This is a sweaty game. After experimenting with the two-game virtual reality start-up Survios's support for the HTC Vive VR head shot shooter "Raw Data", I sweated all over my body. The "original code" dual co-op demo is one of the demos that first demonstrated VR and also supports multiplayer mode. This may be a key factor in adding a social experience to VR games.
According to Digi-Capital’s forecast, by 2020, the global VR market revenue will reach US$30 billion. One can imagine that at this year's major game show will be able to see a lot of VR game demo. Survios demonstrated the "original code" demo at this year's GDC (Global Game Developers Conference) exhibition of Epic Games and SteamVR.
Recently, I played this game with the HTC Vive Pre on Sanvio's computer in San Francisco. The headshot was not yet in the official version. The official version was to be available in the first week of April this year. During the game, you can walk in a "safe area" on the ground and shoot 360 degrees.
Enjoy the thrill of close combat
Trying to play "Original Code" is like experiencing the instinctive response you make when you enter another world. The sci-fi scene set by the game is relatively simple. After waking up from their cabins, humanoid robots emerge from the cabin and start attacking you from all directions. You must take into consideration all directions at the same time and keep the enemy close. In the game you have a teammate who can be responsible for some areas. So you can fight back to back. I can move in a space of about 4.5x4.5 meters and my teammates are the same, but he uses another computer and the Vive Pre system.
Survios created a game with "tactility." During the game, you have a wireless controller on each of your hands. Use them just like using real things. For example, you have a handgun, but when you shoot it is not simply what button you press.
I also used a compound bow, one hand holding the bow in the air, and the other pulling the bowstring to prepare for archery. After shooting, I had to take another arrow from my pocket. My teammate, James Iliff, chief creative director of Survios, said that these moves are the essence of "active virtual reality."
This gives you a sense of immersion but may not be the same as the experience of console gamers. For those who have never played video games, the operation in the "original code" is the same as the instinctive response in the real world. It was as if when the robot was very close to me, I instinctively pulled out my samurai sword and waved my arm to chop the robot. (Yes, if someone stands beside me, it will be chopped by me.)
In "Original Code", it is very suitable to use samurai sword in close combat.
The feeling of cutting off the robot's limbs and head is super cool. Grenades can also be used in the game to do a throw-out action. When using a shotgun, first load the ammunition by hand and then pull the trigger.
The above is only part of the game. The main story of the game is that an evil company is secretly stealing human brain data, making it a semi-robot and selling it for profit. Your task is to dive into the company's headquarters, get the raw data of their evil plan and make it public. When you download this data, you suddenly encountered a large wave of robotic attacks.
During the game, you can also unlock the terminal, gain special weapons, skills, upgrades, and deploy defenses. Because I have a skilled teammate, we have resisted several waves of robot attacks, including drones flying in the air.
While wearing Vive, occasionally I can't see my arm or weapon. There is a slight difference between the direction of the gun or sword and what I want to point out, but the experience is still very good.
It is worthy of appreciation that the Survios team has been working together for five years and every demo is getting better and better. The demo did not have too much movement and the experience was relatively stable. The previous demo had a lot of movement, which made me a little dizzy.
This demo is much more accurate in displaying close combat than the zombie shooting in the first Zombies on the Holodeck that Surviors showed me a few years ago. It is worth mentioning that Palmer Luckey, the team co-founder of the Surviors team and Oculus VR, studied game design at the University of Southern California's Mixed Reality Lab at about the same time.
When you prepare for archery
Previously, Survios had to piece together different systems, such as a Sony PlayStation Move somatosensory controller on an Oculus Rift head. The experience of Vive is now better than the samples that were pieced together before.
The progress that Survios is making is very much appreciated by me. In fact, I'm walking around, sweating all over the body and immersing myself in the game. This is a very big success. This will make the VR game experience different from other games that are always on the sofa.
So far, with the help of venture capital firm Shasta Ventures, Survios has raised $4.2 million in funding, while Survios's team has expanded to 35 people. The HTC Vive consumer version is coming soon and they are very excited.
Survios's "raw data" is expected to be priced between 10 to 25 US dollars, and said it will pay close attention to market repercussions, the game currently only explicitly supports HTC Vive.