Category: eve valkyrie

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EVE: Valkyrie Gets Permanent Price Drop

Popular EVE: Online virtual reality (VR) spin-off EVE: Valkyrie will be getting a permanent 33% price drop for the digital download edition of the title for HTC Vive, PlayStation VR and Oculus Rift.

Developer CCP Games are reducing the price on the VR space combat shooter to £29.99 (GBP), a 33% drop from the original retail price. The price drop will apply to all digital download versions of the title.

In addition, the EVE: Valkyrie Founders Pack is also being retired. The Founders Pack was available for early purchasers of the title and granted access to certain visual customisation content for players in-game profile and the EVE: Valkyrie forum. It will still be possible to unlock custom paint jobs, XP boosters and other ship customisation options using in-game currency. Anyone who has previously bought the Founders Pack will still have access to the content contained within the Founders Pack. Founders Pack key codes found in boxed retail editions of EVE: Valkyrie for PlayStation 4 will still be valid and redeemable until 31st December, 2017.

EVE Valkyrie - Carrier Assault

EVE: Valkyrie has received several content updates and improvements since launch, and is currently on its fifth major content patch. The title supports cross-platfrom multiplayer, so players on PlayStation VR can play along with friends on HTC Vive or Oculus Rift, performing missions such as liberating orbital shipyards from enemy control or shooting down rival factions while dodging asteroids.

CCP Games are frequenting introducing new content in to EVE: Valkyrie, adding new maps, new ship types, occasional boosted XP weekends and the Groundrush update, which brought ground-based combat into the title for the first time.

VRFocus will continue to bring you news on EVE: Valkyrie updates.

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CCP Games Announces Double XP Weekend For EVE: Valkyrie Pilots

It’s a rather significant time for makers of the EVE franchise, CCP Games. The Icelandic developer has been in business for twenty years, a period which has seen them move from working on an indie board game to crafting one of the biggest video games of all time in EVE Online to, in more recent years their dabblings with virtual reality (VR) technology. Activities which have seen them create games such as Gunjack, Sparc and EVE: Valkyrie following an initial $30 million dollar investment. An investment that has proved fruitful.

EVE: ValkyrieAs the team are in a celebratory mood, they’re deciding to show their appreciation to the pilots of EVE: Valkyrie by instigating a special Double XP weekend, beginning at 9:00AM UTC this coming Friday, June 2nd and ending at the same time on Monday 5th June 2017.

For those not familiar with the videogame, EVE: Valkyrie is a title VRFocus has gotten to grips with on many occasions as it has developed. An online multiplayer shooter that first launched for the Oculus Rift back in March 2016, but has since come to both the PlayStation VR and HTC Vive and sees you engage in spectacular dogfights in outer space.

The Double XP will, according to the development team, also stack with the new XP bonus new pilots get for linking their account to a CCP account. Meaning you can not only enjoy a week of getting experience at a faster rate but that will then be doubled during the resultant days.

You can learn more about EVE: Valkyrie in a recent interview the development team did with VRFocus where they discussed the latest addition to the game, Groundrush.

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EVE: Valkyrie Nets Nomination for Nordic Games Award

Nordic Game, which is not to be confused with development studio Nordic Games, is an annual conference held in Sweden. It first began and 2004 and since then has grown until over 2500 attendees were at the event in 2016. One of the highlights of the event is the Nordic Game Awards, which this year, is adding a virtual reality (VR) title to the nominees list.

Previous years have seen the likes of legendary game developer Tim Schaffer give the keynote speech. The 2016 event featured director, developer and storyteller Hideo Kojima as the featured speaker. While the Nordic Game Awards are only a relatively small part of the overall event, they do nonetheless have a significant impact.

The awards have eight categories as follows:

Nordic Game of the Year (Small Screen)
Nordic Game of the Year
Best Audio
Best Fun For Everyone
Best Debut
Best Technology
Best Game Design
Best Art

It comes as no great surprise, therefore, to find out that Eve: Valkyrie has been nominated for the Best Technology category, alongside Battlefield 1, Hitman, INSIDE and Tom Clancy’s The Division. The recipients of the awards are decided by a jury of industry experts from all over Europe.

