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bcwood16

Oculus Rift

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Hopefully this doesn't need an introduction…but just in case, its a 3D headset that is the next thing to change gaming in a big way.

http://www.oculusvr.com

Well at the London Gaming Expo I managed to get a sneaky peaky!!!

At the Expo the main problem was that the latest version of Rift (HD version) had 'massive' queues and I was only there for the day and wanted to see 'other' things too. Luckily I found a developer who has been messing about with the older version which uses lower resolution. The queue was small as most people did not know what he had and just walked past. This was good though as I managed to chat for quite a while with the developer. He also had created his own 3D level to mess about in which reminded me a little bit of Quake 3 due its is 'oldish' style and theme, so it was no Half Life 2! I like older stuff and wanted to know how good the 3D experience was on older looking games, so this suited me :)

The gameplay basically was to navigate through a small dungeon, nothing attacked you, but bats and fallen coffins and things did happen, as well as some standing skeletons that swayed a little and moved their head a bit to look at you.

I had an Xbox controller that all I needed to do was push forward and thats it. To turn I moved my actual body in the direction I wanted to go (I was standing) as well as moving my actually head to look about.

So what was it like?….Well….I was personally expecting it to be very good even with the low res version. Usually when this happens the hype turns out to be too over the top. Well the moment I put the headset on I was simply blown away!…..its not something you can really explain, but just have to experience!

I shall try to explain my experience the best I can, but the first thing I noticed was how I felt I was in the virtual world. It didn't feel like I was just watching really cool 3D graphics, but that I had been transported into this dungeon. I felt like I was going to loose my balance a little bit, but adjusted fairly quickly. Proportionally everything felt much larger then what was on the playing screen in the 'real' world, which makes sense. In a game you may see a flower pot on a table, no matter how close you go, you can only go so near, its not realistic. In Oculus Rift it feels like its the size its supposed to be like in real life…its sort of hard to explain.

As I moved about I went under some arches which I looked up and had a real sense of size and actually tried to put my hand in front of me to touch the walls…..but obviously no hand appeared, this was actually a little frustrating lol I eventually walked into a room with some standing skeletons which just stood there looking at me. They were not particularly convincing looking, but getting up close looked very threatening, I was glad these buggers were not going to attack me! This reminded my of the skeletons in Skyrim which were much more creepy and had swords, that would actually be a scary experience!

Later on as I got near to the end of the dungeon, I had to cross a large chasm of larva which had some planks of wood to cross over. Looking down….well lets just say I didn't want to fall. As I slowly crossed I felt real danger and focused on the wood just in front of my feet, ignoring the drop…..it was the only way I could cross without freaking out! I managed to cross and at the end was a large troll creature blocking my path, this was the end of the level, but getting up close to this troll was creepy and again looked threatening.

I then took the headset off and adjusted to the real world, I did need a minute or two. The real world seemed boring after this lol!

I did not feel at all sick and my eyes felt fine afterwards, I could have easily been in there a lot longer!

The experience was just fantastic! Keeping in mind this was the older low res version and my virtual world was an 'oldish' looking game I can only imagine what new games with hi res resolution would look like. Its exciting as I could just imagine playing Doom on the Rift, it would need to be added to a port such as Doomsday which has great 3D graphics. To be able to roam around in the Doom levels, feeling like you 'are' Doom guy and hearing the Archy or the CyberDemon must truly be epic. However, I'm thinking the sprites will ruin it, Doom Ascension 3D monster replacement would solve this issue!!! :)

The future is looking awesome!

Oh…and about low FPS, if it drops your brain can't really handle the situation, it doesn't hurt, but it feels like your eyes are being ripped away from your head…..nice!

For those interested in Oculus Rift, I can promise it will not dissapoint! Lets hope we get some awesome stuff to plug into.

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I check news about OR every week and for me at least, it will be a day one purchase. With John Carmack working there now, things are going to be even more awesome.

