Sword

In the following cases, the sword stands for arms in general, and has often been retained as a symbol even after it had in operational practice been replaced with firearms etcetera. Eidos was awarded the rights to the domain name nuderaider.com. Another example of this metaphorical significance comes in the old saying "The pen is mightier than the sword" -- attributed to Edward Bulwer-Lytton. However, the complete accuracy of such reports may be called into question^{[citation needed]}, as it is likely that the rumors are exaggerated to an extent. Ewart Oakeshott in The Sword in The Age of Chivalry (1964, revised 1981) introduced a system of classification for medieval sword blades into types, numbered X – XXII as a continuation of Wheeler's system. It is also reported^{[citation needed]} that Eidos intend to pursue action against unauthorized "home-made" patches for the game, and indeed any other games that the publisher has ownership rights to. Jan Petersen in De Norske Vikingsverd ("The Norwegian Viking Swords", 1919) introduced the most widely-used classification. In April 2004, it is also alleged^{[citation needed]} that an insider from Eidos reported to a Tomb Raider electronic mailing list that Eidos had begun suing gamers using the Nude Raider patches and sent cease and desist letters to servers hosting the Nude Raider patch, enforcing their intellectual property of Tomb Raider.

Certain martial arts styles, such as kendo, use shinai as their primary weapons, both in training and in competition. This program, when added to an existing Tomb Raider game, caused Lara to appear naked. Special sparring weapons, such as the bamboo shinai and the steel federschwerter, were also devised and used. However, many people downloaded the patch and uploaded it to different websites. These were known as wasters in Europe and bokken in Japan. It is alleged that someone within Eidos created the patch then released it on the Eidos website back in 1996, where it remained for a few hours until Eidos discovered it and removed the patch. In both Europe and Asia, wooden "swords" were created to practice fencing without the physical danger of a real sword. A development in Lara's history is the so-called Nude Raider patch.

A machete as a tool resembles such a single-edged sword and serves to cut through thick vegetation, and indeed many of the terms listed above describe weapons that originated as farmers' tools used on the battlefield. The PC version was also later reissued with added bonus levels. Many of these essentially refer to identical weapons, and the different names may relate to their use in different countries at different times. The Saturn version offers slightly faster gameplay over the PlayStation version but sacrifices some graphical quality. Other terms include falchion, scimitar, cutlass, or mortuary sword. No notable differences between versions exist, although the graphics on the PC version are of superior quality. Europeans also frequently refer to their own single-edged weapons as swords--generically backswords, including sabres. Tomb Raider was released for the PC and the PlayStation and Sega Saturn game consoles.

However, general usage of the term remains inconsistent and it has important cultural overtones, so that commentators almost universally recognize the single-edged Asian weapons (dāo 刀, Katana 刀) as "swords", simply because they have very similar prestige to that which is attached to the European sword. Several large corporations such as Timberland wanted to use the character for their advertising. One strict definition of a sword restricts it to a double-edged weapon used for both slashing and stabbing. The amount of media coverage Lara received was at the time unheard of, with many magazines even outside the video game industry printing articles on her.
. Aside from game appearances, Lara was featured on covers of magazines, in comic books and movies. As noted above, the terms longsword, broad sword and great sword (and Gaelic claymore) are used relative to the era under consideration and do themselves designate a particular type of sword. Nevertheless, Lara caused a sensation in the gaming world and catapultated her to cyber celebrity status.

For any other type than listed below, and even for uses other than as a weapon, see the article Sword-like object. The game's use of a hard edged, female heroine has been both hailed as revolutionary (breaking away from the male perspective of game playing) and derided as sexist for its stereotypical depiction of a woman designed to appeal to an audience of teenage boys. The main distinguishing characteristics include blade shape (cross-section, tapering and length), shape and size of hilt and pommel, age and place of origin. Some fans complained at the lack of action in favor of puzzle solving, although ironically, Tomb Raider II would be criticized for its overabundance of violence, especially against human opponents. Swords can fall into categories of varying scope. Nevertheless, Tomb Raider received some criticism for minor camera and object glitches, as well as its difficult save system. The tang consists of the extension of the blade structure through the hilt. Although the game spawned numerous sequels, often superior in scope and graphics, the original remains the most beloved among fans and critics.

