General VR Catch-All

Tscott wrote:

Audica was on sale yesterday in the Oculus store, and I was sooooo close to buying it but it's so hard to tell what the gameplay is actually like based on 2d videos of watching someone else play it so I wavered. In the end I wound up getting the Green Day and Panic at the Disco music packs for Beat Saber instead. I imagine I'll wind up getting Audica eventually. Pistol Whip is another rhythm shooter that I've been curious about, too. That one looks like a lot of fun too.

Actually playing both, atm. Pistol Whip is just one pistol, unless you change it in the settings (which I will be doing), because just using one hand all the time isn't that great. As someone newer to VR, I find (even at the easy level), it's really easy to be taken by surprise by where enemies spawn. It's definitely just a shooting gallery with a hot beat, and hip shots are quite effective, as well, I'm just not sold on it yet. I plan to give it another try with dual wielding before utilizing the refund policy.

Audica is much more music-based. I like Beatsaber, and it's easy to say, "this is Beatsaber but with skeet shooting". The track list is good, there is a lot of free DLC, and you can get bangers like "Bad Guy" and "Juice" to play through. While Beatsaber makes me feel cool and gives me full arm workouts, the scoring is different. Instead of your angle of the hit being taken into account in Beatsaber, Audica scores you based on your timing and your accuracy. There are visual cues to help you know where and what type of targets are coming, as well as a default "on" assist that let's you know, visually, if you're actually going to hit the target. It also has built-in calibration settings, so as to help you be less bad.

With Beatsaber, I gave up on the campaign when "disappearing arrows" became a standard. I play mostly solo songs, and enjoy the 90 degree option the most (think of a cone in front of you, and that's where the notes can come from, instead of just the 4 lane note highway). It also supports 360 degree mode, as well as one-handed mode (note: these options are not available for all songs). Sure, the music is good, especially the DLC, but the stock music gets a little repetitive after awhile. "Hundred... hundred... hundred dollar bill.." *shakes head*

Audica, I'm just starting the beginner campaign. I did the tutorial and then played some solo songs to get a feel for the setup. So far, it just feels cooler than either Beatsaber or Pistol Whip has, to me. The former is very good, and I'll still be playing it, but Audica definitely stepped it up for me. Standard level songs are breaking my brain, atm, so I'm going easy, and it just feels cool. I also bought a bunch of DLC out-of-the gate. Quick note: the "15 song season pass" DLC for $19.99 does not give you all the DLC songs, there's still a DLC pack #4 that is an extra $6.49 (if you want it). I just ended up buying a track or two from it (it had "Juice", so don't judge me).

Pistol Whip is an on-rails shooting gallery where you still have to dodge. I'm not liking that as much. There's failure in games because I'm inept (see rhythm games in general), and others where failure is based on me not seeing an enemy shooting at me. Sure, you have health, but it feels very much more like, "learn this level and get better at it" than "play this level and just feel cool, regardless of difficulty". Audica is giving me the latter, and offers the former, as well.

I'll report back in later with more findings.

Pistol Whip is a slightly odd duck....

It doesn't do a good job of really teaching you how it wants you to play. I noticed you made no mention of shooting ON the beat - that's what the game is scoring you on, not accuracy - you either hit or you miss. With that in mind, it kind of transforms the game, from straight up shooting gallery to complex risk/reward decisions: do I take these guys out immediately, or slow down, take them down on the beat for maximum points, but have to deal with dodging all their bullets.

It's also very worth digging into the modifiers - dual wielding really changes the feel of the game, Deadeye removes the aim assist which makes the aiming "realistic" and that's an entirely different game too - expect to be missing a lot of the shots you take.

I've steadily worked my way up the difficulties and am now pretty high up the leaderboards on Hard. There's a lot of meat there to get into, and I encourage you to stick with it a bit to find that juicy center. Once you've playing on Hard, there's a circular ducking rhythm you can get into, duck left, pop pop, duck right, pop pop, stand left, pop, pop, stand right, pop, pop, repeat. That way, you're always moving out of the way of the bullets that will be heading towards you. Helluva squat workout.

As someone who has terrible rhythm, Jonman, that take makes a lot of sense, and probably speaks to why it’s not clicking with me the way Audica is.

Also, I’m not sure I want that out of a game. If my option is spend more hours with it or get a $30 refund, I’m likely going to do the latter.

trueheart78 wrote:

As someone who has terrible rhythm, Jonman, that take makes a lot of sense, and probably speaks to why it’s not clicking with me the way Audica is.

