Author Topic: Half Life: Alyx - SteamVR March 2020 (Read 2230 times)

Kashinoda · « **on:** November 19, 2019, 08:02:41 am »

https://twitter.com/valvesoftware/status/1196566870360387584

Just so happened to have bought an Oculus Quest last night so impeccable timing really

[new username under construction] · « **Reply #1 on:** November 19, 2019, 09:02:18 am »

Have always said when they eventually do HL3 it'll be VR. For a company that literally has it's own VR kit there flagship game has to be on it!

Maybe they are testing the water with this?

Kashinoda · « **Reply #2 on:** November 21, 2019, 06:12:40 pm »

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/O2W0N3uKXmo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/O2W0N3uKXmo</a>

gazzalfc · « **Reply #3 on:** November 21, 2019, 09:06:04 pm »

Macphisto80 · « **Reply #4 on:** November 21, 2019, 10:39:47 pm »

Quote from: [new username under construction] on November 19, 2019, 09:02:18 am

Have always said when they eventually do HL3 it'll be VR. For a company that literally has it's own VR kit there flagship game has to be on it!

Maybe they are testing the water with this?

Testing waters? Yes. But that's not to say it's not a full blown game, because it is. It's roughly 13 hours long, or about the same length as HL2 was. Set in the same world as HL2, but with next generation interaction physics only possible in VR. You can see that in action when she's searching the shelf and bundling objects out of the way to get to the shells, picking one up, physically reloading the gun, physically arming it, and then turning and shooting the combine soldier. If moving objects makes physically based sound, and if the AI can react to both sound and vision, then the gameplay implications of that could be revolutionary for the genre.

Kashinoda · « **Reply #5 on:** November 21, 2019, 11:21:09 pm »

Quote from: Macphisto80 on November 21, 2019, 10:39:47 pm

Testing waters? Yes. But that's not to say it's not a full blown game, because it is. It's roughly 13 hours long, or about the same length as HL2 was. Set in the same world as HL2, but with next generation interaction physics only possible in VR. You can see that in action when she's searching the shelf and bundling objects out of the way to get to the shells, picking one up, physically reloading the gun, physically arming it, and then turning and shooting the combine soldier. If moving objects makes physically based sound, and if the AI can react to both sound and vision, then the gameplay implications of that could be revolutionary for the genre.

Really is looking fantastic. So many great moments like you say.

Can't wait, next year is looking rock solid for gaming.

[new username under construction] · « **Reply #6 on:** November 22, 2019, 09:40:53 am »

Quote from: Macphisto80 on November 21, 2019, 10:39:47 pm

Testing waters? Yes. But that's not to say it's not a full blown game, because it is. It's roughly 13 hours long, or about the same length as HL2 was. Set in the same world as HL2, but with next generation interaction physics only possible in VR. You can see that in action when she's searching the shelf and bundling objects out of the way to get to the shells, picking one up, physically reloading the gun, physically arming it, and then turning and shooting the combine soldier. If moving objects makes physically based sound, and if the AI can react to both sound and vision, then the gameplay implications of that could be revolutionary for the genre.

Well if anyone can then you think Valve can, especially having the hardware available to them for so long

[new username under construction] · « **Reply #7 on:** November 22, 2019, 09:58:29 am »

Should also add

Murray... present

IgorBobbins · « **Reply #8 on:** November 22, 2019, 03:19:10 pm »

I wish this was a standard console game instead of (or as well as) VR. Not many people have VR and I'd love to play another Half Life game

Macphisto80 · « **Reply #9 on:** November 22, 2019, 06:01:41 pm »

Quote from: IgorBobbins on November 22, 2019, 03:19:10 pm

I wish this was a standard console game instead of (or as well as) VR. Not many people have VR and I'd love to play another Half Life game

That's the point of it, though. It just wouldn't be the same game, or even possible at all, for a standard game. Games in VR are different. The mechanics are different, and if you can't interact with something as intuitively and naturally as you would in real life, you notice it far more than on a normal game. The entire design of the game has to be changed, or you have a situation like RE7 (which is amazing in VR, but very limited as a VR game) where you have a gun that's stuck to your head, and you aim by moving your head around. It works, but it's not exactly what you'd call "natural".

