for this week. Honestly if they can actually allow objects to be controlled through, well, real life telekinesis, I am fucking sold. I just thought this game deserved a little of GAF's attention and it's awesome that the devs are using their own savings for the time being. Let's see if we can help them out

gazele · May 13, 2013

Kinda interesting, although I'm not sure if EEG has the fidelity to really allow you to play a complex game like this

flatearthpandas · May 13, 2013

shinobi602 said:
If you're wondering the thread title is about: Control objects in-game with your goddamn mind

What the fuck..... How much does that headset cost? Seems pretty crazy

gazele · May 13, 2013

shampoowarrior said:
What the fuck..... How much does that headset cost? Seems pretty crazy

Like 300 dollars

Uncle Rupee · May 13, 2013

Was all the art made in Poser?

flatearthpandas · May 13, 2013

gazele said:
Like 300 dollars

Not a terrible price, if it's good for things besides moving sand and rocks in this game. I would imagine it was designed with a more useful purpose than videogames, but that is a pretty cool implementation.

shinobi602 · May 13, 2013

shampoowarrior said:
What the fuck..... How much does that headset cost? Seems pretty crazy

That was my first question

Visualante2 · May 13, 2013

All these new input devices are starting to remind me of the guitar hero craze at its peak. What is next? A catheter that only opens up when your player character is nearby a toilet or bush?

syko de4d · May 13, 2013

just freeze me and wake me up when 8k Resolution Mind Controlling VR is ready :O

Odrion · May 13, 2013

Oh jeez, the future is coming up on us fucking QUICK.

KKRT00 · May 13, 2013

Oculus Rift upgrade?

Ferrio · May 13, 2013

Those things are such a gimmick now. They're so limited in what they can do.

gazele · May 13, 2013

shampoowarrior said:
Not a terrible price, if it's good for things besides moving sand and rocks in this game. I would imagine it was designed with a more useful purpose than videogames, but that is a pretty cool implementation.

Well there is a version of it you can buy which would let you do legit neuroscience experiments, but that costs 750

Although you may be able to hack the game version, but I don't know

Durante · May 13, 2013

These people are legit. And I don't just say that because they are based in my hometown

It's too bad that it doesn't currently look like this will reach its (modest) funding goal.

shinobi602 · May 14, 2013

Durante said:
These people are legit. And I don't just say that because they are based in my hometown

It's too bad that it doesn't currently look like this will reach its (modest) funding goal.

That's why I'm trying to at least allow it to gain some attention.

SkyOdin · May 14, 2013

"Controlling things with your mind" probably isn't what it sounds like. No EEG technology is precise enough to pick up anything resembling thoughts. Generally, they work by sensing patterns of activity in the brain, that can be separated into different wave-bands, such as alpha waves, beta waves, theta waves, delta waves, and gamma waves.

For example, alpha waves are generally associated with a meditative brain-state, while beta waves are generally associated with concentration. However, these brain waves are not the result of conscious control, but are a side-effect of all of the processing going on in the brain. While you can consciously induce a meditative state in your own mind, it isn't an easy or reliable process.

In short, the technology can neither actually see into your thoughts nor respond to specific commands. Instead, most control in games using this sort of headset involve "focus really hard to perform an action".

While this kind of technology is very interesting and has potential for use in gaming, the device can't replace traditional buttons and controllers. In my experience, they work better to supplement a game that is using more traditional controls. There is still a lot of unexplored territory with this technology in gaming.

EDIT: Okay, some further research shows that this Emotiv headset uses 14 channel EEG, a 2-axis motion sensor, and some EMG sensors (EMG sense neurons in muscles, rather than the brain). So it can sense facial expression, rough brain patterns such as "frustration", and head movements. It can't read your mind, but it is somewhat more capable that some its competitors. However, this kickstarter seems to be just for the game, as the headset is already on sale.

Poltergust · May 14, 2013

SkyOdin said:
"Controlling things with your mind" probably isn't what it sounds like. No EEG technology is precise enough to pick up anything resembling thoughts. Generally, they work by sensing patterns of activity in the brain, that can be separated into different wave-bands, such as alpha waves, beta waves, theta waves, delta waves, and gamma waves.

Someone get the Hulk in here.

Salamando · May 14, 2013

Game looks fully playable with a conventional keyboard and mouse. What're the odds K+B is faster and more accurate than using your brain?

shinobi602 · May 15, 2013

Salamando said:
Game looks fully playable with a conventional keyboard and mouse. What're the odds K+B is faster and more accurate than using your brain?

It is fully playable with keyboard & mouse, the peripheral is optional, obviously. Still, I thought it was pretty damn amazing.

Salamando · May 15, 2013

shinobi602 said:
It is fully playable with keyboard & mouse, the peripheral is optional, obviously. Still, I thought it was pretty damn amazing.

Eh, I've actually done work with brain interfaces in the past, so it'll take more than this to impress me. In this case, calling it controlling things with your brain seems inaccurate. It looks like it relies more on facial/head movement.

Watching the video, an eyebrow raise triggers telekinesis, teeth clench fires boulders, head raise raises sand and head lowering lowers sand. View ain't clear enough to guess what causes firebending.

FACE · May 30, 2013

Bumping this thread to say this was funded.

$151,175
pledged of $150,000 goal

Raist · May 30, 2013

shinobi602 · May 31, 2013

FACE said:
Bumping this thread to say this was funded.

$151,175
pledged of $150,000 goal

Yup saw it. Awesome!

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Kickstarter Spotlight: Son of Nor [literally control things with your mind]

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