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Half-Life: Alyx
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A link or an image would have been good with your post. For myself, I will consider it if it can be played seated and it's on sale.
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I've been playing this today, I think it sets a new standard for VR immersion. Everything in the world can be picked up and played with, such as shaking a bottle of pills to hear it rattling in your ear, or grabbing a pen and writing on the windows. I picked up a bicycle by the frame with one hand and could twist the handbars and pedals with the other. There's a a missing cat poster, where you can pull the photo off it and read the back. It's convincingly grimy and grounded, feels like a real place. The detail is incredible.
Forget playing it sitting down, though, this is a fairly active VR game. The more space you have to walk around and move your arms, the better. I generally don't notice that I've managed to turn 180 degrees until I start losing hand tracking from the Oculus sensors or my ankles get wrapped in the cord.
It's something you ought to experience if you've got the hardware. There's always Steam refunds if it makes you feel sick.
Forget playing it sitting down, though, this is a fairly active VR game. The more space you have to walk around and move your arms, the better. I generally don't notice that I've managed to turn 180 degrees until I start losing hand tracking from the Oculus sensors or my ankles get wrapped in the cord.
It's something you ought to experience if you've got the hardware. There's always Steam refunds if it makes you feel sick.
According to the Steam: Alyx page it can be played seated, although in a highly dynamic environment I could see remaining seated as a challenge.
- What scheme is used to move, is teleportation an option?
- What headset are you using?
The following article offers advice how to set the game up, including the Steam Room setup for playing seated. I assume this game will only be found on Steam. A quick search of Occulus.con did not reveal it there as I believe this is a Steam exclusive game.
How To Play Half-Life: Alyx Seated
How To Play Half-Life: Alyx In Seated Mode
You can play Half-Life: Alyx sitting down, you just need to setup SteamVR for it.
They have a few accessibility options, like one-handed mode where you press a button to switch between the gun and the magic grabbing gloves, but you still have to make small adjustments to move closer to objects, bend and stretch to pick them up, etc.
I'm using teleportation (two different types of that available), which is the one where it would be hard to avoid having to walk around to make small adjustments. There's also a couple of free movement options using the joystick, which means you could stay in one place physically and just sort of slide around in the virtual world, but I found it made me feel queasy.
It works with any tethered headset. I have Oculus Rift original version, works very well except when I get turned around and it loses hand tracking because I only have two sensors.
Try it for an hour and refund it if it's not your thing. You've at least got to see the opening scenes, there's some genuinely jaw-dropping stuff in the first half hour. It's hands down the most visually impressive game I've ever played, which is crazy when you think how low the resolution usually is in VR. Everything looks so real.
I'm using teleportation (two different types of that available), which is the one where it would be hard to avoid having to walk around to make small adjustments. There's also a couple of free movement options using the joystick, which means you could stay in one place physically and just sort of slide around in the virtual world, but I found it made me feel queasy.
It works with any tethered headset. I have Oculus Rift original version, works very well except when I get turned around and it loses hand tracking because I only have two sensors.
Try it for an hour and refund it if it's not your thing. You've at least got to see the opening scenes, there's some genuinely jaw-dropping stuff in the first half hour. It's hands down the most visually impressive game I've ever played, which is crazy when you think how low the resolution usually is in VR. Everything looks so real.
As I imagine the possible issue with an action game like this is being able to move in a timely fashion to avoid incoming fire. I’m currently playing Black Mesa and I’m frequently dodging (using the AD keys) the Head Lice that walk up to a predictable point before launching themselves at me. I either dodge them or I time my crow bar swings to whack them while they are airborne.
BTW, the crow bar is a much more efficient weapon for them (instead of wasting bullets) before or after they have taken over a human host. For human hosted head lice, it‘s fairly easy to time your approach forward and back to get crowbar whacks in and not being hit in return.
I wonder how this translates to a VR atmosphere? Can you move in this game (left right, forward back) with the joystick? Most of my experience with movement in VR is with either teleportation from point A to point B, or a game like Lone Echo, that included wrist thrusters and pulling yourself along with your hands by grabbing in-game objects.
You're right about there being a problem with avoiding enemies when using the teleportation controls. It makes it impossible to back away, which you'll often want to do when something's coming towards you.
Because of that I've switched to the joystick movement option, which is much like any normal first-person game, and I've kind of got used to it now. You don't need to walk around so much in the real world with this control mode, so I think this would be the preferred seated option.
Reloading during a fight is, frankly, terrifying. It's like reloading a real pistol, and it's very easy to fumble the spare magazine as you're trying to push it into the gun with shaking hands, or get the slide jammed after you've fired the last round.
