As virtual reality (VR) technology advances and issues such as ‘simulation sickness’ are resolved the demand is growing for more realistic and active forms of motion in VR titles. Fantasy adventure title The Wizards is responding to that demand by launching a free locomotion update.
Last month, developers Carbon Studio were searching for players to help them test various movement options to find the best implementation for new movement types. That testing has apparently been successful, since on 12th September, a new update will introduce free movement and free teleportation into the title, to go alongside the node-based teleportation that was already available.
Along with the new movement options, some design tweaks, bug fixes and some additional content have been added, with the aim of rewarding players who use the new movement options to explore the world, such as hidden paths, item pickups and secret enemy encounters.
“We’ve strongly underestimated how common is the need for free movement among VR community. It turned out that more and more players get their “VR legs,” which makes them find free movement as the most convenient and immersive method of locomotion. Our players asked for free locomotion and they were totally right about it – thanks to this feature The Wizards delivers a strong feeling of exploration and is more fun to play.”
The Wizards is currently available in Steam Early Access for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, priced at £14.99 (GBP). Further information and updates can be found on the Steam store page.
A video trailer for the new locomotion update is available to view below.
VRFocus will bring you further updates on The Wizards as it becomes available.
Methods of movement in virtual reality (VR) experiences has evolved into something of a contentious issue. The team behind Early Access title The Wizards is therefore seeking help from the community to test different locomotion style in its title in order to find the right balance.
So far, many developers have been choosing to ‘play it safe’ and only offer locomotion methods such as teleportation in order to create a more comfortable experience. This is due to persistent issues with ‘simulation sickness’ that can be caused by the disconnect between what you are seeing and what your body feels. As VR technology advances, however, that issue is becoming less relevant, leading to some critics accusing developers of laziness or lack of creativity when they only offer the most basic fixed teleport locomotion method.
Carbon Studio promised its audience from that it intended to bring both free movement and free teleportation into the title, but since they are a small team on a tight budget, they have reached out to the community for assistance in testing these new features. Users who own a copy of The Wizards on Steam and have time to test the new features and fill in the post-Beta survey can apply to be part of the Beta test by applying through the Steam page.
The Wizards is a first-person Fantasy adventure title that puts the player in the shoes of a young man tasked with defending the land from hordes of monsters, forced to learn how to wield powerful magic in order to stop the creatures you face. Magic is performed using gesture controls using the motion controllers like the Oculus Touch or HTC Vive wands to cast powerful lighting bolts or fireballs.
Further information and updates, along with the link to apply to the Beta test, is available on the Steam page.
VRFocus will continue to bring you news on The Wizards and other VR projects.
This week’s top 5 covers a diverse collection of experiences. You’ll be employed as an all-powerful wizard, take down the Division of Steel in table-tennis, and more. Be sure to take a look at the rest of the games on this week’s list to see if there are some other hidden gems that scratch one of your specific itches.
The fantasy world of The Wizards recruits you to play the part of an all-powerful mage. You’ll use an intuitive spell casting system and progress through elemental spell trees as you journey into a story with time travel and epic conflicts. There are also Fate cards that will modify the gameplay experience. It’s in Early Access currently, but this looks like a game worthy of your attention.
Step out of your role as a wizard and bring things down to earth a bit with Infinite Mini Golf. This casual golfing game is thick with courses created by the community and you can even customize an avatar before jumping into multiplayer competitions. Once you’re comfortable, try making a course of your own!
In Run of Mydan, you take control of a mysterious entity that is struggling to regain its former strength. Acquire power, collect all of your memories, and unravel the mystery of this world. You’ll have to master your hand-eye coordination as you throw various weapons and powers on your quest.
Unimersiv is an educational application that incorporates a gigantic library of immersive educational content that shows you the world in a way a textbook never could. Purchasing the game gives unlimited access to current content and future updates as they come.
Racket Fury is another casually fun experience but this time you’ll be playing some science fiction themed ping-pong. Shape up your skills and take on the infamous Division of Steel or take on the best players from all around the world in online multiplayer.
