Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation
What Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality developers are talking about
While Metro: Exodus will feature large sandbox-style environments, the third entry in the post-apocalyptic shooter series isn't an open world game. However, the bigger environments do seem to have influenced the mechanics.
The post Contrary to speculation, ‘Metro: Exodus’ will not be an open world game appeared first on Digital Trends.
Lovers of intense gunfights in frozen climates rejoice! Developers of ARKTIKA.1, 4A Games have revealed a new patch for the Oculus Rift and Touch title just in time to meet the coming of the cold and snow in reality.
The patch, ARKTIKA.1‘s third, is available to download now and marks a major update – one which focuses on accessibility with the addition of three new languages. ARKTIKA.1 can now be enjoyed in German, French and Spanish as well as English at the user’s discretion with a number of other fixes and additions, including for the first time cloud saving also added.
Set in the not so distant future, only a hundred years from now, the Earth is once again in the grip of an ice age with only the equatorial regions left remaining habitable to humans. Despite this humanity is still alive and kicking, but only in small groups, scattered around these small regions. Because the envelopes of survival territory are so few they have plenty of resources and are always under threat. In the videogame you take on the role of a mercenary hired by the Citadel Security, tasked with protecting one of the last remaining colonies in what was once Russia.
Influenced by Metro 2033, another 4A Games title, VRFocus found it a very satisfying romp when we reviewed it back in October. “If you let it, ARKTIKA.1 will suck you into one of the best VR titles available for Oculus Rift.” Explains Staff Writer Peter Graham. “It’s gorgeous to look at, no matter which level you’re on. From the abandoned subways to the shopping mall’s high ceilings, there’s not a square inch that’s out of place.”
You can find the patch notes in full below:
Localization
Cloud Saves
Technical
Level Specific
Gameplay
VRFocus will continue to keep you up to date with everything going on with ARKTIKA.1 and other virtual reality (VR) projects of 4A Games going forward.
Sometimes it’s the little things in a videogame, that precise attention to detail, that can impress. It might be how a gun looks or operates, a wonderfully interwoven storyline or just a beautiful sunset on the horizon. In Arktika.1’s case it’s an electric window right at the start of the experience that catches the attention, whilst you’re sat – or more accurately stood – in a vehicle as it trundles along. As the driver chats away, giving you the gist of the storyline and what’s to come, the engine quietly rumbles away as the wind blows in the icy tundra. Opening the window suddenly lets in a gush of noise, showcasing the spatial audio, letting the howling gale rush around your ear drums almost drowning out what the driver is saying.
It’s this small, almost inconsequential moment that sets up one of Oculus Rift’s biggest winter 2017 releases as something of note, as you settle in for a gun-wielding adventure into the snowy wastelands of Russia. You’re here because you’re a mercenary hired to help protect this remote outpost, one of the last remnants of human civilisation after the Earth entered a new ice age.
Developed by 4A Games – the studio behind the Metro series – Arktika.1 certainly draws a lot of inspiration from those previous titles, with plenty of the action taking place in confined, derelict structures, sometimes heading out into the cold, hostile environment for a change of ambiance, but not of action.
Because Arktika.1 is all about the action. Intense gunfights are the name of the game here, with short breaks to figure out puzzles that block the way, yet they aren’t too difficult that they become frustrating or annoying, hindering progress for too long. This is mainly due to the movement system 4A Games has employed – a point-to-point teleportation mechanic – that means anything you need is usually close to hand, rather than having to wander aimlessly looking for a door code.
It’s this system that will likely be a bone of contention for some players, because as virtual reality (VR) development has improved more studios are offering a range of movement systems, from teleportation to full first-person shooter (FPS) mechanics. Arktika.1 offers none of that, merely a blue hologram where you can move to safely – with cover – or an orange hologram in some firefights that offer a better vantage or flanking position at the cost of cover.
This may seem restrictive at first, however the whole experience does feel tailored to it. During intense battles in open areas the ability to nip about from ground level to a balcony is highly welcomed, soon becoming second nature in between blasting enemies in the head. Due to Arktika.1’s linear, story-driven campaign 4A Games has gone for a more controlled approach that fans of more open ended role-playing games (RPG) may not enjoy, yet that doesn’t detract from the overall quality of the experience.
