General gaming discussion

gimli2112 · 20-01-2021 10:33pm

I watched a good bit of the first one. Thought you were driving pretty well, then near the end of the first lap got over taken by a porsche. It looks really fecking hard.

Dcully · 20-01-2021 10:45pm

gimli2112 wrote: »

I watched a good bit of the first one. Thought you were driving pretty well, then near the end of the first lap got over taken by a porsche. It looks really fecking hard.

Second one is even better, dark and pissing rain at spa.
I was bricking it even just against AI.
Yeah simracing is hard but im at it 20 years lol, im not fast by any means infact id class myself as very average but im very consistent and dont make many mistakes as i race within my limits.
Its having the ability to drive on the edge corner after corner lap after lap that seperates the aliens from the rest.
Aliens in simracing are top level esports professionals basically.

Stone Deaf 4evr · 20-01-2021 10:57pm

Thecageyone wrote: »

Cheers for the rec, will definitely look into it. Yeah some of the back stories were heart-breaking, hard to mention them without spoiler but for example:
Poor Walter, hiding away for 30yr from a 'monster' and it turns out to be a train above that kills him as he emerges, or the kid on the swing ... didn't we all want to do that at some point? go right around - the bath tub one was also very sad, but also weirdly fun before the inevitable, it's that strange of a game

Gone home is €12 atm, wonder if it'll be on sale some time? as it's pretty old now, only got €2 in my steam wallet might still go for it next week maybe, how long is it?

Loved Edith finch as well, hit me in the feels at times,
Firewatch is a similar type of thing, although not nearly as fantastical.

The Raging Bile Duct · 20-01-2021 11:29pm

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

Loved Edith finch as well, hit me in the feels at times,
Firewatch is a similar type of thing, although not nearly as fantastical.

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is one of my favourite of the walking sims. I love that moment every time you finish one of the story strands.

johnny_ultimate · 20-01-2021 11:53pm

I still love a lot of those key pioneering walking sim games (NaissancE and Beginner’s Guide are my personal favourites), but what’s great now is that we can see the foundation they laid down for other games to come. There’s a direct line to be drawn between your Gone Homes and your Outer Wilds or Obra Dinns. Developers have figured out a way to shape that story-focused design philosophy into something with deeper, more complicated mechanics beyond shooting or whatever. Not that there’s anything wrong with just giving the player a space and story to explore in first person, but there’s clearly developers who’ve been keen to push beyond the limitations there.

You could say walking sims were an inevitable evolution of some of ideas designers had been toying with in more traditional games. We’ve now had a bunch of games - less easily classifiable - that were a further evolution. Here’s hoping there’s much more to come

Dcully · 21-01-2021 12:52pm

Potential-Monke wrote: »

Is there not an option to keep the wipers on constant? Looks absolutely stunning, but even in the video I was getting annoyed at the intermittent wiper!

Especially for you

I didnt last too long, a bit heavy on the right foot exiting a turn just as i felt some grip coming on that lap.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0RdLsbAm-c

blockfighter · 21-01-2021 1:44pm

Dcully wrote: »

So my hard drives always have plenty of nerdy racing sims on them but Assetto Corsa hadnt been on there for a couple of years but thats changed with these latest weather and time mods - simply amazing imho - i just had to record a few laps.

Looks stunning.
I think this years F1 game did a good job of rain effects. And I seem to remember Project Cars having some stunning effects too. Great looking game.

Mitch Connor · 21-01-2021 1:51pm

Random thought/questions

1. Are the specs of a PS5/Xbox Series X comparible to a PC good enough to run VR games at a good clip? Half Life Alyx and the like?
2. With Microsoft ditching Mixr and encouraging those people to migrate to FB gaming... Could MS get a friendly relationship with Oculus?
3. Could an Oculus Quest (1 or 2) be connected to the Series X with something similar to a Oculus link cable?
4. Coud MS partner with Oculus to being VR to the platform via the link cable for some titles? Would need Steam support, I assume, for a game like Alyx.

johnny_ultimate · 21-01-2021 1:56pm

Mitch Connor wrote: »

Random thought/questions

1. Are the specs of a PS5/Xbox Series X comparible to a PC good enough to run VR games at a good clip? Half Life Alyx and the like?
2. With Microsoft ditching Mixr and encouraging those people to migrate to FB gaming... Could MS get a friendly relationship with Oculus?
3. Could an Oculus Quest (1 or 2) be connected to the Series X with something similar to a Oculus link cable?
4. Coud MS partner with Oculus to being VR to the platform via the link cable for some titles? Would need Steam support, I assume, for a game like Alyx.