The lure of using motion controls to cast spells and wave swords around in virtual reality (VR) is somewhat irresistible. Development studio Carbon Studios are taking advantage of this temptation with the upcoming release of sword and sorcery title The Wizards, which has just seen the launch of the latest gameplay trailer.
VRFocus has been covering The Wizardssince its initial announcement. The title puts players in the role of a young adventurer who must learn the ways of magic to defend the country from hordes of monsters. Players are able to use motion controllers like the Oculus Touch to create magic gestures that unleash powerful spells.
The Wizards will be launched into Early Access for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift on 28th July, 2017. The Early Access version will have a story mode featuring two regions, divided into stages for the player to explore, six basic spells which will all have upgrade paths and Fate Cards that allow players to make tweaks to the character and the gameplay. An ‘Arcade Mode’ featuring endless monster battles in an Arena will also be available.
The title was built using Unreal Engine 4, with the aim of using the power of that engine to create rich and detailed fantasy landscapes. The developers are keen to get player feedback during the Early Access release stage, and anticipate that the title will leave Early access for a full launch in roughly 5-6 months.
The wizards will be priced at $19.99 (USD) at launch. Further information and updates can be found on the Steam page. The latest gameplay trailer is available to view below.
VRFocus will bring you further news on The Wizards and Carbon Studio’s other VR projects as it becomes available.
The Wizards is a single-player spellcasting combat game from Carbon Studio, the makers of Alice VR. The game is set to launch in Early Access on Steam for the Vive and Rift this Friday, July 28th. A new Early Access launch trailer shows what’s in store for aspiring spellcasters.
The Wizards is a VR spellcasting game where players will use their VR controllers to cast fireballs, lightning, magical shields, and more, to defeat a range of enemies in a classic medieval fantasy setting. Though what we’ve seen so far has us worried the game could fall too far into the monotonous ‘wave shooter’ camp, developer Carbon Studio says The Wizards built around a “story mode featuring time travel and heroic battles,” and “element-based spell trees to learn and develop,” which gives us some hope that it will be more substantive than simply dispatching wave after wave of goblins and demons.
Built on Unreal Engine 4, the game’s visuals stand out, while the art direction and gameplay revealed thus far remind us heavily of The Unspoken (2016), a PVP spellcasting combat game from Insomniac Games.
We’ve learnt that when developing VR games, you have to gather feedback from the players as soon as possible. We want to make sure that all the solutions and features we provide are fun to play, add to the immersion and meet the players’ expectations. We’re also open to players’ ideas and suggestions for future content updates.
Carbon Studio expects The Wizards to be in Early Access for 5 – 6 months, with a full release of the game to follow, including new regions, an “endless” arcade mode, more powerfull spell upgrades in the form of “Master Enhancements”, and new “Fate Cards” that modify the game experience. “We also want to implement content based on players’ ideas, be it new spells, new enemies, new challenges etc,” the studio writes on the game’s Steam page.
[Update 2] Die Entwickler von The Wizards sind fleißig dabei. Nach dem ersten großen Update im September, seit dem man sich im Spiel frei bewegen kann, spendiert Carbon Studio mit dem Update 1.2 den Zauberern erneut eine große Aktualisierung. Wie der Name Arena Mode Update schon andeutet, ist die wichtigste Hauptzutat der Aktualisierung der Arena-Modus. Der hieß bisher Arcade-Modus, mit der Umbenennung kommen aber noch mehr Neuerungen. So bietet er zwei neue Arenen und einzigartige Schicksalskarten. Außerdem haben die Entwickler den Fortschritt im Arena Mode vom Spiel entkoppelt. Ansonsten hat das Carbon Studio beispielsweise das Werfen verbessert, besonders das von Feuerbällen. Weitere Details findet ihr im Beitrag auf Steam. The Wizards befindet sich noch im Early Access und ist für 20 Euro für die Oculus Rift und HTC Vivezu haben.
Meldung vom 12. September 2017:
[Update] The Wizards für die Oculus Rift und HTC Vive ist seit Ende Juli erhältlich, etwa einen Monat später kündigten die Entwickler ein großes Update an und starteten eine Testphase. Nun verspricht ein neuer YouTube-Trailer für den heutigen Tag die Veröffentlichung des Updates für alle Wizards-Spieler. Die wichtigste Änderung: Zauberer können sich nun in der virtuellen Welt des magischen Shooters frei bewegen. Zudem gibt es neuen Content, beispielsweise verborgene Pfade und Gegner. Auch neue Items sollen zu entdecken sein. The Wizards ist auf SteamVR zur Zeit für knapp 20 Euro zu haben.