EDIT: I absolutely cannot wait to play Doom Ascension with this!

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DooM_RO said:

I check news about OR every week and for me at least, it will be a day one purchase. With John Carmack working there now, things are going to be even more awesome.


Indeed, I am possibly also thinking about getting the Razor Hydra kit too which is what you can use to lean and crouch.....though not sure I want to do that all the time, a chair is often fine lol, you can also use it to manually aim guns in FPS :)

Anyway, shall be putting a little bit of money aside for this. I was 'thinking' about getting my first console with this generation Xbox 1 or something....but im pretty sure a Rift is the way im going now, though I will have to learn to be good at a USB Xbox controller for the PC as im sure that will be better to play games on while in the rift rather then a K/B and mouse.

DooM_RO said:

EDIT: I absolutely cannot wait to play Doom Ascension with this!

Well im pretty sure the models will not be all ready by the time Rift is out, especially now all monsters are being re-designed to be more awesome, but will be worth the wait. Thing is we shall need Doomsday to have Rift support, im hoping that can be done easily enough.

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Speaking of Doom Ascension, is it even being worked on? I haven't seen any real updates on their webpage for a lot of time. Also, what is the difference between Doom Ascension and the 3D mod that already exists for Doom?

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hardcore_gamer said:

Speaking of Doom Ascension, is it even being worked on? I haven't seen any real updates on their webpage for a lot of time. Also, what is the difference between Doom Ascension and the 3D mod that already exists for Doom?


Doom Ascension most certainly is being worked on :)

At the moment the zombies are being re-made as we have found a much better way to make more detailed models along with special attributes for various parts such as glowing eyes etc.

What this essentially means is the models you see on the website are old now, but if you liked them, you will love the new ones! Its going to be a long wait until all models for Ultimate Doom are complete, but it will be worth it. The animation and texture work is top notch!

There is indeed a model pack already out that replaces monsters with 3D assets, but these are looking dated now and Doom Ascension hopes to bring things up to a more modern look. The MOD is more of a hobby then a full on MOD team working on it. Sometimes work is fast, other times its slow.....but its moving forward! I was very excited with the look of some assets I saw recently and am looking forward to converting them and getting them into Doom.

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WAIT, the models are even higher poly now?! This is the best news of today! I am now even more excited than I was before!

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I have been waiting eons just for change to wear VR set and play awesome games. Hurry the hell up oculust rift team and shut up and take my money.

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DooM_RO said:

WAIT, the models are even higher poly now?! This is the best news of today! I am now even more excited than I was before!

Indeed, technically it may mean computers now need a bit more power, but with hardware being pretty damn fast and the fact Doomsdays is always improving. By the time DA releases anything I expect Doomsday will have no problems with the extra poly count, so its not really a concern. Hopefully these models will stand the age of time for a good while.

Also, thanks jute for the youtube showing Doom on Rift.....that must be awesome to play....jealous of that guy!!

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Just make the models as detailed as possible. PLEASE don't take hardware into consideration. If the engine permits more, take advantage of it. I must ask though, after the mod is complete, will you make some alternative versions of the monsters? (kind of like what's going on at REALM667).

Doesn't need to be something drastic. A gray version of TEKWALL4 for instance or a recolored imp (bright red) with bigger and more horns, red, blazing eyes and wolverine-like claws would be awesome. There was such an imp version (and it was damn awesome) but I can't find it to show it to you.

Anyway. the other thing I really want from the Rift team is a gun peripheral that you can aim independently of your view. That would be awesome!

Oh and if Rift is implemented in the Doomsday engine, what do you think about making a "helmet" view to make the experience more immersive? I say this because you could make a very subtle view through the helmet visor (glass) that has all the status bar information seamlessly projected on the glass. The default 2D interface would be extremely distracting on the Rift. To sum it up, it should feel like you are actually looking through your helmet but without making it distracting.

