Kinect Games

[patsu]

Impressions on Kinect games...

This Is How You Play Kinectimals:
http://kotaku.com/5615304/this-is-how-you-play-kinectimals
(Gameplay video)

Many people played Kinectimals at Microsoft's gameplay day in Germany yesterday, but no one played it with as much skill or heart as our own Michael McWhertor.

EDIT:
Sports Soccer
http://kotaku.com/5615203/kicking-it-with-kinect-sports-soccer

It's like a regular soccer game, only without all of that pesky moving. Here's what happens:

Two players alternate controlling the active character. If the ball is in possession by your team, and you are the active kicker, you position your body in the direction you want to kick, and swing your foot. If your teammate is throwing the ball in, you might get a prompt urging you to slam your face forward at the right point in order to hit the ball towards the goalie. If it is your turn, and the enemy team is kicking, you get the opportunity to raise your hands and block.

It's a turn-based game of soccer sans all of that pesky running up and down the field.

The lazy person in me approves.

The more active in me is tied up in a corner with a gag over his mouth, so his opinion doesn't matter.

Either way you look at it, Kinect Sports soccer is a lot of flailing about in front of your television, and that's what Kinect games are all about, isn't it?

...

Sonic Free Rider:
http://kotaku.com/5615748/hip-thrusting-my-way-through-sonic-free-riders

To play, you stand with your body almost sideways, as if standing atop a skateboard facing the television, and then you swipe your foot over the ground to start and speed up. To steer you lean forward, bending at the knees, or lean back. Kinect can also sense when you reach your arms out, allowing you to grab on screen items and pick up the lines of golden rings that litter the race track.

The weapon items you pick up are used in different ways during a race. For instance, you swing your arm down in an arc toward the screen as if bowling to toss a giant bowling ball at enemies, but you swipe your arms sideways to throw missiles.

Initially I found the steering controls a bit difficult to use, with my poor Sonic riding his hover board nose into the side of the track for long stretches of time. But once I started stretching my arm out in the direction I was trying to turn, the game seemed to become a bit more responsive.

I still had issues with making jumps, which seemed to require that I jump a bit too soon to launch properly off a ramp.

...

 

[patsu]

http://kotaku.com/5616185/xbox-kinect-gets-its-fight-club
(Video trailer inside)

The game is called Fighters Uncaged, and it appears to be publisher Ubisoft's answer to PlayStation Move motion-controlled fighting game The Fight: Lights Out (formerly known as Motion Fighter when we first played it). Both games reject the sunny mood of your average motion-controlled console video game in the interest of letting you shadow-box in grimy places against grimy virtual people.

The Ubisoft press release letting us know today that this game exists describes a game that lets you use 70 combat moves. Quoting the press release: "Fight using your fists, knees, legs, elbows and even your head to take out opponents. Body tracking allows for accurate dodging and blocking of incoming strikes delivering players directly into the game."

 

[patsu]

Note: kinect works even when you are sitting down.

I suspect the issue was (is ?) because of the player leaning/"blending in" with the couch and whatever's around him.

If he's sitting on a simple chair, away from other clutter, and his legs obscure the chair's legs, then it should work as expected.

Microsoft is working on the sitting problem anyway, so by hook or by crook, they will find a way to solve it adequately.

 

[patsu]

How Multiplayer Kinect Dancing Works:
http://kotaku.com/5617276/how-multiplayer-kinect-dancing-works

Dance Central, the body-controlled dancing game from the makers of Rock Band, has multiplayer. It's no Kinect Adventures multiplayer where you'd be standing side-by-side, in a gesture vs. gesture frenzy. No. It does dance battles. You take turns.

I chickened out of participating in a two-player Dance Central dance battle last week at MTV's offices, but, hey, I get it. Dance Central multiplayer starts up a song, expects one player to dance along to it, matching moves to score points, and then switches to a silhouetted freestyle mode as one player steps off and the other steps in. Player two dances the next part, racking up points, and then they trade off again. You can't pick your character; the same on-screen character dances the whole song through. Only the people the Kinect is capturing changes.

 

[AzBat]

Ubisoft announced additional songs and details for Michael Jackson The Experience...

• Bad
• Beat It
• Billie Jean
• Earth Song
• The Girl Is Mine
• Who Is It
• Workin' Day And Night

Developed by Ubisoft Montréal, Michael Jackson The Experience using the sensor for Kinect for Xbox 360, will give fans of the King of Pop the feeling of actually performing in Michael Jackson’s shoes. Ubisoft’s proprietary Player Projection technology projects the player on-screen and into the game itself, where their body will be tracked so they will see their true movements and steps reproduced in the game. This level of immersion has never been seen before and as players are surrounded by environments inspired by the music videos and live performances of each song, they will truly live the experience. The player’s performance will trigger effects, visuals and even the music itself as fans match their talent to that of the greatest artist of all time, whose music, lyrics and stunningly innovative dance moves continue to excite fans in every corner of the world.

