Evasion – Page 3 – Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation

May 25, 2018June 18, 2018

E3 2018 Hands-On: Evasion On PSVR With The PS Aim Controller Is A Perfect Match

This has been republished from late May 2018 to coincide with E3 2018 coverage.

Cooperative first-person VR shooter Evasion is officially coming to PSVR and we got the chance to go hands-on with it at a pre-E3 Sony preview event last week. Described as a “bullet hell” shooter for VR, you and some friends will jump into this world as one of four different classes and do your best to stay mobile and dodge the torrential downpour of lasers and missiles as you blast hundreds of aliens and robots into thousands of pieces.

Evasion is basically like a modern VR interpretation of what a sci-fi co-op Serious Sam game might look like and I’m all here for it. I’ve played this same mission multiple times, including first way back at VRDC in October, then GDC earlier this year on an expensive Vive Pro, and finally now on a PSVR.

My PSVR demo was quite different from the previous two though because I wasn’t using just two motion controllers this time. Instead, I was holding the surprisingly sturdy PS Aim Controller while standing in place with my VR headset firmly plastered to my face. Immediately, I was getting Farpoint flashbacks.

However, Farpoint mostly deals with ground-based enemies, is a bit slower-paced, and leverages its narrative very heavily. In the case of Evasion, it’s like cranking the action up to 11. You’re basically required to sprint around the map at full speed at all times to make sure you can dodge all of the incoming bullets, which means keeping your head on a swivel and your trigger finger nice and loose.

The benefit of using two motion controllers on Vive and Rift (which include analog sticks) is that you can block with your left hand and shoot with the right separately. In the case of the PSVR while using the PS Aim Controller, my shield is attached to the front of my gun so I can only block in the same direction as where I am aiming. It’s a slight limitation, but it feels appropriate given how satisfying the gun is to hold in VR.

I’ve played a lot of VR shooters, many of which featured cooperative or competitive multiplayer of some kind. The closest comparison out there to what Evasion is trying to do right now is probably Gunheart, but there’s no word on when that game is actually coming to PSVR, although we know it’s in development.

The bottom line is that if you have a PSVR with a PS Aim Controller that’s been collecting dust ever since Bravo Team failed to meet expectations, then Evasion is your reason to dust it off. With this and Firewall: Zero Hour both on the horizon, now is a good time to get reacquainted with your smooth, plastic peripheral.

Evasion is currently slated for release on Rift, Vive, and PSVR later this year. The PSVR version of the game will support both DualShock 4 and PS Aim Controller play styles, although based on our demo we have a feeling that the PS Aim will be the best way to play the game.

Let us know what you think of Evasion so far down in the comments below!

Tagged with: Archiact, Evasion, shooter

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May 23, 2018

Out-think. Out-fight. Be Outright Victorious. Archiact Are Bringing Evasion To PlayStation VR & The PlayStation AIM Controller

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?

Evasion - PSVR Screenshot 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 landscape look 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 PS VR - Enemies Close Up - GIF “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.

April 24, 2018

In The Sights Of Bullet Hell: Archiact On Developing The Enemies Of VR FPS Evasion

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”.

Evasion - Logo 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)!

Evasion - Gnat Concept Art — Gnat Concept Art

Evasion Enemies - Gnat Render — Gnat Render

Evasion Enemies - Gnats Swarming — Gnats swarming in-game

Evasion Enemies - Gnats In Action GIF — Gnats 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.

Evasion - Paragord Concept Art — Paragord Concept Art

Evasion - Paragord Render — Paragord 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!

Evasion - Bomber Concept Art — Bomber Concept Art

Evasion Enemies - Bombers Swarming — Bombers swarming in-game.

Evasion Enemies - Paragords and Bombers — 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.

April 13, 2018

Archiact is Having a Blast Making VR FPS Evasion

If you’ve been following VRFocus’ coverage of Evasion, an upcoming virtual reality (VR) first-person shooter (FPS) by Archiact Interactive, then you’ll know we’ve developed a fondness for the title after a couple of separate previews. Offering something VR enthusiasts didn’t think was possible only a short while ago, Evasion is turning into a AAA shooter for VR. Catching up with the team during the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2018 VRFocus found out further details on the experience.

