Sci-fi Shooter/Smasher "Harpagun" Slams onto PS VR2 & Meta Quest VR Platforms on April 10
What is it? What's the formula, the secret ingredient to make a VR game bring pure excitement and adrenaline to the players? How can we make them smile and go "wow" after they take off the headset? For us devs at Something Random working on Harpagun, it all comes down to a few simple elements. Let's take it from the top.
Movement that matters: Speed, control, and immersion
Action games are all about movement. An issue mostly already solved in flat screen games but still problematic in VR. Some forms of locomotion allow for precision but are pretty slow and unresponsive. Others let you zoom around the locations, but can be uncomfortable. Those that are, are limiting or take you out of the illusion of "being there." In Harpagun we needed a system with a clear set of goals: comfort, simplicity, responsiveness, speed and immersion. In a proper arcade game players have to be able to react in a blink of an eye, immediately focus on what's the most important, change their position to avoid danger or get a better shot at an enemy. We managed to achieve that with our "pylon and anchor" system. Players move between sets of points with their eyes anchored to points of interest such as a path forward or center of the combat area. The movement is smooth but fast enough to be comfortable while allowing for total control of the battlefield.
Movement that matters: Speed, control, and immersion
Action games are all about movement. An issue mostly already solved in flat screen games but still problematic in VR. Some forms of locomotion allow for precision but are pretty slow and unresponsive. Others let you zoom around the locations, but can be uncomfortable. Those that are, are limiting or take you out of the illusion of "being there." In Harpagun we needed a system with a clear set of goals: comfort, simplicity, responsiveness, speed and immersion. In a proper arcade game players have to be able to react in a blink of an eye, immediately focus on what's the most important, change their position to avoid danger or get a better shot at an enemy. We managed to achieve that with our "pylon and anchor" system. Players move between sets of points with their eyes anchored to points of interest such as a path forward or center of the combat area. The movement is smooth but fast enough to be comfortable while allowing for total control of the battlefield.