Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Using Abstract VR Art for Neural Entrainment & Brain Research

‘I Expect You To Die’ Gets New Level & Limited Time 20% Discount

New content for the popular VR puzzle game I Expect You To Die (2016) arrived today on all platforms – a free level named ‘First Class’ available to all current and future players. Schell Games has also begun a week-long 20% discount for the title on all platforms.

The stylish, escape room puzzle game I Expect You To Die originally launched for the Oculus Rift in late 2016, quickly expanding to the PlayStation VR platform in December, and finally to the HTC Vive via Steam in April 2017. While receiving positive reviews for its highly polished gameplay and classic spy-caper presentation, the overriding criticism was for its short length, with only four levels to dig into, leaving most players wanting more.

Thankfully, a fifth level named ‘First Class’ is now available for free, where players will experience a ‘relaxing train ride’ through India, as shown in this teaser trailer:

Schell Games Design Director Shawn Patton acknowledged the need for more content in a recent post on the PlayStation Blog. “We understand this issue is the game’s biggest weakness, and frankly, we feel like it’s a good problem to have,” he writes. “In the end, however, we knew we had to address it.”

Patton goes on to describe the team’s approach to developing First Class, hinting at new interactions and gameplay ideas, but carefully avoids giving away the level details. “Just know that there’s nothing more relaxing than the click-clack of a train as it rolls lazily through the majestic mountains of Northern India,” he continues. “Enjoy a soothing beverage or a local delicacy as you read the morning paper. We believe trains are the best place to meet new friends and catch up with old ones.”

I Expect You To Die has enjoyed sales success; the company announced the title surpassed $1 million in revenue across all sales channels in August 2017, including the Oculus Store, PlayStation Store, Steam, and Amazon.

“I’m so glad we are able to offer fans new content for I Expect You To Die,” stated Jesse Schell, CEO of Schell Games. “They have been so supportive of the game. We really think they’ll enjoy this new free level, and their vacation experience should be unforgettable.”

The post ‘I Expect You To Die’ Gets New Level & Limited Time 20% Discount appeared first on Road to VR.



Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/expect-die-gets-new-level-limited-time-20-discount/

VR “Bullet Hell” FPS ‘Evasion’ Announced for Rift & Vive, Catch the Trailer Here

Sci-fi shooter Evasion from VR studio Archiact has been revealed, said to feature ‘next generation’ VR locomotion and ‘high intensity’ co-op multiplayer combat for up to 4 players. The game is due to launch for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift in early 2018.

Described on the official website as “an intense bullet hell spectacle”, Evasion has been designed from the ground up for VR, featuring co-op multiplayer combat for up to 4 players, with multiple hero classes to choose from to suit “all play styles” – two of which are already detailed on the site.

As shown in the announcement trailer, the game features ‘bullet hell’ action combined with destructible environments. According to the press release provided to Road to VR, a core development goal was to enable “incredible locomotion freedom.” Players will be able to choose from a few locomotion types, including ‘free move’, that can be customised for “play style and comfort level.”

Evasion aims to deliver several cutting-edge technologies, including ‘next gen’ full-body avatars powered by IKinema’s inverse kinematics animation system, “best in-class physics and destruction” enhanced for Intel Core i7 and i9 processors, and high-quality visuals and 3D spatial audio powered by Unreal Engine 4. The game’s ‘Swarm A.I’ enemy behaviour system claims to add “a new level of tension, making tactical movement and teamwork critical to your squad’s survival,” resulting in greater mission replayability with “randomized objectives and enemy encounters.”

Vancouver-based developer Archiact has been behind several virtual reality titles for mobile VR and location-based VR, but with the exception of penguin-puzzler Waddle Home (2016), available on SteamVR and PSVR (alongside a Gear VR version), the studio has yet to make a splash in the high-end consumer VR space. In a brief message posted on the official site yesterday, the team described Evasion as their “passion project”, having worked on the game for “over and year and a half.”

“Archiact has been crafting immersive VR entertainment since 2013,” said Kurt Busch, Studio Head at Archiact. “With Evasion, the team is using everything we’ve learned and weaving our experience into a truly genre-defining AAA title. With innovative locomotive movement and intense FPS gameplay, we’re convinced Evasion will prove a stand-out VR experience and we can’t wait for gamers to play it themselves.”

