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Launch HN: Quell (YC S20) – Immersive gaming and combat workout

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Re: Launch HN: Quell (YC S20) – Immersive gaming and combat workout

#121

Post by gleapsite »

douglaspaul wrote: post #90
glitcher wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also love this idea, and the body harness looks like a very innovative approach. I agree with many of the concerns OP mentions, especially the need for a variety of engaging games. The demo game feels a little too cartoony for my taste, would love to see more titles in different styles. Another concern I have is how can it help reinforce proper posture, body positioning, and footwork? I realize this is very difficu…

Thanks for the feedback, and you've raised some great points. We're absolutely on-board with the idea of multiple games - we have the launch title being developed (that you've seen in our current artwork), and others in mind. Out of interest, what would be your preferred style of game for combat fitness? We've had some good discussions around this in our Discord server. To your concerns re: body posture and movement;…

I'd love to see your interpretation of rails shooter like "The House of the Dead."

I'm imagining a branching "storyline"/exercise routine. One path might have many very weak enemies that take somewhat precise combos where another might have stronger minibosses where its a slugfest.

Re: Launch HN: Quell (YC S20) – Immersive gaming and combat workout

#122

Post by tinodotim »

0majors wrote: post #118

This is genius, congrats on launching! In your position I would look to consider 2 things: 1) Add leg straps for kicks! That's a killer ab exercise and would work great with your concept. 2) Let other devs make use of the hardware asap! Your strenght is clearly in the hardware. There are tons of game developers who could create incredible games with this. How great would be UFC game with this? Good luck!

> 2) Let other devs make use of the hardware asap!

Can't sell that $10/month subscription then though

Re: Launch HN: Quell (YC S20) – Immersive gaming and combat workout

#123

Post by m_tweedie »

0majors wrote: post #118

This is genius, congrats on launching! In your position I would look to consider 2 things: 1) Add leg straps for kicks! That's a killer ab exercise and would work great with your concept. 2) Let other devs make use of the hardware asap! Your strenght is clearly in the hardware. There are tons of game developers who could create incredible games with this. How great would be UFC game with this? Good luck!

Thanks for your reply! We are definitely exploring full-body exercises and totally agree that leg straps would make this even more effective. To your second point—we absolutely intend to open our hardware up to 3rd party applications/developers in the future, as we know that broadening the types of experience is key to longevity with a system like this

Re: Launch HN: Quell (YC S20) – Immersive gaming and combat workout

#124

Post by m_tweedie »

jfim wrote: post #110

Backed it, since it looks pretty fun. Out of curiosity, are there plans to have it track body motion (eg. via IMUs in the chest strap part)? One of the most enjoyable arcade light gun experiences is "Police 911 2", which is a light gun game that tracks the users' body so that they can take cover. I'd guess it would be fun if one can dodge attacks by ducking/leaning.

Thank you so much! As we continue to expand the move set we are absolutely working on full body movement, including ducks and dodges. We want to keep our players moving!

Re: Launch HN: Quell (YC S20) – Immersive gaming and combat workout

#125

Post by m_tweedie »

Guest19023892 wrote: post #115

Nice work on the product and video. It looks fun and it was easy to see what you're trying to accomplish. That being said, with a $200 price tag and $10/mo subscription, why would someone invest in this instead of VR? Comparatively, VR seems to have a lot more versatility with regards to tracking and the types of activities people can enjoy, one of which is fitness related games. With Quell, a person is limited to a…

Thanks for the kind words about the product. Totally understand the reservations about the subscription service. The value add here is that by subscribing, you gain access to a steady stream of new areas, enemies and modes that will keep Quell exciting. The base game will still have a lot to keep coming back to, but the subscription will help us run the development of this new content so that the experience stays fresh. We'll also be opening up the hardware to other developers, including those in VR, since we know that broadening the ecosystem can only help ensure people have a reason to keep using Quell long-term.