It may also have a tassel or sword knot. As one of the top selling games of the system, it was one of the first to be released on PlayStation's Platinum series, and its success made Tomb Raider II one of the most anticipated games of 1997. The pommel in addition to improving the grip, can also be used as a blunt instrument at close range. The resulting sales were consequential, Topping the British charts a record three times, and contributing much to the success of the PlayStation. The hilt is the collective term of the parts allowing the handling of the blade, consisting of the grip, the pommel, and in post-Viking Age swords usually a crossguard (called cruciform hilts). The level of sophistication Tomb Raider reached by combining state-of-the-art graphics, classical music and a cinematic approach to gameplay was at the time unprecedented. Middle Eastern swords, intended for use with the arm bent, had a smaller radius. Upon its release, Tomb Raider was widely praised by gaming magazines for its revolutionary graphics, inventive gameplay and involving storyline.

European swords, intended for use at arm's length, had a radius of curvature of around a meter. However, ultimately, it would be the PlayStation rendition that would be known best. This allowed the blade to have a sawing effect rather than simply delivering a heavy cut. The first glints of the game were seen on Sega Saturn development kits. with an edge, have been curved with the radius of curvature equal to the distance from the swordman's body at which it was to be used. It is also rumoured that Tomb Raider's publishing company Eidos was near bankrupcy when Tomb Raider was created. From the 18th century onwards swords intended for slashing, i.e. Interestingly enough, it is Core's contention that the company was struggling somewhat with 32-bit development at that time.

On Japanese blades the mark appears on the tang under the handle. As he was resizing it back to normal, the other designers saw what he was working on and told him they loved it and that she should keep the double size. The ricasso normally bears the maker's mark. Toby Gard was fudging around with the model when he accidentally blew up Lara's bosom to 150% of what he intended it to be. On some large weapons, such as the German zweihander, a leather cover surrounded the ricasso, and a swordsman might grip it in one hand to make the weapon more easily wielded in close-quarters combat. Lara's famous breast size was in actuality brought about by accident. Many swords have no ricasso. According to Toby Gard, the idea to make her a female Indiana Jones was not present from the beginning, but rather grew naturally out of the development process as the game took its final form.

The ricasso or shoulder identifies a short section of blade immediately forward of the guard that is left completely unsharpened, and can be gripped with a finger to increase tip control. Personality-wise, Lara was a cold-blooded militaristic type in the early concepts. The section in between the CoP and the CoB is the middle. However at the same time, her backstory started to shape up and it was decided she should become more British, hence Cruise was changed to Croft to accommodate this. The part of the blade between the Center of Percussion (CoP) and the point is called the weak of the blade, and that between the Center of Balance (CoB) and the hilt the strong. "Laura" was later dropped in favor of Lara, to appeal more to American audiences. The blade may taper more or less sharply towards a point, used for thrusting. As such Lara was born under the name Laura Cruise.

The blade may have grooves or fullers for the purpose of lightening the blade while allowing it to retain its strength, in the same manner as an "I" beam in construction. In its earliest conception, Lara Croft was a male placeholder for an as yet undefined character, but as Core decided that puzzles and stealth should be more important to the game than action, they found that these requirements better suited a female character than a classic male action hero. Some hilt designs define which edge is the 'long' one, while more symmetrical designs allow the long and short edges to be inverted by turning the sword. The character went through several changes before Core settled on the version she became famous for. The blade is usually double-edged; when handling the sword, the long or true edge is the one used for straight cuts or strikes, while the short or false edge is the one used for backhand strikes. The team consisted of six people, among them Toby Gard, who is credited with the invention of Lara Croft. Three types of attacks can be performed with the blade: striking, cutting, and thrusting. The title was crafted by Core Design of Europe, who took 18 months to develop it.

The name scabbard applies to the case which houses the sword when not in use. Preliminary work on Tomb Raider commenced in 1993, but it was not until November 1996 that the game actually saw the light of day as a retail product. The sword consists of the blade and the hilt. The levels for Tomb Raider Gold were created in the San Francisco office of Eidos Interactive by Phil Campbell, Rebecca Shearin and Gary LaRochelle. Cavalry charges still occurred as late as World War II during which Japanese and Pacific Islanders also occasionally used swords, but by then an enemy armed with machine guns, barbed wire and armored vehicles would usually completely outmatch swordsmen. In Unfinished Business, having learned of the existence of a hive of surviving creatures guarding an alien hatchery, Lara returns to Atlantis to destroy the aliens before they invade again. The last units of British heavy cavalry switched to using armoured vehicles as late as 1938. In Shadow of the Cat, Lara returns to the City of Khamoon in search of an undiscovered tomb dedicated to the Egyptian cat-goddess, Bastet.

