Last month VRFocus reported on Anshar Studios announcing that its PvP combat title Detached, would be coming to PlayStation VR in July. The videogame already supports PC-based virtual reality (VR) headsets, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, with cross-platform compatibility between them both. Today, the studio has revealed its gone one step further, not only ensuring PlayStation VR players can compete against their PC VR cousins but also non-VR players as well.
With VR still being fairly niche when it comes to the wider videogame market multiplayer titles can often struggle with getting enough players onboard. One of the ways developers are combating this is by making their title as cross-platform friendly and compatible as possible – the wider the headset support the more likely other players will be online.
Which is why Anshar Studios is making sure Detached will support gameplay no matter if you’re on Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, PlayStation VR, Windows Mixed Reality or even just a plain ol’ desktop.
Detached has two-multiplayer modes this will work on: Package Extraction – where players battle for cargo in the vacant void of space. They’ll need to use all possible means to attack their opponent and gain an advantage whilst avoiding attacks to get back to base. And Race; a pure adrenaline ride racing between pieces of broken shuttle and large asteroids.
Plus there’s a single-player campaign for those times where you want to be alone, having to survive against rapidly declining fuel and oxygen reserves.
All this multiplayer fun is due to take place in July. Originally Detached was due to launch for PlayStation VR on 5th July, but that’s now been moved back a day until the 6th. The Windows Mixed Reality and non-VR Steam version will also arrive the same day as PlayStation VR. Windows Mixed Reality and PlayStation VR owners will be able to get Detached for $24.99 USD / €24.99 EUR, while the Steam non‑VR version will be available for $14.99. Additionally, a free desktop demo version of Detached will soon be available. For any further updates on Detached, keep reading VRFocus.
Last month developer Anshar Studios announced it was working on a new update to space combat title Detached that would bring in some improvements to the multiplayer parts of the videogame. That update is now live and available down download.
The new update includes a new ‘Race Mode’ that lets players challenge each other to a race through space in an EVA suit. Participation in this mode requires the player to have mastered the control of the advanced EVA suit as players will need to navigate carefully around the wreckage of the destroyed spaceship and even a small error can prove fatal.
A leaderboard has also been added in the new update, which is available in all game modes, and the developers have made creating and joining a game a more seamless experience with the private lobby, where players can select a control scheme and game mode before diving in.
For those who prefer single player, Simulation mode has been added. This adds increased realism to the title, with an enhanced weightlessness. Users can use this mode to hone their flight suit skills by carefully plotting routes through the debris field and discovering what it feels like to be an astronaut on a space walk.
Detached is available for HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and OSVR. Control methods supported by the title include gamepads such as the Xbox One controller, keyboard and mouse, or tracked motion controllers. It is currently priced at £18.99 (GBP) on Steam.
For further details, check out the VRFocus review of Detached, where we said: “Detached is a beautiful videogame, the first time you leave the space station spend a moment to take in the awe and majesty of the surroundings before getting on with things.”
VRFocus will bring you further news on Detached and other upcoming VR titles as it becomes available.
Anshar Studios, the developer behind space combat title Detached, has announced a new update that’ll be released next month, focused on improving the multiplayer side of the videogame.
The studio will be adding a race mode for players to compete against each other, showcasing their EVA suit flying skills. The new mode will require players to navigate through checkpoints as quickly and smoothly as possible to win.
In addition to the new race mode, a new map will also be included and a completely new game lobby where players will be able to easily join a match with a friend. Players who enjoy multiplayer competition will finally have the chance to show off their skills thanks to social rankings.
Lastly for those experienced players a new difficulty level will be available, Simulation. So the brake factor and movement speed have been reduced, allowing for free, undisturbed roaming.
These updates are due to go live at the beginning of September, with Ashar Studios yet to name a date.
