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[Grand Theft Scratchy]

Yesterday, YouTube channel Adam Savage's Tested shared an extensive breakdown of Valve's Half-Life: Alyx, going hands-on to compare the still-in-development game across a variety of VR devices. And, now, the internet has eked out the gameplay from that original 30-minute video and squashed it down into an easily digestible 11 minutes of juicy stuff.

Tested's off-screen footage, taken from around three hours of play-through, steers clear of plot details and certain advanced mechanics for obvious spoiler reasons, but it does give a solid look at some of the motion-control-based interactions that players will be able to deploy over the course of Alyx's reported 15-hour run-time.

The newly released 11-minute edit (created by YouTuber zck2020) features Half-Life favourites like shambling headcrab zombies and ceiling-dwelling barnacles. On the VR front, though, teleportation and full locomotion movement are showcased, as are a range of natural motion-based interactions, including aiming, reloading, grenade-tossing, door-opening, and more.

Players can, handily, summon objects into their outstretched palms from a distance for more creative kills, and at one point we see an explosive canister being snatched up, tossed freely toward a barnacle's dangling appendage, and then detonated as it's hoisted into the air.

Other eye-catching (and slightly icky) physics-based interactions include moments where the player grabs a box and smashes it against the ground to access an item inside, manhandles a headcrab corpse limb-by-limb, and places several items in a crate before shifting it around.

It's not the sharpest footage, what with being off-screen and all (off-very-small-screen, in some cases), but it's a fascinating look at Valve's next big VR gamble all the same, and gives a solid idea of what the company is striving for in terms of core environmental interaction - even if some of Alyx's more notable mechanics are seemingly still to be revealed.

Half-Life: Alyx will be playable across a range of PC VR devices when it launches in March next year, including the Valve Index, Vive, and Oculus Rift. And if you'd like to see more exuberant physics-based interactions in VR, why not check out Eurogamer's Ian Higton having the time of his life in developer Stress Level Zero's recent Boneworks?

New off-screen Half-Life: Alyx footage gives a closer look at the VR experience

Yesterday, YouTube channel Adam Savage's Tested shared an extensive breakdown of Valve's Half-Life: Alyx, going hands-o…

www.eurogamer.net

 

[IbizaPocholo]

 

[Grinchy]

Man, I really wanna watch this, but I may already be at the "don't show me anymore, I'm already sold" point.

 

[Kev Kev]

Man, I really wanna watch this, but I may already be at the "don't show me anymore, I'm already sold" point.

Same here. Still gave it a few minutes though and I can say... yeah don’t watch it.

But not just bc of spoilers or wanting it to be fresh, but also because watching someone else play VR makes it look janky af. I’ve never played VR but I imagine it looks and feels better when you actually have the set on your head as opposed to watching video feed of the set on someone else’s head.

 

[Grinchy]

Same here. Still gave it a few minutes though and I can say... yeah don’t watch it.

But not just bc of spoilers or wanting it to be fresh, but also because watching someone else play VR makes it look janky af. I’ve never played VR but I imagine it looks and feels better when you actually have the set on your head as opposed to watching video feed of the set on someone else’s head.

omg if you've never played VR before and you plan to make this your first VR experience, have some tissues nearby to wipe away the tears of joy (and any other body fluids)

That's a first experience I'd be jealous as hell of. Though, Job Simulator and Resident Evil 7 aren't too far behind

 

[Kev Kev]

omg if you've never played VR before and you plan to make this your first VR experience, have some tissues nearby to wipe away the tears of joy (and any other body fluids)

That's a first experience I'd be jealous as hell of. Though, Job Simulator and Resident Evil 7 aren't too far behind

Yeah I can’t wait. No idea how I’m going to afford it, and realistically I might not be able to for a while, but I’m gonna make this my first VR game. Too perfect of an opportunity with HL finally returning and everything.

 

[Solomeena]

I am so fucking pumped for HL:A. I am currently building out a new gaming pc for this game specifically and Cyberpunk 2077, so fucking hyped.

 

[sol_bad]

This is the main game I played in VR. So fucking scary, I was a sweaty mess after about 30 minutes play time. Played it at a friends house, mates and their wives watched me play and couldn't stop laughing because I was shitting bricks.

Watching the game on youtube, anyone that hasn't played VR, very hard to comprehend how something so simple looking can be so scary. Being in that world, in VR, fuck me.