And if you let it, Arktika.1 will suck you into one of the best VR titles available for Oculus Rift. It’s gorgeous to look at, no matter which level you’re on. From the abandoned subways to the shopping mall’s high ceilings, there’s not a square inch that’s out of place.
But this is a shooting videogame after all and if the guns and gameplay are rubbish all the best rendered environments in the world couldn’t save it. Thankfully that’s not the case. You begin with a couple of sturdy weapons which can be reloaded by being brought to your hip or cocked left to right. Unusually the studio hasn’t gone for holster mounted guns – as is quite common in other VR shooters. Instead both guns are located just over each shoulder, with the Oculus Touch rumbling when in the right spot. This can be a bit finicky when trying to grab them quickly, but not too much that it’s overly awkward.
As missions are completed you’re awarded cash to then spend on other guns, upgrades or attachments depending on preference. There are no shotguns, rifles or grenade launchers, just a mixture of pistols with some having special secondary functions to bend bullets round obstacles, penetrate cover or ricochet around corners. Through experimentation you’ll find the perfect pairing.
When encountering hostiles headshots are always the best, yet depending on how they react – and what loadout has been selected – this needs to be mixed up accordingly as not all the enemies are going to charge at you like in wave shooters. They’ll duck behind cover, switch position and so forth, meaning battles can be dynamic depending on the location – tighter corridors tend to be more war of attrition style.
Single-player experiences can suffer from a lack of re-playability which 4A Games has tried to counter with a level ranking system so you can go back to improve your score. There’s also several challenges to complete such as completing a level without dying or getting a certain type of kill with a specific gun. Successful completion will award perks to make the harder difficulty levels that bit more manageable.
So is Arktika.1 that ground breaking VR experience all the promotion material would have you believe? On the one hand no not really, it’s a good looking single-player FPS that’s a VR version of Metro when being really cynical. However, should Oculus Rift owners buy Arktika.1, then that’s a definite yes. There’s a good eight hours of gameplay on the easiest setting, with the hard difficulty just making progress all that more brutal. 4A Games has created a highly refined, polished videogame that’s a joy to play from start to finish.
Awesome
Der First-Person-Shooter ARKTIKA.1 soll heute am 10. Oktober ab 19 Uhr für Oculus Rift im Oculus Store erhältlich sein. Mittlerweile zwei Jahre befindet sich der VR-Shooter bereits in Entwicklung. Auf Nachfrage von Road to VR gewährte das Entwicklerstudio 4A Games nun Einblicke in die Entwicklung des VR-Titels. Zum Start veröffentlichten die Entwickler zudem einen offiziellen Launch Trailer
Das Entwicklerstudio 4A Games ist bekannt für das Metro-Franchise, das in den frostigen Gebieten eines postapokalyptischen Russlands spielt. Im neuen VR-Titel ARKTIKA.1 blieben die Entwickler ihrem Stil treu und setzten auch den neuen Titel in Kiew in der Ukraine an. Dennoch unterscheidet sich das Spiel deutlich von der Metro-Reihe, denn die Entwickler erschufen ein komplett neues Universum mit neuer Spielumgebung und VR-Support.
Der Executive Producer John Bloch sagte dazu Folgendes: „Es gab eine Vielzahl an Dingen, die wir in VR ausprobieren wollten. Während des Entwicklungsprozesses entwickelten wir eine Menge Ideen, wobei wir einige umsetzten, andere jedoch wieder zurückzogen. Da wir mit der VR-Technologie Neuland betraten, wollten wir zunächst das umsetzen, was wir auch wirklich können: einen postapokalyptischen Shooter in Russland. Das nutzten wir als Grundlage und bauten darauf alle neuen Features auf, besonders die einzigartigen Möglichkeiten der VR.“
Bereits seit drei Jahren stand das Entwicklerstudio mit Oculus in Kontakt, wobei zum damaligen Zeitpunkt noch viele Fragen bezüglich zukünftiger VR-Spiele und Hardware offen waren. Die Entwickler von 4A Games wurden damals zum Ausprobieren der noch unveröffentlichten Touch-Controller eingeladen. Diese waren begeistert und wussten daraufhin, dass das Shooter-Genre genau der richtige Weg ist, um einen AAA-Titel zu gestalten.
