Half-Life: Alyx - It's PC gone mad - The Bear and Badger

b0r1s

You literally fumble for the shells when trying to load the shotgun with crabs jumping at you in the dark and you are having to pint the flashlight all the the same time.

bad_hair_day

^ It's simultaneously exciting/terrifying.

b0r1s wrote:

Wow again...Have to admit the Quest is uncomfortable for longer play sessions. But can’t justify an index and here’s hoping the Quest 2 solves that problem.

Have you got some sort of counterweight attached, because that helps?

SpaceGazelle

b0r1s wrote:

You literally fumble for the shells when trying to load the shotgun with crabs jumping at you in the dark and you are having to pint the flashlight all the the same time.

Yeah it's a relief to get out into the light. It's proper grim down there.

b0r1s

bad_hair_day wrote:

^ It's simultaneously exciting/terrifying.

b0r1s wrote:

Wow again...Have to admit the Quest is uncomfortable for longer play sessions. But can’t justify an index and here’s hoping the Quest 2 solves that problem.

Have you got some sort of counterweight attached, because that helps?

No I haven’t done the battery pack fix. Also talk to me about virtual desktop and Link. How well does this work?

bad_hair_day

There's a hypnotic beauty in the gross infestations, could stare at 'em for ages.

SpaceGazelle

hunk wrote:

That's well spoilery btw. Good though.

b0r1s

Yeah will watch all vids after I've finished it.

SpaceGazelle

bad_hair_day wrote:

There's a hypnotic beauty in the gross infestations, could stare at 'em for ages.

Steady on there.

bad_hair_day

b0r1s wrote:

No I haven’t done the battery pack fix. Also talk to me about virtual desktop and Link. How well does this work?

Sure I've read people using a load of used AA's taped together!

Virtual Desktop has to be installed via Sidequest then purchased (£15) from the Oculus store for it to work.
Needs a 5g Wi-Fi with ideally nothing else on the network and you get a little bit of latency but it's very playable (for me).

SpaceGazelle

The shocks in VR are bigger but so is the humour, and when they follow one with the other in quick succession it can be very effective. A well timed joke after extreme tenseness is all the funnier. The plot is yer basic game so far, but the dialogue with Russel is quality. It's hard to tell if this is better written than Portal or it just feels like it because it's timed so well. Maybe a bit of both. I want Russell in all games.

SpaceGazelle

bad_hair_day wrote:

b0r1s wrote:

No I haven’t done the battery pack fix. Also talk to me about virtual desktop and Link. How well does this work?

Sure I've read people using a load of used AA's taped together! Virtual Desktop has to be installed via Sidequest then purchased (£19.99) from the Oculus store for it to work. Needs a 5g Wi-Fi with ideally nothing else on the network and you get a little bit of latency but it's very playable (for me).

You lot probably notice it a much more because you're used to that sweet untethered action, but I'm quite surprised how little the cable gets in the way of this and it's because of the gravity gloves. If you were constantly bending down and moving about to search and find stuff it'd be a nightmare, but I haven't really noticed the tether at all with this. Boneworks was much more bothersome. Even the fighting isn't too bad when you can use a mixture of smooth and shift. What you really need is space and if you could have your 5g router near the garden and go untethered that would be amazeballs.

SpaceGazelle

Can't wait for the level editor. Steam community Borg ftw.

ShabbyMcCrabby

Yeah if you had a massive space and could properly walk around it would be amazing. I have a nice sized space but I always find the edges. It takes you out a little bit when you just want to walk up and open a cupboard. I think that might be why it still doesn't quite feel like I'm in in it. Sometimes it tickles that sense but I think it still feels like a game. Probably lucky as it would be way too scary at times otherwise.

SpaceGazelle

The various boundary options help. Index has a floor only one which helps a lot but the best is the one I thought would be rubbish and hadn't tried it until recently. It basically uses the cameras to subtly fade in the actual room and the game fades out a tad. It sounds like the worst one on paper but somehow it's miles better. It's very subtle around the edges and you can compensate quicly without boundary lines showing up. I often forget it isn't real but every ten mins or so am pulled out a bit. When Quest 2 comes out it'll help much more with immersion levels - the extra fov of future hmds is going to be great. It makes such a difference.

bad_hair_day

That subtle fade sounds like the best option, guess it could be done on the Quest, just software innit?

Shabba, try adjusting the proximity slider in the settings, or just turn it off and take your chances!

SpaceGazelle

Yeah, no reason Quest can't do an update. It's really the best option for me but like a lot of stuff in VR, it might just be a personal thing. I'm happy there's a share of collective info with the tech. It's nice to see collaborations like the upcoming HP hmd.

