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HTC Vive Launch Thread -- Computer, activate holodeck

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S

ShadowSoldier89

Member
Compsiox

Compsiox

Banned
electroflame said:
I posted some of my thoughts earlier in the thread, but gist of it is that, yes, I think it's absolutely worth the upgrade. Even without the built-in headphones the way it fits your head is absolutely improved -- with the surprisingly-good headphones it should be worth it for pretty much anyone that plays VR at least semi-frequently.
Click to expand...
It also isn't compatible with the Vive Pre. Of all things to not be compatible, it's the strap.
 
T

TharpDaddy

Member
electroflame said:
I posted some of my thoughts earlier in the thread, but gist of it is that, yes, I think it's absolutely worth the upgrade. Even without the built-in headphones the way it fits your head is absolutely improved -- with the surprisingly-good headphones it should be worth it for pretty much anyone that plays VR at least semi-frequently.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the writeup! Between you and the other recommendations It definitely sounds worthwhile.

I found that Frys has them on backorder, but if their estimation is correct i'll get mine in a few weeks. Looking forward to it!
 
M

Moondrop

Banned
Deluxe Audio Strap: Mine took a while to arrive. My impressions are the same as everyone else's, including needing to immediately wash off the layer of black gunk. Feels more stable, but I appreciate even more the built-in earphones and ease of on/off.

HOT TAKE ALERT

Superhot VR: I'm terrible and I hate it and my copy might be broken? First, I'm seemingly terrible. I've had to beat level 2.3 like 50 times, and I presume it's just a training level. Or maybe it's not just me; I could throw things where I wanted in Supercuts. My punches feel way harder to land than they should. I find myself whirling arms to forcibly make time advance. I don't think I'm enjoying this gameplay at all. Plus the center is off relative to my gamespace and I can't figure out how to adjust it.

And now the part where I'm stuck. Twice now I've beaten level 2, and I end up in a white room with a single gun. Text appears: "Are you ready to play? Show your dedication!" I pick up the gun. Nothing happens. I fire- no bullets, but text says "Aim for the head." Help please?
 
S

Sleeping Lesson

Member
Moondrop said:
And now the part where I'm stuck. Twice now I've beaten level 2, and I end up in a white room with a single gun. Text appears: Are you ready to play? Show your dedication! I pick up the gun. Nothing happens. I fire- no bullets, but text says "Aim for the head." Help please?
Click to expand...

So you're saying there's only you there? Nothing else appears, nobody else's head to shoot?
 
W

Wowfunhappy

Member
Moondrop said:
And now the part where I'm stuck. Twice now I've beaten level 2, and I end up in a white room with a single gun. Text appears: "Are you ready to play? Show your dedication!" I pick up the gun. Nothing happens. I fire- no bullets, but text says "Aim for the head." Help please?
Click to expand...

Early game spoiler:
You need to shoot yourself.
 
M

Moondrop

Banned
Actually that did occur to me, and I tried that the first time. Gave it a few clicks too. Perhaps I didn't hold it in the right position. I'll give it a third chance.

Thank you, by the way.
 
S

Sleeping Lesson

Member
Moondrop said:
Actually that did occur to me, and I tried that the first time. Gave it a few clicks too. Perhaps I didn't hold it in the right position. I'll give it a third chance.

Thank you, by the way.
Click to expand...

That's a bummer. I've had situations in games before where I "figured it out" but the game didn't trigger properly, so then I assume the solution was somehow wrong. Can be infuriating.
 
M

Moondrop

Banned
Sleeping Lesson said:
That's a bummer. I've had situations in games before where I "figured it out" but the game didn't trigger properly, so then I assume the solution was somehow wrong. Can be infuriating.
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You just gave me a King's Quest flashback.

But I hope it's clear I'm mostly joking in my critique so far- I'm not actually saying it's a bad game. I was probably just discouraged by my bad performance and gave it a half-hearted effort.
 
M

Moondrop

Banned
Ok let's try this again:

Superhot VR: It's a pretty great game but I'm terrible and I sorta kinda hate it but I'll almost certainly play more. When I've got it going and I'm a superhero, the game's amazing. And I can tell something brilliant is going on in the connected set pieces even if I can't figure it out at first pass. Undeniably innovative.

But I'm so bad it's hampering my enjoyment. I spent forever on levels 3.4 (first set after prologue) and 4.3 because my aim is so poor. I do appreciate the design of making you replay levels within a set, but I did it so many times I hit frustration. And then when I finally returned to the hub, I heard this shoehorned-in audio suggesting I take a break, so I obliged.