The Nordic Game Conference will be held from 17th-19th May at Slagthuse in Malmö,
Sweden. The Nordic Game Awards presentation will be held on Thursday 18th May.

Further information and a fill list of nominees can be found at the Nordic Game website.

VRFocus will bring you further information on VR-related events when it comes in.

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EVE: Valkyrie Groundrush Gets New Nightyard Map

The latest instalment to the EVE Online virtual reality (VR) spinoff EVE: Valkyrie, Groundrush, was announced during the EVE Fanfest last week. Developer CCP have not sat on their laurels, however, and have been busily producing even more new content, such as the recently announced new map.

The new area is one of the new wormhole maps, a feature introduced in the previous update to Groundrush, which allows the introduction of some different elements through weekly events which include new maps, modifiers and other variants to the gameplay mix.

The Nightyard is a dark shipyard, highlighted in electric blue lighting effects and described in universe as a ‘corrupted and twisted version of the normal shipyard structure’. Unlike most EVE: Valkyrie maps there is no sunlight in the Nightyard map as the structure is in perpetual eclipse, allowing the glow of weaponry and the engine trails of ships to be clearly visible in the gloom.

Pilots brave enough to tackle the Nightyard map will find that ships that enter the area will emit a bright rainbow trail, allowing for easier tracking as they engage with the enemy Schism. Missile systems for player pilots have also been enhanced. Ships that are available for this map are Aegis, Sentry and Siren so players can choose a ship to match their preferred strategy.

Developers CCP Games are also looking for players and fans to contribute ideas for future Wormhole game modes, the best of which may even be included in a future update. Players can contribute their ideas on the ‘Designing the Future’ thread on the EVE: Valkyrie website forums.

VRFocus will bring you further news on EVE: Valkyrie updates as they come in.

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EVE: Valkyrie’s Planet-Based Combat Will Not Differ From Space Battles

CCP Games’ EVE Fanfest is almost over for another year. The annual celebration of everything relating to the EVE Universe, including MMORPG EVE Online and virtual reality (VR) videogame titles EVE: Gunjack, its sequel Gunjack 2 – End Of Shift and EVE: Valkyrie has given us a number of updates over the last few days. Particularly in relation to EVE: Valkyrie and its forthcoming updates Groundrush, which will for the first time take users out of space and into the skies above the planet’s surface thanks to brand new map Solitude.

For pilots this gives not only a new map but a vastly different one, one that VRFocus has already tried its hand at (which you can read about in our hands-on) – but the announcement did leave an interesting question about Solitude. There’s a difference between flying in space and flying above the ground, so is that replicated in the game? And would regular Valkyrie players find any differences in how their craft played now they’re having to fly in atmosphere? We hunted back down EVE: Valkyrie‘s Lead Designer Andrew Willans to explain if there was any difference.

The short answer was no there was no difference in play between space-based maps and the new map of Solitude. That doesn’t necessarily mean though that such a move wasn’t considered.

“Deliberately so, the flight model stays the same.” Willans confirmed. “Whether you’re in space or on the ground the fun is the most important thing. If we introduce gravity in anyway that would be a bit of a curve ball. We consciously decided not to do that.”

VRFocus will have more from this year’s EVE Fanfest over the days and weeks to come so be sure to check back regularly for this and your regular updates of the latest in VR games and technology.

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The Sounds Of Battle: Full Soundtrack To EVE: Valkyrie Coming Soon To Soundcloud

In outer space no one can hear you scream, but it’s always nice to have a decent soundtrack for tightly banking around a giant space carrier, shooting a well timed missile into a vital subsystem before swooping away, blowing apart an annoying fighter that had been on your tail with a twin burst of laser fire.
CCP Games are no stranger to a good soundtrack for doing just that, as owners of EVE: Valkyrie will likely attest. The good news for them and for anyone who appreciates the video sgame music is that, according to the videogame’s Lead Designer Andrsew Willans soon you’ll be able to enjoy the full spectrum of music from the title as the soundtrack is coming to Soundcloud.