For example, the British Army formally adopted a completely new design of cavalry sword in 1908, almost the last change in British Army weapons before the outbreak of the war. The re-release was exclusive to the PC. Swords continued in use, but increasingly limited to military officers and ceremonial uniforms, although most armies retained heavy cavalry until well after World War I. The expansion featured the regular game as well as four new bonus levels in two extra scenarios called The Shadow of the Cat and Unfinished Business. Even as a personal sidearm, the sword began to lose its pre-eminence in the late 18th century, paralleling the development of reliable handguns. In 1998 Tomb Raider was re-released as Tomb Raider Gold for PC. The sword served more as a weapon of self-defence than for use on the battlefield, and the military importance of swords steadily decreased during the Modern Age. The Atlantis levels are among the hardest in the game.

The French martial art la canne developed to fight with canes and swordsticks and has now evolved into a sport. This is where the mystery unfolds. Some examples of canes—those known as swordsticks—incorporate a concealed blade. Lara Croft has tracked down Natla and her goons to a remote island, where mining operations of Natla Technologies have partially exposed the great pyramid of Atlantis. As the wearing of swords fell out of fashion, canes took their place in a gentleman's wardrobe. The levels in Egypt are all of hard difficulty. Both the smallsword and the rapier remained popular dueling swords well into the 18th century. The long lost third ruler of Atlantis was buried here, along with the third piece of the Scion.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the shorter smallsword became an essential fashion accessory in European countries, and most wealthy men carried one. In a hidden canyon near the Valley of Kings, Lara explores buried pyramids and a sphinx while fighting pumas, crocodiles, and some surprising mystical monsters. Both the rapier and the Italian schiavona developed the crossguard into a basket for hand protection. Stages in this monastery range from average to hard difficulty. The rapier evolved from the Spanish espada ropera in the 16th century. Here Lara battles lions, alligators and monkeys as she explores ruins of these ancient civilizations, and races for the second piece of the Scion with a man named Pierre DuPont, who unfortunately entered before Lara did. The sword in this time period was the most personal weapon, the most prestigious, and the most versatile for close combat, but it came to find a greater role in civilian self-defense than in military use as technology changed warfare. Francis was built upon the side of a mountain that conceals layer upon layer of civilization, harkening back to the The Golden Age of Greece and Rome.

In the 16th century, the large Zweihänder concluded the trend of ever increasing sword sizes (mostly due to the beginning of the decline of plate armor and the advent of firearms), and the early Modern Age returned to lighter one-handed weapons. This medieval monastery of St. Though capable of penetrating even the thickest armor, it ultimately proved too unwieldy for common use. The levels in Peru are of an average difficulty. His "Vervierfachen Sie hat gereicht Blatt" was a sword nearly twelve feet in length, requiring two men to wield effectively. The player must guide Lara through the lost Incan city while battling wolves, bats, bears and more. The largest recorded sword was that forged by Gustav Heinshreck in the 16th century. Here she makes her way through the remains of a civilization that flourished for hundreds of years, in valleys where time literally stood still.

Though light blades were retained by cavalry for some time, the infantry blade was eventually abandoned entirely. Natla sends Lara Croft to Peru, where she discovers the entrance to the long lost tomb of Qualopec high up in the mountains. As armor thickened, blacksmiths labored to increase the size of the sword, resulting in such weapons as the bastard and two-handed sword. The story mode begins with an introductional sequence. This sword gradually became obsolete as thicker forms of armor rendered the piercing blade ineffective. This tutorial is designed to get the player acquainted with the basics of the game and includes jumping and climbing techniques on ten vaulting boxes. The estoc became popular because of its ability to thrust into the gaps in-between plates of armor. From the options menu, the player may choose to complete the training course in Lara's home before getting started with the main game.

The longsword became popular due to is extreme reach and cutting and thrusting abilities. A stage is finished when a certain doorway is reached or an artifact recovered. Another variant was the specialization of armour-piercing swords of the Estoc type. A compromise was reached with Tomb Raider III under the form of "collectible save crystals." The PC and Mac versions of the game allow the player to save at any time. By 1400 this type of sword, at the time called langes Schwert (longsword) or spadone, were common, and a number of 15th and 16th century "fechtbucher" teaching their use survive. Following criticism on this system, Core implemented a save anywhere at anytime feature in Tomb Raider II, which, ironically, lead to complaints that the game was made too easy. The main transition was the lengthening of the grip, allowing two-handed use, and a longer blade. The scarcity of these points, however, means that if the player dies, large portions of each level must be replayed, much to the players' frustration.