Evasion

Archiact announced its latest title back in October 2017, going for a sci-fi, bullet hell gameplay style that would support both single-player and co-op multiplayer modes. With four character classes to choose from Evasion allows up to four people to play as a team, traversing destructible environments, completing objectives and facing off against giant bosses.

Each of the four classes (Striker, Surgeon, Engineer and Warden) have their own unique strengths, weapons and abilities, with players able to customise their class as they level-up.

With a frantic paced shooter like Evasion Archiact has been keen to ensure players are as comfortable as possible whilst in VR. So there’s a big range of movement customisation options available to suit every need. Whether that’s teleportation, smooth locomotion, snap turning or anything in between.

Evasion Screenshot #6

When VRFocus previewed Evasion at GDC 2018 Archiact was demoing the experience alongside the new HTC Vive Pro, to which we said: “Having used the HTC Vive since launch and being accustomed to its visual fidelity there was certainly a ‘wow’ moment 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. Screenshots of VR titles can sometimes look far better than what’s actually presented, this was like being inside a screenshot.”

Talking to Archiact Interactive’s Senior Producer Jennifer Dowding, VRFocus learnt that the Evasion build was specific to GDC 2018, unlocking more content and giving taste of the co-op action. Check out the interview below and for any further info on Evasion keep reading VRFocus.

April 3, 2018

Preview: Evasion – A Visual Spectacle for HTC Vive Pro

Videogames don’t need to be visually beautiful to be good, but it sure doesn’t hurt their chances if they edge towards jaw dropping. At the recent Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2018 the HTC Vive Pro headset was out in force – it was on almost every stand that was demoing virtual reality (VR) – showcasing its improved screen and ergonomics. One developer using the headset was Archiact, demoing its upcoming first-person shooter Evasion, and from this first look, the headset and videogame are a perfect match.

Evasion

GDC 2018 isn’t the first time VRFocus has got its hands on Evasion, demoing the title in the latter half of 2017 on both the standard HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. This time however Archiact had a bit more of the title to show off as well as demonstrating the virtues of HTC Vive Pro.

To begin with VR was never the natural home of first-person shooters (FPS) like Call of Duty or Halo. Yet as time has gone on that’s slowly begun to change with developers moving away from stationary or teleportation mechanics to smooth locomotion, offering a far more involved and immersive way of exploring virtual worlds. Of course this still isn’t to everyone’s liking, certain players can’t deal with the latter control scheme and this is where Archiact has got you all covered. Before you do anything the demo pretty much starts with the movement mechanics rather than trying to find them in an options menu. This really shows Archiact is keen for everyone to have an enjoyable experience with Evasion, with just about every conceivable locomotion option available.

Being the diehard VR gamers we are VRFocus went full smooth locomotion, with the walking speed and touchpad sensitivity feeling perfectly tuned for the firefight that lay ahead. A virtual shooting range was presented to get a feel for the gunplay and enemies that would be encountered, learning how the shield hand could be used to drag in items dropped from kills. VRFocus’ last demo centred around team-based co-operative gameplay, while the GDC experience was mostly solo until the very end when one of the Archiact team jumped in as well.

Evasion Screenshot #1

This time all four classes – Striker, Surgeon, Engineer and Warden – were available to choose from, each offering their own unique gun and secondary fire feature, all of which could be tested on the gun range before heading out for the main assault.

Having used the HTC Vive since launch and being accustomed to its visual fidelity there was certainly a ‘wow’ moment 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. Screenshots of VR titles can sometimes look far better than what’s actually presented, this was like being inside a screenshot. That’s all good for when things are stationary and gentile, but what about the action? Suffice it to say that didn’t disappoint, both on the headset side and the actual gameplay as well.

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.

If Evasion had appeared a year ago it would have been ground breaking, yet maybe 12 months ago a title like this couldn’t have been made. The VR industry moves fast however, with the title now having to compete against the likes of DOOM VFR and Fallout 4 VR. That’s not to say it can’t make a sizable impression when it does eventually launch. If you do plan on getting the HTC Vive Pro, Evasion is one experience that’ll likely be a demo necessity.

March 13, 2018

Co-Op Shooter Evasion Debuts Two New Classes: The Warden And Engineer

Having played a lot of VR games in the past two years, I can verify that there’s nothing quite like stepping foot into a virtual world for the first time that’s also occupied by other real people. The first time I played Onward, a realistic tactical team-based military VR shooter, it was remarkable how authentic everything felt.