EVE Valkyrie_wormholetubelaunch

Die hard fans will however know that CCP’s Soundcloud account already features music from EVE: Valkyrie, which was added shortly after EVE: Fanfest 2016 and which you can enjoy here. However Wilans specified to VRFocus that Soundcloud would be getting the ‘full soundtrack’.  Which would suggest that any missing tracks from the initial release, as well as those added for the subsequent updates to the game – Carrier Assault, Joint Strike, Wormholes, Gatecrash and newly announced update Groundrush – will be added.

In a video interview released on VRFocus earlier this week, Willans described the difficulties CCP Games faced creating Solitude, with the new map (part of Groundrush) that has a floor and a horizon line. He revealed how this type of level wasn’t possible for the team to make around six months ago, and how it is only through continual development and learning that the CCP Games team was able to build it.

No indication was given regarding a specific date, however when the update goes live VRFocus will of course keep you up to date.

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Concept Art Showcases Development of EVE: Valkyrie’s Solitude

This coming Tuesday CCP Games will release the next update for its popular virtual reality (VR) multiplayer EVE: Valkyrie called Groundrush. Several screenshots and a trailer have already been released showcasing the new level Solitude, adding to that the studio has unveiled some concept artwork.

Solitude is the first EVE: Valkyrie map not set in space, taking place above a land based installation, with players having to now contend with level floor.

The two images below detail a gritty war torn landscape that players will be able to fly through as well as over. With Solitude CCP could experiment with designs and themes not usually found in the other levels. Smoke billows out from missile impacts or downed fighters, while the snow capped mountains of a stark contrast to the deep reaches of space that players are more familiar with.

Concept art is an important part of any development process within videogames, with artists helping to visualise the design direction of a title. It’s been popular for studios to release more and more concept art due to the high quality nature of the work. Fans can get a better understanding of the ideas that go into the project’s development, plus they look good as a desktop wallpaper.

For further details on the new map checkout VRFocus‘ hands-on with Solitude, or read the interview with some of the CCP team as they celebrated EVE: Valkyrie’s first year.

VRFocus will continue its coverage of EVE: Valkyrie, reporting back with the latest updates.

EVE Valkyrie Solitude_Base_01 EVE Valkyrie Solitude_Base_02

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6 Million Kills and Counting as EVE Valkyrie Players Log a Century of Fighting

Last week saw CCP Games celebrate the first anniversary of EVE: Valkyrie launching on Oculus Rift. The studio marked the occasion with a double XP week bonus for players, allowing them to level up faster and unlock more upgrades. Since launch players have built up a massive amount of hours in-game along with kills, and CCP Games has shared some of those stats with VRFocus.

First of ships. Everyone playing will have a personal favourite, whether they like to be quick and nibble, or have rock solid armour to survive the most heavy of engagements. But there’s always going to be that one choice most players prefer and hardly surprising to see its the combat focused Wraith.

EVE Valkyrie - Carrier Assault

As a multiplayer focused title with a single-player element there’s plenty to keep players busy depending on the type of challenge they’re after. While sessions can be as long or short as they want CCP Games has found that low level players tend to average around 45 minutes per session, while more experienced players who’ve reached those upper echelons of the rankings tend to average 90 minutes per session.

It’s those players who’ve spent so many hours in EVE: Valkyrie that have pushed the total human player kills up to 6,600,000. Quite an impressive feat considering virtual reality (VR) is still fairly niche. Half of those kills were achieved over the course of October, November and December 2016, with 1 million pilot kills per month. October saw the highest spike hitting 1.2m player kills because of the PlayStation VR launch.

To achieve all those kills significant time has been spent inside the EVE: Valkyrie universe by players. CCP’s total log-on time of all players: 88 years, 11 months, 24 days, 17 hours, 16 minutes and 48 seconds (when the studio handed VRFocus the info), with the highest logged playtime (out of a possible 12 months) being 3 months.

