Hi Mudspike! I’m a solo gamedev working on a game called OVRLRD. As far as I can figure it’s a virtual reality study sim where you play as a mech pilot (think Mechwarrior, Chromehounds or Battletech). It plays a lot like VTOL VR, only you’re in a very slow plane, and also the plane has legs and it can’t fly.
All you need to play is a VR headset and tracked controllers, and a PC to play it on - all of the joysticks, switches, throttles and buttons are manipulated with touch controls. Here’s a video that gives a sense of what it’s like to play:
I’m aiming to release on Steam in Early Access this year, but I’m in dire need of playtesters with pre-existing interest in simulators and VR. I came across Mudspike while searching for VTOL VR communities and it seems like you all might fit the bill! If you’re interested in playtesting, please join the OVRLRD discord using this link:
and post a message saying you’d like to test. I’ll add you to the playtesters channel and you’ll get access to the download.
If you’re not interested in playtesting but would like to know when it’s actually out, you can wishlist the game on Steam:
If neither of those are your bag, I’m still interested in your thoughts on non-flight-themed ‘study sims’. What makes a game a simulator, in your view? How do you add depth to a simulator when you haven’t got the complexities of flight, take-off, landings and ATC communication to contend with? Is there anything you’d expect from a game like this? Any feedback, thoughts or comments will be much appreciated!
@nigeynige. Welcome! I think you came to a good place for help. Mech games have never been my thing (although I will admit that Titanfall was a thrill.) This site’s founder, @BeachAV8R, was a very early promoter of VTOLVR. When I finally joined the VR bandwagon, I too quickly became a fan of that sim. It was something of a sugar-high though. VTOLVR is such a high accomplishment. And yet for a player like me who isn’t so interested in mission making and general sand boxing, the appeal quickly wanes. I bought the helicopter add-on, found it brilliant, played it for two hours, and haven’t touched VTOL since. More recently, someone here recommended (I forget the name…”Space Freighter…Loader”, something like that) “Space Hauler” maybe(? Away from my PC). Same experience. Great, funny, slick. But once I mastered the mechanics, there was no more game really. In the case of that game, content is coming. And in the case of VTOL*, there are loads of community missions, campaigns and mods available. But I am too lazy to sort the good from the bad. This is all to say that I might be in the wrong hobby . But maybe there are others like me who need a game as much as they need a sim. For me, and again I really do hope that I am the rarest of players, early access SIM with promises of a GAME later is no longer an option. So that’s my note, rudely offered before even giving your game a try. But I WILL try! I am fascinated with VR control mechanics. So anytime there’s an opportunity to see it done in another genre, I’m game (so to speak).
*To be fair to the brilliant VTOLVR, a good, short campaign was included. I just wish the helicopter add on had come with more content.
I think that’s very astute! You can have all the deep mechanics in the world but if there isn’t much of a game to hang them on then you’ve just made a tech demo. I’ve been finding myself struggling to divide my time between building out the mechanics and designing new content, since it’s hard to build variety in content without the systems to support it, but I think you’re right that a strong campaign has to be a priority. This is part of why I’m making it single-player first and foremost, and incorporating voice acting, briefings, and a story as I go, but there’s still a lot of work to do in that area.
I’d like to have something halfway between Operation Flashpoint and Ace Combat in terms of the structure of the campaign. I’d be really interested to hear your thoughts on what little campaign there is so far! I’d also love to have a proper mission editor in there like VTOL VR, just to give people something to chew on until the campaign is properly done.
@Johnny hell yeah mechwarrior 2! I’ve only played bits of it and a good chunk of Mechwarrior 4 - my proper introduction to mech games wasn’t until MechAssault 2 on the Xbox and Chromehounds on the 360 - so a bit less tactical and a bit more shooty bang bang.
I will try to look at the sims from slightly different perspective.
lets say that sim has no content apart from some sandboxing. what could make it attractive from replayability point of view? it could be persistence.
iirc Heatblur mentioned it in some of the latest updates for F4 Phantom. while it is not common feature in combat sims, and there is nothing similar yet in DCS (or other combat sim) as far as I know, it is quite popular feature in civil sims.
this persistence of the state of the simulated machine could be the trick to make the players come back and take care of the machine. plus if it can be tailored with some simple economy management, like earning virtual credits and spending it on the maintenance, that cloud turn out even more attractive.
@nevo. That’s excellent! Now that I think of it, how fun it would be to walk around (or climb around the mech) making small repairs. The mech could tell me what I need to do. Too much though, it would be a grind. But just enough and it would be a game within the game.
(Sorry @nigeynige, you probably didn’t come here looking for 5 extra years of coding work )
. But maybe there are others like me who need a game as much as they need a sim. For me, and again I really do hope that I am the rarest of players, early access SIM with promises of a GAME later is no longer an option. So that’s my note, rudely offered before even giving your game a try. But I WILL try! I am fascinated with VR control mechanics. So anytime there’s an opportunity to see it done in another genre, I’m game (so to speak).
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