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Battlepaw

Oculus Rift Devlopment- Wurm's VR Future

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I think OR is great for games like shooters, fear/horror games, and stuff like Myst (yes, the old myst puzzle/mystery series), but for something like Wurm? Not a chance would I want OR. Multi screens, watching a movie at the same time, taking notes on paper, and even mapping stuff on paper, are all far too valuable to me with Wurm. 


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I dont think they should be putting dev time into an unproven technology that may or may not make it mainstream.


 


Tower influence is still bugged maybe start there and work their way up.


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What I want to manage with wurm is a way to switch the same interface, or converter between clients using hotkeys.  I have a main myself, and two alts I regularly use myself.  My own three screen setup is immensely valuable to me in wurm.   Working on ways two switch quickly between them will be crucial.   In the end though it does have limitations.  I already manage most actions I can with binds, the serious issue I see with wurm is in the creation process where you have to access multiple drag down menus.   This is something that needs addressed on a programming and interface level within the game.  It is one of the main immersion destroying concepts in the game.    


 


I would see myself using this more when out and about, doing pvp, etc rather than when I"m sitting around grinding etc.   Ironically the Oculus Rift actually seems to work best when you are stationary in most instances, like in driving games, simulators, etc.   What Nerd3 demonstrates in the end of that video I put in the OP is how much it can change the way you watch movies.   What I'm also looking for is a VR desktop that works with all those areas. I've found a couple but nothing with the features that would allow for fast switching between multiple desktops.    It would be nice to be able to hold down a key and glance up at your Wurm Assistant's timers, in another window, then glance back. Currently I think I can manage to incorporate any converter into a VR desktop environment like Deskope.    If you extend the desktops with the Rift, and put the converter on it's section of the VR environment all I have to do is glance away from that section of the VR environment and I can watch movies etc.   


 


The advantages of working in such a setup are obvious with wurm.  Finding the right program with the correct capabilities is going to be the challenge.  I'm optimistic that it's out there.  The VR community is quite impressive, and varied.    


 


 


 




I dont think they should be putting dev time into an unproven technology that may or may not make it mainstream.


 


Tower influence is still bugged maybe start there and work their way up.



 



 


 


 


It's already in the mainstream Suntzu, the only reason you are making such a comment is that you haven't done an ounce of research.  I have, currently there is a race on, not just to make games optimized for Rift, but for many other 3D tools, the Razor Hydra, etc.   I've been working on this kind of thing as a hobby for quite a few years now.  I've been commissioned to do research studies on it, and I've already help test head tracking software that used eye tracking and facial tracking.    This technology is in the wild and it is here to stay, its not a fad or unproven.  There is more than enough evidence that this stuff sells and is very popular.    


 


I don't expect the dev team to help me and I'll be working under the assumption that I'll have to figure this out on my own.    There are already multiple different types of drivers and converters out there, and a myriad of different virtual desktop utilities for the Rift, and other types of VR technology.  Any help from the dev team will be appreciated of course, but atm my focus is doing this on my own and doing research into different solutions that may work.    In the end the best functionality will actually have to be built into the game engine, and I'm doubtful the dev team will consider that until I can prove that I can get it to work competently on a conventional level.    


Edited by Battlepaw

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Big +1 although fighting spiders will probably cause terrible nightmares.

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Big +1 although fighting spiders will probably cause terrible nightmares.

Haha, now this would be interesting..,. Turn around and, Hellllo spidey!!!

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What I want to manage with wurm is a way to switch the same interface, or converter between clients using hotkeys.  I have a main myself, and two alts I regularly use myself.  My own three screen setup is immensely valuable to me in wurm.   Working on ways two switch quickly between them will be crucial.     

 

Could this be solved with a KVM switch?

 

IE, port 3 cables out from your monitor to a KVM, set each client instance to a virtual screen and use the KVM to switch between each monitor output?  You could even virtualize it further with having Windows VMs running on 1 computer.  each VM would run a client, and you could virtually switch between each VM/Client.

 

I believe the only way Wurm could make this happen would be to have an overall Wurm client running that has internal virtual clients... Otherwise, you are talking peripheral hardware or virtual OS.

Edited by Jarosz

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How can you be so certain this platform is the be all end all? You can't. Do you know how many different VR devices have come out that failed miserably? It reminds me of the nintendo power pad, or the power glove.


 


$_57.JPG


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You say "many other 3d tools" why should wurm dev time be spent on this particular one and not the hundreds of others out there?


