Half-Life: Alyx (formerly: Half Life 3 is coming??)

mrcheez

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3z5Hh4cjKA

cnocbui

mrcheez wrote: »

Ah right... yeah I mean even PSVR on a PS4 Slim is light years ahead of Gear VR

I was just curious by the reaction where you got lots of plaudits (via thanks) and people saying OMFG I has to get this nooooows based on your post

Everything you describe is pretty much standard nowadays in most VR but I can definitely understand the reaction when people realise you can physically reach into containers to pull out items, examine them closely, and then throw them around willy nilly.

As for finger tracking, the Rift has this also to some extent as it can recognise when your thumb is up, or index finger is pointing, or when you are making a fist.

The Quest takes this even further by recognising your actual hand and you can see your hand in VR without a controller. This is currently in development but the future is controller-less VR.

My most groundbreaking moment in recent times was when I got my Quest and the intro demo has you dancing around with a robot. You reach out, grab onto him and you spin around the room in real life (no wires) while the robot follows how you are dancing.

.

The Index tracks all fingers.

Perhaps I haven't quite expressed well enough what I had intended to. This wasn't supposed to be about 'oh, wow, VR' from a newb. This is about my son, who is a hardcore Half-life player and fan, and VR sceptic, trying out the Alyx map based home environment and saying, 'well that's certainly not Half Life 2' Meaning it is a big step UP from Half life 2.

The Youtube videos being 2D just don't do justice to what that environment is like with a good VR headset, IMO.

Homelander

Absolutely

Nothing does, to be honest. You just have to get into VR to understand why it's so good, no amount of flashy videos or pitches will sell it to anyone who hasn't actually tried it.

I've had the DK1, DK2, CV1, Rift S, Pimax 2K and PSVR. I'm a big believer in VR, and it all started with a one-man-team demo in an X-Wing flying against the Death Star back in 2012 to convert me

edit: also had the Gear VR, and have an Oculus Go, but they're not "real" VR though they are very impressive for what they are

cnocbui

I will say I think there is at least one flaw/drawback with the Index, and that is the cable. First off it's substantial and drags a bit on the back of the headset. I think what's needed is a webbing chest harness so the cable is drags on your back and not the headset. The other is that it's on the floor. I think you need it fed from a pulley on the ceiling, ideally.

mrcheez

Aye I'll probably spend most time playing wirelessly via Quest...that cable is a drag ('scuse the pun)

johnny_ultimate

Eight years and change later... thread title changed.

*salutes the old thread title while a single tear rolls down my cheek*

Zero-Cool

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Eight years and change later... thread title changed.

*salutes the old thread title while a single tear rolls down my cheek*

But Half Life 3 is still coming right???....

fergus1001

Zero-Cool wrote:

But Half Life 3 is still coming right???....

some day .... some .... day

Dyr

mrcheez wrote: »

Great budgets don't make a great game, similar to movies. You shouldn't let that limit your decision about getting into VR.

If AAA meant quality of games rather than size of team/budget, then there are many of those in VR.

As good as any indie game may be it isn't an AAA game. 4 years since VR went mainstream, theres still a dearth of AAA titles developed. It shows too tbh

Sierra Oscar

Jumped into the two Home Environments last night, now I'm feeling proper excited for the release!

It was a little surreal actually standing in City 17.

mrcheez

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

Jumped into the two Home Environments last night, now I'm feeling proper excited for the release!

It was a little surreal actually standing in City 17.

gonna hit that up today ...they've got a method to get it working on non-Index now

K.O.Kiki

Absolutely

Already finished it.
Holy crap it's amazing!

TheValeyard

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Eight years and change later... thread title changed.

*salutes the old thread title while a single tear rolls down my cheek*

Bet you feel dirty

TitianGerm

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Already finished it.
Holy crap it's amazing!

Came to post that after seeing it earlier. Might have to pick it up myself.

Thargor

Is it much improved on the one from a couple of years ago?

Think Id rather just stick a load of mods on HL2 and Ep1+2 tbh, Ive been craving some Half Life watching all the Alyx news but Ive been through Black Mesa a few too many times...

If you have played any of the recent betas then I would say no.

