HALF SWORD MEDIEVAL FENCING SIMULATOR (INTERVIEW)

1. WHAT WAS THE FIRST GAME THAT YOU PLAYED THAT MADE YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH GAMING?

That is The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I guess, for any real TES fan of my age that would be Morrowind, but my first TES was Oblivion and I fell in love instantly. The world was so immersive! I was amazed that I could pick up every apple, fork or even a single little berry from a table. And I could fulfill my urge of being a knight in shining armor in that huge and responsive world. Oblivion clearly formed my understanding of what an immersive experience should be.

2. HOW DID YOU GET INTO GAME DEVELOPMENT?

It was back in 2015 when a friend told me about a thing called "Game Jam". I had no idea what that meant, but I loved games more than anything and I jumped id. Making games was my dream since I was 3 years old. but I never knew that it was possible for me to make them. Everything changed, when, while participating in that Game Jam, I was introduced to Unreal Engine 4, my gateway to game making. Fast forward many years and I finally made up my mind to be a real game developer

3. ARE YOU A CURRENT SOLO DEV OR DO YOU HAVE A TEAM PUT TOGETHER? IS SO HOW DID YOUR
TEAM COMES TOGETHER?

I was a solo developer up until recently, but now I am proud to announce, that a very talented 3D artist Ivan Nestorov https://www.artstation.com/ivan_nestorov who shares with me a passion for medieval arms and armor, joined the team! Unlike me, he is a professional game dev, so you can expect a spike in the quality of our game soon! He saw somebody reposting my game on Instagram, found me, and showed me his work and I had no other choice other than team up with him!

4. WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE NAME HALF SWORD-MEDIEVAL FENCING SIMULATOR?

The title is a work in progress. But I may stick with "Half Sword". Halfswording is a technique in medieval fencing, where you grab your sword by the blade with one hand and hold it by the hilt with the other. A very common thing for the heavily armored knights to do. I learned that in my HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) club and, I guess, only the people who love either all things medieval or sword fighting know about this term. The plan is that for a common person this will be just a generic title, but for a sword enthusiast, it would mean much more.

5. GIVE US THE BACK STORY BEHIND THE SETTING FOR THE GAME?

There is no setting as such just yet, but we have a basic vision for what we want it to be. We are basing our concepts on 1400-1450 Europe. This should mean historically accurate weapons and armor, some of the real fighting techniques, and the overall vibe of that period and place.

6. WHO IS THE PROTAGONIST OF THIS GAME?

The version of the game we have in mind right now does not revolve around a concrete protagonist. So a nameless warrior, I would say just for now.

7. TELL US ABOUT THE INSPIRATION BEHIND DECIDING TO MAKE THIS GAME IN THIS FORMULA?

I wanted to make a game, where sword fighting is almost as fun as in real life. This meant more player agency for every movement, feeling of weight, inertia, and impact, and much more. There are some games that have this in some capacity already. First among them is "Exanima", but I would also list "Die By the Sword" and "Trespasser" (both released in 1998)

8. TELL US ABOUT SOME OF THE MACHINES AS FAR AS THE BATTLING MACINCS IN THE GAME?

The combat system is the main focus for us right now. We are still very early in the development, but we can already boast a unique direct control system. You control your hands by the movement of a mouse or a gamepad stick. You can also move you right and left arm separately. The game is also fully physically simulated, so all the motions are driven by the character's "muscles" rather than pre-recorded animations. Armor has a complex collision model, meaning that it only protects parts of the body, that it physically covers. An in-depth dismemberment system comes with this combat system too.

9.I SEE THE MOVEMENT IS DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER GAME SO TELL US ABOUT THAT.

Animations in this game are all generated dynamically. Each limb moves on its own based on players' input and characters' surroundings. In addition to that, the model is always physically simulated, which allows it to interact with the world more naturally.

10. WHAT TYPE OF ENEMIES ARE YOU FACING IN THE GAME?

Right now it's just normal people with melee weapons, but we may add more variety later. We should at least have ranged weapons added into the game sooner or later.

11. ARE THERE PLANS FOR DLC FOR THIS GAME IN THE FUTURE?

The only DLC I am solid sure we will release is a "$3 Horse Armor DLC". Because I believe that every great game should have one.

12. WHY SHOULD GAMERS WANT TO PLAY THIS GAME ON DAY 1?

I actually hope they will want to play it before Day 1! The main selling point here is the unique combat system. I think, there is an audience for that. And for Medieval enthusiasts, there will be a whole other layer of things to enjoy

13. WHEN WILL THIS GAME RELEASE AND WHAT PLATFORMS WILL IT BE ON?

We have not decided on a release date yet. But I cannot wait to announce our first release date delay!