The specs would be broadly comparable to a PC they could run Alyx well (I have a 2060 Super, which is probably just a notch above the next gen consoles, and it ran Alyx well - slightly limited by an older CPU, but nothing major), although a like for like isn’t really possible. With the PS5 it’s worth remembering that there’s actually no native support for VR at the moment. Just backwards compatibility. So that would limit it severely.

All the rest is hypothetical and therefore never outside the realm of possibility, but honestly I just don’t get the sense at the moment either MS or Sony are too enthusiastic on the VR front.

Mitch Connor · 21-01-2021 2:05pm

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

The specs would be broadly comparable to a PC they could run Alyx well (I have a 2060 Super, which is probably just a notch above the next gen consoles, and it ran Alyx well - slightly limited by an older CPU, but nothing major), although a like for like isn’t really possible. With the PS5 it’s worth remembering that there’s actually no native support for VR at the moment. Just backwards compatibility. So that would limit it severely.

All the rest is hypothetical and therefore never outside the realm of possibility, but honestly I just don’t get the sense at the moment either MS or Sony are too enthusiastic on the VR front.

I think if Sony did something, it would be PSVR2.

But for MS I think it would be partnership rather than going their own way. And with their PC/Xbox environment I just can't help but wonder if getting the SeriesX working with Oculus Quest is a way for them to go, and open up another level of gaming.

Mainly stems from listening to Game of the Year discussions and seeing HL: Alyx dinged because not enough people played it. Getting it available to console players (who would have the new cost of getting an Oculus Quest) would open that game up to millions more (potentially). As well as other titles.

Basically i was trying to think how Alyx could be opened up to console and MS/Oculus Quest seemed like something people paid a lot of money should be thinking about.

johnny_ultimate · 21-01-2021 2:30pm

It’s a great game and I’d love to see it more widely available, but I just get the sense the commercial and audience interest isn’t there on the scale it needs to be.

Alyx is the only game of its scale and scope across all VR platforms. There are other good and great games, but no doubt Alyx is a true killer app with no others on the horizon. I mean, Respawn just released an entire new Medal of Honor game to an absolute shrug from players and the media alike. Alyx barely made a ripple in Steam’s own charts, and that as an actual new Half Life game is one of the most anticipated games of all time, in theory.

VR has become more accessible and affordable, and yet it remains a niche thing. The hardware requirements and costs, even with a console, are still significant. People would still need a headset if Xbox and Oculus teamed up.

Again: I’d love to see VR take off. But every opportunity was there - even with decent sales for PSVR - and it just hasn’t gained the momentum it needs. I can see why the console manufacturers are shrugging their shoulders, sadly. I hope to be pleasantly surprised, but I just don’t see a sudden surge in interest any time soon.

pixelburp · 21-01-2021 2:52pm

HL: Alyx strikes as the greatest game ever made, that the fewest number of people will ever be able to play. That it even exists is amazing, equally so as an arguable proof that VR can work as a medium, but as I still personally maintain VR will never be mainstream, it's a shame so few (including myself) will ever be able to play Alyx.

Retr0gamer · 21-01-2021 2:53pm

VR is facing the Mega CD issue, the same every console add on faces. You are targeting a fraction of the audience on a platform and can make more money targeting the entire audience. Of course there is room to make an exceptional game and hit it big with a very enthusiastic player base, working design could sell through to +50% of the Mega CD user base with their marquee titles but it's always going to be a niche of the platform.

It's also got issues with trying to sell it to the consumer. VR is incredible and a massive leap in immersion. It's amazing how ordinary Half Life Alyx looks on a flat panel compared to how realistic it feels with a headset. It's hard to sell to people as that doesn't translate to videos and images.

johnny_ultimate · 21-01-2021 3:01pm

Also worth pointing out how much of a risk it is for developers. Valve is one of the few companies in the world able to fund an insanely extravagant VR game just because they can (and want to sell some of their stupid expensive VR kits in the process :P). AstroBot is one of the few others I've played that feels like it got all the resources it needed.

Most of the other great VR games have been very modest in scope in comparison - the likes of Tetris Effect or Beatsaber do one focused thing very well, which I think is the best most smaller studios can hope for. In the former's case, it's not even a dedicated VR game so that certainly doesn't hurt its overall prospects. I think it'd be very risky for most small developers to put their energy and resources into something that'll be released to (at best) a niche. I'd even be surprised if Valve push ahead with another project like Alyx.