Michael Jackson The Experience for Kinect™ for Xbox 360 sensor is more than just a game as it features a combination of dancing, singing and freestyle moves. The player’s full-on singing and dancing performance takes place in jaw-dropping sets with incredible lighting, special effects, and a completely energized million-strong crowd just waiting to cheer on every move.

http://www.michaeljackson.com/us/news/ubisoft-unveils-new-tracks-formichael-jackson-experience

Video interview with G4TV.com. Has gameplay, but only of the Wii version. Though there are details on the Kinect version I hadn't seen mentioned elsewhere.

http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/707006/Video-Michael-Jackson-The-Experience.html

Tommy McClain

 

[AzBat]

More details on Motion Sports Kinect...

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/111/1114609p1.html

I also added a new trailer video to the OP.

Tommy McClain

 

[patsu]

I tried Kinect for 5 minutes or so in Macy's today.

About the lag...

It is there, but hard to perceive when "avateering". I saw my avatar follow my posture on the screen with a slight delay. I did not try to stress test Kinect at this point coz I'd look stupid. ^_^

The few people who were there... were giggling when they realized that I had to run on the spot to play the Track and Field mini-game. I strolled on the field instead, then couldn't figure out how to exit the game. I tried all the gestures I could imagine for "Quit". All I saw was my avatar making stupid movements. Now you see why people were giggling.

So it's not necessarily intuitive with no controller. They should also give players an alternate way to play this game.



I also tried the Bowling mini-game. The game required me to swing boldly or the ball would roll s-l-o-w-l-y towards the pins. So I flung my arm as if I was holding a heavy bowling ball.

It went into the drain or only hit up to 3 pins, every single time. After a while, I realized that my arm motion, *after* I threw the ball, had changed the ball direction somehow (The ball had left my hand according to the visuals). I could get strikes and spares if I froze my posture for 1-2 seconds after throwing the ball. It's like I needed to point in the direction where I wanted the bowling ball to go. I don't know what's going on. Could be Kinect don't know when the cutoff point was (It missed my "throw" cue, and continued to track my out-of-game action for a second more).

In comparison, the Kinect dude could bowl a perfect score. His stroke was definitely more sure than mine.



Then I toyed with the on-screen menu for a while. The virtual buttons worked beautifully. It's much quicker than PSEye's waving button mechanism. I could press a button relatively quickly. For general UI manipulation, it is good.

The pointer was not performing. If I moved my hand at about 6 inches/second, it lagged about 6 inches behind my hand. So the perceived lag here was about 0.5 to 1 second. I had to move my hand intently and slowly for the pointer to keep up.

All in all, it worked as I expected. Next time, I may take my family there just to see how they react.

At the moment, I think Wii Sports Resort was able to track my subtle wrist movement more accurately. It is noticeable. But at the end of the day, it's the games that count. Can't really say much at this point until I see the launch game vs Wii Sports Resort.

EDIT:
I heard a middle-aged guy said "Wow" when he saw the Kinect staff bowl. The free-hand gaming concept can certainly impress the consumers at large. This is Kinect's greatest strength, even if a little flawed.

 

[goonergaz]

Nice feedback - thanks.

So, it sounds as 'good' as I expected...maybe it will improve as it looks to be well supported, but I believe the lower resolution camera will hold it back from being what I initially imagined it could be (from the first reveal) - which is a shame.

Still, time will tell - still think it's over-priced...£80 with the dance game would tempt me.

 

[patsu]

I don't think these flaws are necessarily showstoppers for its intended audience though. It can still be very successful. The price may be reasonable for general utility (more than gaming). They have done an excellent job communicating their vision, getting the word out there, and where Kinect is going. So I expect Kinect to sell out all its inventory at launch.

 

[bkilian]

I also tried the Bowling mini-game. The game required me to swing boldly or the ball would roll s-l-o-w-l-y towards the pins. So I flung my arm as if I was holding a heavy bowling ball.

It went into the drain or only hit up to 3 pins, every single time. After a while, I realized that my arm motion, *after* I threw the ball, had changed the ball direction somehow (The ball had left my hand according to the visuals). I could get strikes and spares if I froze my posture for 1-2 seconds after throwing the ball. It's like I needed to point in the direction where I wanted the bowling ball to go. I don't know what's going on. Could be Kinect don't know when the cutoff point was (It missed my "throw" cue, and continued to track my out-of-game action for a second more).

In comparison, the Kinect dude could bowl a perfect score. His stroke was definitely more sure than mine.

I haven't played the bowling game, but I believe it uses your "follow through" to determine spin and direction. A few folks I know who have played it find that once you make the motions like you do when you have a real ball, it's surprisingly accurate, although it can't track wrist rotation.

 

[patsu]

Shouldn't that be done while the ball is in my hand ? It's counter intuitive, and changed the game (That's not bowling !)

