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

SpaceGazelle

I highly recommend you play it with continuous movement (@120), but if you're getting nauseous play it on shift.

jdanielp

Ok, will try continuous movement when I continue.

SpaceGazelle

Don't forget you can still teleport in smooth by pulling the thick back to bring up the feet icon. It's the best of both worlds although I don't think it shifts. I was surprised how good shift movement was. It's much less jarring than insta-jump.

jdanielp

I was finding insta-jump quite ok (in terms of not being too jarring) although I did end up getting close to the walls in my room at lot for some reason and did actually have a minor controller collision with a wall when trying to push a bicycle into the middle of a courtyard.

jdanielp

The continuous movement went fine just there. I found it a little bit wobbly when moving vertically abruptly but otherwise quite ok so just teleporting for those sections. Still finding that I haven't really got the headset and IPD adjusted as well as I had hoped would be possible. I wonder if it is my eyes though given that I've always experienced image overlap when watching 3D films at the cinema...

SpaceGazelle

You can buy corrective lenses if that helps. I don't know what it does for the overlap thing. Don't you wear glasses? It's more expense they should help with any CYL and AXS issues, if that's the cause.

https://vroptician.com/prescription-lens-inserts/valve-index/

jdanielp

Yeah, I wear glasses and have them on under the helmet, although I suspect that the Index lenses could get that little bit closer if they weren't in the way. I have sphere, cylinder and axis adjustments for both eyes so it might be that these corrective lenses will be literally worth looking into. I'll likely hang back until my next eye test which is due in a few months, just in case the prescription has changed, and also so I can ask for an accurate IPD reading. Thanks.

SpaceGazelle

I love how Valve just tinker with stuff. I seem to remember there was a Portal 2 update at the start of the month.

Anyways, Alyx now has liquid physics in those previously empty bottles.

jdanielp

Awesome. Other than putting a bucket on my head and trying to push bicycles, smashing bottles is one of my favourite things to do while playing Alyx - I look forward to being able to shake them before breaking them.

SpaceGazelle

And I have to say, after just having a peek they're a lot more convincing. Sounds trivial but the bottles were the one class of object that felt a little off, like they couldn't quite nail it. Now they're one of the most convincing objects in the game.

The physics is really excellent, including bubbles. It's funny how VR effects your brain. I think the bottles felt cheap and plastic before because they were empty, but now you can slosh them about there feels more of a weight to them. It's a small update but it deffo adds to the experience.

SpaceGazelle

They need to add sound effects though.

jdanielp

SpaceGazelle wrote:

They need to add sound effects though.

Imagine being able to open a bottle and listening to the contents glug away as it empties. Before smashing it of course.

SpaceGazelle

It would be good to use them as fire traps.

SpaceGazelle

They've really updated the workshop tools too. You can now create new chars and objects.

jdanielp

Updated Alyx so will enjoy sloshing the contents of some bottles around during my week off.

g.man

SpaceGazelle

Yeah it's a collaborative effort with Valve and MS. The speakers aren't the Valve ones despite what he says (although they are off-ear), but the resolution looks amazing. The FOV is only a tiny bump over 90 degrees and it doesn't have the Index controllers, which are two huge downgrades imo, but for the money it's good and if it's available then that's a winner right there.

SpaceGazelle

Gamermike

That was great!

SpaceGazelle

Bestest game this year bar none. Linear but so personal.

AndCallMeCharlie

I am at the start of chapter 4 but done my back in

ShabbyMcCrabby

Too much rummaging?

n0face

No thanks.

jdanielp

Despite being off this week I've had a lot going on. Can't remember what level I'm on now but I did the bit with the train yesterday, which was spectacular.

The dark sections prior to this were terrifying and combat with the Combine is somewhat alarming.

Enjoying smashing sloshy bottles for light relief...

AndCallMeCharlie

jdanielp wrote:

Despite being off this week I've had a lot going on. Can't remember what level I'm on now but I did the bit with the train yesterday, which was spectacular. The dark sections prior to this were terrifying and combat with the Combine is somewhat alarming. Enjoying smashing sloshy bottles for light relief...

Yeah we are approx at the same bit

SpaceGazelle

Yeah, the combine combat is when it starts getting frantic. Great though.

SpaceGazelle

n0face wrote:

No thanks.

Already the quality of the mods is amazing. Valve may not have released the full SDK but now you can make your own objects (including weapons) it should get pretty diverse. Just fired that up and played through it and it was fucking terrifying.

SpaceGazelle

Belomorkaya Station is also great and terrifying. They disabled the grabbity gloves so you have to get up close and personal when grabbing ammo, which is in limited supply.

SpaceGazelle

The diversity is pretty impressive. Some of the locations are pretty stunning.

Also, am I the only one trying mods?

Armitage_Shankburn

If someone could make a half life version of this I'd buy a pc to play it.

But I'm not spunking 2 grand or whatevs on a PC

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