Vicxas · 21-01-2021 3:09pm

Dcully wrote: »

So my hard drives always have plenty of nerdy racing sims on them but Assetto Corsa hadnt been on there for a couple of years but thats changed with these latest weather and time mods - simply amazing imho - i just had to record a few laps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwL4hdecoHw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4wAr7RpPAQ

Those rain physics are insanely beautiful

SomeSayKos · 21-01-2021 4:23pm

I think the main issue that's holding VR back is that it's just a really difficult thing to sell to people without trying it.
I'll use Astrobot VR rescue as an example here:
If you look at videos of astrobot on youtube it looks like a really nice and cute platform game, but when you actually play it in VR it's jaw-droppingly magical.
I don't think I've had such a mind blowing experience with a game since the 2d-3d transition in the 90's with something like Mario 64.
It's really hard to convey that feeling to an audience via marketing. So for now it'll remain niche, which is a shame because it really feels like we're going to be starved for PSVR games going forward until Sony decides to update the system although they seem very noncommittal on that lately.

Would love to play Alyx, but i've no desire or budget to buy a gaming pc, let alone a gaming pc and a new VR headset.

Cordell · 21-01-2021 5:47pm

I think by now anyone with a bit of interest in gaming tried VR.
The sad truth is that for most it's just a (very expensive) novelty that wears off quite rapidly. Same as with 3D glasses and TVs.

Retr0gamer · 21-01-2021 5:51pm

Cordell wrote: »

I think by now anyone with a bit of interest in gaming tried VR.
The sad truth is that for most it's just a (very expensive) novelty that wears off quite rapidly. Same as with 3D glasses and TVs.

3D TVs were rubbish and added nothing. VR on the other hand has created games and experiences that are incredible and could never be done without VR.

pixelburp · 21-01-2021 6:02pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

3D TVs were rubbish and added nothing. VR on the other hand has created games and experiences that are incredible and could never be done without VR.

Undoubtedly the VR experience is unparalleled, but as a value proposition in the market, I'd question where the ceiling of interest lies against "traditional" console gaming. Does the broader gaming population actually want full immersion? I remember sitting at an entrepreneurial conference and one of the big questions a speaker asked was "... is there actually a market for your idea?", and I've often wondered that about VR.

It also seems to run counter to successful consoles like the Wii, whose own value was down to just how accessible it was to non-techie, non-traditional gamers. VR can't really claim that, and if anything presents as inherently more anti-social device, with more demands on space, time and money (the latter obviously factors less as costs come down). Certainly, as a new parent I couldn't justify a VR setup that literally blinds me to outside reality (mind you, as a new parent I'm barely gaming ATM anyway lol

)

Alyx felt like as close as we've got so far to the "killer app", one that might shift VR units into more casual demographics; where to next? Heck, we've had a year of lockdown across the globe - has VR seen a bump in sales? Without seeming callous, that's a lot of people stuck at home on their own, potentially more interested in technical gimmicks?

Jordan 199 · 21-01-2021 6:04pm

Retro, did you ever try Ace Combat 7 in VR?

AlmightyCushion · 21-01-2021 6:07pm

Doesn't Microsoft still have it's mixed reality headset platform thing? If they were going VR for Xbox, they would use that instead of Oculus.

Retr0gamer · 21-01-2021 6:07pm

Jordan 199 wrote: »

Retro, did you ever try Ace Combat 7 in VR?

No. I don't have a psvr.

I did try project Wingman in VR which is basically ace combat and it's incredible. Being able to track targets by looking around feels great.

21-01-2021 6:45pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

3D TVs were rubbish and added nothing. VR on the other hand has created games and experiences that are incredible and could never be done without VR.

Two big disincentives imho, there's no form of a standard. Eg if I have for pc that isn't compatible with a playstation or xbox which is an issue given the money involved. The other is the lack of fully formed games in general. If studios announced a decent batch of games, I'd jump at it tbh.

gimli2112 · 21-01-2021 6:55pm

I got this in a work related email today.

Gaming giant Valve has been hit with a EUR1.6 million ($2 million) fine after European Union regulators ruled it helped restrict cross-border sales on Steam, the world's largest online platform for PC games.

as a console peasant it didn't really interest me but this did

"More than 50% of all Europeans play video games. The videogame industry in Europe is thriving and it is now worth over EUR17 billion,"

We're now in the majority, the takeover is almost complete.

one armed dwarf · 21-01-2021 7:25pm

Oculus Quest 2 is essentially the Wii of VR, those all in one solutions will be what will drive adoption. Even if it stays niche.