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You say "many other 3d tools" why should wurm dev time be spent on this particular one and not the hundreds of others out there?

 

Sooner or later all 3D tools will become standardized... like Anti-aliasing and v-sync for graphics cards.  Its the quality of the product and name branding that will ultimately sell.

 

Another very interesting thing I have been reading about with the Oculus Rift is its ability to overcome amblyiopia (lazy eye) and other eye issues that prohibit stereoscopic vision (the brains ability to perceive 3D).  Because OR has 2 screen sources, 1 for each eye, it can actually line up those images correctly for your brain to perceive 3D... I am looking forward to this as all other adaptations of 3D/VR have relied on 1 screen with gimmicks (Green/red. passive polarized lenses, active polarized shuttering)

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My only questions are how will this be done... will you create a launcher that hooks into the wurm client?  If so or if not, even if this temporarily altars the wurm client in any way will it be considered a hacked client by the wurm team? 


Edited by Nomadikhan

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Nah nothing that makes any alterations to the client, what I'm going to work on is a barrel view converter for Wurm, either I'll adapt another converter program for that purpose or I'll put one together using the development kit for it.    What will be important is how I setup everything so it can switch between clients.   The only issue is going beyond something like that to incorporation of a native converter into wurm itself, but that's a long term pipe dream that would require help from the dev team.


 


Looking at how the whole thing works, I don't think it's impossible, the Rift is very easy to build into games that was the whole point of the development tools that came with it.   It's not essential though, I can make due without it.  However, what that would allow me would be more flexibility in what I can simulate in the Rift.    


 


 What I'll be happy with is likely much different than what is this thing's full potential.    Right now Its only been a day or so since I got the thing, so its too early to tell.  From what I've dug up already, it seems like I may have something akin to a simple barrel converter working with this thing quickly.  


 


What is going to be difficult is trying to find a way to get the head tracking system to work with the wurm controls so that turning my head will shift my point of view properly in wurm.  (Which is one of the things I was talking about by saying I need native functionality built into the engine.)   


 


Right now I do know how jerky wurm's point of view controls are, and I"m a bit apprehensive.  Trying to find ways to buffer the controls to make the head tracking smooth will be the real challenge.     


 


The third party viewer/converter is just a long term goal and will require a lot of work, this is just a baby step in the mean time.   As for ppl like Suntzu :D   I'll take my chances.  This thing works a lot better then the power glove which I did have the unfortunate experience of trying out at a friend's house when I was a kid, damm thing still makes me laugh at how fail it was.


 


The rift and competing products like it actually have many other applications outside of gaming. That is the interesting thing about this device, and the future versions of it that are soon going to be on the shelves.   There are so many ways it can be used, its actually rather daunting to be taking this step into being an active tester and developer for this product.    


 


I do know one thing, my life just got a bit more interesting.    


Edited by Battlepaw

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I'll definitely be getting one at some point, I don't know if I'll get the dev kit version, but I will get it eventually. I hope you are successful, I'd love to play Wurm with it. Portal 2 will be the first  game I use it on though.


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Id be happy if I could use my x-box controller on wurm  :D



 



 


you can just get a joy-keyboard converter, or something like it there are thousands of programs out there for it.  I've used a PS3 controller, my Razor Hydra, a joystick and even once my flight system with wurm.    Heh the flight system was a bit amusing how I got it to work.   


 


It all depends on how flexible you are.   Personally I would find it quite fun if I could play wurm standing up with my Hydra, at least for some things where I'm just derping around.    


 


 



Hey guys Rift is nothing compared to this device - it allows not to see by your eyes but click with your mind and not hand (forget all that carpal tunnels) http://www.emotiv.com/     ;)


 



 


I have CTS myself, that is why I use a speedpad, both for wurm and for all my editing.   That kind of device is very interesting.  I've been a tester of eye tracking/face tracking software, that can use any camera and I think this may be a bit of a leap over that step.   


 


The idea behind that tracking software was to turn any cellphone or laptop into something like an IR head tracker, with mouse clicks being done by facial gestures like winking or something.    


Edited by Battlepaw

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Nice thing about face tracking is that it's inexpensive, all it requires is software to turn any camera on a laptop or cellphone into a tracking system that currently requires dedicated hardware like the magnetic tracking system in my Rift, that brainwave gizmo, or an IR head tracker.  .  Using gestures to turn on the TV, change the channel, or turn up the lights, etc may be common place in only a year or so if its not out already and I just haven't noticed yet.   


Edited by Battlepaw

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