Short summary: I want to make an ambitious mod that adds co-op play, support for the Oculus Rift and Kinect, integrates realism mods, and adds a few real-life modern-day cities for a fun and immersive feel. Full description: In the Matrix, Morpheus said "If real is what you can feel, smell, taste and see, then 'real' is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain." Force feedback and "4D" magic at theme parks aside, we are still working on three of those. But that last one, sight, is leaps and bounds ahead of what it once was. With devices like the Oculus Rift and the Kinect, game engines like Skyrim, and advanced realism effects pioneered by this community and others like it, we are finally at the brink of the next breakthrough in entertainment. We have the power to create a universe that our minds can no longer distinguish from reality. And I'd like to build a team that will make it happen. What if you could create a virtual world where people could interact "remotely via surrogates -- sexy, physically perfect mechanical representations of themselves," as the movie Surrogates described it?! As Sony's slogan used to say, "Live in your world, play in ours." And then once we've created it, "Free your mind," as Morpheus also said. So, enough inspirational talk. Here's the nitty gritty: 1. I'd like to do the unthinkable and add co-op networking support to Skyrim. If things like SKSE are possible that can externally run and enable the previously impossible, then I'd bet a similar wrapper (or an SKSE add-on?) can be programmed to enable a co-op mode. And if you join this project, you could be one of the ones that helps make it happen -- something that would surely make you hugely famous (if that appeals to you). 2. I want to add support for the Oculus Rift. (If you aren't familiar with this wonderful device, Google for it for lots of great info. If you don't already have one, consider getting one when they release for retail later this year.) My dev kit has not yet arrived, but the order page says it's been marked for the next shipment. Meanwhile, we can work on the other objectives. Once I get the kit, we'll see if integration is as "easy" as setting up the head-tracker to control the camera, or if there is more to it. (I'm sure there is.) I'll initially cover most of this part, but I need to find a few other folks out there that also have a rift so I can get additional QA testing done. 3. I want to also to integrate the Kinect into our beloved PC version as well. Bethesda already built in support for the Xbox 360 version, so I know it can be done. And I'd surmise that most players that have both a 360 and a PC probably either have or can have them in the same room because they use their TV to play both Xbox 360 games and PC games. Thus, it would "only" be a matter of getting them to plug in the Kinect to their PC and then loading up our mod. I have yet to confirm this with my own Kinect (I'm out of town right now), but since MS has dev support for the Kinect on PC (http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/kinectforwindows/), then I'd bet that Win 7 can automatically download drivers and install the Kinect hardware. 4. There's a lot of great game engines out right now, and a lot of great mods that make them even better. Half-Life 2 on Source looks great -- especially with the FFCM mod (http://cinematicmod.com/index.php) -- but it's an FPS engine. I think an RPG engine would work better, but that's just IMO. Thus, I want to use Skyrim's engine. With that said, Skyrim's areas are great fun -- if you're trying to play a game. But what if you wanted to visit London, Tokyo, San Francisco, Paris, etc? It's difficult to trick the brain if the place doesn't already exist in the real world -- especially in an RPG set in a fantasy realm. So let's create some places from Earth, e.g. London, Tokyo, San Francisco, or Paris. And of course, we'll need some good hi-def and ENB mods as a base. I'm open to suggestions. I've seen a lot that I really like. Finally, a bit of background on me in case you want to see some credentials: I'm new to Skyrim itself (just got it three weeks ago), and about in teenage years (shall we say) in the modding community since I've spent the better part of my off time during the last 3 weeks researching and prepping for what I wanted to do with this project. However, I'm not new to mods. I've been using them since the original Wolf3d, occassionally building maps, small mods, and simple compilation mods on the various things I've played since then. However, I've never submitted anything publicly since most of my stuff was just tinkering. I figure it's about time for that to change. I'm a student (for about another week) and I am just about to finish up my Bachelor's in Game Programming from UAT. (http://www.uat.edu.) I've learned a fair amount about all the things that go into making a game, and I've been programming in one fashion or another since I was 5. First it was on an old 286, later on TI calculators, later still I was a web-head, and then by high school I started getting interested in game programming. I'm 29, married with one son, and my work schedule is very busy. However, I always find time to spend with family, enjoy some games, and put some time into whatever hobby project I'm building at the time. But a project of this scope is beyond the abilities of just one person if it is to be done right and done well. (To be more precise, I've actually been working on related projects for a few years. I'd like to mix augmented reality with games like Skyrim and mesh this into the real world to make an awesome new game one day, but for now it's just giant "baby steps.") Anyway, that about sums it up for now. Again, I realize this is a very ambitious project. I've attempt to order the objectives above in terms of both difficulty and priority. That is, I think adding the long wanted co-op mode to Skyrim is highest priority, but it's definitely going to be more difficult than adding support for the Oculus Rift or the Kinect... Nobody has ever done this before. That's why it's going to work. PM me if you're interested and hopefully we can get started in about two weeks. EDIT: Typo.