From around 1300, in concert with improved armour, innovative sword designs evolved more and more rapidly. When Lara touches one of these the option to save is made available. 900 AD (see Japanese sword), is also derived from the Dao. In the PlayStation and Sega Saturn versions of Tomb Raider, saving the game is restricted to fixed save points within each level, marked by a floating blue crystal. The Japanese Katana (刀; かたな), production of which is recorded from ca. The player is usually rewarded with extra med-packs, ammo and occasionally, new weapons. Derived from the Chinese Dao, the Korean Hwandudaedo are known from the early medieval Three Kingdoms. Some may be hidden along the roadside in bushes, others require the completion of a hidden course or optional puzzle to be found.

Single-edged weapons became popular throughout Asia. The locations of these secrets vary in difficulty to reach. However when a knight thrusts his sword, his defense is completely down, and a stab is easier to dodge than a slice. Discovering these secrets is optional, and when the player has found one a tune plays. A stab is more fatal than a slice and difficult to parry. Throughout each stage, one or more secrets may be located. The swords were made to be for thrusting. The puzzles that the player encounters across each level vary: pulling specific combinations of levers, a course of timed jumps, avoiding a certain trap or collecting several keystones.

During the Crusades of the 12th to (13th) century, this cruciform type of arming sword remains essentially stable, with variations mainly concerning the shape of the pommel. Any item that is collected is held onto in Lara's inventory until it is used. It is only from the 11th century that Norman swords begin to develop the quillion or crossguard. Game-specific items are keys and artifacts required to complete a stage. The Viking Age sees again a more standardized production, but the basic design remains indebted to the Spatha. Regular items to pick up include ammo, and small and large medpacks. Vendel Age Spathas decorated with Germanic artwork (not unlike the Germanic bracteates fashioned after Roman coins). A general action button is used to perform a wide range of movements in Tomb Raider, such as picking up items, pulling switches, firing guns, pushing or pulling blocks and grabbing onto ledges.

The Spatha type remained popular throughout the Migration period and well into the Middle Ages. Other means by which the game will prematurely end include drowning, electrocution, being shot, being crushed and turning to gold. The Chinese Dao (刀 pinyin dāo) is single-edged, sometimes translated as sabre or broadsword, and the Jian (劍 pinyin jiàn) double edged. Should Lara touch it, she will immediately catch fire and die within seconds unless the player manages to dive into a nearby pond. Chinese steel swords make their appearance from the 3rd century BC Qin Dynasty. Fire is a lethal substance in the game. The late Roman Empire introduced the longer Spatha (the term for its wielder, spatharius, became a court rank in Constantinople), and from this time, the term "long sword" is applied to swords comparatively long for their respective periods. Furthermore, they cannot climb on higher platforms and as such remain confined to the rooms they inhabit.

The Greek Xiphos and the Roman Gladius are typical examples of the type, measuring some 60 to 70 cm. The various animals that attack Lara, while dangerous in large numbers, are easily avoided and gunned down. By the time of Classical Antiquity and the Parthian and Sassanid Empires in Iran, iron swords were common. Also note that landing on spikes, even if they are jumped upon from ground level, are always fatal. Over time different methods developed all over the world. Although Lara may survive a drop from high peaks, she will easily break her neck if she performs the dive move even from relatively low heights. Several different methods of swordmaking existed in ancient times, including most famously pattern welding. As the game adopts a platform style approach of progress, well timed jumps must often bring Lara safely to the other side of a ledge or she will plummet to the ground below.

Eventually smiths learned that by adding an amount of carbon (added during smelting in the form of charcoal) in the iron, they could produce an improved alloy (now known as steel). Numerous enemies as well as a variety of lethal traps can bring about Lara's death in Tomb Raider, the most immediate threat of which is falling to death. Early Iron swords were not comparable to later steel blades, being brittle and soft, they were even inferior to good bronze weapons, but the easier production, and the better availability of the raw material for the first time permitted the equipment of entire armies with metal weapons. This development went on to become a staple of the series. Iron has the advantage of mass-production due to the wider availability of the raw material. At a certain point in the story, Lara will be stripped of all her weapons, leaving the player defenseless and forced to recover her pistols. The Hittites, the Mycenean Greeks, and the Proto-Celtic Hallstatt culture figured among the early users of iron swords. Additional weapons include the shotgun, dual magnums and dual uzis.

