VR developer Archiact is teasing “big leaps” for its next VR games as the studio rebrands on its eighth anniversary.
The studio today posted a blog recapping the past eight years of development. In that time, Archiact has worked on pretty much every major VR platform including early projects of the Gear VR in Waddle Home and Lamper VR, leading right up to PSVR-exclusive shooter, Evasion, the intriguing VR adventure, Freediver: Triton Down, and last month’s official port of Doom 3 to VR. In the same post, the studio revealed a new-look logo in the video you can see below.
Towards the end of the post, the team talks a little bit about its future. “What adventures are we guiding you to in the future?” the post reads. “What’s next? Answer: the big leap. Well, a few big leaps, if we’re being exact. Leaps into impossible galaxies, into the human body and mind, and even deep, deep beneath the surface of the waves.”
From the sounds of it the team could be working on multiple projects. The mention of one leap going ‘beneath the surface of the waves’ does suggest the team could be considering a Freediver sequel. In fact, earlier on the blog post also notes that “Of all our original titles, Freediver is the one we’re most excited to explore more in the future.”
Developer Archiact have released a number of new screenshots for their upcoming virtual reality (VR) title Evasion which was announced back in October 2017. The VR first-person shooter (FPS) is designed specifically for high intensity cooperative multiplayer combat putting players in the heart of intense, visual spectacles of virtual alien warfare.
Following on from the recent announcement that the title will be coming to PlayStation VR alongside the release on PC for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, come a number of new screenshots for the PlayStation VR release. Easily described as a VR FPS bullet-hell of a shooter, Evasion will test players to act fast and shoot faster.
“Use your Tether Lash to snatch enemies out of the air and hurl them against buildings, snipe at targets from behind cover, or charge up your blaster and unleash a unique, class-specific Surge Attack. Evasion offers a myriad of ways to take down the Optera swarms.” Explains Archiact in their PlayStation VR annoucement. “Evasion invites you to jump in solo or team up to save an embattled human colony from swarms of invading Optera. PlayStation VR gamers will experience a campaign filled with intense action and AAA-graphics powered by Unreal Engine 4. Built for locomotion and featuring four unique playable classes, Evasion is the authentic FPS experience VR fans have been waiting for!”
The power of the Unreal Engine 4 shows in how much is unfolding on screen at any given time within Evasion. From the colourful shoots and explosions that fill the environment to the designs of the enemies that attack the players. The world is full of interesting elements that will only help to support the gameplay and raise the level of enjoyment that players have.
Though the title is still some way off being release it is clear that the team at Archiact are having a lot of fun working on Evasion, making it the best title it can be. In a recent interview with VRFocus last month it was clear how much the team were commit to the title and Archiact even provided a guest article on the development of the enemies of Evasion.
VRFocus’ Senior Staff Writer Peter Graham got a chance to preview Evasion on the HTC Vive Pro saying: “The action is fast and fluid – very much like Halo – with a range of aerial and ground based enemies to deal with. Gun accuracy was spot on so that distance shots didn’t feel like a roll of the dice. And it was nice to see some destructible scenery, with enemies hiding behind concrete blocks that could be chipped away at.”
Evasion is still in development and a release is set for fall 2018 according to the official Steam store page. With a release on PlayStation VR and on PC with support for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive there will be plenty of ways for people to jump into the action once the title finally releases. For more on Evasion in the future, make sure to stay tuned to VRFocus for all the latest in the run up to release and beyond.
When Archiact announced their next virtual reality (VR) project back in October 2017 you would have been forgiven for responding with a knowing nod and a slight roll of the eyes. “With Evasion, the team is using everything we’ve learned and weaving our experience into a truly genre-defining AAA title.” Said the press release at the time. “With innovative locomotive movement and intense bullet hell gameplay, we’re convinced Evasion will prove a standout VR experience and we can’t wait gamers to play for themselves.” It’s a nice statement that says all the right things for announcing a first person shooter videogame. But come on. We’ve been here before, right?
So, it was a pleasant surprise indeed for VRFocus when we got a chance to preview the title on the HTC Vive Pro headset at this year’s Game Developers Conference (GDC) and found that not only does Evasion’s alien landscapelook amazing in VR but the gameplay was pretty impressive as well. Archiact seemed to not just be saying all the right things they were doing all the right things too. As Peter put it in his Evasion preview last month “it looked so crisp and vivid that it’s was easy to forget this demo was being held in GDC” and the developer clearly wanted the title to be as welcoming as possible, Evasion being stuffed “with just about every conceivable locomotion option available”.