The irony is that once you grok what Pistol Whip is asking of you, it's actually a lot closer to Audica. They're both "shoot a target at the right time" games.

Pistol Whip really blossomed for me when I stopped treating it as a shooting game, and started thinking of it as a rhythm game.

There's a lot of meat there to get into, and I encourage you to stick with it a bit to find that juicy center. Once you've playing on Hard, there's a circular ducking rhythm you can get into, duck left, pop pop, duck right, pop pop, stand left, pop, pop, stand right, pop, pop, repeat. That way, you're always moving out of the way of the bullets that will be heading towards you. Helluva squat workout.

Yup!

For me it ends up being something between a rythmic swaying squat and a Neo style wavy bullet dodge sort of thing. Especially on the later levels at hard difficulty, it's the need dodge in rhythm (rather than the shooting to the beat) that makes it feel more like a music game than a shooting game for me.

Pistol Whip really blossomed for me when I stopped treating it as a shooting game, and started thinking of it as a rhythm game.

As much as I love the original set of eight (I believe?) songs, I think the levels/songs in the second and third sets do a better job of communicating this. I'd almost recommend starting with them (they are in the second and third tabs of songs in the new menu layout) and then coming back to the first eight after getting a better feel for the intended musicality of the gameplay. However, I do worry that maybe they'll be too hard for a new player? It's hard to retroactively say now that I'm used to playing the game on hard though.

EvilDead wrote:
fuzzyslug wrote:
Phades wrote:

I'm using a WiFi 6 router and barely notice any latency at all. I was playing a bit of Blade and Sorcery the other day and can't tell the difference from being cabled. I guess it's just a YMMV situation unfortunately.

I've also noticed that I/O on my PC can make it perform poorly. Carbonite, my online backup service, loves to start when I play Half-life Alyx for some reason. If I don't turn it off, everything performs pretty terribly.

I'm guessing your PC is also on wifi?

No, my is hooked up via ethernet, directly to the router.

LOW-FI VR's Open World RPG Gameplay Is A Cyber Punk Fan's Dream Come True - Ian's VR Corner

zeroKFE wrote:
There's a lot of meat there to get into, and I encourage you to stick with it a bit to find that juicy center. Once you've playing on Hard, there's a circular ducking rhythm you can get into, duck left, pop pop, duck right, pop pop, stand left, pop, pop, stand right, pop, pop, repeat. That way, you're always moving out of the way of the bullets that will be heading towards you. Helluva squat workout.

Yup!

For me it ends up being something between a rythmic swaying squat and a Neo style wavy bullet dodge sort of thing. Especially on the later levels at hard difficulty, it's the need dodge in rhythm (rather than the shooting to the beat) that makes it feel more like a music game than a shooting game for me.

Pistol Whip really blossomed for me when I stopped treating it as a shooting game, and started thinking of it as a rhythm game.

As much as I love the original set of eight (I believe?) songs, I think the levels/songs in the second and third sets do a better job of communicating this. I'd almost recommend starting with them (they are in the second and third tabs of songs in the new menu layout) and then coming back to the first eight after getting a better feel for the intended musicality of the gameplay. However, I do worry that maybe they'll be too hard for a new player? It's hard to retroactively say now that I'm used to playing the game on hard though.

I'm going to be honest, if the general feel is Pistol Whip shines when you are in the more difficult setups, rhythmically, then I'm out. I just don't have that musical acumen, and I'd be lying if I hadn't tried over the years to just get better at it. However, I simply just don't have that desire anymore. My goal is fun and entertainment, and if I get a workout from it, then that's a bonus. I would much prefer something more spelled out for me, to be honest.

trueheart78 wrote:

I'm going to be honest, if the general feel is Pistol Whip shines when you are in the more difficult setups, rhythmically, then I'm out. I just don't have that musical acumen, and I'd be lying if I hadn't tried over the years to just get better at it. However, I simply just don't have that desire anymore. My goal is fun and entertainment, and if I get a workout from it, then that's a bonus. I would much prefer something more spelled out for me, to be honest.

On the one hand, it might not be for you, and that's fine.

On the other, I wouldn't say that it's only good when it's on Hard. Frankly, it's only good when it's challenging, and if that's you playing on Easy, then so be it.

