When it comes to videogame adversaries there’s a simple rule. If it’s not zombies, it’s robots and if it’s not robots it’s probably demons of some description. You can usually count for one of the three being the cause of all the ruccus going on in the storyline of whatever it is that you’re playing. Another contender for that list are mutants, although in some cases they crossover with zombies. The most notable instance probably being in SEGA’s classic lightgun franchise THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD, where they make a point of not mentioning “the z-word”.
It’s mutants that are on the rampage in A-Tech Cybernetic, XReal Games’ virtual reality (VR) first person shooter (FPS) for both the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive. Earlier in the month the title, which has been out on Early Access since March, was revealed to have a second chapter in development and that would launch at some time this month. The update being the latest edition to the videogame’s story mode that was added to A-Tech Cybernetic following fan feedback.
In Chapter 02 – System Warning: Attention the mutants are continuing to cause havoc and it’s up to you to use your bullets in order to put them in their place. The update for the second chapter also brings with it new animations, narrations, weapons and enemies as well as an update to the title’s demo and a “full rework” of the first chapter. The development team have also laid some groundwork for a potential third instalment of the story.
A videogame that has been built exclusively for VR, in A-Tech Cybernetic you get to freely explore a futuristic complex that, unfortunately, is in the grip of a mutant invasion. You’ll need to call upon your full arsenal of weapons be they physical weapons or out of this world powers not to mention get a bit creative in order to deal plenty of damage and fight off the rampaging horde.
“We wanted to see first if we were indeed on the right track with our game.” Said Dániel Harsányi, CEO at Xreal Games earlier this month on the subject of adding the story mode. “As the VR gaming scene is quite new, there are no working patterns that has stood the test of time and it is also changing rapidly: just a year ago exploring a highly detailed, interactive environment was basically enough for many players as VR was still a new thing. Today it’s different, VR is getting closer to the classic PC games market considering players’ demands. That is why we wanted to explore their needs and find out what they expect from a good VR game. That’s how our story mode got into the game.”
The full patch notes from XReal Games for what is version 0.8.4.3 can be found below. VRFocus will bring you more updates on the title including details of Chapter 3 when they are revealed.
- We completely ditched the previous narrative, both the voice acting and the story. Yaaaay. (Sorry guys who actually liked it). Now it contains strong language, so faint hearted beware!
- Removed the “flashback” scene. It made no sense.
- Added a new introduction period where you gradually get access to the features of the game.
- Added some hand-holding to the first corridor (“what the hell am I supposed to do”)
- Serious (according to our GFX team, go see for yourself) graphical improvements to the main chamber.
- Overall removed every obstacle from the main path, you can play using only locomotion (some areas are still only accessible with teleport but they aren’t needed for the story)
- Removed many “where the f.ck did these come from” moments
- No more facetearing maniacs running from the rooms that merge with your body because they are so fast.
- Somewhat improved loot, more HP in the later stages of the map. (and overall more LEWT)
- Improved pathing and corridor layout (You won’t stuck on everything, maybe only on every 2nd or 3rd object.
- The Network (the matrix-thingy) drops you out automatically after completing the task. Which is now much more obvious.
- Object clipping, like lights and fires is fixed
Chapter 2
It’s finally implemented. We won’t go into details because explore it for yourself, but we can tell you it was seriously reworked based on your feedback. When you find ways to break it please message us and we will include your name in the next patch notes (Eternal fame, infinite money etc. might come with it).
- A massive all around rework. Basically everything changed.
Noticeably stronger enemies. Much more HP and damage (even if you play on “tea party” difficulty you might notice it). - Body shots do way less damage than headshots.
- Their animations are more responsive, they react if you hit them.
- Improved AI and overall behavior (no more running in one place)
- Sometimes sneaking is an option (to a certain degree)
- Melee improvements. You have to hit them properly to do damage, melee weapons are OP AF. You might throw the enemies across the room with a proper hit. But if you let them come close, you can get overwhelmed in mere seconds. High risk, high reward.
If you just b.tchslap them they might collapse but they will get back up and get revenge for the offense.
Brute (the big chubby guy) is much more durable now, acts like the tank he is. - The shooter enemy is much more dangerous now, take cover.
- The fast enemy is tearing you to pieces in a few seconds.
- New teleport effect on the teleporting enemy
Objects
- Fire now damages properly and much deadlier now
- HP station recharge is gradual and the total amount is increased
- HP pickup health restore reduced from 50 to 20
- Armor pickup armor given reduced from 50 to 25
- Door opening panels are now much more consistent in both behavior and visuals
- Multiple objects received new interaction sound
- Force pull is now twice as fast
- Keycards open the door consistently
- Everything gameplay related (crates, drawers etc.) is now colored yellow, and has a distinctive lighting method
- Everything that is not related and was yellow before was recolored to grey