In fact, it became pretty obviously when we spoke to Archiact at the time, that they were having an absolute blast making the title. The team even produced for us a pretty definitive guest article on the development of the enemies of Evasion, that you can tell when reading it, that they had to reign themselves in a bit. As they could of quite happily continued to tell you stuff about the title for as long as you wanted to hear about it.
All this is excellent news indeed for PlayStation VR owners who it has been announced today will be joining HTC Vive and Oculus Rift owners on PC in getting to experience the intensity of the sci-fi bullet-hell shooter when it comes out later this year. The release date is currently slated as being Fall 2018.
“Evasion invites you to jump in solo or team up to save an embattled human colony from swarms of invading Optera. PlayStation VR gamers will experience a campaign filled with intense action and AAA-graphics powered by Unreal Engine 4. Built for locomotion and featuring four unique playable classes, Evasion is the authentic FPS experience VR fans have been waiting for!” Explains Archiact in their announcement. “Use your Tether Lash to snatch enemies out of the air and hurl them against buildings, snipe at targets from behind cover, or charge up your blaster and unleash a unique, class-specific Surge Attack. Evasion offers a myriad of ways to take down the Optera swarms.”
The title contains both solo campaign and two-player co-operative gameplay, a replayable survival mode full body avatar animations by IKinema, and – PSVR owners will be delighted to hear – will include support the PlayStation AIM Controller right out of the gate.
You can see a trailer for the PlayStation VR announcement below. VRFocus will be bringing you more about the title very soon.
VRFocus has been fortunate to get hands-on with frantic first-person shooter (FPS) Evasion on a couple of occasions now and early indications are very positive. Our most resent playtest with the title was at this year’s Game Developers Conference (GDC) where Peter ended up being particularly impressed by the visual quality of what he was seeing describing it a “‘wow’ moment” and that “stepping out into Evasion’s alien world, it looked so crisp and vivid that it’s was easy to forget this demo was being held in GDC”.
Whilst we’ve previously gone into details about the title’s background in another interview from that period, we also wanted to discuss a little more about that world you step into. So Evasion‘s developers Archiact – more specifically Jennifer Dowding (Senior Producer) and Ian Rooke (Senior Game Designer) – stepped up to provide some in-depth details about just what kind of threats you’ll be facing.
Who are the enemies of Evasion and what threat do they pose?
The enemies in Evasion are called the Optera. In game, very little is known about their origins. Scientists theorize that they evolved from insects, but it’s unclear whether they wear exo-suits or if the Optera themselves are cybernetic organisms. They use energy weapons, have the ability to instantaneously teleport from location to location, and can propel themselves using some sort of anti-gravity technology. Since their attacks are highly coordinated, it’s assumed that are governed by a hive mind or use some non-verbal method of communication.
The main campaign in Evasion takes place on a moon that orbits the Optera homeworld that is rich in a mineral called chloragen, which the humans use to power their ships and colonies. When humans first established a mining operation on that moon, there were some initial skirmishes with the Optera, but a peace accord was struck. Now the Optera have launched a full-scale invasion… but you’ll have to play the game to discover why!
What is Swarm A.I and how does it bring Evasions’ enemies to life?
Evasion is a ‘bullet hell’ shooter, so it’s vital that the enemies feel relentless and overwhelming. Our design team referenced the natural movement of real-world insects to inspire our enemy behavior during gameplay. We use our proprietary Swarm A.I. to ensure that enemies possess not only a distinctive set of weapons and abilities, but also a distinctive movement pattern that operates in concert with the other units. Some Optera travel in ways that can be predicted and anticipated, others zig-zag energetically, while still others use cover and the environment to keep out of range of the player’s weapons. Their attacks are highly coordinated, so that if you focus too much on one type of enemy you will likely to be killed by another foe. To survive in Evasion you need to pay attention to how the various Optera operate together and plan your attacks accordingly.
What inspired the diverse designs and abilities of the Optera?
The behavior and abilities of each Optera is based on the movement behaviour of real world insects. We took a deep ‘nerd dive’ into the individual traits of various insect species and then tried to apply those principles to the A.I. for the enemy races. Whether it’s mimicking the way ants use pheromones to ‘follow the leader’, or recreating how male rhino beetles will charge a competing suitor to impress a female, we wanted to make sure that there was a real world analog for each enemy class.
What are some examples of specific Optera and why are they challenging to fight?