Finally, I am making my first vanilla-style map which I am very proud of and I was wondering if you would like to take a look at it and see if it fits your project. Although only about 60% of it is finished and took me a long time to make it (it is my first map after all) I have very high standards when it comes to visuals and immersion and I think I've managed to do some great stuff considering it comes from a newbie and the map uses only vanilla content. If you wish, I could send you a preliminary version of it.

EDIT: Oh, I've found the imp I was talking about, It's called Pyroimp (could use a better name)

http://realm667.com/index.php/repository/beastiary-mainmenu-136/doom-style-mainmenu-105?start=120

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DooM_RO said:

Just make the models as detailed as possible. PLEASE don't take hardware into consideration. If the engine permits more, take advantage of it. I must ask though, after the mod is complete, will you make some alternative versions of the monsters? (kind of like what's going on at REALM667).


Well hardware and engine limitation is always going to be looked at and we are using Md2 model format, so even with some cool 'work arounds' there is still only so much that can be done.

DooM_RO said:

Doesn't need to be something drastic. A gray version of TEKWALL4 for instance or a recolored imp (bright red) with bigger and more horns, red, blazing eyes and wolverine-like claws would be awesome. There was such an imp version (and it was damn awesome) but I can't find it to show it to you.


Replacement monsters for Doom are obviously being made, but the plan is to also have the maps re-made and as a result we are planning to put many different types of zombies in the new levels. For instance zombies with different armour and heads etc. I expect this may also happen to imps and demons etc......not sure what Niuhaka has planned for all this yet.

DooM_RO said:

Anyway. the other thing I really want from the Rift team is a gun peripheral that you can aim independently of your view. That would be awesome!


Well from what I can see the Razor Hydra does this, its not by the same Rift team, but it allows you to strap one to your chest so you can crouch and lean and the other to use as your gun. I think thats what you mean? Check this out form a youtube channel I follow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCKEi0GFW-k

DooM_RO said:

Oh and if Rift is implemented in the Doomsday engine, what do you think about making a "helmet" view to make the experience more immersive? I say this because you could make a very subtle view through the helmet visor (glass) that has all the status bar information seamlessly projected on the glass. The default 2D interface would be extremely distracting on the Rift. To sum it up, it should feel like you are actually looking through your helmet but without making it distracting.


I have no idea if Rift will be implemented into Doomsday, but I think they would be crazy if they didnt, though I'm pretty sure that this is not on their list as of right now, so lets see how it evolves. I haven't even asked yet. However, I do agree, I think a helmet would be very cool and also solve the horrid hud issues!

DooM_RO said:

Finally, I am making my first vanilla-style map which I am very proud of and I was wondering if you would like to take a look at it and see if it fits your project. Although only about 60% of it is finished and took me a long time to make it (it is my first map after all) I have very high standards when it comes to visuals and immersion and I think I've managed to do some great stuff considering it comes from a newbie and the map uses only vanilla content. If you wish, I could send you a preliminary version of it.


You need to speak to Niuhaka as I am not the project leader, I just convert the assets to get them in game as well as just mess about with ideas and other random things lol

Go to http://www.doomascension.com and contact him through there :)

DooM_RO said:

EDIT: Oh, I've found the imp I was talking about, It's called Pyroimp (could use a better name)

http://realm667.com/index.php/repository/beastiary-mainmenu-136/doom-style-mainmenu-105?start=120


lol, some cool assets there, im sure DA will add many new monsters to play around with :)

GOD Doom and Rift is going to be amazing......though with all the great games out there wanting to play an old game is nuts.....but hey we all love Doom so much here so why not!

I think somebody is also trying to implement Rift support for Star Trek Elite Force.....thats going to be cool!!.....again its all the old stuff im looking forward to lol

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DooM_RO said:

...will you make some alternative versions of the monsters? (kind of like what's going on at REALM667).

Doesn't need to be something drastic. A gray version of TEKWALL4 for instance or a recolored imp (bright red) with bigger and more horns, red, blazing eyes and wolverine-like claws would be awesome. There was such an imp version (and it was damn awesome) but I can't find it to show it to you.