Now with Evasion, an upcoming cooperative class-based shooter from Archiact, a lot of those same principles are being applied to a bombastic and over-the-top game dripping with personality.

Similar to Blasters of the Universe, Evasion takes the bullet hell genre of shooters and puts it in first-person VR. However, unlike that game, Evasion is squarely focused on delivering fast-paced cooperative thrills. The team reportedly took heavy inspiration from the likes of Borderlands, Mass Effect, and Destiny for their mechanics and multiplayer features. It feels like a combination of Blasters of the Universe and another co-op VR shooter, Gunheart.

To date, Archiact has shown two classes: The Surgeon and The Striker, which are like the combat medic and fast-paced damage-dealer, respectively. Today, the studio is announcing two brand new classes: The Warden and The Engineer. Here’s the class breakdown according to the developers:

The Warden: Our tank. The Warden is ideal for players who like to charge into battle. He can take more damage than any other class and has unique abilities that allow him to get up close and personal with the enemy.

The Surgeon: Our combat medic. The Surgeon is the only class that can heal other players, making him invaluable to any team. The surgeon can also turn his abilities against the enemy in deadly ways.

The Striker: Our fast mover. The Striker is agile and deadly. Her weapons deal awesome damage, and she has unique skills that allow her to bolster teammate’s weapons.

The Engineer: Our most versatile class. The Engineer can use her tether to grab enemies and whip them around. She can also deal incredible damage and energize teammate’s weapons.

A lot of work has gone into balancing each of the two classes. “The Engineer and Striker make a fantastic team,” explains Chris Ansell, Brand Manager for Archiact. “The Engineer can clear out large groups of grunts while the Striker focuses her powerful weapons on taking out the big tough guys. Or the Striker can use her finishing move, the Singularity, to pull groups of enemies together while the Engineer fires charges of chain lightning into the cluster, destroying them all simultaneously.”

But even though the Engineer and Striker complement each other in such specific ways, that doesn’t mean that each class can’t be played otherwise or even played solo. Everything is designed to be fun no matter what combo of classes and characters you use.

However, some setups will be more natural than others. “The Warden and Surgeon are the classic gameplay duo where the Warden is the tank and the Surgeon is the healer,” says Ansell. “The big difference in Evasion is that they can both deal devastating damage. The Warden goes charging in and gains a bunch of aggro while the Surgeon keeps him healed from behind. And the two of them lay waste to everything in their path.”

We still have a long ways to go before Evasion’s supposed Fall 2018 release on Steam, according to its store page, which leaves plenty of time for there to hopefully be more details about the game’s progression systems, additional classes ideally, and even variations for maps and missions.

For now, the team took the time to outline just how The Warden and Engineer play to give a better idea for how each class performs in action:

The Warden

“The Warden is the A.P.C. of the Vanguard. He has the largest shield, wields a shotgun blaster, and lobs high-velocity grenades. His Surge Attack is called ‘Cluster Bombs’. During this attack he is dual wielding grenade launchers that fire clusters of grenades every half second.

The Warden’s finishing move is called ‘Harpoon’. He uses his tether to snatch an enemy out of the sky, yank it to point blank range where he can blow it away with this shotgun. This causes a detonation that blasts outward in a cone, annihilating everything in its path. He can also buff a teammate’s damage resistance, allowing them fight longer and harder.

Players who love explosions and like to charge headfirst into battle will love this class.”

The Engineer

“The Engineer wields deadly energy weapons. Her blaster fires powerful orbs that grow in size as her weapon powers up. Her charge shot fires a blistering ‘Chain Lightning’ attack which can affect multiple enemies. With upgrades, that attack can also stun enemies. Her finishing move is a tether slam. She grabs a weakened enemy with her tether and can toss it around, slamming it into the environment or other enemies, or just send it flying.

The Engineer’s Surge Attack is called ‘The Conductor’. She dual wields fully automatic blasters that fire energy orbs at the enemies, triggering chain lightning on impact. The result is dozens of enemies getting electrocuted and stunned. Her tether can also be used to buff teammate.