Unreal for someone who hasn't played it before or if god forbid you didn't play the original (wtf gtfo :P)

mrcheez

[Deleted User] wrote: »

If you have played any of the recent betas then I would say no.

Unreal for someone who hasn't played it before or if god forbid you didn't play the original (wtf gtfo :P)

Playing through the original now again only this time the headcrabs are jumping at my face. It's terrifying.

mrcheez

mrcheez wrote: »

Playing through the original now again only this time the headcrabs are jumping at my face. It's terrifying.

Not looking forward to that sensation in VR

Sierra Oscar

I've been playing Black Mesa in anticipation for this, going to do a play through of HL2 and the Episodes too.

Black Mesa really has come on since the beta, incredible.

K.O.Kiki

Absolutely

Thargor wrote: »

Is it much improved on the one from a couple of years ago?

Think Id rather just stick a load of mods on HL2 and Ep1+2 tbh, Ive been craving some Half Life watching all the Alyx news but Ive been through Black Mesa a few too many times...

Xen is complete, and it is FANTASTIC.

Easily 6-8 hours, and the boss battle remakes are stupendous.
But the best addition is that the long-jump is now simply "double-tap jump" and they integrated seamlessly.

johnny_ultimate

I started replaying Half-Life on Saturday, but decided yesterday I’d give Black Mesa a whirl instead. To me, it achieves that rare balance: feeling precisely like the old game (including how you remember it looking and feeling) but also introducing just enough new ideas to be its own thing as well. Playing the first couple of levels in both the original and BM shows how effectively the team managed to get that right - room by room copy in some regards, but also surprises and tweaks aplenty. Impressive, and hopefully a good taster for Alyx in a few weeks

Retr0gamer

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Eight years and change later... thread title changed.

*salutes the old thread title while a single tear rolls down my cheek*

What the thread am I going to bump now on April Fools day? :eek:

I can't even bump the FFVII remake one.

johnny_ultimate

There’s always Beyond Good & Evil 2!

Retr0gamer

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

There’s always Beyond Good & Evil 2!

You're no help. It has to at least have a chance of coming out!

one armed dwarf

Very interested to hear how Black mesa is. I've put it off for ages cause of its alpha status but also not being really that sure a fan remake could be that good.

Does it have controller support?

Retr0gamer

one armed dwarf wrote: »

Very interested to hear how Black mesa is. I've put it off for ages cause of its alpha status but also not being really that sure a fan remake could be that good.

Does it have controller support?

Just play it. I played the original mod release sans Zen and loved it. Playing the full release now and it's still excellent. It's pretty much the same polish level as a full game, it really is that good. In fact I'm enjoying it more than most triple A FPS games.

It really is that good, you'd be surprised at how good some fan made games and remakes can be. Played through the Metroid 2 remake AM2R and it's as good a game as Nintendo ever made and actually far better than the official 3DS Metroid 2 remake. It's one of the best things about PC gaming and it's great to see fan made game makers like Kobron and Toby Fox end up making amazing full release games.

There is gamepad support but why when you have keyboard and mouse!!!

one armed dwarf

I use my PC as an oversized console

True master race right here

Retr0gamer

Retr0gamer wrote: »

What the thread am I going to bump now on April Fools day? :eek:

I can't even bump the FFVII remake one.

You could bump the Ace Combat 7 thread.....

Sierra Oscar

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I started replaying Half-Life on Saturday, but decided yesterday I’d give Black Mesa a whirl instead. To me, it achieves that rare balance: feeling precisely like the old game (including how you remember it looking and feeling) but also introducing just enough new ideas to be its own thing as well. Playing the first couple of levels in both the original and BM shows how effectively the team managed to get that right - room by room copy in some regards, but also surprises and tweaks aplenty. Impressive, and hopefully a good taster for Alyx in a few weeks

I think Black Mesa is fantastic, the way the original environments of Half Life have been re-imagined and expanded on is superb. Everything is still so recognisable but it has brought Half Life into the 21st century in terms of world detail and depth. Well worth the purchase for anyone that is still on the fence.

pixelburp

Not sure which version of Black Mesa I've played; certainly wasn't one with Xen, but am I right in thinking the pre-Xen version was released twice already, right? A first release, and remastered, or something to that effect?

This thread keeps reminding me to get this latest version. I hear Xen is the bee's knees.