So this may be the second game ever I would rather watch than play myself (
melee
). This was actually one of my fears before buying the Vive- that I would be terrible at all the shooting games, of which there's no shortage. Ah well, that's what I get for not playing an FPS since Goldeneye 64.

And for the record, on the third try it took me >50 clicks at a variety of angles to get past that part, even knowing what to do.
 
D

Deleted member 22576

Unconfirmed Member
I think in Superhot you definitely have to lead your shots way more than a traditional shooting game.

Throwing stuff is sorta counterintuitive too because objects don't arc much. You kinda just push them forward through the air.

Space pirate trainer is a good game to work on that aim though if you haven't tried it out. Also, I definitely got frustrated at a few times playing the campaign, fwiw.


VR is weird in that it requires so much of you you can't play it while you're tired/unfocused.

But yeah, sounds like you should let that one sit for a week or so.
 
W

Wowfunhappy

Member
Moondrop said:
Ok let's try this again:

Superhot VR: It's a pretty great game but I'm terrible and I sorta kinda hate it but I'll almost certainly play more. When I've got it going and I'm a superhero, the game's amazing. And I can tell something brilliant is going on in the connected set pieces even if I can't figure it out at first pass. Undeniably innovative.

But I'm so bad it's hampering my enjoyment. I spent forever on levels 3.4 (first set after prologue) and 4.3 because my aim is so poor. I do appreciate the design of making you replay levels within a set, but I did it so many times I hit frustration. And then when I finally returned to the hub, I heard this shoehorned-in audio suggesting I take a break, so I obliged.

So this may be the second game ever I would rather watch than play myself (
melee
). This was actually one of my fears before buying the Vive- that I would be terrible at all the shooting games, of which there's no shortage. Ah well, that's what I get for not playing an FPS since Goldeneye 64.

And for the record, on the third try it took me >50 clicks at a variety of angles to get past that part, even knowing what to do.
Click to expand...

With regard to the bolded, if you're referring to the radio, everyone hears that, it's not specific to play time. I'm relatively sure this game doesn't have any "please take a break" messages (and I don't remember it being played via the radio either, but I can't think what else you're referring too...)

It's odd, I generally SUCK at aiming, but I didn't have any problems with SuperHot. I agree with Jtwo, it might be worth practicing in some other games, like Space Pirate Trainer, and coming back to SuperHot later.

Also... I think you could play most of the game with throwing + melee, if you so desire. Dodge bullets until the guys get close enough to have a better shot.
 
O

Owlowiscious

Member
So far I'm looking at:

Drunkn Bar Fight: $9.59 > $11.99
I too want to break my hand like Vinny https://gfycat.com/BraveAmusedDunlin

Please Don't Touch Anything 3D: $5.99 > $14.99
Good price for interesting game I played in 2d

Rick and Morty: $23.99 > $29.99
It's that rick and morty game.

Serious Sam VR Bundle: $60.27 > $80.97
Eh FPS with movement. Might not get it because I'm cheap.

Dungeon Escape VR: $3.99 > $4.99
VR: Vacate the Room: $3.99 > $4.99
I like escape rooms so I'm just looking for any VR escape room.
 
E

electroflame

Member
TharpDaddy said:
Thanks for the writeup! Between you and the other recommendations It definitely sounds worthwhile.
Click to expand...
No problem! Glad it helped!

TharpDaddy said:
I found that Frys has them on backorder, but if their estimation is correct i'll get mine in a few weeks. Looking forward to it!
Click to expand...
Nice, enjoy! Be sure to follow HTC's (online) instructions on removing the original strap to the letter. If you don't properly unlock the sides you can screw up the side slots (basically just make sure you rotate the strap down until it makes a loud click, and then gently wiggle it out if needed). Quite a bit of force is needed to pop the new strap into the sides of the headset, so as long as you lined the sides up don't worry too much about applying what feels like too much pressure.

Another thing to check is there are two screws (one on each side of the headset) that can get loose over time. They're located on the inside (with the lenses) opposite the headstrap slots (i.e. they're the screws that hold the slots together from the back). Apparently the up-down motion of wearing the strap can actually cause these screws to "back out" and make the slots fall apart (making the headset disconnect from the strap!). It requires a very, very small Torx screwdriver to tighten, but you can run your finger over them and double-check that they're mostly flush. Some people online were having their headstrap slots spontaneously "break" and it turned out that this was the cause.
 
M

Moondrop

Banned
House of the Dying Sun: This is a fun, well-made game that I'm also bad at. However the base difficulty level is such that I've progressed through the first 6-7 levels. Once the controls started to click, I really enjoyed the boost/drifting interactions on left trigger and left bumper (on my WiiU controller, yay). I can tell that there are layers and replayability, and it makes me want to improve and progress. Destroying escape pods by ramming them is good times.