If you’ve not played Detached before with videogamealso has a single-player campaign with puzzles to solve, that gives players the opportunity to fine tune their flying skills before heading into the multiplayer mode. VRFocusreviewed the experience, giving it 4-stars and saying: “Detached has great elements to it, it looks good, the controls are excellent, and it offers some unique combat gameplay.”
As further updates for Detached are released, VRFocus will bring you the latest.
Last year Anshar Studios released its first virtual reality (VR) title on Steam Early Access, a space combat experience called Detached for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Today the developer has announced Detached has fully released for both platforms.
If you’ve not been following VRFocus’ coverage of Detached, the title is a PvP shooter that puts players inside a space suit and challenges them to fight one other player in deep space. With zero-g controls, alongside items such as rockets, shields and boost, it’s a game of cat and mouse among derelict space stations and asteroids.
Detached also has a single-player campaign with puzzles to solve, that gives players the opportunity to fine tune their flying skills before heading into the multiplayer mode.
“Detached breaks all the barriers that have been put in place so far in the creation of VR games,” says Łukasz Hacura, CEO of Anshar Studios. “Most current VR games are aimed at minimizing the problem of experiencing nausea while playing. In Detached, the player’s unlimited freedom is a fundamental aspect of the game”.
Earlier this week VRFocusreviewed the experience, giving it 4-stars and saying: “Detached has great elements to it, it looks good, the controls are excellent, and it offers some unique combat gameplay.”
Detached can be purchased for both headsets through Steam, priced at £18.99 GBP. While on Oculus Home it can be picked for £14.99.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Anshar Studios, reporting back with the latest updates.
Straight out of Early Access on May 18th, Detached (2017) promises to deliver that free-flying experience, complete with smooth-turning that only a section of the most hard-core first-person VR junkies crave. Offering a single-player mission based on navigation puzzles and an online capture-the-flag multiplayer, space pioneers hoping for a long-term solution to their need for exciting and comfortable zero-G fun may have to look elsewhere.
Developer: Anshar Studios Available On:Home (Oculus Touch), Steam (HTC Vive, Oculus Touch, OSVR) Reviewed On: Oculus Touch, HTC Vive Release Date: May, 18 2017
Gameplay
A deserted space station seems like a real treasure for two scavengers looking for loot. Another routine salvage. Everything is going according to plan. Suddenly, system alerts indicate a problem in the cargo area. It turns out that a group of scammers has infiltrated the station and will do anything to seize its precious cargo. The startup procedure has been initiated… There’s no time for retreat…
Primed with TV series like Firefly (2002), Cowboy Bebop (1998), andfilms like Event Horizon (1997) and the Aliens franchise, going on a real life space salvaging mission sounds like serious fun. Unfortunately, the text above is little more than flimsy pretext for zipping around a single level filled with a small collection of space hubs—indoor environments that ultimately deliver humdrum, navigation-based puzzle-mazes.
Interiors, while beautifully rendered, are strangely aseptic in Detached besides the odd fuel canister or oxygen tank. While both fuel and oxygen are finite, there was only a single moment when I almost ran out of air, and that was only because I began to ignore all of the tanks littered throughout the game. With no real need to survive, my interest generally fell on the puzzles ahead.
the only task here is opening a single door, image courtesy Anshar Studios
Most puzzles are simple with the most difficult tending to be time trials which come down to how well you can maneuver in the zero-G environment. In the end, I felt like 3/4 of the hubs were overly consumed with tutorializing the various systems; boost, shield and rockets, than letting you genuinely explore.
Locomotion in Detached is achieved either through hand controllers or gamepad, the latter of which felt more natural despite the environmental suit (EV suit), flight stick theme the game is running with. The game is a forward-facing experience best piloted from the safety of a chair. I talk more about the game’s locomotion and some of its drawbacks in the ‘Comfort’ section.
get everything on-line and you’re done, image captured by Road to VR
The single-player mission took me about an hour to complete, and although the open space scenery promises some awe-inspiring vistas and a modicum of that ‘space pirate feel’ I was hoping for, I couldn’t help but feel like I was on rails going from hub to hub. Boost gates are placed tactically throughout the map, which promise convenience but also detract from the ‘found wreckage’ feeling the game professes in its description.