Doch damit es die Spieler begeistert, benötigte man eine originelle Story und auch auf dieses Wissen konnten die Entwickler dank jahrelanger Erfahrung zurückgreifen: „Wir griffen auf einen weiteren Grundstein zurück, nämlich Content mit spannendem Storyverlauf. Entsprechend wollten wir qualitativ hochwertige Inhalte erschaffen, die von einer spannenden Geschichte umhüllt werden. Wir starteten den Entwicklungsprozess und probierten diverse Möglichkeiten aus, um allerlei Erfahrungen und Features in die Geschichte einzubauen, um eine zusammenhängende Erfahrung für die Spieler zu bauen. Diese sollte die nötige AAA-Qualität erfüllen“, erzählte Bloch.
Besonders der Bereich der Locomotion und das entsprechende Design der Fortbewegungsmethode bereiteten anfangs Probleme. Zunächst experimentierten die Entwickler mit einigen Optionen, entschieden sich dann aber für Teleportation zu Knotenpunkten. Dies war damals etwas völlig Neues und ermöglicht den Spielern freie Fortbewegung, auch wenn wenig realer Bewegungsraum zur Verfügung steht.
Beim Design der Waffen setzten die Entwickler auf Eleganz und steckten eine große Menge an Zeit sowie Kapazität in die Umsetzung der Konzepte.
Bloch beschreibt den Schaffensprozess folgendermaßen: „Ursprünglich hatten wir verschiedene Ideen für Waffen, die eine Menge Spaß bei der Verwendung machten. Darunter befanden sich viele Pistolen und Laserwaffen, doch wir wollten jede davon einzigartig und unterschiedlich gestalten. Also probierten wir verschiedene Methoden aus, um die verschiedenen Anwendungsarten hervorzuheben. Ein Beispiel dafür ist die Carver-Waffe – die Kugeln in Kurven abfeuert – die unsere Ansprüche an die Einzigartigkeit der Waffen unterstreicht.“
Bei den zehn Waffen im Spiel handelt es sich um Einhänder, was das Resultat einer Vielzahl an Experimenten mit diversen Waffentypen ist. Dafür entschieden sich die Entwickler bereits innerhalb einer frühen Entwicklungsphase. Ein Grund dafür ist beispielsweise das haptische Feedback der Touch-Controller, welches durch zweihändige Gewehre nur schwer gewährleistet wird.
Doch der Fokus des VR-Titels liegt nicht nur auf Feuergefechten und Schusswechseln. Bloch betont, dass das Spiel eine Menge interaktive Elemente enthält. Dazu zählen Computeroberflächen, Hebel, Rätsel und viele verschiedene Methoden, um im Level voranzuschreiten.
Insgesamt steckte das Entwicklerstudio viel Herzblut in ARKTIKA.1 und möchte den Spielern ein immersives, interaktives und einzigartiges Spielerlebnis vermitteln. Der VR-Titel ist exklusiv im Oculus Store für 26.99 Euro für Oculus Rift vorbestellbar, nach der Veröffentlichung kostet er knapp 30 Euro.
(Quellen: Road to VR | Video: GameTrailers Youtube)
Der Beitrag ARKTIKA.1 heute ab 19 Uhr, 4A Games gibt Einblicke in die Entwicklung zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!
If you’re an Oculus Rift owner then there’s a good chance you’re looking forward to tomorrow as 4A Games finally release ARKTIKA.1. As is quite often the case – especially with big title launches – Nvidia has now released its Game Ready driver for the first-person shooter (FPS).
NVIDIA’s Game Ready driver program aims to delivers the best possible experience by optimizing performance and latency, which is important for smooth, stutter-free virtual reality (VR) gameplay, especially when dealing with graphically intense titles such as ARKTIKA.1.
Previous Game Ready drivers support has included Project CARS 2, EVE: Valkyrie – Warzone, Killing Floor: Incursion, Star Trek: Bridge Crew, Battlezone and many more.
