EVE Valkyrie - Page 4

I’m super excited to announce that I’m working with CCP on EVE: Valkyrie, it blew me away when I played it

On May 02 2014 05:52 Torte de Lini wrote:
So... holy shit is this still happening?

So Fanfest has come and gone! I had the honour of playing Valkyrie on both the new DK2 Oculus Rift and the prototype of the upcoming Sony Morpheus for Playstation 4. More info after the break.

First off, its very important to state that both devices and indeed the game itself are all unfinished products. Also the Morpheus was running a slightly older version so as it may be a little unfair to compare the two, I’ll only be comparing the hardware as it is now with the understanding that both will get better in the future.

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First off, the Oculus DK2. Now I have a DK1 and have used the HD prototype and I have to say that the DK2 is a massive improvement on previous models. From the moment the very pretty Icelandic lady placed it on my head I was actively looking for the faults and the resolution. The pixels are still still obvious but once you get into the game I completely lost myself! What really helped was the positional tracking. I know it sounds a little silly but being able to move your head to the left and right to peep out the windows really improve the immersion.

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The Morpheus on the other hand still has a way to go to catch up with its competitor. In addition to the visibly lower screen resolution, there also seems to be a much narrower field of view. When I was wearing the Morpheus I noticed that there was a curved back zones on the edge of the screen where as the Oculus completely fills the peripheral vision. Like I said both devices are still prototypes so a lot can change but in terms of aesthetics, the Morpheus certainly takes the biscuit.

PlanetfallNow onto the game itself, unfortunately, like any VR game its really hard to describe just how amazing it is! Since I last played it at the London event, Valkyrie has had a HUGE improvement both functionally and visually under the new Unreal Engine 4. When I first described Valkyrie I mentioned it being like sitting in the cockpit of a Viper aboard the Battlestar Galactica, and now with the great Katie Sackhoff taking the Role of Rán, a former pirate turned immortal freelancer and commander of the Valkyries, whispering sweet nothings in my ear it really is incredible.

DeathThe missile lock system has also improved. While looking at a target, an animation appears that shows exactly how locked on you are. Even little things like being shot at and your fighter being rattled by bullets feels very satisfying. Truly this is a game that just needs to be felt, even watching videos can’t fully bring across the terror of watching as the cracks in the glass creeps across the cockpit and the blaring warning lights that a missile has locked on. Or the satisfaction of FINALLY getting the kill you have been dogging for ages.

I, for one, am VERY excited about this game’s future

Making it in Unreal: How CCP rebuilt the Eve universe in close-up for Valkyrie

Eve Valkyrie might be free from the constraints of gravity, but there’s plenty of weight on its shoulders. CCP’s team aren’t fulfilling just the one dream, of VR dogfighting - they’re also charged with redrawing the Eve universe in unforgiving close-up for the first time.

That’s a lot of pressure for a low-pressure shooter to handle. But on the phone, the wonder its developers feel for the game they’ve made together is audible. They’re buoyed by a vacuum that’s become “infinitesimally more and more beautiful” as they’ve rebuilt it in Epic’s new engine.
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