Finishing the single-player portion, I was then urged by the game to play the online multiplayer, a capture-the-flag mode taking place on two maps. Only the original map made for Early Access was available to me though, so I can’t speak to the quality of the second. Using shields, boost and your EMP rockets, you’re tasked with out-flying and neutralizing your opponent so you can grab and return a randomly spawning flag.
If multiplayer is supposed to be the star of the show, there’s still much that studio needs to do to ensure ongoing interest for old and new players alike. Despite offering a few truly fun sessions of hide and seek as you hunt down your opponent and reclaim the flag, I have some concerns about the overall health of the multi-player mode. It’s pretty straight forward, and admittedly much more fun then a the single-player game, but with only two maps currently available and only a capture-the-flag mode, replay value doesn’t look promising. Also, with no apparent ranking system in place, you’ll also be randomly matched with another person regardless of how much time either of you’ve been playing. And if you have mastered the game’s locomotion, the danger of your sole opponent rage quitting (ending the match) is a real barrier to creating a healthy player base.
Immersion
Scenery alone can go a long way in terms of creating immersion, and lower budget, albeit competently-built productions like Detached definitely capitalize in this area with some good-looking environments. Yes, they’re too clean to be believed, and yes, they’re obviously contrived for the purpose of being a puzzle and nothing more, but they do look quite good.
Your shadow projected on a nearby wall or asteroid certainly does the trick too.
image captured by Road to VR
Wearing your trusty space helmet, you’re given a heads-up display (HUD) populated with oxygen/fuel indicators and mission objectives, all useful in their own right. These near-field elements are projected at an uncomfortably close distance though, making me less willing to pay attention to them. This is because current VR headsets don’t let you see near-field objects like you would outside of the headset. Without going into too much detail, it has to do with the fact that your eyeballs are converging correctly on a digital object, but you’re not focusing the way you normally would because the light from the display is focused at the incorrect distance. Check out this article on dynamic focus tech in AR for the full explanation.
A big hit to immersion comes when you try to reach out and touch something, like batting away a canister. You’ll soon find your hands are nothing more than ghostly controllers, and fiddly ones at that.
Comfort
Admittedly the studio offers some forewarning when it calls Detached “an extreme VR experience that simulates sudden and dramatic acceleration, freefalling, twisting, and rolling,” but this advisory doesn’t excuse it entirely. While the game provides you with a helmet that offers the ‘anchored feeling’ of a cockpit, this isn’t a panacea to the zero-G locomotion scheme. Let’s talk about smacking into shit.
image courtesy Anshar Studios
In most first-person VR games, when you slam into something or otherwise encounter an immutable barrier, you’re treated with some degree of respect, which could mean a fade to black, or a reduction of physics so you’re gently slowed to a halt. But slamming into a wall or a simple fuel canister in Detached—which happens constantly because of the close quarters—invariablysends you head-over-heels on a spinning, wild ride that doesn’t stop even when you’re dead, making you scramble for the ‘reload’ button on the screen as your virtual POV is tossed about willy-nilly.
Since the game makes heavy use of the boost function and is chock-full o’ low ceilings and random pipework, you’re bound to hit something on accident eventually. The last hub, to my anguish, was exactly this—a sort of proving ground for every game mechanic you learned along the way. Disorientation due to the repeated us the same interiors and too many blunt force deaths forced me out of the headset and onto my couch for a few hours because I stupidly thought I had my “VR legs.” Reentry was a less attractive prospect.
To my surprise, there are actually two locomotion styles on offer, but neither seem to fix what was mentioned above.
