eric-nofsingerPart of the challenge of creating a first-person perspective game in VR is that there are limited locomotion options for moving around in VR in a way that’s comfortable for most people. Damaged Core is a Oculus Rift launch title that uses a unique and very effective locomotion method where you move between different first-person robots as well as third-person security cameras. This ends up being a very comfortable way to provide a lot more agency in movement than most other survival wave VR shooters, and it also has a lot of elegance in that it’d actually be possible to do in a world of AI-driven robot assassins. You can’t hack into every robot enemy, and so you have to strategically move around a battlefield in the right order.

I caught up with High Voltage Software’s creative director Eric Nofsinger at the Oculus Game Day event during GDC to learn more about their R&D into VR locomotion, FPS game design strategies, and how they were able to make a scoping feature work despite it being against what Oculus recommends as a best practice.

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Kent Bye
  • Raphael

    I have absolutely no issues moving around in a first person game with mouse and keys in VR. Hl2 and team fortress 2 being two examples. I must say it’s disappointing there seems to be so many people making such a big drama about this. Also played mirror’s edge in VR with vorpx.

    • jlschmugge

      I’m hoping this goes away once VR is in more consumer’s hands. I just watched a launch stream of the Rift on GiantBomb.com. Those guys acknowledged some mild discomfort in the few games that let you roam FPS style such as Windlands and albino lullaby that use first person movement, otherwise it didn’t seem to phase them. All the “comfort” stuff actually was more uncomfortable for them. They were frustrated in games they couldn’t turn the camera left or right like Farlands. I likely suspect this is because the Giant Bomb guys are gamers, but I think VR developer’s want to make sure VR works ok with non gamers.

      • brandon9271

        I guess they are all trying to err on the side of caution. Oculus probably told them to hold all the Vomit inducing games until they’ve sold a million Rifts and all the good reviews are in print ;)

      • Raphael

        See that “mild discomfort ” is the whole point of vr. Windlands makes you feel like you’re going to fall and puts you on edge. That’s the point of it and I think we live in a society where people aren’t prepared for any discomfort at all. Now I do recognize that some people have genuine sensitivity/nausea but I think there’s also a large percentage who expect not to feel any discomfort at all…. Ever.

        My wife makes me listen to DR Laura each day and you’d be shocked at the number of callers who ask her what they should do about feelings that are perfectly normal to have given the circumstances. They want to be medicated or go into therapy because they believe they should only ever feel happy and comfortable.

        There was an ex soldier recently on another vr forum who decided vr was a failure and no one would want it because it was too heavy to wear. He’d never actually tried any vr system and his argument was based entirely on his experience of having to wear a soldier’s helmet (which he decided was to heavy for his head).

        I told him that I use oculus on a daily basis for some hours and I have no neck breaks or fractures as a result.

        He then went on to complain that after leaving the army he worked on a construction site and had to wear a hard hat. This caused him yet more emotional trauma because hard hats are much too heavy and uncomfortable.

        So this is what we’re dealing with… A generation that never expects to feel any discomfort.

        • jlschmugge

          I’ve done some forestry work and had to wear a hard had. Never thought the weight was an issue, but I know not wearing it would have meant a few gashes in my head from walking into branches. Anyway, the Rift weighs only .8 pounds right? That’s less than a bag of chips, which is just making their head fatter as they stuff it into their faces.

          People just need something to blame.

    • Jarom Madsen

      Agreed. I think VR is bringing in a wider audience that is not used to the surreal locomotion that 3D gaming presents. I’m fine with there being lots of introductory games that baby the newbies but I also say bring on the crazy stuff! I want fun games and am willing to go through whatever so long as it’s fun to play

      • Raphael

        I also wonder if the hold my hand gamers give themselves time to grow used to VR or have an immediate anxiety attack? One dk2 user told me a while ago that he suffered nausea but was determined to overcome it. He was able to play in VR a little longer each day.

        I suspect there are many who just don’t make that effort.

    • yag

      Yes KB&M should stay an option because it can feel more comfortable for some people (faster and more precise yaw rotations). The downside is you’re less inclined to turn you shoulders/head in this position.

  • joel herrera

    I want a mixture of first person and third person. a third person view where you can see a representation of your actual self standing slightly behind your game character, so that you can move him over long distance. Then when you stop, you sync in with your game character and it becomes a first person view. As a first person you then move around your game area depending on how big your room is. In that situation if you ask your character to do something impossible like walk threw a wall, you phase away from each other.
    all situations where your character goes through physical actions impossible to represent on the player would just unsync. like if your character get slammed across the room. you see your self get hit, then you see your character fly away and hit the wall, but you don’t get you perspective altered.

    big disclaimer. I don’t play vr games. never have. I’m waiting for second generation consumer version.

    • Raphael

      I guess it all comes down to personal preference. In general I’m a first person gamer and I never get disoriented using VR. Only games I tolerated 3rd person were dead space, dark sector and some Lara croft.

      If game companies end up catering mostly to the easily confused/nauseated gamers then that will be rather sad but I doubt that will happen. There will always be some development teams making more hardcore games I hope. Team fortress 2 works very well in VR with mouse and keys.

    • JoeD
  • Raphael

    The reason stuff like this worries me is that there was another system some dev team were working on that placed the player in an ugly geodesic hug bubble for movement to prevent you from getting confused and losing consciousness or becoming violently ill while in VR. Such systems totally ruin immersion and gameplay.