Originalmeldung:
Magie und Virtual Reality sind weiterhin eine beliebte Mischung. Wer möchte nicht gerne riesige Feuerbälle werfen oder arkane Geschosse auf Feinde feuern? Es fühlt sich einfach großartig an. Entsprechend begeistert der Mutiplayer-Titel The Unspoken viele Spieler mit spannenden Magiergefechten. Das neue Spiel The Wizards von Carbon Studios dagegen setzt auf Singleplayer-Content mit einer zauberhaften Welt, die es zu erforschen gilt.
Werdet in The Wizards zum mächtigen Zauberer und erforscht die Welt von Meliora
Im Gegensatz zu The Unspoken begebt ihr euch in The Wizards in keine PvP-Gefechte mit anderen Spielern, sondern erlebt die Spielwelt im Singleplayer-Modus. Dennoch könnt ihr die wunderschön gestaltete Welt erforschen und darin eure mächtigen Zauber wirken. Das Spiel setzt auf den vollen Support der Motion Controller und ist ohne nicht spielbar. Durch diese führt ihr innerhalb des Spiels Gesten aus, um unterschiedliche Zaubersprüche zu aktivieren.
Die Auswahl an Sprüchen muss stets der Situation angepasst werden. So könnt ihr mit einem Zauberschild Projektile abwehren oder eure Gegner mit riesigen Feuerbällen abfackeln. Und dies ist auch nötig, denn die unterschiedlichen Gebiete der Welt erfordern verschiedene Gameplay-Mechaniken, die es umzusetzen gilt. Zu Beginn des Spiels werdet ihr in die Steuerung eingeführt und müsst zunächst die Spielwelt erforschen. Später kämpft ihr in Kampfarenen gegen Feinde, erforscht gefährliche Ruinen im Dungeon-Crawler-Stil oder verteidigt Regionen mit Tower-Defense-Elementen. Für Abwechslung ist also gesorgt.
Der Early Access im Oculus Home Store und bei Steam beginnt am 28. Juli 2017. Alle Besitzer einer HTC Vive und Oculus Rift können ab diesem Zeitpunkt in die Spielwelt von Meliora eintauchen, um das Schicksal eines abenteuerlustigen Zauberers zu erleben.
Magie und Virtual Reality sind weiterhin eine beliebte Mischung. Wer möchte nicht gerne riesige Feuerbälle werfen oder arkane Geschosse auf Feinde feuern? Es fühlt sich einfach großartig an. Entsprechend begeistert der Mutiplayer-Titel The Unspoken viele Spieler mit spannenden Magiergefechten. Das neue Spiel The Wizards von Carbon Studios dagegen setzt auf Singleplayer-Content mit einer zauberhaften Welt, die es zu erforschen gilt.
Werdet in The Wizards zum mächtigen Zauberer und erforscht die Welt von Meliora
Im Gegensatz zu The Unspoken begebt ihr euch in The Wizards in keine PvP-Gefechte mit anderen Spielern, sondern erlebt die Spielwelt im Singleplayer-Modus. Dennoch könnt ihr die wunderschön gestaltete Welt erforschen und darin eure mächtigen Zauber wirken. Das Spiel setzt auf den vollen Support der Motion Controller und ist ohne nicht spielbar. Durch diese führt ihr innerhalb des Spiels Gesten aus, um unterschiedliche Zaubersprüche zu aktivieren.
Die Auswahl an Sprüchen muss stets der Situation angepasst werden. So könnt ihr mit einem Zauberschild Projektile abwehren oder eure Gegner mit riesigen Feuerbällen abfackeln. Und dies ist auch nötig, denn die unterschiedlichen Gebiete der Welt erfordern verschiedene Gameplay-Mechaniken, die es umzusetzen gilt. Zu Beginn des Spiels werdet ihr in die Steuerung eingeführt und müsst zunächst die Spielwelt erforschen. Später kämpft ihr in Kampfarenen gegen Feinde, erforscht gefährliche Ruinen im Dungeon-Crawler-Stil oder verteidigt Regionen mit Tower-Defense-Elementen. Für Abwechslung ist also gesorgt.