 

[bkilian]

Shouldn't that be done while the ball is in my hand ? It's counter intuitive, and changed the game (That's not bowling !)

Next time you go real bowling, check out what your arm does. It keeps moving once you let go of the ball, and the movement it makes is an excellent indication of what you did with the ball. (If your arm does not do this, take some time out to watch some professional bowlers and you'll be able to improve your game )

It's not going to be a perfect simulation. The key here is fun. If you have fun playing, it doesn't matter if the simulation is 100% accurate. I think that's where Sony needs to fix their marketing, they keep harping on how accurate their device is, but that's not the point. It helps, sure, but it doesn't inherently make things more fun.

The point with Kinect, as far as I can tell (I do not know the minds of our management) is to get people off the couch, moving around and having fun. Heck, even I, who would not normally be caught dead on a real dance floor, have enjoyed myself with Dance Central.

 

[patsu]

Next time you go real bowling, check out what your arm does. It keeps moving once you let go of the ball, and the movement it makes is an excellent indication of what you did with the ball. (If your arm does not do this, take some time out to watch some professional bowlers and you'll be able to improve your game )

*shrug* This is how I bowl and I could hit 7 pins and above usually. In real life, the ball doesn't veer off into the drain automagically when I recover from my throw. I don't swing my hand aimlessly after letting the ball go. My hand wasn't shaking either. I just put it down and the virtual ball steered to the right on its own every time.

Forcing me to stay in a posture artificially for an extra 1-2 seconds, especially when the ball was already rolling towards the pins, so that I won't mess up its path is just plain weird.

Spin and aim should be applied while the ball is in my hand.

 

[BadTB25]

When I bowl, I find that the follow thru is very important. I guess since Kinect cannot tell where you intend to release the ball, it requires the follow through to remain consistent.

I bowl straight without any curve so Kinect should be pretty close to how I actually bowl. For those with lots of spin, I'm not sure how Kinect will be able to simulate the throw.

 

[patsu]

When I bowl, I find that the follow thru is very important.

Yap, but it doesn't have to be intentionally long. As long as you follow through the motion... when the ball is a third or halfway down the alley, you should already be off the hook.

 

[eastmen]

Yap, but it doesn't have to be intentionally long. As long as you follow through the motion... when the ball is a third or halfway down the alley, you should already be off the hook.

Nerd warning

In highschool I was varsity bowling with a 262 average. Follow through is very important. I could strait bowl and normaly would if i had a pin left to pick up. However if you want to pick up multiple pins I'd need very good back spin and control of the ball. I used a 16lbs ball and when I was through with the full motion the ball was already a good 2/3rds of the way down the ally .

 

[patsu]

I only needed the ball to go straight.
The pins in the game are rather light. As long as the ball doesn't go off on its own, you can get a strike/spare relatively easily.

In similar vein, you don't really need to run like an Olympic track star in the track and field mini-game. It's a casual game.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Yap, but it doesn't have to be intentionally long. As long as you follow through the motion...

Once you have released the ball, you are technically off the hook, because you no longer can exert an influence on it. IRL the follow-through matters as the ball is released mid-motion, so the follow-through is actually defining the vector of the throw. A lack of follow-through means a shorter vector and more chance for error.

In Kinect bowling, techncially you should no affect on the ball once it has been thrown. If you can change it after it's been released, that is definitely odd, but I can see it being needed as a gameplay decision if the finer controls can't be tracked during the actual throw. In essence you have to learn to play the game a little, rather than to play exactly as you would bowling, which is true of most sports titles we've had, though they are normally so far removed from real life using thumbsticks etc. that the notion of relearning them isn't uncomfortable.

 

[patsu]

In essence you have to learn to play the game a little, rather than to play exactly as you would bowling, which is true of most sports titles we've had, though they are normally so far removed from real life using thumbsticks etc. that the notion of relearning them isn't uncomfortable.

If it's a thumbstick bowling game, the aim and spin would be applied while the ball is being flung. The only difference is the technical control mechanism.

If they want to introduce "after touch" to the game, IMHO, they might as well do it all the way (like Heavenly Sword's archery).

 

[zed]

Nerd warning

In highschool I was varsity bowling with a 262 average. Follow through is very important. I could strait bowl and normaly would if i had a pin left to pick up. However if you want to pick up multiple pins I'd need very good back spin and control of the ball. I used a 16lbs ball and when I was through with the full motion the ball was already a good 2/3rds of the way down the ally .

[With my skeptic hat on]
I suggest you contact some ESP group (I seem to recall a large cash reward) to anyone that can demonstrate ESP/telekinesis/whatever. What you're suggesting here is that you have telekinesis powers.
FACT - after the ball has left your hand whatever dance u do(*) afterwards will have no effect on how the ball will travel down the lane.
Of course you cant freeze your arms momentum after the ball's left + possibly will do yourself an injury if you try, but to suggest the followthrough in any way alters the balls movement is ludicrous

(*)well perhaps jumping up + down on the lane will