Personally, I split my time between playing on Hard (without modifiers) and Normal with extra spicy modifiers (Deadeye + Dual Wield + Disorder + Revenge), that is, two guns, no aim assist, changes up the order of enemies so I can't rely on knowing the level, and makes every enemy fire a bullet at you when they die. The modifiers are really well thought out ways to offer quite different feeling playstyles.

Upgraded my PC and got Quest 2. Wireless via Virtual Desktop (VD) is working almost flawlessly for me. It's just so awesome playing Alyx wirelessly. If you've got a beefy PC and a 5ghz router it should work well.

I connected my Quest directly to the wifi via the PC, if your PC has that ability, try that.

There's a few tips in the links below to get better performance playing VD:
https://www.reddit.com/r/oculus/comm...

https://new.reddit.com/r/OculusQuest...

It might take some tweaking to get the best wireless performance through VD, but if you can get it working it's SO worth it.

With a Quest2 I can now play multiplayer with my daughter who uses a Quest 1. I've only found 3 games so far that allow for multiplayer with 2 headsets on the same Oculus account.

1. Rec Room
2. Walkabout golf (thanks for the suggestion, it's a blast!)
3. OrbusVR

Any other suggestions for games that allow for multiplayer, but on the same Oculus account?

Also, anyone playing OrbusVR? It looks like it could be a lot of fun with a group, or guild.

I really would like to play LOW-FI and Half-Life Alyx but I just can't bring myself to invest. Mostly because my lowly i3 would be horribly underpowered and I am not willing to buy a new computer and a VR headset.

I really hope that developers embrace the PS VR system because I am buying a PS5 (and have a PS4)

More just complaining since I am watching Keith Ballard play Alyx and it looks incredible.

For those with a Reverb G2, what batteries are you using for the controllers?

I also play multiplayer with my daughter, we really like Cook-Out, highly recommend it!

I’ve played some Orbus VR and enjoyed it although some of the mechanics are a little obtuse.

So, played a bit of VR this weekend but all Quest 2 native stuff. My son tried Bogo and really liked it. He's 5 and it was definitely his speed (plus, it's free).

I played some Population One which is pretty cool. Had some great voice chat experiences that are so rare online. Everyone I played with was very kind and helpful. Definitely check this out if you like Battle Royale games, it's neat. Would be glad to play with some goodjers if anyone else has it.

Last thing I played was Yupitergrad and boy that game is fun. Really solid mechanics (spiderman swinging in a space station), with a fun theme, silly humor, and a really charming aesthetic. Easily worth the $15 or so asking price.

I've had Synth Riders for a week now and I'm having a lot of fun with it. Another rhythm game, but I'm finding it a good alternative when I'm not feeling like breaking blocks in Beat Saber. There's "rhythm" mode where you just need to hit the balls/rails that come at you as accurately as you can, and also a "force" mode where you need to "punch" at them from any direction which gives you more of a workout. By default you're moving through the level (like in Pistol Whip) but you can change it to be stationary if that causes you trouble with motion sickness.

The songs are a good variety of synthwave songs, but they can be a little confusing to sort through in all the various music packs they've released for the game, and some packs seem to be more difficult than others (similar to Beat Saber) so if I'm playing random songs I might get through one very easily on hard difficulty then fail the next in the first 20 seconds which is sometimes annoying.

Still overall I'm having a fun time with this and would recommend.

Tscott wrote:

I've had Synth Riders for a week now and I'm having a lot of fun with it. Another rhythm game, but I'm finding it a good alternative when I'm not feeling like breaking blocks in Beat Saber. There's "rhythm" mode where you just need to hit the balls/rails that come at you as accurately as you can, and also a "force" mode where you need to "punch" at them from any direction which gives you more of a workout. By default you're moving through the level (like in Pistol Whip) but you can change it to be stationary if that causes you trouble with motion sickness.

The songs are a good variety of synthwave songs, but they can be a little confusing to sort through in all the various music packs they've released for the game, and some packs seem to be more difficult than others (similar to Beat Saber) so if I'm playing random songs I might get through one very easily on hard difficulty then fail the next in the first 20 seconds which is sometimes annoying.

Still overall I'm having a fun time with this and would recommend.

Audio Trip and Dance Collider are very similar options too. They're different enough to have a different "feel", but all three are essentially the same game.