This is what Valve themselves have to say about it:

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/-9K0eJEmMEw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/-9K0eJEmMEw</a>

9:10 answers your question.

Slick_Beef · « **Reply #10 on:** November 22, 2019, 06:41:34 pm »

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
MINIMUM:
OS: Windows 10
Processor: Core i5-7500 / Ryzen 5 1600
Memory: 12 GB RAM
Graphics: GTX 1060 / RX 580 - 6GB VRAM

Ouch..

The first Half Life game is my favourite game ever and back in '98 when I bought it it left a bigger impression on me than any other game I had played. I should be thrilled about this but I find myself still so annoyed with Valve about how they abandoned the series after HL2:Ep2 leaving that cliffhanger for 12+ years that I'm finding it hard to be enthusiastic. The fact that I'd need to do a significant PC upgrade and buy a VR headset also doesn't help.

Something Worse · « **Reply #11 on:** November 22, 2019, 06:54:43 pm »

Quote from: IgorBobbins on November 22, 2019, 03:19:10 pm

I wish this was a standard console game instead of (or as well as) VR. Not many people have VR and I'd love to play another Half Life game

Yeah this is a huge bummer for me

Kashinoda · « **Reply #12 on:** November 22, 2019, 07:27:50 pm »

Quote from: Slick_Beef on November 22, 2019, 06:41:34 pm

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
MINIMUM:
OS: Windows 10
Processor: Core i5-7500 / Ryzen 5 1600
Memory: 12 GB RAM
Graphics: GTX 1060 / RX 580 - 6GB VRAM

Ouch..

The first Half Life game is my favourite game ever and back in '98 when I bought it it left a bigger impression on me than any other game I had played. I should be thrilled about this but I find myself still so annoyed with Valve about how they abandoned the series after HL2:Ep2 leaving that cliffhanger for 12+ years that I'm finding it hard to be enthusiastic. The fact that I'd need to do a significant PC upgrade and buy a VR headset also doesn't help.

I think you were always going to have to break the bank for a PC upgrade (to a degree). Both the previous Half Life games were like this, Half Life 2 especially with it's groundbreaking physics engine and whatnot.

That said those minimum specs are not too crazy and the Source engine has always scaled very well.

You can pick the original Oculus up for £200 or so, any PC capable VR sets are supported and there are lots of options from Lenovo, Samsung etc.

It doesn't need to break the bank.

Macphisto80 · « **Reply #13 on:** November 22, 2019, 11:16:49 pm »

You needed a VR ready PC three years ago anyway when the CV1 and Vive released. It's nothing new or shocking on PC. There's always been that one thing on it that you needed to drop hundreds on to upgrade just to play it. Doom, HL1, HL2 and Doom 3, Crysis. These were all landmark games that required that you needed a new build just to run them at optimum performance, and not even maxed out. Fair enough, you need to invest in a HMD also, but for the experience of what they are, they're worth it, despite what the naysayers of VR will try to tell you, and there seems to be a lot of those.

Edit - didn't read Kash's post, before I wrote that. Beat me to it.

Pretty soon, when (not if) headsets eventually become technically and economically viable , wireless, and just be used as a streaming apparatus like the Quest can be, then more games in big franchises will make the jump. If people are disappointed by a new HL game being VR only, be prepared for more of this, especially if Valve do decide to make HL3, because that too might end up being VR. Valve seem to be in a mood now where they want to push the envelope and do something new, and that's a good thing. They should be applauded for taking the risk ( same as Capcom should have been), but instead they're getting the opposite.

Macphisto80 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 3, 2020, 12:49:41 am »

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/b4Jiex-4pqs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/b4Jiex-4pqs</a>

Kashinoda · « **Reply #15 on:** March 3, 2020, 02:48:53 pm »

Boneworks really set a bar that's ruined quite a few other VR games for me in terms of physics interaction. This looks like they've nailed that aspect along with generally looking fantastic in every other department.

Can't wait.

RobinHood · « **Reply #16 on:** March 5, 2020, 04:12:51 pm »

Had pretty much given up on Valve considering how long they went without making any sort of substantial single player games - Portal 2 the last one?