Gnats
If you’ve ever walked into a hovering cloud of tiny black insects (and probably started sputtering and frantically waving your hands in front of your face), then you’ll recognize these creatures. Gnats are the most ubiquitous enemy in Evasion. They typically travel in small groups, and while they don’t do a ton of damage, they are great at slowly whittling down your health as you focus your energy on the larger enemies. Their movement patterns are erratic and can be hard to predict. But grabbing onto them with your tether and chucking them against a building is extremely satisfying – and they die with a very pleasing scream (courtesy of our talented Sound Designer, Gonzalo Lopez)!
Gnat Concept ArtGnat RenderGnats swarming in-gameGnats in action.
Paragords
These are the Optera’s foot soldiers. Since there are no other bipedal Optera, it is believed that the Optera create Paragords by using parasites called nematodes to enslave humanoid races and use them in their legions. Paragords lumber into battle and use cover in a human-like way. They will often hide behind cover and lob mortar fire on the player. They fire their weapons in short bursts, machine gun-style, often while moving and changing tactical position. Paragords are dangerous because they’re so different than the rest of the Optera troops.
Paragord Concept ArtParagord Render
Paragords make a tactical retreat.
Bombers
Bombers are modeled after pill bugs, or woodlice, a type of insect often found in old wooden houses. We thought it was cool how they ball up when threatened, so in our game Bombers roll into battle, plant themselves on the ground and then unfold into a mobile turret that spews blaster fire at the player. As an added bonus, if the players get to close, the Bomber will explode! (Which causes major area-of-effect damage). The best way to defeat a Bomber is to destroy it before it gets too close. As our testers have discovered, you ignore a Bomber at your peril!
Bomber Concept ArtBomber RenderBombers swarming in-game.Dealing with Paragords and Bombers together.
How does VR help bring the enemies of Evasion to life?
VR is all about immersion, a core gameplay pillar that we’re always mindful of in developing Evasion. This extended to how we designed the enemies. For example, like their namesake, Gnats in our game create a buzzing sound when they travel, so players can locate them when they’re hiding behind rock columns or ducking behind buildings. Several Optera have been designed to ‘buzz’ the player, forcing them to to be constantly looking up and around. The landscape has been specifically designed to provide all sorts of nooks and crannies for the Optera to hide in, which ratchets up the tension as you make your way through the levels.
How does Evasion’s gameplay work to compliment the enemy abilities and behaviour?
Evasion is a sci-fi shooter that supports co-op, so the goal is to force players to work together. There are many ways to survive and prevail in Evasion, but the best way is to coordinate your attacks. For example, it’s smart to have one player keep an eye on the ground forces, while the other play keeps their eyes on the skies. Another effective strategy is to separate to draw enemy forces apart, and then pick them apart one at a time.
Who designed Evasion and when is the videogame coming out?
Evasion was designed by a close-knit UE4-focused team at Archiact, a studio entirely devoted to creating high quality AR & VR content located in Vancouver, Canada. We are a passionate group of developers who want to push the limits of what can be done in VR and create the kind of sought-after AAA experiences that players have been craving. We are targeting a Fall 2018 release for Evasion.
For more information on Evasion, check out the Evasion wishlist page over on Steam. VRFocus will have more news about the title very soon.
Videogame developer Archiact Interactive first entry into the world of consumer virtual reality (VR) came by way of a cute puzzle platform called Waddle Home, initially released for Samsung Gear VR back in 2015. The title then scampered onto HTC Vive and then PlayStation VR in 2016. This week sees the videogame make its biggest leap yet, all the way into augmented reality with an iOS experience called Waddle Home AR.
Just like its VR siblings, Waddle Home AR is about saving a family of penguins who’ve been abducted by robots. So it’s up to you to help them navigate slippery ice floes by toggling blocks, opening doors, and escaping the ever-patrolling Guard robots. For an added challenge, lead the penguins to collect the three pink Bonus Eggs in each level for a high score.
Built using Apple’s ARKit, Waddle Home AR can now be taken wherever your iPhone or iPad goes so long as its an ARKit compatible device. These include iPhone X, 8, 8 Plus, 7, 7 Plus, SE, 6s, 6s Plus, iPad and iPad Pro.
Waddle Home AR is a free to start title, so it includes all 40 levels just like the original with the first 16 playable for free. The other 24 can be unlocked through an in-app purchase.
“We first showed our experimental AR experience Roll Home to a conference audience early this year and got an enthusiastic response. Once we published that experiment, we became convinced that mobile AR will play a major role in mobile entertainment. Now with the release of Waddle Home AR, we can finally show AR enthusiasts what we can do with this technology,” said Archiact Interactive’s, Studio Head Kurt Busch in a statement.