SpaceGazelle

As funny as Russell is the standout comedy moment has so far gone to Alyx.

Chapter 7 - Jeff

Spoiler:

Dinostar77

There will be a non VR half life alyx. Sweeet.

If you’ve been aching for more Half-Life, but don’t have the VR headset required to play Half-Life: Alyx, fear not: Valve reckons it won’t be long before it’s modded to work on normal, flat displays.

Talking to Polygon, Valve’s Robin Walker said “it’s going to happen” when asked about a fan-made flat mode for Alyx. However, he also thinks such a mode would be drastically inferior to the intended VR experience, adding “it will clearly demonstrate to people why we did this in VR”.

When Half-Life: Alyx was announced, there was a significant backlash to the idea of it being VR-only. Releasing the first entry in a much-loved series that has been on a 13-year hiatus as a VR exclusive is certainly a bold move, and many argued it was a betrayal to the fans who’ve been playing Half-Life as a flat series for years. However, I feel that the only way VR is going to be seen as the serious gaming platform it is is if developers invest in it, which is exactly what Valve is doing with both the Index headset and Alyx.

Right now, there are around 10,000 playing, which makes it the 85th most active game on Steam. While that doesn’t sound brilliant for such a highly anticipated game, it’s worth remembering VR has an install base approximately 1% the size of Steam’s total player count. The fact it can pull in more players than a game like Binding of Isaac: Rebirth or Slay the Spire, which have drastically lower system requirements, is still impressive.

Minnesänger

Dinostar77 wrote:

There will be a non VR half life alyx.

Sweeet. If you’ve been aching for more Half-Life, but don’t have the VR headset required to play Half-Life: Alyx, fear not: Valve reckons it won’t be long before it’s modded to work on normal, flat displays. Talking to Polygon, Valve’s Robin Walker said “it’s going to happen” when asked about a fan-made flat mode for Alyx. However, he also thinks such a mode would be drastically inferior to the intended VR experience, adding “it will clearly demonstrate to people why we did this in VR”. When Half-Life: Alyx was announced, there was a significant backlash to the idea of it being VR-only. Releasing the first entry in a much-loved series that has been on a 13-year hiatus as a VR exclusive is certainly a bold move, and many argued it was a betrayal to the fans who’ve been playing Half-Life as a flat series for years. However, I feel that the only way VR is going to be seen as the serious gaming platform it is is if developers invest in it, which is exactly what Valve is doing with both the Index headset and Alyx. Right now, there are around 10,000 playing, which makes it the 85th most active game on Steam. While that doesn’t sound brilliant for such a highly anticipated game, it’s worth remembering VR has an install base approximately 1% the size of Steam’s total player count. The fact it can pull in more players than a game like Binding of Isaac: Rebirth or Slay the Spire, which have drastically lower system requirements, is still impressive.

SpaceGazelle

Yeah, it'd be awful. I'm pretty sure someone has done it already.

SpaceGazelle

Well, nearly.

https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/watch-half-life-alyx-being-played-without-vr/

n0face

Right, this is fucking with my head. Just played for an hour or so and I consider myself to be well adapted to VR but when over taken my headset off I'm not 100% sure about my hands in real life. It feels like I'm having to check if they line up with where they actually are.

(Full disclosure, I have had a couple of afternoon cans because it's a sunny Friday)

SpaceGazelle

If one of them loses tracking and glides away into the distance phone a doctor.

n0face

Just got the

Spoiler:

then flailed about, almost fell over, freaked out a little and then noped out. Game is getting better and better.

n0face

What motion you're are people using? I'm currently on head based smooth movement but I'm wondering if hand might need better for combat.

djchump

I’m still on blink.
I’ve never gelled with hand based motion as the disjoint between holding hand and stick input gets confusing - especially when reaching over shoulder for weapon/ammo as that then inverts motion and you go backwards, which is a pain when trying to run during a firefight.
This is when I tried it in Pavlov, mind, not Alyx.
I just stick with head based - far more intuitive and 1-to-1 maps to the intuitions built up around WASD FPS gaming

SpaceGazelle

I'm head.

three1ne

Has anyone got the Edge write up/review of this? I want to read it but I don't believe I can buy a single digital edition.

I'm happy to donate something to charity if someone scans/pdf sends me it.

xx

I mean...why can't I just buy a single bloody digital issue....?

n0face

http://www.thebearandbadger.co.uk/discussion/2401/half-life-alyx-its-pc-gone-mad/p15

three1ne

Lovely, cheers.

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