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

news.ycombinator.com

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

#131

Post by m_tweedie »

ponker wrote: post #89

Why is a YC company, perhaps the kind of company with the most access to capital, on Kickstarter? I get that it's free capital but it's a terrible look. I will wait until you have something to ship, or if YC underwrites you and says that they will refund Kickstarters if you fail to deliver.

Hi there, thanks for your comment. Kickstarter is an extremely useful way to accelerate the development of Quell for a few key reasons. It lets us manufacture and ship at scale, guaranteeing our backers the lowest price possible. Kickstarter also enables us to move faster towards bigger stretch goals. We can use it to ensure that we are building something that people actually want, which gives them a voice in shaping the product and demonstrates to other sources of funding that there is real demand for it. Of course, it also comes with the responsibility to really deliver on our promises or make good with our backers, no ifs or buts, and we take this very seriously.

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

#132

Post by m_tweedie »

IOT_Apprentice wrote: post #80

No low line or roundhouse kicks?

Hi there! We'd love to include kicks as well, though we've had to put it as a stretch goal due to the additional complexity it presents for development at this stage. Expanding the range of movements is definitely in our roadmap either way :D

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

#133

Post by m_tweedie »

novok wrote: post #106

It turns me off that there is a subscription TBH when it doesn't really seem like a subscription worthy thing, especially at $10/month

Hi! Can understand the reservations about the subscription service. The base Quell game is free for life. Our subscription service provides 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 for longer. 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

#134

Post by m_tweedie »

adamhe wrote: post #112

This looks like fun, backed it. There is a lot of difficult pieces that have to come together for this to work though, and it is not just the hardware, if the game itself isn't good enough then the whole thing falls apart. I really enjoyed playing Beatsabre on Oculus.

Hi! Thanks so much for the support. We love Beat Sabre as well—in fact, one of our early tests was to strap weights to our wrists and try to play the game with the added resistance. It was a fun experiment, and frankly pretty hard work!

Also agree that there's quite a few moving parts to this project. We're looking forward to sharing more details of how the game will provide an exciting and varied experience!

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

#136

Post by learnstats2 »

m_tweedie wrote: post #126
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 yo…

Thanks!

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

#137

Post by aidenn0 »

m_tweedie wrote: post #127
aidenn0 wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I'm totally cool paying extra for premium content, I just don't want to be renting my video games :)

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

#138

Post by faitswulff »

douglaspaul wrote: post #103
glitcher wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me personally, I would prefer a more realistic style fighting game for combat fitness where my opponent looks and moves like a real person. Or even something along the lines of the classic arcade fighting games like Mortal Kombat where the violence gets a little more graphic. Basically games that feel like they are targeted at adults instead of all ages family friendly. But I understand the need for variety, and…

I can tell you we share that view - we're looking forward to growing out more games in the future, however we aim to make the launch time compelling to users of all ages, and that means getting the story absolutely right. There were definitely jokes in the team early on about licensing Mortal Kombat to up the ante of the fights!

After thinking about it for a day or so, I think what the Quell demo is missing for me is simplicity. Boxing is pretty fun by itself and there’s a lot of potential depth in building up different combinations of punches and the rhythmic nature of the exercises. So a simple Wii Sports or even Dance Dance Revolution style trainer would appeal more to me than a cartoon style game. If I were eight years old, it would be absolutely the reverse, but what I want as an adult is just the boxing.

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

#139

Post by m_tweedie »

aidenn0 wrote: post #137
m_tweedie wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I'm totally cool paying extra for premium content, I just don't want to be renting my video games :)

Hear, hear!

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

#140

Post by tomhoward »

ponker wrote: post #107
erohead wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kickstarter is not the same as venture capital (and is certainly not 'free capital'). It's validation that actual customers are interested in the product and want to buy/use it. There are certainly risks associated with backing a project as a customer, but presumably the folks backing this campaign feel like the benefit is worth the risk.

It absolutely is free capital, in the same way that a 0% interest bank loan would be free capital. You don't have to give any interest, any equity, or any collateral in case of failure. How much freer does capital get?

Reputation has a value, and companies/founders who fail to deliver on a crowdfunding campaign incur a huge reputational cost.

Investors are far more willing to support founders after an earlier failure than crowdfunding customers are after an unfulfilled campaign.

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