Lastly, Archiact Interactive also created a little something special for customers: a fully animated iMessage sticker pack, featuring Waddle at his sassiest. You can download the full sticker pack for $1.99 USD, or just download Waddle Home AR and receive 3 stickers.
As Archiact continues to to release more VR and AR content, VRFocus will keep you updated on the latest releases.
VRFocus spoke to Jessica Dowding, Senior Producer of Archiact at the Virtual Reality Developers Conference (VRDC) in San Francisco, USA about their latest online multiplayer first-person videogame Evasion, which was announced today.
Evasion is an intense co-op multiplayer videogame for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. Archiact dipped their toes into virtual reality (VR) with VR arcades, but wanted to do a videogame that dealt with locomotion and was a co-op multiplayer title. So, they built Evasion from the ground up to deal with locomotion using Unreal Engine 4 and are working together with Intel create a fully destructible environment. You can play with up to four people and HTC Vive and Oculus Rift owners can play together.
In the demo that was showcased at VRDC, there were three different types of movement control schemes to choose from in Evasion. The first option, ‘smooth movement’, used traditional joystick motions, commonly found in VR. The second option, ‘quick dash’ is for players who experience motion sickness by doing quick spurts of dashes around the map and the last option is a ‘jog’ option, which requires you to physically jog on the spot – this will translate to your avatar running in Evasion. There will be even further options to customise this in the settings, so you can tweak it to your personal preferences. Dowding explains that Archiact wanted to create awesome animation with the various styles of locomotion whilst creating the authentic first-person VR title that everybody’s been craving for. VRFocus tried the demo and a preview of the experience can be found here.
There are four classes to choose from: The Striker, Surgeon, Engineer and Warden. Each have their own unique strengths, weapons and abilities. Made in IKinema‘s state-of-the-art player avatar, you are able to recognise your friends perhaps by their avatars movements, gestures or motions. This doesn’t mean you all have to choose different classes when playing, “you can mix and match” says Dowding.
There will be various maps, randomised objectives in every game as well as Swarm AI, smart AI that changes the way it attacks you depending on how you play. You can play with friends or play online and join matches. Archiact has also made sure that enemies would become more difficult if another joins your match with the drop in, drop out method of online matchmaking. Dowding explains that it’s all about teamwork, and that you have to work together as a team – so if a player joins who isn’t that good, everybody else has to work a little harder.
Evasion will be released Spring 2018 for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
In May BigBox VR announced that its popular virtual reality (VR) multiplayer for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, Smashbox Arena, would be coming to PlayStation VR this summer. Today, the studio has announced the launch date, Tuesday 25th July.
Smashbox Arena is a competitive, multiplayer experience of team vs team shootout battles. While its core mode is the multiplayer, the title also features a single-player story mode, with the solo option including three difficulty levels to work through, that’ll unlock further customisation options for characters. There are six power-ups to master, such as the Giant Boulders, Sniperballs and Heat Seeking Missiles.
The multiplayer allows friends to join up for a party match or head into the wide world to face opponents from across the globe. If there aren’t enough real players to make up a team, AI characters will join to make up the numbers.
While the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive versions of Smashbox Arena feature cross-platform gameplay, the PlayStation VR version won’t.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Smashbox Arena, reporting back with the latest updates.
So, it was a pleasant surprise indeed for 
“Evasion invites you to jump in solo or team up to save an embattled human colony from swarms of invading Optera. PlayStation VR gamers will experience a campaign filled with intense action and AAA-graphics powered by Unreal Engine 4. Built for locomotion and featuring four unique playable classes, Evasion is the authentic FPS experience VR fans have been waiting for!” Explains Archiact in their announcement. “Use your Tether Lash to snatch enemies out of the air and hurl them against buildings, snipe at targets from behind cover, or charge up your blaster and unleash a unique, class-specific Surge Attack. Evasion offers a myriad of ways to take down the Optera swarms.”
Whilst we’ve previously gone into details about the title’s background in 
What is Swarm A.I and how does it bring Evasions’ enemies to life?
In the demo that was showcased at VRDC, there were three different types of movement control schemes to choose from in Evasion. The first option, ‘smooth movement’, used traditional joystick motions, commonly found in VR. The second option, ‘quick dash’ is for players who experience motion sickness by doing quick spurts of dashes around the map and the last option is a ‘jog’ option, which requires you to physically jog on the spot – this will translate to your avatar running in Evasion. There will be even further options to customise this in the settings, so you can tweak it to your personal preferences. Dowding explains that Archiact wanted to create awesome animation with the various styles of locomotion whilst creating the authentic first-person VR title that everybody’s been craving for.