Holy cow is Moss so cool to experience! The gameplay...well not that great but I don't care because it is so gorgeous. I'm having a great time just getting the little mouser from one environment to the next. It feels so great to be amazed and excited by games again. I mean, there are lots of games I've enjoyed over recent years, but VR has taken my breath away and gets me giddy.

My dad and I both picked up Drunkn Bar Fight for Quest. It's $12 right now. I'm sure it's not a game everyone would enjoy but just doing dumb stuff in multiplayer is loads of fun.

Propagandalf wrote:

Upgraded my PC and got Quest 2. Wireless via Virtual Desktop (VD) is working almost flawlessly for me. It's just so awesome playing Alyx wirelessly. If you've got a beefy PC and a 5ghz router it should work well.

I connected my Quest directly to the wifi via the PC, if your PC has that ability, try that.

And you don't need to sideload the patch any more--that functionality is now part of the version in the Oculus Store (which you had to buy anyway).

robc wrote:

Holy cow is Moss so cool to experience! The gameplay...well not that great but I don't care because it is so gorgeous. I'm having a great time just getting the little mouser from one environment to the next. It feels so great to be amazed and excited by games again. I mean, there are lots of games I've enjoyed over recent years, but VR has taken my breath away and gets me giddy.

Just picked this up on sale on the Quest 2 ($19.99, 35% off. Normally $29.99). Looking forward to this.

Moss is amazing, yes.

I've been enjoying Synth Riders a lot so today I sprung for the 3 DLC music packs, each one comes with a new level environment to play in. Synthwave Essentials 2 comes with two Muse songs- one of which is called the Algorithm (Alternate Reality Version), and there's a special stage designed for this one song (also called the Algorithm) and I must say this is a MUST HAVE EXPERIENCE in VR. I was getting chills it was so cool. (watching youtube videos of it does not do it justice)

Also, I'll pile on with the Moss love. I've spent a few sessions in Moss so far, and it's very enjoyable.

I thought my son would love Moss and showed it to him. He was like, "I thought I was going to play from the perspective of the mouse." and he wasn't interested. I just shook my head. I still think Moss is beautiful and worth playing.

At least he liked Superhot VR. I struggled with In Death Unchained and slowly got a little better. Sometimes there are a lot of enemies and I panic a little.

He has a point though, playing from the perspective of a mouse would be interesting. I bet there are some games out there like that.

Welp I ordered an Oculus Quest 2, my first VR headset, and it'll be here next week. Really excited!

...giving us an excuse to drag you kicking and screaming back into Squadrons

Agathos wrote:

...giving us an excuse to drag you kicking and screaming back into Squadrons :)

Oh I'll try it. I'm still expecting the game itself to be sh*t, just like Elite, but it'll LOOK great.

Another VR newbie here who just got a Oculus Quest 2 a few days ago. My only experience with VR beforehand was trying a demo of Farpoint on PSVR at a con years ago and it gave me a bit of vertigo so I was a bit reluctant to invest in a headset. Then Half Life Alyx coming out and Oculus Quest 2's attractive price point finally convinced me to take the plunge.

So I started with the free experiences that people recommend which include First Steps, First Contact and Elixir. The latter was giving me difficulties since I couldn't easily get the hand tracking to work when I wanted to teleport around the room but it was pretty smooth sailing otherwise. I don't think I quite have the space for the recommended roomscale so I might just switch to the stationary option.

I also got the official link cable/usb c-usb a adapter so I could try out PCVR and then played some Tetris Effect Connected on Xbox Game Pass. I'm not much of a Tetris person but this game is so zen. The visuals are distracting at times so much so that I forget what I'm doing.

Today my PC wouldn't recognize my headset when I plugged it in which was annoying. I got it to work with some fiddling but then it dropped the connection at one point. Got it back and was able to play more but I'm not sure what was going on there.

Lastily, I got Beat Saber which is awesome. That is all.

Veloxi wrote:

Welp I ordered an Oculus Quest 2, my first VR headset, and it'll be here next week. Really excited!

I know you're over it, but boot up Elite for five minutes. You don't even have to leave the menu screen. Just to finally appreciate the size of the ships.

tanstaafl wrote:
Veloxi wrote:

Welp I ordered an Oculus Quest 2, my first VR headset, and it'll be here next week. Really excited!

I know you're over it, but boot up Elite for five minutes. You don't even have to leave the menu screen. Just to finally appreciate the size of the ships.

Oh I plan to load up Elite and fly around a spell.