This week saw CCP Games announce the next update for the title, named Groundrush, which VRFocus got hands-on with at EVE Fanfest 2017. Also checkout VRFocus‘ interview with the studio looking back at the last year and what’s to come.

As ever, for all the latest updates on EVE: Valkyrie, keep reading VRFocus.

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Groundrush: CCP on EVE Valkyrie’s Descent into Solitude

CCP Games’ annual EVE FanFest 2017 began yesterday and the big virtual reality (VR) news from the event has focused on EVE: Valkyrie and its upcoming update, Groundrush. VRTV’s Nina sat down with the title’s Lead Game Designer, Andrew Willans to find out more.

Set to launch next Tuesday, 11th April across all three platforms, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR, Groundrush features a brand new map called Solitude. Changing the dynamic of EVE: Valkyrie’s usual space-based gameplay, Solitude takes players planet side, fighting in the skies above a large installation.

In the video Willans describes the difficulties the studio faced creating a level that now had a floor and a horizon line. He reveals how this type of level wasn’t possible for the team to make around six months ago, it’s only through continual development and learning what can be achieved in virtual reality (VR) that the studio built Solitude.

As these past couple of weeks have been fairly reflective, with the anniversaries of HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and EVE: Valkyrie itself, Nina got Willans opinion about the last year in VR and what the future holds. VRFocus also spoke with several other team members located around the world for their thoughts on the matter.

Checkout VRFocus‘ hands-on with the level and come back for further EVE: Valkyrie updates.

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Hands-on: ‘EVE: Valkyrie’ Groundrush Update

Fanfest is upon us again, CCP’s yearly festival in Reykjavik for all things EVE Online, but to go along with the round table discussions and announcements surrounding the massive multiplayer is a new update to the studio’s sci-fi arcade dogfighter EVE: Valkyrie (2016). Coming April 11th to Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PSVR is an expansion called Groundrush that promises to deliver even more of that Star Wars-esque spaceship experience with planet-based maps (and one that looks awfully like the planet Hoth) among a host of other updates.

Popping on the PS4 Pro-powered PlayStation VR headset, I found myself back in the game’s familiar launch tubes and sitting in the basic ship, the Banshee. My teammates, two disparate packs of German and Russian journalists, were conjoined for the mission and chattered on through the game’s comm system in their respective languages.

psvr groundrush valkyrie
photo by Road to VR

Rocketing out of the carrier at the same blistering speed I’ve come to know from the game’s many space-based maps, I flew out over what I was told would be Valkyrie’s first planet-based map, Solitude. Some sort of derelict research facility was at the center point, still showing the signs of an apparent attack. Craggy peaks covered in snow jutted out everywhere—a great place to smash into if you fly as bad as me.

Seeing the horizon where open 3D space once stood was hard to get used to at first. However the snowy scenery and comparably light skybox helped soften the disorientation I expected when engaging in the game’s wild corkscrew battles. The demo was only 10 minutes long, so I can’t tell how longer sessions would play out in regards to motion sickness, but I felt more or less the same flying in the topsy-turvy space battles I’m used to in space. So while the sensation of flying was mostly the same, I had a new foe to contend with: the ground. And yes, you can smash into it.

photo courtesy CCP photo courtesy CCP

The map itself looks noticeably smaller than the space-based maps, and combat tended to take place near the ground, winding around the structures and geological features of the planet. Flanked on one side by the enemy carrier—another hazard to watch out for lest you want a quick death and a “killed by enemy carrier” message to flash at you before being dropped serendipitous into a fresh clone—and on the other was my own.

Flying with afterburners between the two took about 30-40 seconds. It was faster than I thought, but it seemed to keep combat at a brimming level. The match I played hosted 10 players, two teams of five, so there was plenty of action to go around.

I also noticed a number of interesting tight spots to chase enemies through, something that always proves to be a crowd-pleaser by invoking the iconic Star Wars trench run. Check out the video below to get a better idea of what Groundrush is offering.

Disclosure: CCP Games provided airfare and lodging for Road to VR to attend Fanfest 2017

The post Hands-on: ‘EVE: Valkyrie’ Groundrush Update appeared first on Road to VR.