Der Early Access im Oculus Home Store und bei Steam beginnt am 28. Juli 2017. Alle Besitzer einer HTC Vive und Oculus Rift können ab diesem Zeitpunkt in die Spielwelt von Meliora eintauchen, um das Schicksal eines abenteuerlustigen Zauberers zu erleben.
Casting spells and VR motion controls go together incredibly well. Flinging fire balls, blocking projectiles with magical shields, and throwing missiles of extraordinary power feels amazing from within the immersive presence of a VR headset. The Unspoken proved that. Now with The Wizards from Carbon Studios, the game is avoiding that competitive multiplayer focus for a renewed focus on single player content and crafting a spellbinding world for players to lose themselves in instead.
Last time we wrote about The Wizards all we knew is that it was coming to Rift and Vive sometime soon, but now we can finally put a date on it. The Wizards will be releasing into Early Access this month on July 28th on both the Oculus Home Store and Steam.
According to a press email with the news, “TheWizards is a VR spellcaster that helps people to fulfill their childhood dreams of becoming powerful magicians. In the game, players cast spells with hand gestures using motion controllers of HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.”
While you wait for it to come out you can see the previously released gameplay trailer above and the new batch of screenshots right here:
For those that like their virtual reality (VR) titles full of mythical creatures and elemental spellcasting Carbon Studio will soon be releasing its next immersive title, The Wizards. Today, the studio has announced a Steam Early Access launch date, a price, as well as new screenshots.
If you’ve not been following VRFocus’ coverage of The Wizards since its announcement earlier this year, the videogame puts players into the shoes of a young sorcerer who must defend the realm from legions of rampaging monsters. Solely single-player, the titleallows a player to cast all sorts of elemental spells, from lightning bolts to fireballs, alongside defensive spells like a shield, to attack and protect themselves from orcs and goblins.
The early access release will take place on 28th July 2017. This initial launch will feature a story mode with two regions divided into stages to play through loads of additional locations. Players will be able to master six spells, each of which can be upgraded, plus there are Fate Cards allowing the rules to be modified to achieve more points. Additionally, there going to be an online leaderboard for the best players.
During the planned early access period – which should last about 5-6 months – Carbon Studio will add new regions with two story chapters, an Arcade Mode for endless arena battles, Master Enhancements to upgrade spells even further and new Fate Cards.
Supporting Oculus Rift with Touch and HTC Vive, The Wizards will have a launch price of $24.99 USD.
Checkout the new trailer below and for any further updates to The Wizards, keep reading VRFocus.
Earlier this year Carbon Studios revealed its followup virtual reality (VR) title to ALICE VRin the form of The Wizards, a fantasy experience set in a world of magic. Set for release later this year the developer has recently announced a closed beta will take place and sign-ups are now live.
If you fancy throwing fireballs and casting bolts of lightning and you own either a HTC Vive or an Oculus Rift with Touch headset, then you can fill in the required form to be in with a chance of testing The Wizards out – there’s no guarantee you’ll be chosen. Those that do get selected will be sent an email with all the relevant download information, and for everyone who finishes the videogame and fills in the provided survey they’ll get a chance to win one of 20 Steam/Oculus Home keys for the full experience when it gets released.
The Wizards is a spellcasting experience in which players step into the shoes of a young sorcerer who must defend the realm from legions of rampaging monsters. Solely single-player, the videogameallows a player to cast all sorts of elemental spells, from lightning bolts to fireballs, alongside defensive spells like a shield, to attack and protect themselves from orcs and goblins.
Additionally, the title also features a PvE mode so that players can practice their magical skills against waves of enemies before heading into the campaign. Fate Cards change can change the gameplay, making it easier or harder as the player wishes, with corresponding changes to reward values. And online scoreboards are included so everyone can share their spell wielding results.
As further details are released on The Wizards, keep reading VRFocus for the latest updates.