Yes. There will be alternate versions of every monster including monsters slightly unique to Ascension. Every monster type will have several versions with unique body parts and textures to give a sense of variety while still keeping them recognizable as the same type of monster. The default monster types (i.e, the Imp) will keep the default stats but Ascension only versions of the monsters will have unique stats for the purpose of having mini bosses and alternate bosses.

Careful consideration is also being given to modders who want to come in and create their own versions of the Ascension models. It will be very simple to come in and create your own textures for each of the body parts and to create your own body part meshes as well. Creating your own monsters with unique stats is also made quite easy. This project is meant to be a little more for the modders than it is for the players. Thanks to the Doomsday Engine it is already very easy to create your own textures so modders can come in and create their own alternate versions of the Ascension textures if desired.

My dream for this project is to someday have people creating Ascension Megawads of their own. The barriers to creativity are breaking down thanks to the Deng Team (Doomsday Engine Team).

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Necromancy warning adhered, I hope this is sufficient:

I'm excited that my department is ordering an Occulus Rift. We are purchasing it to help teachers use it for educational purposes. We're a doctoral and a graduate program. Hopefully, I can convince them to let me demonstrate how it could work for gzdoom. I'd like to play my WADs using it.

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Kontra Kommando said:

Necromancy warning adhered, I hope this is sufficient:

I'm excited that my department is ordering an Occulus Rift. We are purchasing it to help teachers use it for educational purposes. We're a doctoral and a graduate program. Hopefully, I can convince them to let me demonstrate how it could work for gzdoom. I'd like to play my WADs using it.


There is a special Oculus Rift mod for GzDoom, I forgot what it's called. Also, if you get permission could you also try some of the most famous wads? I think map 26 and 27 from Scythe 2 would look amazing with an Oculus.

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DooM_RO said:

There is a special Oculus Rift mod for GzDoom, I forgot what it's called. Also, if you get permission could you also try some of the most famous wads? I think map 26 and 27 from Scythe 2 would look amazing with an Oculus.


I just got permission from my boss to help out one of our students who is using it as part of their dissertation. I'll definitely try out some cool WADs with it.

On a side note, I'm helping another student who is writing about game modifications in an academic text book. I was telling him about the doom community. I believe he's been doing some research on the forums as well.

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I've never been one for dropping big bucks on high tech hardware when new, but this is worthy of getting day one. I almost pre-ordered it whatever back when it was more meant for developers, but alas, my wallet wouldn't have been happy with the purchase.

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Clonehunter said:

I've never been one for dropping big bucks on high tech hardware when new, but this is worthy of getting day one. I almost pre-ordered it whatever back when it was more meant for developers, but alas, my wallet wouldn't have been happy with the purchase.


Yea, I only see it worth purchasing as an investment. If you were going to develop games for it, with Unity 3D or something.

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Kontra Kommando said:

Yea, I only see it worth purchasing as an investment. If you were going to develop games for it, with Unity 3D or something.


I probably would have just toyed with it, for the most part. Not too say I wouldn't ever try to do something else with it. My High School had a class with Unity in it, although I took said class and left the school before it was implemented into the course. All I got was that Kodu garbage.

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Clonehunter said:

I probably would have just toyed with it, for the most part. Not too say I wouldn't ever try to do something else with it. My High School had a class with Unity in it, although I took said class and left the school before it was implemented into the course. All I got was that Kodu garbage.


Once they make one for regular recreational use, I'll pick one up.

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DooM_RO said:

There is a special Oculus Rift mod for GzDoom, I forgot what it's called.


As mentioned elsewhere, Doom can be played with the Oculus Rift using GZ3Doom (http://rotatingpenguin.com/gz3doom/) or using Doomsday (http://dengine.net/).

I'm planning to also support the Rift DK2 (dev kit version 2), in GZ3Doom, after my DK2 arrives later this summer.

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