As virtual reality (VR) technology advances and issues such as ‘simulation sickness’ are resolved the demand is growing for more realistic and active forms of motion in VR titles. Fantasy adventure title The Wizards is responding to that demand by launching a free locomotion update.
Last month, developers Carbon Studio were searching for players to help them test various movement options to find the best implementation for new movement types. That testing has apparently been successful, since on 12th September, a new update will introduce free movement and free teleportation into the title, to go alongside the node-based teleportation that was already available.
Along with the new movement options, some design tweaks, bug fixes and some additional content have been added, with the aim of rewarding players who use the new movement options to explore the world, such as hidden paths, item pickups and secret enemy encounters.
“We’ve strongly underestimated how common is the need for free movement among VR community. It turned out that more and more players get their “VR legs,” which makes them find free movement as the most convenient and immersive method of locomotion. Our players asked for free locomotion and they were totally right about it – thanks to this feature The Wizards delivers a strong feeling of exploration and is more fun to play.”
The Wizards is currently available in Steam Early Access for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, priced at £14.99 (GBP). Further information and updates can be found on the Steam store page.
A video trailer for the new locomotion update is available to view below.
VRFocus will bring you further updates on The Wizards as it becomes available.