It’s been a while since I’ve played a game like Detached, and although I personally think it has more in common with an Oculus Rift DK1-era PC port than a modern made-for-VR game, there is obviously still a group of people who prefer the front-facing, vestibular system-whirling wild rides it has on offer. I don’t think I’m wrong when I say most of us left those behind and never, ever want to look back.
This is a review of the full version of the game which is due on Thursday, May 18th.
Any virtual reality (VR) that encompasses space and zero-g will undoubtedly skirt the line between complete immersion and absolute nausea for many players. Titles such as ADR1FT tend to be either loved or hated, depending on a players affliction to suffering the dreaded simulator sickness. If you are strong of stomach and really enjoy floating through the vastness of space, where up or down is kind of irrelevant then Anshar Studios Detached is well worth a closer inspection.
Detached is a beautiful videogame, the first time you leave the space station spend a moment to take in the awe and majesty of the surroundings before getting on with things. VR experiences don’t need to look amazing to be awesome – some of the best have simple quirky graphics – but it certainly shows the level Anshar Studios has gone to.
When VRFocusoriginally played Detached last year it was using the Oculus Rift and an Xbox One controller. This time around it’s been the turn of HTC Vive to showcase what it can do, and with motion controllers it’s a whole different ball game. Quite frankly, control schemes for these types of experiences are either okay or just shocking, making the most hardened VR player remove the headset. Detached thankfully has several choices on offer and this can make a world of difference for in-experienced and experienced players alike. The standard default layout is the easiest to start with – a directional pointer on the left controller facilitates general movement, while the right twists and turns the character.
As you get to grips with zero-g movement then more advanced controls are on offer to separate the beginners from the pros when going head to head. And it’s this PvP mode that forms the core of Detached. But before talking about that lets discuss single-player, which is where most players will likely start – or should start – before going into combat. Think of single-player more as a massively extended training arena – the title does have a basic training mode – this is where you’ll need to scour abandoned stations for the various upgrade modules (Shield, Boost, Rockets) whilst getting the hang of controlling yourself through corridors and out in space.
It is quite basic unfortunately – Anshar did originally have a deeper storyline which was then cutback – so once you’re done with the mode there’s not a great deal to bring you back into the fold. Which could prove to be an issue if the multiplayer doesn’t attract enough gamers – which is always a concern at the moment in VR.
So what about multiplayer then? Well this is a pure player vs player mode – one on one – no epic space battles with teams of astronauts, just a tense, almost standoff like element which requires careful use of those modules to win. They each need time to recharge, so brazingly firing off rockets or not checking how much shield you have left is a recipe for disaster. There’s just one problem currently, PvP only includes one goal, a sort of capture the flag feature to keep the momentum running. It works perfectly well it’s just a shame more variants aren’t available.
Detached has great elements to it, it looks good, the controls are excellent, and it offers some unique combat gameplay. It can feel spartan at times though and will really be hampered if there aren’t enough players for the PvP mode, which would really be a shame.
(Additional note: Detached is currently in Steam Early Access, this review is for the final version due for release this week.)
Today Anshar Studios has announced that its PvP space combat experience, Detached, will be leaving Early Access on Steam and Oculus Home next month, and to celebrate the studio has released a new story trailer.
The video is an animated intro to the story arc of Detached, which goes:
“Once-thriving human colonies in the far reaches of the cosmos are today just useless scrap. But to some they are no mere collections of metal. Space scavengers traverse the galaxy in search of spoils. A deserted space station seems like a real treasure for two scavengers looking for loot. Another routine salvage. Everything is going according to plan. Suddenly, system alerts indicate a problem in the cargo area. It turns out that a group of scammers has infiltrated the station and will do anything to seize the its precious cargo. The startup procedure has been initiated… There’s no time for retreat…”
Detached is designed around multiplayer capture-the-flag combat, pitting users against each other in zero-g, utilising shields, boost, and EMP rockets to outwit opponents.
There’s an additional single-player mode to master those flying skills, alongside puzzles and a fully orchestrated score composed by Mikołaj Stroiński (The Witcher 3).
