Ask virtual reality (VR) enthusiasts what some of their favourite videogames are on any headset platform and the likelihood of CCP Games’ sci-fi shooter EVE: Valkyrie appearing is very high. Available for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, the videogame has built up a dedicated community of players, so much so in fact that a recent Wormholes map saw a group of pilots relax their trigger fingers and instead engage in some formation flying.
For those unfamiliar with Wormholes, the mode was added earlier this year, bringing with it a new set of rules to master – modified game modes, unusual environments, special upgrades, new visuals and more – every weekend. Recently the Nightyard map made an appearance and with it two different effects Rainbow Trails and Superboost.
So one dedicated player and community contributor, Salsaketchup, decided to mastermind a video with a difference, getting a group of pilots to showcase their flying prowess with some coordinated formation flying, producing a ballet of light and colour in a videogame designed for carnage and destruction.
CCP Games contacted Salsaketchup asking how all of this came about. “Thoughts of flying in formations first popped into my head within the first couple of weeks of playing Valkyrie. There were times that I would be flying real close to squad mates such as Mittko and other PSVR pilots and I would just think how cool would it be to charge in as a whole squad. To look out of your cockpit and see your team up-close before all hell breaks loose,” said the player.
When quizzed on the logistics of it all Salsaketchup responded: “As soon as I heard it was a Nightyard wormhole I wrote the post on the forum and took to Twitter and discord, I mean what else could make formation flying look better than rainbow trails out the back of the ships!? The rest all happened on the fly as we ended up with 13 pilots on comms and the results looked great and the EVE: Valkyrie Soundtrack – Tempest adds the extra punch needed to tie it all together nicely.”
Checkout the video below to see the formation flying for yourself, and head over to the EVE: Valkyrie blog for the full Q&A with Salsaketchup. As ever keep reading VRFocus for the latest updates from CCP Games.