My biggest issue is that it feels as if there's a dozen systems I'm supposed to already know about from other space sim games (problem: haven't played one since Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire). So shields and hull, ok, but do I have to bring enemy shields down? Because it felt as if I could fly inside the shields and gun the hull directly. Why do I only sometimes lock on? Do I have radar or something, because people keep shooting me from behind? And that's just inside my ship- there's a separate, simultaneous gameplay layer through which you can play as an RTS, which is both amazing and baffling.

This leads to the topic of immersion, which I would give a middling grade. I definitely felt as if I was in space, although I identified much more with helpless rookie cannon fodder than fleet leader. And I know the game wasn't developed for VR, but I would've appreciated some hands or something. So even though I enjoyed the game and plan to play more, it's put me off buying Elite: Dangerous for now. This is supposed to be the more arcadey one, but there's enough going on for me already.

Jtwo said:
Space pirate trainer is a good game to work on that aim though if you haven't tried it out. Also, I definitely got frustrated at a few times playing the campaign, fwiw.

But yeah, sounds like you should let that one sit for a week or so.
Click to expand...
Wowfunhappy said:
It's odd, I generally SUCK at aiming, but I didn't have any problems with SuperHot. I agree with Jtwo, it might be worth practicing in some other games, like Space Pirate Trainer, and coming back to SuperHot later.
Click to expand...
Good calls, was planning to pick up SPT this week despite my shooter inadequacies.

Jtwo said:
VR is weird in that it requires so much of you you can't play it while you're tired/unfocused.
Click to expand...
This x1000. I had no idea VR takes so much out of you. But on the plus side I've started exercising again so I can "hold up" longer. VR, why do you make it so hard to love you?

Wowfunhappy said:
With regard to the bolded, if you're referring to the radio, everyone hears that, it's not specific to play time. I'm relatively sure this game doesn't have any "please take a break" messages (and I don't remember it being played via the radio either, but I can't think what else you're referring too...)
Click to expand...
It was 100% a "please take a break" message like Nintendo likes to do. Just because they dress it up with a radio mechanic doesn't change the intention, though you could argue it's more appropriate for VR than it ever was for the Wii.
 
R

Raticus79

Seek victory, not fairness
My Steam sale take for VR stuff:
Serious Sam bundle
Superhot VR (I already had Superhot so I could get it for cheaper by upgrading to the bundle - 36% off instead of 20%)
Raw Data
Holopoint
Sairento

Apparently I have an unfulfilled need to shoot/slice.
 
V

Veritigo_X

Member
Not much for me this sale. I guess I haven't been keeping up with Valve's latest sale model but it's a huge bummer there aren't new sales every day.

I just got OVRDrop (for Elite) and Pavlov.

Samaritan said:
Just got my Deluxe Audio Strap. What's the general consensus on the best way to wash off all the black gunk on the strap?
Click to expand...

Make sure it's actually a problem for you first. I can force the black stuff to come off but I really have to vigorously rub the cushion with a wet finger. I don't sweat that much and my apartment is always cooled so I haven't bothered washing it off. I just don't see a real world scenario where that stuff would come off.

If you need to wash it off, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2U6tdeDs34
 
S

Sleeping Lesson

Member
I think I'll pick up OVRdrop as well. Apparently the guy is in the process of rebuilding it from the ground-up, so expect a big update eventually that basically will replace the entire application.
 
W

Wowfunhappy

Member
Moondrop said:
It was 100% a "please take a break" message like Nintendo likes to do. Just because they dress it up with a radio mechanic doesn't change the intention, though you could argue it's more appropriate for VR than it ever was for the Wii.
Click to expand...

I've played through the game several times. The radio appears after the exact same level and nowhere else, regardless of how long you were playing beforehand. Unless the developers intended for everyone to take a break after the exact same level and no where else, regardless of the actual duration of their play session, your interpretation was not the developers's intention.

I also don't explicitly remember the radio telling me to take a break—I listened to it for a while, and it was some kind of interview with a game developer on a range of subjects. Unless you're experiencing something else that I've never seen before.
 
T

TharpDaddy

Member
Sleeping Lesson said:
I think I'll pick up OVRdrop as well. Apparently the guy is in the process of rebuilding it from the ground-up, so expect a big update eventually that basically will replace the entire application.
Click to expand...

It's super worth it even in its current state. It seems like functionality that should be built into Steam VR at some point, I can't go back to not having the options it opens up.
 