Created using the studio’s in-house 4A Engine – the developer is best known for its Metro franchise – ARKTIKA.1 is set in the beautiful but deadly frozen environments of the Russian tundra, after Earth has entered a new ice age. The year is 2120 and mankind clings to existence in small remote colonies scrounging food and resources wherever possible. So players take on the role of a mercenary who must protect one of the last colonies in the wastelands of old Russia from violent raiders, marauders, and horrifying creatures using an arsenal of high-tech weaponry.
For the latest ARKTIKA.1 updates, keep reading VRFocus.
4A Games’ first foray into virtual reality (VR) ARKTIKA.1 is due for release in five days time and its been available to pre-order for Oculus Rift since mid-September. Today the studio has released its launch trailer for the first-person shooter (FPS), combining cinematic footage with plenty of gameplay.
Created using the studio’s in-house 4A Engine – the developer is best known for its Metro franchise – ARKTIKA.1 is set in the beautiful but deadly frozen environments of the Russian tundra, after Earth has entered a new ice age. The year is 2120 and mankind clings to existence in small remote colonies scrounging food and resources wherever possible.
You play a mercenary hired by Citadel Security, who must protect one of the last colonies in the wastelands of old Russia from violent raiders, marauders, and horrifying creatures. Using your mercenary skills and an arsenal of high-tech weaponry like the Electromagnetic Smart Pistol, plasma cannons and laser guns only you can protect the colonists from the horros that await.
ARKTIKA.1 is available for pre-order now with a discount of 10 percent currently available, reducing the price from $29.99 USD/£22.99 GBP to $26.99/£19.99. The title will be released on 10th October, 2017.
If 4A Games release any further details ahead of launch, VRFocus will keep you updated.
Snow-bound post-apocalyptic shooter ARKTIKA.1 will soon be heading to Oculus Rift. Pre-orders for the title are now available, and comes with a special bonus of 10% off the regular retail price.
ARKTIKA.1 is set in the year 2120, after global climate change has created a new ice age, forcing the remnants of humanity to struggle for survival in small colonies, scrounging food and resources wherever possible. The player takes the role of a hired gun who has been paid to protect a colony in what used to be Russia. The player will need to use wits and weapons to protect the city from bandits, raiders and violently aggressive monsters.
Available weapons range from the familiar form of a revolver, through to the powerful futuristic Electromagnetic Smart Pistol, which allows players to bend its projectiles to hit enemies hiding in cover. Other weapons such as plasma cannons and laser guns are also available to find, all of which have their own advantages and unique functions.
Movement in ARKTIKA.1 will be handled using fixed point teleportation, where users simply need to ‘look and travel’ to get to where they need to go. The developers at 4A Games concluded this system worked the best for the majority of players.
ARKTIKA.1 is available for pre-order now through the Oculus Store. Usually priced at $29.99 (USD), a pre-order discount of 10% is currently available, reducing the price to $26.99. The title is due to be released on 10th October, 2017.
VRFocus will continue to bring you he latest information on ARKTIKA.1.
Upcoming virtual reality (VR) first-person shooter title ARKTIKA.1 has been covered extensively here at VRFocus. The story of a world locked in a frozen post-apocalyptic world draws on elements from developer 4A Games’ previous work on Metro. The developers have released a series of videos detailing the creation of the weaponry used in the title.
ARKTIKA.1 is set in a future where climate change has rendered most of the Earth uninhabitable. The player takes the role of a defender of one of the few remaining large human cities, using a range of weaponry to protect the colony from bandits, raisers and aggressive, violent monsters.
The new developer video diary offers an in-depth look at the creation of the weaponry within the title, highlighting some of the team’s favourites. The weapons in ARKTIKA.1 range from the relatively mundane, such as the Minotaur Revolver, which is merely a more futuristic and customisable take on a type of weapon that his existed in various from for over 100 years, to the very high-tech Electromagnetic Smart Pistol, which can bend its projectiles so players can hit enemies from behind cover.
Weapon customisation is an integral feature to the gameplay, offering players the chance to select the weapon they prefer and enhance it in a way that best suits their personal playstyle. Customisation options come in functional types, such as a sniper scope, or more cosmetic features.
ARKTIKA.1 was built with help from Oculus Studios and designed exclusively for the Oculus Rift with Touch. There is as of yet no firm price point or release date, but it is expected to be released some time in Q3 of 2017.
You can watch the developer video diary below.
