cleveridea
Member
Release
Platform
PlayStation VR (PS4)
Oculus Rift (PC)
HTC Vive (SteamVR)
Non-VR Version Available (PS4 & PC)
Pricing
The VR version on PC will cost $29.99 in the U.S., €24.99 in Europe and £19.99 in the U.K., and nDreams will also offer a non-VR version on Steam for $19.99 in the U.S., €19.99 in Europe and £14.99 in the U.K.
Release Date
19th July 2016 (PC), Coming Soon (PS4)
Digital Availability
08:00 PDT / 11:00 EDT / 16:00 BST / 17:00 CEST on Steam, Oculus Home, Green Man Gaming, Humble Bundle and GamersGate.
Company Propaganda
Overview
A mysterious organisation known solely as the Assembly has been conducting secret experiments underground, their astonishing breakthroughs only made possible by operating outside government scrutiny and society’s morals. But what is the Assembly hiding? How far will it go to keep its existence buried? And what will it sacrifice in the pursuit of progress? Now, a chain of events threatens to expose this shadowy group. Play as two individuals – each with their own motivations – and discover the mysteries of the Assembly’s facility through contrasting perspectives.
Make tough decisions, overcome trials and shake the foundations of this enigmatic collective. Will your actions and their future repercussions save lives, or lead to catastrophe? The Assembly is a first-person interactive drama for mature audiences, created from the ground up for virtual reality headsets. An experience with two sides to everything, where the truth is never clear, and a question is always left open: When does the end justify the means?
The perfect introduction to VR
The Assembly is a long-form, narrative-driven game designed from the ground up for your VR headset. Freely explore intricate, realistic environments with intuitive, accessible movement controls as virtual reality immerses you within a game and its world like never before.
Where will you draw the line?
Uncover a morally dubious organisation through a gripping and incisive interactive story. Face thought-provoking dilemmas with uncertain outcomes that challenge your views of the Assembly and its members, and which come to a head in one of multiple thrilling conclusions.
There are two sides to everything
Explore the Assembly from the perspective of two different protagonists – newcomer Madeleine Stone and veteran Cal Pearson. As Madeleine, face a bizarre induction programme that seeks to test your potential, and as Cal make a series of shocking revelations that lead you to question the Assembly’s relentless pursuit of progress. Also available to play without a VR headset - Freely switch to the game’s tailored flatscreen mode at any time.
Developer walkthough
Welcome to our guided tour of The Assembly’s gameplay, where nDreams’ Art Manager Martin Field and Senior Designer Jackie Tetley give you an in-depth look at our game’s early chapters, environments and storyline. The Assembly is our first-person interactive story inspired by real-world anxieties, and is our first long-form game designed for VR. The game is coming to Oculus Rift and HTC Vive on July 19th, and PlayStation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGpoPY1ZV2o
Blog
Trailers
Gameplay Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFqeYboCX0s
E3 2015 Two perspectives trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-YHfbeg2WE
2014 Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0XVkP6lXOU
VR Controls
The Assembly also features some experimentation from nDreams on moving around in VR. You can walk through The Assembly with standard analog stick controls, but a perhaps more comfortable option is available as well. By holding the left trigger, you can project an image of yourself to a point in the environment that you're aiming at, and then teleport yourself to that spot. Turning is handled by the right stick in 90-degree increments, which also reduces the chances of developing motion sickness, according to nDreams. We didn't feel ill at all during our half-hour playthrough.
http://www.polygon.com/2016/6/30/12061000/the-assembly-vr-ndreams-preview
FAQ
Are there dogs in crates?
Yes.
How long is The Assembly?
The Assembly is between four and five hours long, depending on the player’s skill level. This is similar to other recent single-player VR games. We’ve aimed at delivering a high-quality experience which is driven by a compelling story, rather than an overly long one.
Is the game episodic?
The game is split into chapters, but it's not episodic - you get the whole game and can choose to binge on it or take breaks between chapters.
Is there a non-VR/flatscreen version of The Assembly? Can I buy the VR version at a later date?
The Assembly has been designed as a VR experience, but we are releasing a VR version and a non-VR version of the game, for those players who don't yet own a headset. The VR version comes as a bundle, with a flatscreen option included. This allows players to switch to a non-VR mode that has been reworked for monitors.
A separate, non-VR version of The Assembly will be released alongside the VR version. This edition of the game will include an option that allows players to upgrade to VR at a discount in order to experience The Assembly as originally intended.
Did you need to do anything in specific to counter motion sickness issues?
Yes! We’ve designed The Assembly’s movement mechanics with the player’s comfort in mind. Along with a set of controls for experienced VR gamers, we’ve also included Blink/Teleportation controls – a system we’ve custom built to enhance player comfort in VR. This deals with minimising the use of the gamepad to move or position the camera – i.e. your viewpoint. By combining short distance, line-of-sight based quasi-teleportation for movement with a snap rotation for turning, we’ve eliminated motion sickness while maintaining the player’s free movement. So, players can choose which control scheme they would prefer to use in the game, and can change at any point throughout the story.
Why doesn’t The Assembly support motion controls?
We want The Assembly to be as inclusive for as many players as possible at launch. We therefore designed The Assembly to be played with a dual analogue gamepad. PC gamers can also use a keyboard if they prefer. We expect VR gamers to be instantly familiar and comfortable with our control scheme, which allows them to freely explore The Assembly’s environments without ever leaving their chair. Nevertheless, we do see the future benefits of using motion controls in VR games over traditional controllers designed for flat-screen gaming.
Does The Assembly include any VR-specific features or functions?
We’ve created The Assembly specifically for VR headsets, so that it’s as immersive as possible. The game’s movement controls have been custom built for VR to allow players to freely explore The Assembly’s virtual environments as easily and as comfortably as a flat-screen first-person game, without inducing simulator sickness. In VR, people love the way objects look like you can almost reach out and touch them, so we’ve included a feature that enables players to take many of the game’s most important objects and inspect them closely. We've also found that VR dramatically increases the impact of heights, darkness and environment detail, which we’ve used to full effect in The Assembly.
Why is there no physical body to player's character?
We’ve found that you don’t need one – you’ll be so engrossed with the world that you don’t even notice.
Is The Assembly a very puzzle-centric game?
There are puzzles in some areas of the game, such as during some of Madeleine’s trials during her induction into The Assembly. However, the game’s main focus is on the story and characters, rather than its puzzles. So don’t worry, you won’t need to play The Assembly with a walkthrough as none of our puzzles are designed to block progress.
Why are there two characters and is there a difference in play style between the two characters?
By having two different characters, players can experience two very different perspectives on the Assembly. Madeleine is shown the Assembly how it wishes to be seen, whereas Cal sees it how it really is. Cal and Madeleine do have distinct play styles. While Madeleine is completing a series of challenging trails, Cal is engaging in exploration and gathering intelligence behind the scenes. Cal is also helped by an AR device that he uses, whereas Madeleine only has her wits. In terms of controls, both Cal and Madeleine are controlled in exactly the same way… although you may notice that Cal is a little bit taller than Madeleine.
Reviews
Pre-OT Thread by Kyonashi
Includes company rep answers to questions, copied into this thread where appropriate.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1245324&highlight=the+assembly
I plan on picking this up as soon as its available, doesnt look like you can preorder it at steam or GMG. I have an oculus rift and this game sounds interesting in concept, but also crucially as teleport to move. I cant play motion heavy games in VR without nausea, hopefully get to try it within 24 hours.