M

Moondrop

Banned
Wowfunhappy said:
I've played through the game several times. The radio appears after the exact same level and nowhere else, regardless of how long you were playing beforehand. Unless the developers intended for everyone to take a break after the exact same level and no where else, regardless of the actual duration of their play session, your interpretation was not the developers's intention.
Click to expand...
If the radio appears only there and nowhere else, then you're essentially confirming to me that it's the developers' intention to recommend that players take a break at that specific time.

Wowfunhappy said:
I also don't explicitly remember the radio telling me to take a break—I listened to it for a while, and it was some kind of interview with a game developer on a range of subjects. Unless you're experiencing something else that I've never seen before.
Click to expand...
The radio message is presented as an interview to give it a layer of abstraction so it doesn't come off as condescending like when Nintendo does it. My use of the word "shoe-horned" was too harsh; to be fair using environmental cues is the more elegant solution of giving players hints. But I have no doubt over the content of the message; the guy was talking about how even if you're enjoying a game, it's important to take breaks and you come back even better. Perhaps you weren't as exhausted as I was and it didn't speak to you in the same way, which would be truly masterful game design.
 
E

electroflame

Member
Owlowiscious said:
I have zero VR escape rooms. hard to search steam for any. you know any other escape rooms?
Click to expand...
Abode is really, really good. It's a kind of noir-ish detective escape the room. The puzzle aren't ever too difficult (i.e. you can always figure them out with a bit of thought) and the overall vibe is really cool. It's not fit-to-room, you teleport around, but don't let that hold you back.

Durante said:
I can tell you not to buy The Cabin: VR Escape the Room.
It's slightly more elaborate graphically, but (at least when I tried it) it's incredibly unpolished and buggy.
Click to expand...

I haven't played this personally, but I watched someone play it here. It looked terrible. Thankfully I got it in a bundle, otherwise it'd be getting a refund for sure. The grabbing didn't seem to work that well, and physics objects seemed to randomly "activate" and get sent across the room. I prefer teleporting over small rooms fit to your playspace, so that kind of turned me off, too.
 
S

SimplexPL

Member
I already spent too much on VR (recently including Deluxe Audio Strap and Doom VFR preorder at GMG) so I only bought the cheapest VR games during summer sale:

Welcome Home Love - 3,99 EUR
Please, Don't Touch Anything 3D - 4,39 GBP
Elven Assassin - 3,49 GBP
Dexed - 3,49 GBP
Counter fight - 3,91 GBP
Downward Spiral - 0,99 EUR (mixed reviews, 90% discount - I guess we won't see subsequent episodes)
POLLEN - 2,19 GBP (mixed reviews, 80% discount - art style looks nice so I'll give it a chance for 2 quid)

I am considering Introversion's Scanner Sombre, but the reviews are a bit middling (7/10):
http://store.steampowered.com/app/475190/Scanner_Sombre/
Anyone played it?

Owlowiscious said:
I have zero VR escape rooms. hard to search steam for any. you know any other escape rooms?
Click to expand...

I did not play it, but saw it recommended somewhere:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/538340/
 
J

jwc13ac

Member
Dreams-Visions said:
I feel like I've been asking or days now brehs.

Serious Sam full pack = worth or should i just get the first part?
Click to expand...

So I'm new to the serious sam series and so far I LOVE it, I went with second chapter.

That said, not sure if I'd want a whole other game. It doesn't seem too story heavy and I think I'll get my fill from this.

From what I can tell though, final chapter is built from ground up for VR, so that could be totally different. It's in early access so I was gonna wait on it.
 
L

low-G

Member
Dreams-Visions said:
I feel like I've been asking or days now brehs.

Serious Sam full pack = worth or should i just get the first part?
Click to expand...

Hard to say, but I bought First & Second Encounters discretely and they're totally worth it to me. I bought multiple versions of Serious Sam Second Encounter over the years, too (original on disk, HD version, etc).

I think The Last Hope is garbage though. Not a good wave shooter.
 
D

Durante

Member
electroflame said:
Abode is really, really good. It's a kind of noir-ish detective escape the room. The puzzle aren't ever too difficult (i.e. you can always figure them out with a bit of thought) and the overall vibe is really cool. It's not fit-to-room, you teleport around, but don't let that hold you back.
Click to expand...
Interesting, I'll need to check that out.

electroflame said:
I haven't played this personally, but I watched someone play it here. It looked terrible. Thankfully I got it in a bundle, otherwise it'd be getting a refund for sure. The grabbing didn't seem to work that well, and physics objects seemed to randomly "activate" and get sent across the room. I prefer teleporting over small rooms fit to your playspace, so that kind of turned me off, too.
Click to expand...
It has the dubious honor of being the only game I ever refunded on Steam.
 
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