 

[Moses85]

Day Fxxxx One! Same like 2004 when I bought a PC only to enjoy HL2

 

[Elektro Demon]

I'll wait for a mod that removes the necessity for VR equipment.

 

[existensmaximum]

This is the main game I played in VR. So fucking scary, I was a sweaty mess after about 30 minutes play time. Played it at a friends house, mates and their wives watched me play and couldn't stop laughing because I was shitting bricks.

Watching the game on youtube, anyone that hasn't played VR, very hard to comprehend how something so simple looking can be so scary. Being in that world, in VR, fuck me.

I totally agree. This was the first game I tried in VR.. I thought to myself "how scary could it be?"

Well, first it wasn't too bad. But after a while, fuck.. I've never been so scared in my life. Like, primal fear, bone-chilling, horrible in every way. All my instincts were just screaming to me that I had to get out. Like being trapped in a nightmare, but awake.

 

[pr0cs]

I'll wait for a mod that removes the necessity for VR equipment.

RIP

 

[CyberPanda]

The trailer looked more exciting.

 

[Grinchy]

I'll wait for a mod that removes the necessity for VR equipment.

Only a complete lack of understanding of what this game is and what VR is could facilitate this post. Two birds with one stone!

 

[rofif]

Looks like a standard vr game with gun aiming. Also - seems perfectly fine with Rift S, so I can wait for it to go on discount and rebuy it (I sold it earlier this year because of NO GAMES and bugs in software)
Only robo recall had combat energetic enough to be warranted in vr.
The combat here looks dumbed down from what can be achieved from 2d game. Hl2 had way faster action. Here, the speed of action is limited by physical ability of the player.
But if it's slower experience with detailed world, story and realistic physical interactions - why not... But I will always be sad that we cannot experience this in traditional format with 4k resolution.

 

[Elektro Demon]

Looks like a standard vr game with gun aiming. Also - seems perfectly fine with Rift S, so I can wait for it to go on discount and rebuy it (I sold it earlier this year because of NO GAMES and bugs in software)
Only robo recall had combat energetic enough to be warranted in vr.
The combat here looks dumbed down from what can be achieved from 2d game. Hl2 had way faster action. Here, the speed of action is limited by physical ability of the player.
But if it's slower experience with detailed world, story and realistic physical interactions - why not... But I will always be sad that we cannot experience this in traditional format with 4k resolution.

There's probably gonna be a mod within a year that allows you to play it like god intended, with a kb/m and monitor.

 

[gifgaf]

There's probably gonna be a mod within a year that allows you to play it like god intended, with a kb/ and monitor.

Prepare to be dissapointed.

 

[Wonko_C]

If there's ever a mod to play it in non-VR it's gonna be "fun" trying to scavenge for ammo (and who knows what else) without being able to freely use your hands...

 

[Griffon]

Teleportation locomotion... hype -100.

PS: it means that even if normal locomotion is available, the game design will have to awkwardly adapt to people using shitty teleportation.

 

[Alexios]

So, it's not actually new off-screen Half-Life: Alyx footage, just a guy editing another previously discussed video to zoom in different parts of it with some shitty music overlaid, as if you can't focus your eyes there when watching the original yourself? What the hell eurogamer/neogafer clickbait?

Teleportation locomotion... hype -100.

PS: it means that even if normal locomotion is available, the game design will have to awkwardly adapt to people using shitty teleportation.

Even if? What? Having various different locomotion methods supported was announced alongside the game and was made a talking point too so how's it news to you if you care about it enough to get dehyped over it? And there's free locomotion in the Tested footage at 7m38s and various points past that, plus they confirmed it works great on reddit. I don't see how teleportation affects free locomotion users other than potentially make the game easier for those who opt to use teleportation (depending on how it works and how AI reacts). And that's fine, they potentially need the aid if they can't handle free locomotion in VR. I like free locomotion but there's often next to no reason to stop users who can't handle it from playing, at least if it's not a PVP environment as obviously if only your enemies teleported and you chose to use free locomotion you'd get pissed, the devs have to choose one or the other or limit the playlists to one or the other if they want to accommodate both. But it all has nothing to do with a single player Half-Life adventure. Just consider it a small cheat for people who need it. It's not like they'll allow people to teleport to the other side of the map and make environmental navigation/puzzles useless adapting the whole game around the lack of such challenges, they'll obviously limit it to things you can actually reach and do with free locomotion so if anything it's teleportation that will be gimped compared to what it could do (like in the Budget Cuts games or to a lesser extent In Death for example where teleportation is in-setting and designed around and you can launch yourself over large gaps and distances or through small holes you need to but otherwise couldn't overcome) to accommodate the free locomotion based game design.