I got an Oculus Rift back in 2017 which is great but VR needs something special to kick start it, and Valve are probably the only ones with the willpower and money to take a risk on something like this. Praying that it lives up to expectations.

AndyMuller · « **Reply #17 on:** March 23, 2020, 08:22:48 pm »

Anyone played it? Scoring really high in the reviews.

Kashinoda · « **Reply #18 on:** March 23, 2020, 09:00:39 pm »

Quote from: AndyMuller on March 23, 2020, 08:22:48 pm

Anyone played it? Scoring really high in the reviews.

Bought, got a 4 day weekend so will start on Friday

Can't wait.

Macphisto80 · « **Reply #19 on:** March 24, 2020, 04:17:42 pm »

Out of what's been going on, it's been a bit difficult, or hard, to be enthusiastic or normal about things, but I was watching someone do a bit of a playthrough on it last night, and it looks every bit as revolutionary as what I'd expected it to. I can only imagine what it actually looks like inside a headset, but this has raised the bar in the same way HL2 did. Not just for VR, but for gaming overall. Just the level of intuitive inputs and interaction with the world is impossible outside of the medium of VR.

AndyMuller · « **Reply #20 on:** March 24, 2020, 05:12:35 pm »

Any chance this comes to PSVR in the future?

Macphisto80 · « **Reply #21 on:** March 24, 2020, 05:15:50 pm »

Quote from: AndyMuller on March 24, 2020, 05:12:35 pm

Any chance this comes to PSVR in the future?

Unlikely on the PS4 because of the base requirement of the vanilla PS4. PS5, I'd say almost certainly.

AndyMuller · « **Reply #22 on:** March 24, 2020, 05:39:08 pm »

Quote from: Macphisto80 on March 24, 2020, 05:15:50 pm

Unlikely on the PS4 because of the base requirement of the vanilla PS4. PS5, I'd say almost certainly.

Great stuff I’ll probably hold out until it does as I don’t have a gaming PC or an oculus rift.

Andy @ Allerton! · « **Reply #23 on:** March 27, 2020, 08:24:41 am »

Quote from: Slick_Beef on November 22, 2019, 06:41:34 pm

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
MINIMUM:
OS: Windows 10
Processor: Core i5-7500 / Ryzen 5 1600
Memory: 12 GB RAM
Graphics: GTX 1060 / RX 580 - 6GB VRAM

Ouch..

The first Half Life game is my favourite game ever and back in '98 when I bought it it left a bigger impression on me than any other game I had played. I should be thrilled about this but I find myself still so annoyed with Valve about how they abandoned the series after HL2:Ep2 leaving that cliffhanger for 12+ years that I'm finding it hard to be enthusiastic. The fact that I'd need to do a significant PC upgrade and buy a VR headset also doesn't help.

If you play games, I'm finding it hard to believe that anyone has a rig that's not at least up to those specs..?!

Bangin Them In · « **Reply #24 on:** May 4, 2020, 10:00:11 pm »

Incredible experience this, playing on a Quest via Virtual Desktop, just brilliant

RobinHood · « **Reply #25 on:** May 8, 2020, 10:33:30 pm »

Finished it today on the Valve Index, the best VR game so far, although a few things were minor annoyances. I didn’t like some of the multi-tool puzzles and bullet sponge enemies are a pet peeve of mine, especially when it takes 4-5 headshots to kill a dude.

I’m a big Half Life fan so I was probably going to like it anyway, and VR has enough good games now to easily recommend a headset to anyone who’s interested. I still enjoy flat screen gaming but VR is where my interest is now and where most of the exciting innovations are, and it’s only going to get better in the future.

Macphisto80 · « **Reply #26 on:** May 9, 2020, 03:00:10 am »

Quote from: RobinHood on May 8, 2020, 10:33:30 pm

Finished it today on the Valve Index, the best VR game so far, although a few things were minor annoyances. I didn’t like some of the multi-tool puzzles and bullet sponge enemies are a pet peeve of mine, especially when it takes 4-5 headshots to kill a dude.