I stayed away from Alyx for a while because of a spine problem I have but got a quest in the end and found I could handle it fine, it is the more intense Beat Saber type experiences that are impossible for me. Alyx is very slow paced tho and easy to settle into. I don't think there will be another type of AAA game like it however, I think even the Geoff Keighley documentary indicated that HL3 would be a hybrid VR game, so it won't have the same level of bespoke VR experiences that Alyx went for. Where the entire game feels like it revolves around small interactions like reloading your weapon and looking for upgrade materials, that kind of game would be absolutely terrible in flat screen. Like people would stare at you cross eyed when you try to explain to them why reloading is as fundamental to the gameplay loop of the combine shootouts as the act of pointing your gun but that is what the game is. Or looking around and picking a grenade up to carry with you, unequiping your gun to toss the grenade to your dominant hand and fling it over a wall. Or just flicking it at a combine you just saw and scarpering off. Or the famous one from the trailer where Alyx heals herself at a health station and pokes her head around a corner and shoots some zombies. That's a completely organic interaction that will happen for you in the game that doesn't really get matched by a simple cover system mechanic. It's a bunch of little micro-interactions and decisions that require greater fidelity that isn't possible on 2D or basic motion controlled games, cause you need to have the world surrounding you as well. Also why Skyrim in VR is such boring **** cause it's just the console game strapped in front of your eyeballs with zero effort at conveying presence and immersion via VR specific interactions.

But anyway Alyx required a good gaming PC, maybe there are laptops that can power it but it is still relatively demanding. VR will be like mobile gaming for the future I'd reckon. It's never going to be a big deal and I wonder if headsets will even be developed after a certain point. Valve have a patent for a wireless Index but after that who knows

On the other hand you'd wonder if the game streaming stuff would ever work with VR. I played Alyx on virtual desktop and there's people out there who insist that they don't notice any lag on Stadia. I don't really believe that for a second but if there was ever a chance that cloud gaming got latency down low enough then that could be a win for VR maybe

Zero-Cool · 21-01-2021 7:37pm

Got an email off CEX, they are now doing free collections from your door, go to sell something online, click An Post logo and click collect for a free collection. Gonna try that instead of posting off games, especially with the talks of the lockdown extending into February.

21-01-2021 8:57pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

3D TVs were rubbish and added nothing. VR on the other hand has created games and experiences that are incredible and could never be done without VR.

I'm still somewhat surprised at the total demise of 3D TVs. Sure they need the right setting but a mate had one and it was fantastic. Considering the tiny extra cost to do it I was surprised they dropped it so quickly.

As for VR, it's easy to forget the total spectrum of "gamers". The Wii's success if anything threw a red herring to an extent. I have the intention of getting a VR headset but it'll be for sim racing if I do, so that'll be a niche within a niche within a genre.
Aside from that I have almost zero interest in it. When I'm gaming I have the laptop within reach as well as my phone. I also play a little then will switch between a game, Netflix, Prime, YouTube and old fashioned TV. Plus there's always a chance the dog will want out and she's now stop making noise when she wants out. I don't want to put on a headset and take it off to either see a mess or her being in distress after sitting and holding it in. My world is small enough that I don't need to make it any smaller and be even more disconnected from it. :pac:

Thecageyone · 21-01-2021 9:26pm

Zero-Cool wrote: »

It's about 2 hours. I remember wanting to get it before but thought ah 2 hours, not worth the price and it went free on ps plus. Kicked myself for not giving the devs money. I've played through it a few times just to relive the story and think about it now and then, especially comparing to other games. I saw a lot of negativity towards it which looked like because people were expecting a horror game and disappointed.

Got it, gonna play and will let you know how I find it [got it very cheap, not sure if dodgy site or not so won't say]

Retr0gamer · 21-01-2021 9:28pm

I thought 3D tvs were kind of crap for games. It was like watching a diorama of a game taking place in a box. It was a weird effect.

Zero-Cool · 21-01-2021 9:28pm

Thecageyone wrote: »

Got it, gonna play and will let you know how I find it [got it very cheap, not sure if dodgy site or not so won't say]

Hope you enjoy it as much as i did, just soak it in.

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