The post VR “Bullet Hell” FPS ‘Evasion’ Announced for Rift & Vive, Catch the Trailer Here appeared first on Road to VR.



Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/vr-bullet-hell-fps-evasion-announced-rift-vive-catch-trailer/

Oculus Store to Include Flexible Bundle Pricing So You Get a Discount If You Already Own a Game

One of the big barriers to buying flash sale bundles is the selection of games available. What if you already own one in that almost perfect bundle that has you salivating at the nearly perfect price? Oculus plans to address this with a dynamic pricing scheme that gives you a discount if you already own a game in an otherwise bundle-spoiled batch.

Oculus revealed earlier this month at Connect, the company’s annual developer conference, that Home is getting a complete overhaul as a part of their Rift Core 2.0 beta headed to users in December. While the company is pushing less incremental updates to the current version of Home in preparation for the new social version, the beta roll-out of Rift software version 1.20 is making its way today to users via their public test channel (PTC) including news of dynamic bundling.

Announced by Oculus community manager ‘cyberreality’ via the Oculus Rift forum, the company’s flexible bundle pricing will update with an additional discount to account for the value of the app(s) you already own. According to cyberreality, your personalized bundle price will always appear in the Oculus Store automatically.

There aren’t any official multi-publisher bundles currently on the Store, so there’s no way to test it out at the time of this writing, but if you want to get the latest in updates and features from Oculus, you can take part in the PTC by simply toggling the switch in your Settings through the 2D Store interface. You can always revert to the stable branch by toggling off the PTC switch.

You can bet there will be holiday season bundles popping up sometime between now and the release of the Rift Core 2.0 beta update, so keep an eye on the Oculus blog for incoming deals, and of course your friendly neighborhood Road to VR.

The post Oculus Store to Include Flexible Bundle Pricing So You Get a Discount If You Already Own a Game appeared first on Road to VR.



Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/oculus-store-include-flexible-bundle-pricing-get-discount-already-game/

Pimax Kickstarter Blasts Past $2M Funding Mark, Revealing $2.5M Stretch Goals

High-flying Shooter ‘Skyfront VR’ to Hit Steam Early Access November 10th

Skyfront VR, the upcoming multiplayer arena first-person shooter from Levity Play, is coming to Steam Early Access on November 10th, including support for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Setting it apart from more ‘traditional’ VR shooters, Skyfront VR boasts a unique locomotion style that supposedly offers a fast-pace, nausea-free experience.

Set in 2700 CE, when humanity has mastered the laws of physics, players battle in zero-gravity arenas made from the cities of old in a remembrance of a past civilization-ending war that took place 400 years earlier. In the case of the trailer, it looks like one of the first maps has you shooting it out among architecture lifted from a typical Greek island like Santorini or Mykonos.

From what we’ve seen, Skyfront VR’s locomotion scheme appears to have much more in common with arcade flight sims like EVE: Valkyrie (2016) than more ‘traditional style’ VR shooters like Onward (2016). The Superman-style flight mechanic is done by moving your hands, “translating to 1:1 movement in this virtual, zero-gravity space.” This, according to Levity Play, forces players to consciously guide their in-game movements with their physical body, which helps eliminate the sensory conflict that often occurs when movement is dictated by a joystick.

At Early Access launch, two arenas will be available including Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch gametypes, five different weapons, five special abilities, and a ‘Bot Shootout’ practice mode.

Full Game Features:

  • 5 game modes including Single Deathmatch
  • 3v3Elimination and Capture The Flag
  • 5-6 visually stunning maps in different geographical settings
  • 20+ destructive weapons and special abilities to choose from
  • An engaging progression system
  • Customizable character & weapon assets
  • Play against advanced AI opponents

No pricing information is available currently. You can keep an eye on Skyfront VR by signing up for updates via the Steam Early Access page.

The post High-flying Shooter ‘Skyfront VR’ to Hit Steam Early Access November 10th appeared first on Road to VR.



Ream more: https://www.roadtovr.com/high-flying-shooter-skyfront-vr-comes-steam-early-access-november-10th/

At $600K, Tundra Tracker Smashes Kickstarter Goal in Less Than 24 Hours

Tundra Tracker, the SteamVR Tracking tracker in development by Tundra Labs, has well exceeded its $250,000 Kickstarter goal in less than 2...