While built for virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMDs), Detached will come to standard desktop PC’s with a launch later in 2017.
The Early Access version is available to purchase now off the relevant HMD store, and checkout VRFocus’preview of the single-player, saying that: “The controls, look and feel of Detached are excellent.”
Detached will launch for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and OSVR on 18th May, 2017. Checkout the latest trailer below and for further updates, keep reading VRFocus.
Back in August 2016 Anshar Studios launched its space exploration title Detached for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive on Steam Early Access. Featuring both single-player and multiplayer modes, Detached gives players complete freedom to wander around space stations and the void in between, and now it’s arrived on Oculus Home.
While Detached does have a single-player campaign with a abandoned space station to escape from and puzzles to solve, all whilst ensuring you don’t run out of air, the core of the title is all about its player vs player (PvP) mode. A simple head to head, one astronaut against another, players will need to get to grips with their suits finer controls to dash and weave around man-made and natural defences, all the while trying to take out their opponent. At their disposal are shields, boosts, and rockets, to be used wisely.
While on Steam Detached is still listed as an early access videogame, on Oculus Home it doesn’t come under the same heading, merely being listed in the standard videogame section. It’s likely this is exactly the same as the Steam version, with more updates and additional features still to be added. So at present there will be one map for single-player with four stations to explore, each one teaching players the mechanics of Detached. While multiplayer has one level alongside one mode ‘Package Extraction’, a variation of capture the flag.
When VRFocusoriginally previewed the title last year we said that: “The controls, look and feel of Detached are excellent.”
Detached is the same price on Oculus Home and on Steam, retailing for £14.99 GBP. For any further updates to the title, keep reading VRFocus.
Last week online marketplace G2A.com released its first effort into the world of virtual reality (VR) videogames with the launch of G2A Land for Oculus Rift. Today the company its helping other VR developers from around the world by inviting several to the Taipei Game Show later this week.
In cooperation with the Warsaw Trade Office in Taipei, G2A has invited Carbon Studio, Anshar Studio, Immersion, and Sigma to exhibit alongside G2A and the Warsaw Trade Office in the B2C zone. The developers have created titles such as including Alice VR, Detached, The Ancients, and The Purgatory VR, respectively.
Alongside demoing their latest projects, the studio’s will also participate in the Asia VR Arcade Partners project. The project promotes VR videogames to specially designed clubs of VR fans, letting them try titles for a small fee. As China is becoming one of the major markets for VR, and one many western companies are endevouring to access, projects such as Asia VR Arcade Partners present useful opportunities to do so.
While at the Taipei Game Show G2A.com will also be demonstrating its 3D printing platform, G2A 3D, In the VR zone, visitors will be able to see 3D printed models from G2A’s next immersive title, a World War II VR game called Blunt Force. Models will include the signature Blunt Force rose, an airplane, and attendees will also have the chance to win exclusive Blunt Force dog tags at the shooting range.
For further coverage of the Taipei Game Show and G2A.com, keep reading VRFocus.
Anshar Studios has released a new update for the popular player versus player (PvP) science-fiction videogame, Detached. Included within is a brand new level as well as the highly-anticipated in-game support for virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMDs).
Available to download now, the update includes a number of major additions for Detached. The brand new level is designed to offer a refined tutorial for the gameplay, while full compatibility with HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and the OSVR Hacker Dev Kit is now available to all who have purchased the Steam Early Access edition of the videogame.
The full details of this second major update for Detached, direct from Anshar Studios, are as follows:
The final HUB on the first map
Full VR in-game and on the main menu
Tutorial level
New particle effects
New lighting and environmental effects on the first map
The update also contains bugfixes:
Player collisions tweak
Various minor bugfixes
Detached is available to download now, via Steam Early Access, priced at £14.99 GBP. VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest details on Detached and other VR projects from Anshar Studios.
