Half-Life: Alyx

[GongPanther]

Half-Life: Alyx is an upcoming virtual reality (VR) first-person shooter developed and published by Valve. It is the first game in the Half-Life series since Half-Life 2: Episode Two (2007), and takes place before Half-Life 2. Players control Alyx Vance as she and her father Eli fight the occupying alien Combine. It is scheduled for release on Windows in March 2020.

Described by Valve as its "flagship" VR game, Half-Life: Alyx was developed using the Source 2 engine and supports all PC-compatible VR headsets. Players use VR to interact with the environment and fight enemies, using "gravity gloves" to manipulate objects, similarly to the gravity gun from Half-Life 2. Traditional Half-Life elements such as exploration, puzzles, combat, and story return.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half-Life:_Alyx

Trailer:

 

[Matua]

Shit, those dropping things used to freak me out on the computer, they'll likely give me a heart attack on VR.

 

[GongPanther]

Shit, those dropping things used to freak me out on the computer, they'll likely give me a heart attack on VR.

Thing is, you have to purchase a Steam VR kit that will cost around $1,000. Stupid point about it is that the exclusive Vive headset for this game is not available in Oz.

Because of the widespread backlash, Valve will do well to release a 3rd person version before any longtime customer grudge sets in.

 

[bileduct]

Picked up a Valve Index during the week and it came with a free copy of Half Life: Alyx.

What a f**king INCREDIBLE experience. Remember how good seeing Avatar in 3D was for the first time? This is like that, only 100x better and fully interactive.

The Knuckles controllers are AMAZING. You can use your hands and manipulate objects just like you would in real life and the game is specifically based around that. You grab handles and open doors. You slide an ammo clip into the gun and pull the slider. The "gravity gloves" you get in the game and the objects you can hold in your hands look photo realistic and the tools you get actually have to be used properly instead of "press F to fix shit." You aim the gun and look down the sights just like you would in real life.

Moving long distances is obviously unrealistic and involves short teleportation or the whole environment moving like when you press forward in a FPS/RPG, but a lot of the play area is confined spaces connected to one another. My play area is about 3m x 2m which is about the same size as a lot of the areas I find myself in, so I can physically walk around that entire area and interact with things without relying on virtual movement.

I really, really hope that more publishers take an interest in developing games like this. A few other games I've played (Star Wars Squadrons, Project CARS, etc.) are certainly more interesting in VR, but the Knuckles controllers and full movement adds a whole new level of realism and HL:A is designed to take full advantage of that.

This is the future of gaming.

 

[bileduct]

Shit, those dropping things used to freak me out on the computer, they'll likely give me a heart attack on VR.

The game makes the first two of these f**kers you come across really obvious.

The third one got me though, but I think that would have been better if I hadn't known they were around.

 

[bileduct]

Thing is, you have to purchase a Steam VR kit that will cost around $1,000. Stupid point about it is that the exclusive Vive headset for this game is not available in Oz.

Because of the widespread backlash, Valve will do well to release a 3rd person version before any longtime customer grudge sets in.

It's the Valve Index, and it's finally available now, although exclusively through EB Games. And it's $1900 for the entire kit including the headset, two base stations and two Knuckles controllers.

Best money I've spent on any gaming related shit in the last 30 years.

I can't see why they would ever make a non-VR version of this game. This game revels in showing you what a mouse and keyboard can't do.

 

[bileduct]

I'm a few chapters in and just picked up the shotgun and the flashlight. Hoooollllllyyy f**k. There are areas that are completely dark and you can only see what you've illuminated with the flashlight. But it's a glove attachment on your left hand and you hold your gun in your right hand, so unless you grip your gun with both hands it's not aimed in the same direction you are pointing the gun. Can be really disconcerting and for the first time in the game actually caused me a bit of nausea, but the two handed grip works great.

To reload the shotgun you have to open the chamber to eject the shells (button on the controller), grab new ammo from backpack (hand motion), load the shells (hand motion), close the chamber (hand motion) and then pull the slider (hand motion). Try doing all that shit with a headcrab zombie dude shambling at you (which was scary as f**k the first time), or six of the merkins. I've died a few times just panicking trying to go through the movements to reload. This is the only part of the game where immersion is broken because if you retreat to safety to reload you pretty much have to use virtual movement to get away.

Got a holo sight upgrade on the pistol. Looking down it is incredible, looks just like looking down a real one.

 

[GongPanther]

It's the Valve Index, and it's finally available now, although exclusively through EB Games. And it's $1900 for the entire kit including the headset, two base stations and two Knuckles controllers.

Best money I've spent on any gaming related shit in the last 30 years.

I can't see why they would ever make a non-VR version of this game. This game revels in showing you what a mouse and keyboard can't do.

Thanks for that info. My physicality and lack of space limits me to a keyboard. It'll be a matter of time, I assume, when someone gets the go ahead from Valve to port it to PC, the floodgates will open for other VR titles. Only have to look at the old DoS game from years ago, and are now playable on the PC.