VRFocus will bring you further news on ARKTIKA.1 as it becomes available.
In our hands-on with ARKTIKA.1, it’s noted that the game seems to have a lot that wants to express about its world. The decision to tell rather than show presents a mixed bag for gameplay, but a new partnership will give the creative team an opportunity to world build in a different way. Partnering with Del Ray Books, an imprint of the well know Random House publisher, 4A Games has inked a storytelling deal that will see a companion eBook launch in Q3 this year.
The news comes by way of a press release on Gamasutra and the upcoming eBook is titled ARKTIKA.1: My Name is Viktoria. 4A Games is known for their Metro series, a series adapted from books and known for their engaging narrative. Christie Golden, an American author with a long history of penning novels based on notable fictional worlds like Star Trek and Starcraft, helped shape the story for ARKTIKA.1 and she’ll also be involved in My Name is Viktoria.
“I couldn’t ask for more from 4A Games and my publisher, Del Rey Books,” Golden says in the press release. “We’ve worked together every step of the way to bring ARKTIKA.1 to life. I brought my A-game to this project, calling on my playwriting training to create sharp dialogue and utilizing my world-building skills to help complete the immersive experience virtual reality offers. Players looking to dive into the game’s universe by cozying up with a book have much to look forward to!”
VR experiences are built upon the appeal of immersion and are constantly used to supplement other forms of media, but expanding upon these virtual worlds with other mediums like books adds a degree of credibility to the gaming aspect of the industry. It’s good to see AAA games get AAA efforts and exposure.
“Story is at the heart of any AAA game – and we have some things to say about that! With our experience making post-apocalyptic games, we’re now taking players a hundred years in the future and presenting them with a dangerous yet hopeful world,” says Yevhen Fedorets, lead game designer on ARKTIKA.1. “We’re building environments filled with detail – resulting in believable, atmospheric locations. Immersion is all about connecting everything in the world with the player, and we found that this feeling of ‘being there’ is by far the best way to tell an engrossing story about survival.”
ARKTIKA.1 is due to release on Oculus Rift exclusively sometime this year. My Name is Viktoria is currently available to preorder on Amazon for $0.99 and has a release date of October 10th.
4A Games, the studio behind the Metro series, has partnered with Del Rey Books and New York Times bestselling author Christie Golden to produce an official eBook novella that lets you dive further into the upcoming Oculus Touch first-person shooter ARKTIKA.1.
Golden is no stranger to gaming fiction, evidenced by her previous work on novels and short stories including IP from World of Warcraft, Assassin’s Creed, and Halo. Having also written the script for ARKTIKA.1, it’s only natural she’d also write the eBook ARKTIKA.1: My Name is Viktoria, or what she calls the game’s “bible”.
In a blog post, Golden says she’s never actually had a chance to actively participate in the creation of a game, but ARKTIKA.1 let the seasoned sci-fi/fantasy author cut imbue 4A Games’ envisioned world with her own ideas, activities, and background concepts, and “weave around and through them a story with solid science fiction, clever dialogue, tension, stakes the player grows to care about, and memorable characters.”
The short story is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.com for $1, releasing October 10th, 2017. Here’s the eBook’s synoposis.
Viktoria can barely remember life before 2081. It’s painful to think of the time before the Great Freeze, when humanity finally paid its due for plundering the earth, plunging the world into frigid cold, scarcity, and decay.
Yet humanity has found a way to carry on. The remnants of civilization persist in settlements like ARKTIKA.1, where Vika tends to survivors with her Mamochka and Papochka, protecting their fledgling colony from the threat that lurks in the snows. The yaga—vicious, deformed cannibals made monstrous by disease—prey on the surviving communities, spreading their affliction as they go. And Vika’s parents are the only scientists left who can stop the contagion.
Called upon by the Citadel Security defense corporation, Vika’s family makes their way to a research facility near the Equator. Only there, with mercenary protection and superior laboratory equipment, can the two scientists hope to make the discoveries that might protect ARKTIKA.1. But when shots ring out through the cold, their research expedition becomes a mad dash for survival. Because saving the world means nothing if they can’t save their daughter.
The post ‘ARKTIKA.1’ Gets Companion eBook Penned by NYT Bestselling Author Christie Golden appeared first on Road to VR.