 

[Racer!]

There's probably gonna be a mod within a year that allows you to play it like god intended, with a kb/ and monitor.

Thats not how god intended, its a bug in the matrix.

 

[Romulus]

Looks like a standard vr game with gun aiming. Also - seems perfectly fine with Rift S, so I can wait for it to go on discount and rebuy it (I sold it earlier this year because of NO GAMES and bugs in software)
Only robo recall had combat energetic enough to be warranted in vr.
The combat here looks dumbed down from what can be achieved from 2d game. Hl2 had way faster action. Here, the speed of action is limited by physical ability of the player.
But if it's slower experience with detailed world, story and realistic physical interactions - why not... But I will always be sad that we cannot experience this in traditional format with 4k resolution.

I disagree with every point here. No need to argue them, just a polar opposite of opinion.

 

[rofif]

I disagree with every point here. No need to argue them, just a polar opposite of opinion.

I mean sure. I am just speaking from experience since I've finished every major vr game on every oculus headset These are amazing toys and physics sandboxes but when it comes to action and stuff, 2d games are just better. But who knows - Robo Recall did good so HL MUST do better if I had to be a little bit positive I just kinda grew to hate vr so my opinion on this stuff is jaded by nature... Everyone who owned few vr headsets will probably see where I am coming from.

 

[Romulus]

Chandana Ekanayake (@Ekanaut) Tweeted:
I spent the week playing Half-Life: Alyx at @valvesoftware in 4 to 5 hour daily sessions on an Index. It’s amazing! Gameplay, visuals, pacing, story are all fantastic. Much bigger VR game than I thought it was going to be with so many great moments. It’s a real game y’all! https://t.co/ityqjpWHUD

 

[GermanZepp]

I cant stand watching vr with that teleporting option for movement. In fact i hate it. Im really thrilled to buy psvr2 when it comes out. Never try it vr in my life. I belive i asked this in other thread, any of you guys played VR while high on weed? Want to know how it feels.

 

[Kev Kev]

any of you guys played VR while high on weed?

 

[proandrad]

I cant stand watching vr with that teleporting option for movement. In fact i hate it. Im really thrilled to buy psvr2 when it comes out. Never try it vr in my life. I belive i asked this in other thread, any of you guys played VR while high on weed? Want to know how it feels.

it’s like being on another planet.

 

[Grand Theft Scratchy]

So, it's not actually new off-screen Half-Life: Alyx footage, just a guy editing another previously discussed video to zoom in different parts of it with some shitty music overlaid, as if you can't focus your eyes there when watching the original yourself? What the hell eurogamer/neogafer clickbait?

Clickbait? The original video might have been uploaded to YouTube a day earlier but I didn't see anyone make a thread about it, nor was an older thread updated. And that "shitty music" is from another VR game called Boneworks.




Still, don't know why you need to be rude about this. The footage is still new to a lot of other people including myself.

 

[rofif]

I cant stand watching vr with that teleporting option for movement. In fact i hate it. Im really thrilled to buy psvr2 when it comes out. Never try it vr in my life. I belive i asked this in other thread, any of you guys played VR while high on weed? Want to know how it feels.

I also hate it but as soon as I start moving with the analog stick in vr... I get sick and I have years of vr experience

 

[Romulus]

I'm thinking alot of new VR users will underestimate the potential horror side of VR. Suddenly mild games with monsters can become terrifying in VR. Maybe a good thing for some people.

 

[Romulus]

I also hate it but as soon as I start moving with the analog stick in vr... I get sick and I have years of vr experience

It makes sense now.

 

[Kev Kev]

I'm thinking alot of new VR users will underestimate the potential horror side of VR. Suddenly mild games with monsters can become terrifying in VR. Maybe a good thing for some people.

Fuck yeah dude, I can’t wait for that. I might be looking most forward to the scary games personally. And I live alone so it’ll be extra scary unlock my front door before I start, that way the monsters and homeless guys with shanks can really get at me