Players that like dealing a ton of damage and enjoy the crowd control role are ideal for this class.”

For our hands-on thoughts for how Evasion plays, make sure to read our hands-on write-up from last year and check out the game’s Steam page. And if you’ve got any questions or comments about Evasion or Archiact as a whole, be sure to let us know down in the comments below!

Tagged with: Archiact, Evasion

November 18, 2017

Evasion To Be Playable at Intel Extreme Masters Oakland

Fast-paced sci-fi shooter Evasion has been highly anticipated by virtual reality (VR) enthusiasts since it was originally revealed by developers Archiact. Lucky players at the Intel Extreme Masters event in Oakland, California will have a chance to get hands-on with the title, which will be playable for the first time at the event.

The Intel Extreme Masters Expo will be showcasing a number of Esports titles for show attendees as some of the best competitive gamers in the world compete on stage. Among the titles being demonstrated will be a build of Evasion, a co-operative multiplayer first-person shooter featuring carefully crafted visuals and free-move locomotion.

Every attendee who takes part in Evasion‘s multiplayer demo will receive an exclusive t-shirt and the chance to have a meet up with the Evasion development team at the event. Attendees at the event can also try and claim a t-shirt via Twitter by using the #EvasionVR hashtag.

Evasion animated screenshot

Visitors to the Archiact booth can also admire the powerful Multi VM PC powering the demo for all four players. The PC sports an 18-core Intel Core i9 X-series processor, with a water cooling system to help keep the monstrously powerful processor from overheating.

VRFocus previously managed to get a hands-on preview of Evasion, where it was reported: “The gunplay in Evasion is key. Players are able to weaken foes as they await support from their teammates, and even use environmental objects – such as causing a rockslide – to cause damage. Given the emphasis on co-operative play and replayable missions with randomised objectives and enemy encounters, it’s wholly possible that Evasion could become the Borderlands of VR; a unique twist on the FPS genre that would most certainly be welcome.”

Intel Extreme Masters, Oakland is taking place from 18th-19th November, 2017 at the Oracle Arena. Further information can be found on the Intel Extreme Masters website.

VRFocus will continue to report on VR-related events.

October 25, 2017

Evasion: VR-Coop-Shooter der nächsten Generation für PC-Brillen angekündigt

Das Entwicklerstudio Archiact kündigte einen neuen VR-First-Person-Shooter namens Evasion für Oculus Rift und HTC Vive an, der dank ausgeklügelten Multiplayer-Coop-Modus für bis zu vier Spieler, teambasierenden Gefechten und anpassbaren Locomotion-Optionen das Shooter-Genre auf die nächste Stufe heben möchte.

Evasion – ein Multiplayer-First-Person-Shooter der nächsten Generation

Der neu angekündigte Coop-FPS Evasion von Archiact verspricht spannende Neuerungen im Bereich der VR-Shooter. Die Entwickler setzen den Hauptfokus des Spiels auf Multiplayer-Coop-Gefechte, in denen ihr Teamgeist und Geschick beweisen müsst. Mit bis zu vier Spielern könnt ihr in die zufällig generierten Missionen einsteigen und dort gegen anspruchsvolle Feinde antreten.

Dafür dürft ihr zwischen vier verschiedenen Klassen auswählen: Striker, Surgeon, Engineer und Warden. Die Heldenklassen besitzen naturgemäß unterschiedliche Waffen, Fähigkeiten, Schilde und Attribute. Zudem stehen euch ultimative Fähigkeiten zur Verfügung, die ihr im Verlauf eines Levels aufladen könnt. In Kombination mit euren Mitspielern fügen diese fatalen Schaden zu und können ganze Schlachten entscheiden. Durch taktische Kombinationen und Teamplay könnt ihr so eure Feinde schwächen und ausschalten. Dabei ist es wichtig, auf ein ausgewogenes Verhältnis zwischen Angriffs- und Unterstützungsoptionen zu achten, da der Titel durchaus anspruchsvoll sein soll.