The first time I encountered a headcrab was one of the most nerve-wracking things I've experienced in a game. Never found them scary in previous Half-Life games, but you really don't want one in your face in VR. I was creeping around, waiting for it to leap out of a dark corner, poking the pistol around the side of a trashcan lid I was using as a makeshift shield.
Because of that I've switched to the joystick movement option, which is much like any normal first-person game, and I've kind of got used to it now. You don't need to walk around so much in the real world with this control mode, so I think this would be the preferred seated option.
Reloading during a fight is, frankly, terrifying. It's like reloading a real pistol, and it's very easy to fumble the spare magazine as you're trying to push it into the gun with shaking hands, or get the slide jammed after you've fired the last round.
The first time I encountered a headcrab was one of the most nerve-wracking things I've experienced in a game. Never found them scary in previous Half-Life games, but you really don't want one in your face in VR. I was creeping around, waiting for it to leap out of a dark corner, poking the pistol around the side of a trashcan lid I was using as a makeshift shield.
It's only been 2 years and Alyx finally went on sale at Steam for about $20. It's impressive as hell!
![half-life-alyx-gameplay.jpg]( "half-life-alyx-gameplay.jpg")
...but I'm still working on my setup, playing seated. I needed to go back and pull up that link (in my previous post) about SteamVR setup, before I tried to start it. Trying to adjust height in the Oculus App while seated, to look like your standing is a no go so far. I have run around in the starting location and made it to the train for those who are familiar, but I'm going to recalibrate Steam VR and see if I can actually get some crouching action while seated. You may run into a problem where you are trying to pick up stuff (before you get your gloves working) and not be able to reach an item on the ground.
As far as navigating between Oculus Rift and Steam:
Also if you plan on using any Steam Workshop Mods, make sure you:
More to come!
...but I'm still working on my setup, playing seated. I needed to go back and pull up that link (in my previous post) about SteamVR setup, before I tried to start it. Trying to adjust height in the Oculus App while seated, to look like your standing is a no go so far. I have run around in the starting location and made it to the train for those who are familiar, but I'm going to recalibrate Steam VR and see if I can actually get some crouching action while seated. You may run into a problem where you are trying to pick up stuff (before you get your gloves working) and not be able to reach an item on the ground.
As far as navigating between Oculus Rift and Steam:
- Launch the Oculus App, and get the headset turned on.
- In Steam Settings>General , enable "Unknown Sources"
- Then in Steam, turn on Steam VR, (if you installed it already, a VR icon near the top of the Steam Windows which turns green when you click on it), then Steam will sense the Oculus Rift.
- In Steam (headset off), navigate to your library, start the game, and put your headset on. If all is well, the Valve page will appear as the game launches.
Also if you plan on using any Steam Workshop Mods, make sure you:
- Subscribe to them in Steam Workshop first.
- In Game before starting game-play, go to the Add On Tab and enable them there.
- And if you had already started a game, you might have to start a new game, not sure about this. I just know that is what I did, and oh yes, choose :Start New Game with Addons.
More to come!
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Right now for moving, I'm using teleportation, which blinks you to a new position and when doing this you can control which way you'll be pointing. No motion sickness at all. I am going to experiment with "continuous moving" mode and see if it hammers me. Movement is with the Left Joystick forward and you can backup using the Right joystick back.
More to come!
If you get a little motion sick, just move slower and just take it one step at a time. It'll take a little bit to get your VR legs but once you do, smooth locomotion no longer becomes an issue and becomes objectively better than teleporting. Then once you do it opens the door for more intense VR games, like No Man's Sky VR, Medal of Honor Above and Beyond, Boneworks/Lab, Pavlov and Contractors, Stride, the Half Life 2 VR mod, Minecraft VR, or flying and racing games.
Regarding motion sickness, I have been susceptible from an early age. My Mother used to give me Dramamine when we used to visit Grandparents up in the mountains of West Virginia. Then my Dad who is a private pilot, took me flying it was a nauseus experience. Yet I determined that pilot is what I wanted to be. Then at Air Force summer camp a T-37 pilot made me sick for the rest of the day, but I did not puke. The hardest thing I did was instrument training in the back seat of a T-28 under a hood, in 90F temps. But somehow, I willed myself to succeed, and did acclimate to the environment.
That said, I knew about the perils of VR. It’s interesting that you can watch helter skelter motion when framed in a TV or theater screen without an adverse effect, but when you fill your entire field of view it usually does a number on most people when their eyes see motion, but their body does not feel it.
Before I purchased an Oculus Rift, I went to a Microsoft Store and tried one out. Yes I did experience some motion twinges, but found that teleportation was the answer for me. And I did try a space flight sim, it was tremendous from the aspect of looking over your shoulder, but awful from a motion sickness aspect. However, I will try Alyx set to continuous motion and see if I can acclimate, who knows?
