Next Project: Bringing “First Knight”-style Clashing to Skyrim

TL;DR
I’m teaming up with Pasquale (Albus961) and crew to build cinematic, HEMA-inspired swordplay on top of MCO. First milestone: a rock-solid MotionBuilder → FBX → HKX pipeline. Then a tiny Block/Deflect vertical slice that proves the feel—clear parries, satisfying clangs, readable rhythm. Simple version: one perfect clash that feels great and behaves consistently.

What We’re Building

Cinematic, HEMA-informed swordplay for Skyrim—built on MCO, not a Dark-Souls clone.

Runs with MCO (+ OAR/AMR in the ecosystem; Nemesis/Pandora).
Signature: real-time weapon clashing that actually shifts tempo and stance—not just sparks or QTEs.

Vision & Pillars

• Cinematic: Movie-style tension (First Knight, 1995) that still plays smoothly.

• HEMA-informed: Directional beats, blade control, believable binds/deflections.

• Dynamic Clash System: Live binds that alter timing, rotate stance, and create openings.
  Not a roll-spam game. Not a QTE fest. Readable, tense, and fast.

Why a Small Vertical Slice?

A small, working slice keeps us honest and focused.
Scope: two human NPCs, similar height, 1H swords shown in a 2H grip for leverage/readability.
Goal: a clean loop of Block Pose ⇄ Deflect with timing/SFX/sparks that truly sell the “clang.”
If one clash feels amazing, scaling to weapon types, height gaps, and 1vX becomes sane.

How It Plays

• Clash = gameplay. A brief bind leads to a readable deflect and a stance swap that affects your next choice.

• No QTE spam. Timing + clean state changes do the heavy lifting.

• 1vX awareness. During a bind, a short auto-parry/turn window (Ryse: Son of Rome-like) keeps group fights fair.

  

• NPC vs NPC binds: planned for the full version.

• Start with 1H swords, write rules that generalize later.

How We’ll Build It (stable, not brittle)

We can sell the clash feeling without pairing every exchange:

• Use OAR/AMR conditions to alternate a rhythmic conversation of steel:
  Block A → Deflect AB → Block B → Deflect BA.

• Flip a tiny hidden state on BlockHit/BlockRecoil (Papyrus or a light SKSE helper).

• Trigger sparks & SFX at deflect frames via Payload Interpreter (or similar).
  Save fully paired animations for big finishers or decisive win/lose moments.

Roadmap

• Lock pipeline: MotionBuilder → FBX → HKX (MCO/AMR-ready).

• Ship Block/Deflect vertical slice: timing, SFX, sparks.

• Add 1vX awareness and NPC vs NPC binds.

• Generalize rules to weapon lengths & height offsets.

• Patron playtest mini-packs and iteration.

Team

Producer/Vision: Pasquale (Albus961)
Systems/SKSE logic: Monitor221Hz
Moveset (Blender): Cult
Clash direction & animation assets: KEI（me）

I’ll focus on animations, timing, and readability; Monitor handles the plugin/events side.

Status Right Now

• Testbed ready: Skyrim SE (MO2), MCO + Dodge MCO working.

• Research: Tried an older pair-clash behavior test (Xing’s pre-alpha) with DKAF and BDI to study triggers/events.

• References: Studying Knight’s Path and related works for timing/stance rules.

• Coordination: Requested Cult’s Blender scene so my stances align.

• Next up: lock MotionBuilder → HKX with stable naming/FPS/root and annotation authoring.

What Patrons Get

• Short dev clips as the Block/Deflect loop tightens.

• Occasional test mini-packs (when safe to share).

• Clear, non-technical design notes from my chats with Pasquale.

Quick Interview: KEI × Albus (highlights)

Q1. What are you making, in one line?
Albus: Cinematic, HEMA-inspired swordplay for Skyrim—built on MCO, not a Dark-Souls clone.
KEI: So patrons should picture movie-style duels with clear reads and real deflections, running on MCO with OAR (Nemesis/Pandora as needed)?
Albus: Exactly.

Q2. Is “weapon clashing” just a QTE?
Albus: No. A bind state happens when blades meet. You feel pressure, reposition, and create an opening—then counter.
KEI: And if a second enemy jumps in?
Albus: A brief Ryse-style parry/turn window keeps 1vX fair. No flashing prompts.

Q3. Do we need paired animations for every clash?
Albus: No. We can sell the feeling with deflect loops + stance swaps, and timed sparks/SFX.
KEI: Then save paired anims for finishers or decisive moments.
Albus: That’s the plan. Monitor221Hz wires the logic.

Q4. What’s the first playable slice?
Albus: Two human NPCs, 1H swords shown in a 2H grip. Nail bind rhythm, deflect timing, and 1vX interrupts—then scale to height/weapon-length differences.

Q5. What makes this different from other MCO sets?
Albus: Our three pillars: cinematic, HEMA-informed, and a dynamic clash system that changes tempo. References: First Knight for tone, Knight's path for directional fencing beats, Ryse: Son of Rome for clean 1vX flow.

Q6. Who’s building it—and how can patrons help?
Albus: Cult = core moves (Blender). Monitor221Hz = SKSE logic/events. BWV = clash direction + motion + design guardrails.
Ask to patrons: Feedback on bind rules, readability, and reference scenes you want us to study. Your support helps us finish the slice and push Skyrim’s swordplay somewhere new.

Thank You

Big thanks to Pasquale (Albus961) for bringing me in, Monitor221Hz for the systems side, and Cult for the base moves. And thank you, patrons, for backing the “boring but essential” foundation. That’s how we ship something fun, stable, and worth your time.

— KEI_BWV997