Skyrim Kinect

Skyrim Kinect is my latest PC game adapted to work with the Kinect. It allows for full character control using both gestures and voice.

Update: I've been reading your comments, and you guys have been very positive! There's always going to be debate over motion controls, so keep the discussion going. It sounds like you guys have really enjoyed the voice controls. Lucky for you, a new video is in the works, which includes Fus Ro Dah, and the ability to perform any shout you know, on the fly. Also, the new voice commands now include drinking potions and more spells. Video coming soon, so please subscribe! Cheers.

The gestures are simple and intuitive, yet allow for gameplay depth never before seen with the Kinect. Simply swing your right arm forward, up, left, or right, and your character will hack with his sword. Or, if you have a spell in your right arm, simply raise your hand or push it forward to cast. Use your left arm to control your character's view; if you have something equipped like a spell or shield, your left arm will control that as well.

Movement is also easy. Put your right foot just inches forward to run, and even further forward to sprint. Your left foot forward switches to a slow walk, while leaning left, right, or back moves your character in that direction.

Reach down with your left arm to draw or sheath your weapon, reach down with your right arm to activate objects. Crouch to sneak, and raise your right foot to jump.

This established gesture-based control scheme has worked well in my previous videos, but what is new in Skyrim Kinect is the use of voice controls:

Yes, this means Dragon Shouts!

Voice control also allows for much easier access to the menus and the 8 hotkeys. Each hotkey item has its own word or phrase, and the word 'double' before most hotkeys will equip it to both hands. Voice controls really do help create a seamless Kinect experience that would otherwise be burdened by accessing menu's using gestures.


Some features that are implemented, but not used in this video include:
- saying "Left hand" or "Right hand" to equip an item to a particular hand when in menu
- saying "Hello" to activate a conversation with a store owner or NPC
- saying "Journal" to access the journal
- saying "Skills" to access the skill trees
- saying "Switch View" to change between 1st and 3rd person perspectives.



So what kind of technology is behind the Skyrim Kinect video?

Well, gesture control is handled by the Kinect using a program called FAAST. FAAST, a middleware that operates using the OpenNI framework, converts user movements into keystrokes. Unfortunately, the openNI framework does not support voice control for the Kinect.

As a way around this, voice control in the Skyrim Kinect video is handled by a program called VAC (Voice Activated Commands). VAC allows you to pair spoken words with keystrokes.

Trying to avoid any type of controller, wires, or anything that might impede movement, I have used a RazorFish bluetooth headset to send voice commands to VAC. This device was relatively inexpensive, and probably accounts for some of the gameplay moments where a command is unrecognized.

I hope that you enjoy this Skyrim Kinect video. I look forward to suggestions about which PC games you feel should be Kinected in future videos.

FAAST: http://projects.ict.usc.edu/mxr/faast/
VAC: http://www.dwvac.com/
Music clips: Kevin MacLeod

• Category

  Gaming

[MrCatsforbrains]

Stop describing yourself

[James Cameron]

it works for me its not fake you fags

[Jarod Mimo]

Does anyone have the xml for faast used for this because i cant seem to get the movements right.

[Cees Wortel]

there actually is a kinect patch for skyrim but only with voice commands, but it's cool because you can equip things much quicker

[gastrodonrules2000]

This would be so cool on Kinect, but you can clearly see the computer keyboard buttons on the map near the beginning, which means someone recorded this on PC

[engels1978]

long time ago in a galaxy far far away... no ;) the beginning was because I wrote that in mine (and not only mine) opinion, this film, and PC kinect in Skyrim, is totally fake! :P Let's think! This movie was sent 2 years ago, and if it wasn't fake, I think people would use this to play SkyRim... I've spent few hundreds hours in SkyRim, and I haven't heard on Polish SkyRim Forum, that any person use this, or even try! And believie me, that quite a lot people play(ed) Skyrim in Poland...

[Little Tim Tim]

I don't even know why we are fighting LOL

[engels1978]

you know it is not prison :P and I do not know your time zone, but here was after dinner :P

[Little Tim Tim]

Obviously you don't have a wife. you'd be taking her to dinner right now. but instead you just keep talking to me

[engels1978]

still think you are a kid ;) girfriend is like a demo version, and wife is like a full version (unfortunatelly with all bugs ;) )... :P

[Little Tim Tim]

Bitch please. Girlfriend and a wife are the same thing. They both scream and yell at you all day. They just cook. So Yup they're the same

[engels1978]

I told the same... FAKE! It looks nice, if You want to laugh ;) But it has no way to work...!