I knew about the perils of VR. It’s interesting that you can watch helter skelter motion when framed in a TV or theater screen without an adverse effect, but when you fill your entire field of view it usually does a number on most people when their eyes see motion, but their body does not feel it.
Before I purchased an Oculus Rift, I went to a Microsoft Store and tried one out. Yes I did experience some motion twinges, but found that teleportation was the answer for me. And I did try a space flight sim, it was tremendous from the aspect of looking over your shoulder, but awful from a motion sickness aspect. However, I will try Alyx set to continuous motion and see if I can acclimate, who knows?
Yeah it's all in your cognition. When I played Boneworks for the first time I felt weird and felt like I was about to fall forward from how fast it's smooth locomotion was, but then I remembered it's all just VR, took a few steps slowly, and after half an hour adjusted to having VR legs, and now more crazy stuff doesn't phase me (well except The Climb 2. That game still scares the hell out of me because of the crazy climbs they make you do. Nathan Drake makes this crap look easy.) But you'll get used to it and then can be a thrillseeker with anything, like fighting in the trenches of WWII with Medal of Honor Above and Beyond, or flying a jet in Project Wingman, or explore an anomalous hazard zone in Into the Radius, or beat some ass in Contractors, or become a quarterback for your favorite team in NFL Pro Era, or literally become Iron Man in Iron Man VR.
But if you start feeling weird or start panicking, just remember the golden rule: It's not real. It's all 3D graphics displayed on a flight recorder strapped to your face. Seated VR is also an option to help you get used to smooth locomotion, you don't need to stand up.
If I did not say it already, first 3 VR games, all great tech demos, impressive and fun:
- Lone Echo
- The Climb
- Derail Valley
If I did not say it already, first 3 VR games, all great tech demos, impressive and fun:
I‘ll report back on how the puking/no puking goes.
- Lone Echo
- The Climb
- Derail Valley
You need to experience social VR. Pokerstars VR is a good start.
Half-Life Alyx was the first game I bought when I first got my Quest 2. I found out fast about VR motion sickness. Single player in this genre is fine for me since I stop when I want to. But co-op games with friends... like in Phasmophobia... I'm on the ground sick... and end up running to the restroom. I can handle the mini games like the Star Wars series. I have fun with puzzle games like The Room VR. I do have Lone Echo in my back log. Maybe floating around is better for me than walking in VR... haha...
As I told Huntn, you gotta build your VR legs for smooth locomotion. Start small with a few steps and slow moving. And just remember: It's not real. Once your brain realizes that you'll feel a lot better and the locomotion won't phase you at all.
And remember you don't need to stand up. You can play seated to help you get accustomed to smooth locomotion before doing it while standing.
I tried sitting on my rotating chair... I still get sick... LOL... I just need to play more and get used to it... I guess.
Yep just keep at it. You won't get your VR legs if you don't keep going.
I had no real issues in Lone Echo, maybe some twinges here and there. In the realm of VR, being weightless and using wrist thrusters to move is mostly a gentle experience. There are some situations where you have to delicately navigate through some tight spaces so slow is better.
I had no real issues in Lone Echo, maybe some twinges here and there. In the realm of VR, being weightless and using wrist thrusters to move is mostly a gentle experience. There are some situations where you have to delicately navigate through some tight spaces so slow is better.
What happens is when you move in smooth locomotion in VR you instinctively think to move your legs, and at first your brain gets confused wondering why you're moving forward when your legs aren't moving. You're feeling fine since Lone Echo takes place in freefall, so since you wouldn't move your legs in space your brain feels fine.
For those who couldn't get their VR legs or the enthusiast who feels stick movement breaks immersion, there is another option: A 360 treadmill like the Virtuix Omnis. These are right now for arcades; however, a home model called the Omni One is in development for $400 MSRP if you got the space for it.
Otherwise just keep soldiering on. You almost got this.
For myself, I’ll see how it goes.
My understanding is that one of possibly many reasons for motion sickness, is when motion fills your entire field of view, but your body does not feel the motion then the individual might feel nausea. You’ll notice that people don’t usually have issues when watching a movie screen or a television, because it is framed by the stationary environment showing that you are still.
@Spaceboi Scaphandre-good news, I gave Alyx a try with continuous motion and it was a go! Maybe I felt a slight twinge after ending the session, removing the goggles, but nothing resembling nausea. Unfortunately I’ve had to spend more time dicking with the VR height adjustments, making the game think you are standing when you are actually seated. It is doable, but harder than it should be, and needs to be ironed out. Fortunately there is a crouch toggle button that allows you to crouch while you are pretend standing.
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