I’m a big Half Life fan so I was probably going to like it anyway, and VR has enough good games now to easily recommend a headset to anyone who’s interested. I still enjoy flat screen gaming but VR is where my interest is now and where most of the exciting innovations are, and it’s only going to get better in the future.

I'm pretty much the same. I play 'flat' games still, but when I do, I often wonder what a certain area or part of the game would look like if I were actually there in VR. The free Uncharted games are a fine example of that. Amazing environments that are just begging to be experienced as if you were there.

When it comes to VR 1st person games, I think the mechanics and design has to be changed because of the degree of control you actually have over conventional gaming. It's the same thing when Resident Evil went to an over the shoulder perspective. They had to make enemies more of a bullet sponge, with a few headshots needed to take a zombie down. Being capable of being more accurate means that it would just be too easy to just headshot your way through it if it were a one shot kill. In VR, your ability to lift the gun and fire it to hit a target, even without really looking is something that just can't be achieved with a controller or a keyboard and mouse. The level of intuitive control and interactivity in VR is something that anyone who hasn't experienced it won't understand, but will instantly get as soon as they are put inside a headset. It's just far more natural and instantly applicable compared to anything in traditional gaming. Once you start firing guns in VR, going back to doing the same in normal gaming just feels so trite and redundant.

Something Worse · « **Reply #27 on:** May 9, 2020, 03:33:21 am »

If headshots were a one shot kill in shooters I'd buy a VR headset immediately. Playing the same bullshit mechanics all these piss games make me suffer through but with a giant radiator on my head would be hellish.

In fact someone just make a John Wick game where you truck everyone with minimal effort

Macphisto80 · « **Reply #28 on:** May 10, 2020, 04:10:13 am »

Quote from: Something Worse on May 9, 2020, 03:33:21 am

If headshots were a one shot kill in shooters I'd buy a VR headset immediately. Playing the same bullshit mechanics all these piss games make me suffer through but with a giant radiator on my head would be hellish.

In fact someone just make a John Wick game where you truck everyone with minimal effort

There are games that allow a one shot kill, but as I've said, in VR, lifting a gun, aiming down the sight and aiming for any particular object is a hell of a lot easier to do because it's a natural thing to do. It's far more intuitive, satisfying, and natural than any traditional FPS played with a conventional control.The thing is, as with any additional input, the targets then have to be made either more mobile, intelligent, or basically harder to take down. It's just logistical game design that comes with the extra fidelity of control you have. Games like Super Hot and Sariento are already the John Wick/Matrix simulator you're after. There's nothing like physically dodging a bullet by moving your entire body, watch it wizz by in slow motion, then physically take an NPC's weapon and shoot him in the face with it. In fact, I think there's already a official John Wick VR game. Not sure how good it is though.

Something Worse · « **Reply #29 on:** May 10, 2020, 04:49:14 pm »

Quote from: Macphisto80 on May 10, 2020, 04:10:13 am

There are games that allow a one shot kill, but as I've said, in VR, lifting a gun, aiming down the sight and aiming for any particular object is a hell of a lot easier to do because it's a natural thing to do. It's far more intuitive, satisfying, and natural than any traditional FPS played with a conventional control.The thing is, as with any additional input, the targets then have to be made either more mobile, intelligent, or basically harder to take down. It's just logistical game design that comes with the extra fidelity of control you have. Games like Super Hot and Sariento are already the John Wick/Matrix simulator you're after. There's nothing like physically dodging a bullet by moving your entire body, watch it wizz by in slow motion, then physically take an NPC's weapon and shoot him in the face with it. In fact, I think there's already a official John Wick VR game. Not sure how good it is though.

Oh shit, this could be a game changer.

Macphisto80 · « **Reply #30 on:** May 11, 2020, 05:06:45 pm »

Quote from: Something Worse on May 10, 2020, 04:49:14 pm

Oh shit, this could be a game changer.

If you can manage to get your hands on a Quest and try Superhot on it on a open field or a beach or something, somewhere you can't bump into shit as you get carried away, guarantee you'll see it that way. For such a simple concept, it's ridiculous fun. It's just not even the same game on a screen.