Evasion-Archiact-Oculus-Rift-HTC-Vive-VR-Shooter-SteamVR

So rennen die Gegner nicht nur ziellos auf euch zu, um zum Kanonenfutter zu werden, sondern passen sich dank Schwarmintelligenz und künstlicher Intelligenz an euren Spielstil an. Dadurch soll der Titel auch bei wachsenden Skills anspruchsvoll bleiben. Zudem erhalten eure Feinde durch jeden Mitspieler mehr Lebenspunkte, wodurch eine bloße Anzahl an Spielern keinen Vorteil verschafft. Auch fordernde Bosskämpfe soll es geben.

Neben den Fähigkeiten und Waffen steht euch die Option offen, eure Umgebung zu zerstören. Durch fallende Steine oder Objekte könnt ihr Feinden indirekt Schaden zufügen. Dies ist durch die Nutzung der Unreal Engine 4 sowie Ikinema möglich, wodurch die Entwickler eine realistische Physik-Engine ins Spiel einbauten.

Level-System und Locomotion

Evasion-Archiact-Oculus-Rift-HTC-Vive-VR-Shooter-SteamVR

Zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt wollen die Entwickler außerdem ein Level-System integrieren, welches euch ermöglicht, nach Rollenspielart aufzusteigen. Dadurch schaltet ihr neue Fähigkeiten und Attribute frei, wodurch eine freiere Charaktergestaltung ermöglicht wird.

Auch bei der Fortbewegungsmethode geht Archiact neue Wege, denn sie ermöglichen den Spielern die freie Wahl zwischen unterschiedlichen Optionen. So stehen Smooth Locomotion, Quick Dash oder Jog zur Verfügung. Doch auch Teleportation oder Blinken stehen zur Verfügung. Von „auf der Stelle joggen“ über Joystick-Steuerung bis zum gewohnten Teleport bietet Evasion damit einige Option, um Motion Sickness zu vermeiden.

Evasion soll im Frühjahr 2018 für Oculus Rift und HTC Vive auf Steam erscheinen.

(Quellen: VR Focus | Archiact | Video: Archiact Youtube)

Der Beitrag Evasion: VR-Coop-Shooter der nächsten Generation für PC-Brillen angekündigt zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

October 24, 2017

Archiact’s Evasion May Be The Co-Op Videogame VR Has Been Waiting For

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.

Evasion screenshot 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.

October 24, 2017

VR “Bullet Hell” FPS ‘Evasion’ Announced for Rift & Vive, Catch the Trailer Here

Sci-fi shooter Evasion from VR studio Archiact has been revealed, said to feature ‘next generation’ VR locomotion and ‘high intensity’ co-op multiplayer combat for up to 4 players. The game is due to launch for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift in early 2018.

Described on the official website as “an intense bullet hell spectacle”, Evasion has been designed from the ground up for VR, featuring co-op multiplayer combat for up to 4 players, with multiple hero classes to choose from to suit “all play styles” – two of which are already detailed on the site.

As shown in the announcement trailer, the game features ‘bullet hell’ action combined with destructible environments. According to the press release provided to Road to VR, a core development goal was to enable “incredible locomotion freedom.” Players will be able to choose from a few locomotion types, including ‘free move’, that can be customised for “play style and comfort level.”

Evasion aims to deliver several cutting-edge technologies, including ‘next gen’ full-body avatars powered by IKinema’s inverse kinematics animation system, “best in-class physics and destruction” enhanced for Intel Core i7 and i9 processors, and high-quality visuals and 3D spatial audio powered by Unreal Engine 4. The game’s ‘Swarm A.I’ enemy behaviour system claims to add “a new level of tension, making tactical movement and teamwork critical to your squad’s survival,” resulting in greater mission replayability with “randomized objectives and enemy encounters.”

Vancouver-based developer Archiact has been behind several virtual reality titles for mobile VR and location-based VR, but with the exception of penguin-puzzler Waddle Home (2016), available on SteamVR and PSVR (alongside a Gear VR version), the studio has yet to make a splash in the high-end consumer VR space. In a brief message posted on the official site yesterday, the team described Evasion as their “passion project”, having worked on the game for “over and year and a half.”

“Archiact has been crafting immersive VR entertainment since 2013,” said Kurt Busch, Studio Head at Archiact. “With Evasion, the team is using everything we’ve learned and weaving our experience into a truly genre-defining AAA title. With innovative locomotive movement and intense FPS gameplay, we’re convinced Evasion will prove a stand-out VR experience and we can’t wait for gamers to play it themselves.”

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