Re: Launch HN: Quell (YC S20) – Immersive gaming and combat workout

#126

Post by m_tweedie »

learnstats2 wrote: post #119

Congrats on raising a bunch of money! To me, this looks very comparable to Fitness Boxing for the Nintendo Switch. I tried the demo of that intending to purchase, but then dropped out. Regarding Fitness Boxing: - I didn't feel comfortable with the workout: since I have never boxed before, I was confident that my form was bad and had too few pointers to feel good about it. - I ideally wanted a whole body workout, and…

Thanks! We are very conscious of the fact that most of our users won't have experience with boxing, and plan to go to significantly greater lengths than games like Fitness Boxing to ensure that the player's technique is solid. Quell analyses your movements and tells you in clear terms how to improve. We'll also be including full-body movements like ducks and dodges to make it a more complete workout experience. To your last point—the resistance is adjustable, meaning you can dial it back to a point that you feel comfortable. Furthermore, adding resistance can actually help to make the experience feel more comfortable as it prevents the hard hyper-extension that can happen with straight shots when shadowboxing.

Re: Launch HN: Quell (YC S20) – Immersive gaming and combat workout

#127

Post by m_tweedie »

aidenn0 wrote: post #114
messiahtyler wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It looks like you get Quell single player free for life and the subscription is Quell +, I may have missed something where it mentions you need a constant internet connection though. Quote from the kickstarter: "Everyone who buys Quell gets the base game, for free, for life."

Oh, I'm suddenly interested again; thanks for pointing that out!

Happy to hear it! And to confirm, messiahtyler is correct—Quell+ provides additional content on top of the base Quell experience, enabling us to keep developing fresh experiences within the game.

Re: Launch HN: Quell (YC S20) – Immersive gaming and combat workout

#128

Post by m_tweedie »

nartz wrote: post #100

This looks cool - but it would be 100% cooler if it was just a wearable, that I could customize to use with other games - for instance, World of Warcraft, punching to initiate an attack, and different motions to use items, 'click', etc. I can't imagine using the wearable very much if the game itself isn't compelling - which, from the movie, looks a little wack

Hi there! The footage in the KS video is just beginning of the kind of experience we're building with out game. Beyond that, we're definitely open to opening up our hardware to 3rd party applications and developers to enable a broader set of experiences with added resistance and exercise impact :D

Re: Launch HN: Quell (YC S20) – Immersive gaming and combat workout

#129

Post by blensor »

evo_9 wrote: post #56

I guess this might be an effective way to get someone into working out, but ultimately it's just a gimmick similar to those late-night products that generally don't do much. I'm a bit of a fitness buff, I've been working out pretty my whole life. I guess the things that jump out at me that are off: 1. I wouldn't personally say 'we hate working out'. That to me is the wrong message. Working out is rewarding and worthw…

If you are already including VR into your workout routine, have you considered using VRWorkout [1] (disclaimer: self-promotion). It's a free and open-source full-body workout in VR. Still a bit rough around the edges but _very_ intense workout.

[1] https://vrworkout.at

Re: Launch HN: Quell (YC S20) – Immersive gaming and combat workout

#130

Post by yencabulator »

messiahtyler wrote: post #113
aidenn0 wrote: post #111

Here's old grouchy me talking: I don't like subscription games, particularly games like this that don't seem to need any network connection at all to function. I still play games that I bought over 30 years ago. Quell probably won't be still running their servers for the original game in 30 years, and if they are I'll have paid $4k for the privilege of renting this game indefinitely. I get that I'm not the target aud…

It looks like you get Quell single player free for life and the subscription is Quell +, I may have missed something where it mentions you need a constant internet connection though. Quote from the kickstarter: "Everyone who buys Quell gets the base game, for free, for life."

Part of the point seemed to be that

> free for life

tends to be for the life of the service (so typically 1-5 years), not for the life of the buyer.

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