Iron swords became increasingly common from the 13th century BC. By default she carries two pistols with infinite ammo. However Areliux, a celtian chief, made the "simitar" a sword that could kill with one hit. In a free environment, Lara has two basic stances: one with weapons drawn and one with her hands free. All in all, these primitive weapons functioned more like sharpened bludgeons. While swimming, an extra statusbar appears under the health meter to indicate the amount of breath left in Lara's lungs. They were without later incorporated features, such as hilts and pommels. Besides walking, running and jumping, Lara can perform side-steps, hang on ledges, roll over, dive and swim through water.

Historians debate the exact size of this first sword, but it is generally accepted that the weapons were bronze bars, sharpened along a single edge, between one and two feet in length. Movement in the game is varied and allows for complex interactions with the environment. These were later dubbed machaira, or sword. As such, Tomb Raider in essence harkens back to the classical form of platform style gameplay. When a regiment of Periphero Chortos arrived and witnessed the tanner's use of this curious blade, they requested duplicates of the "arm-length knife" for their own use. Instead the emphasis lies on solving of puzzles and performing trick jumps to complete each level. Hephastus hit upon the idea of making larger "knives" to assist the local tanner in skinning animals of their hides. Gunplay is restricted to the killing of various animals that appear throughout each stage, although ocassionally Lara may be faced with a human opponent.

Although numerous origin accounts exist, the first sword is believed to have been forged by the Greek bronzeworker Hephastus (2800 B.C.), who would later be deified as the Grecian god of blacksmiths. On the way, she must kill dangerous animals and other creatures, while collecting objects and solving puzzles to gain access to an ultimate prize, usually a powerful artifact. Sword production in China is attested from the Bronze Age Shang Dynasty. The object of Tomb Raider is to guide Lara through a series of tombs and other locations in search of treasures and artifacts. 1400 BC show characteristic spiral patterns. Ledges, walls and ceilings sit at 90 degrees to each other (although the game designers used some clever tricks to make this less obvious). Swords from the Nordic Bronze Age from ca. The world she inhabits is fully drawn in three dimensions and characterized by its cubic nature.

Bronze Age swords with typical leaf-shaped blades first appear near the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, and in Mesopotamia. Lara is always visible and the camera follows the action from behind or over her shoulder. The hilt at first simply allowed a firm grip, and prevented the hand from slipping onto the blade when executing a stab. The game is presented in third person perspective. The sword developed from the dagger when the construction of longer blades became possible, from the early 2nd millennium BC. In Tomb Raider, the player controls the female archeologist Lara Croft, in search for the three mysterious Scion artifacts across the world. Humans have manufactured and used bladed weapons from the Bronze Age onwards. As she delves into the reasons why Natla would double-cross her, she uncovers a mystery that reaches back before the dawn of recorded time to the treachery that destroyed the Atlantean civilization and the disasters that struck the world when it fell.

. Using her cunning wits and athletic strength, Lara escapes. The names given to many swords in mythology, literature, and history reflect the high prestige of the weapon (see list of swords). However after discovering the fragment, things get ugly when Lara finds herself face to face with one of Natla's hired goons. The basic intent and physics of swordsmanship remain fairly constant, but the actual techniques vary between cultures and periods as a result of the differences in blade design and purpose. Wasting no time, Lara sets out on her quest to find one of the three pieces of the ancient Atlantean Scion, a talisman of incredible power. Sword (Old English: sweord; akin to Old High German: swerd, "wounding tool"; Proto-Indo-European: *swer-, "to wound, to hurt") is a term for a long-edged, bladed weapon, consisting in its most fundamental design of a blade, usually with two edges for striking and cutting, a point for thrusting, and a hilt for gripping. After Lara Croft returns from a hunting trip in the Himalayas, she is contacted by Jacqueline Natla, a conniving businesswoman who convinces Lara to recover a mysterious artifact from the tomb of Qualopec in Peru.

It is also not unusual for swords to represent reason - as in "cutting through" a series of elements in a problem in order to leave only those with proven relevance, for example. . regiment) of such a corps - as these are numerous, inevitably many variations and combinations (two crossed swords, or with a laurel wreath, crown, national or founder/patron's emblem etcetera) are used. It spawned numerous sequels and an entire franchise of related media. as symbol of armed force, or of a corps entitled to use force as the strong arm of the law, as in military and police insignia, or of a unit (e.g. The game is widely considered to be among the best and most influential games ever made. as symbol of power, such as a Sword of State and a Sword of Justice (both can be used as regalia);. Tomb Raider follows the exploits of Lara Croft, a British archaeologist in search of ancient treasures à la Indiana Jones.

Swords are also used as emblem or insignia (in or on formal dress such as uniforms, badges, various objects, even coats of arms), especially: