Any point in buying Odyssey for VR?

I play solely in VR, and am quite happy with Horizons. However, I have been wondering if I’m missing out on anything in Odyssey? Now, for the record, I’m not remotely interested in mincing about on the planets on foot, so that would be completely lost on me. I’ve watched a few YouTube videos, and can’t help but think that it seems like a poor man’s Mass Effect. And whilst that may have been fun 15 years ago, probably not so much now. Is the in-flight stuff better? Is the on-foot stuff so integrated that it can’t really be bypassed without impacting the flying stuff? And is the performance still nightmarishly bad?

TIA 🙂
 
If you're playing in horizons live then it's no different. You're sharing the same engine and just skipping the on foot bit. I can recommend Odyssey on foot but not for VR as it's an in headset flat screen for on foot. Still fun, but not a VR experience.

I'd get it to share the same open world as the majority of most other open pilots and to occasionally experience on foot on a flat screen.
 
If you're playing in horizons live then it's no different. You're sharing the same engine and just skipping the on foot bit. I can recommend Odyssey on foot but not for VR as it's an in headset flat screen for on foot. Still fun, but not a VR experience.

I'd get it to share the same open world as the majority of most other open pilots and to occasionally experience on foot on a flat screen.

Yes, I’d heard about the 2D flatfoot thing. I’ll probably stick with Horizons then, I think. Thanks 🙂
 
What, is that like the old Speccy version of yester-yore?
😁 No, that would be Elite Legend that I’m currently enjoying.

The version of Horizons that Globusdiablo mentioned is Horizons (Legacy) in the launcher - so version 3.8 of the game. The assumption I think they’re making is that you’re playing Horizons 4.0 which is essentially Odyssey with on-foot stuff blocked off - you get all benefits of worse performance, flickering/disappearing shadows, smacked in the eyes with the HUD when jumping and a number of other bugs, and landing on planets with differently coloured skies, but without having to experience the grey-void virtual flatscreen 😅

Performance is much better than launch but still poor in my experience. I played old Horizons with a GTX 1080 and it looked and performed well - to keep the same settings in Odyssey I’m using an RTX 4070ti, and the game still has issues.

It won’t cost you anything to try 4.0 apart from the download, so it might be worth your time. The new planet tech can look very nice 👍
 
😁 No, that would be Elite Legend that I’m currently enjoying.

The version of Horizons that Globusdiablo mentioned is Horizons (Legacy) in the launcher - so version 3.8 of the game. The assumption I think they’re making is that you’re playing Horizons 4.0 which is essentially Odyssey with on-foot stuff blocked off - you get all benefits of worse performance, flickering/disappearing shadows, smacked in the eyes with the HUD when jumping and a number of other bugs, and landing on planets with differently coloured skies, but without having to experience the grey-void virtual flatscreen 😅

Performance is much better than launch but still poor in my experience. I played old Horizons with a GTX 1080 and it looked and performed well - to keep the same settings in Odyssey I’m using an RTX 4070ti, and the game still has issues.

It won’t cost you anything to try 4.0 apart from the download, so it might be worth your time. The new planet tech can look very nice 👍

Thanks @Arioch

I had no idea. And now you’ve got me wondering just what the hell I have been playing? Lol!

I’ll be miffed if I’m already playing Legacy, as even my 4090 struggles with less than maxed out settings. I’ll take a look later. Hopefully, I’m on 4.0. I know that the initial Training Mission was severely updated, so maybe that’s a pointer? More than happy to roll back to 3.8 in the hunt for extra performance 🙂
 
Thanks @Arioch

I had no idea. And now you’ve got me wondering just what the hell I have been playing? Lol!

I’ll be miffed if I’m already playing Legacy, as even my 4090 struggles with less than maxed out settings. I’ll take a look later. Hopefully, I’m on 4.0. I know that the initial Training Mission was severely updated, so maybe that’s a pointer? More than happy to roll back to 3.8 in the hunt for extra performance 🙂
Sounds like you’re on 4.0 - I recently went back to 3.8 and wiped my save (it’s safe to do so as it’s separate from the “live” game), slapped all the settings up to their highest along with increased HMD quality and everything looks fantastic and runs fine 😁
 
Thanks @Arioch

I had no idea. And now you’ve got me wondering just what the hell I have been playing? Lol!

I’ll be miffed if I’m already playing Legacy, as even my 4090 struggles with less than maxed out settings. I’ll take a look later. Hopefully, I’m on 4.0. I know that the initial Training Mission was severely updated, so maybe that’s a pointer? More than happy to roll back to 3.8 in the hunt for extra performance 🙂
A 4090 (what headset?) is not going to struggle with anything in Legacy unless you really max out everything (including the headset resolution plus supersampling). Chances are you are already playing Horizons 4.0. Do you have a shield percentage display at the bottom of the shield rings? Then you are playing 4.0.

For me, Odyssey is totally worth it. Performance is still a struggle, but it has become much better for me with U14. For reference, I use a Reverb G2 on a 5900X with 32 GB RAM and a 3080 Ti, and I run my G2 at 60% (yes, that low, and my system still struggles at times). But I really like the Odyssey gameplay. I only started with Odyssey settlement gameplay in january, as before U14 performance was not tolerable for me. But since I started, I am having a blast. You have to get over the fact that on-foot gameplay is displayed on a virtual flatscreen. I am okay with that and just enjoy the gameplay. You still get full VR in the camera suite, and while running around on a planetary surface this might be okay, you cannot interact with anything and have no HUD, so it is not a substitute. Also, there is no motion controller support.

I originally bought Odyssey for one, and only one reason: Atmospheric planets. Back then I did not care about the on-foot stuff, but I wanted to be able to land on the new atmospheric planets. Approaching one of these, especially near the terminator, is just awesome. I never get tired of it. The atmospheric visuals are really well done, and I also do like the new planetary tech that came with Odyssey; not everyone does though.

Back to the on foot gameplay: I was put off, first because performance was atrocious, and later refrained from trying because... well franky because everyone talked so bad about it. I just put it aside and stuck to ship gameplay. But if you approach the on-foot gameplay with the right expectations, it is a lot of fun.

People say it is a "tacked on FPS", a lackluster Call of Duty, and so on. Truth is, the on-foot gameplay is not a FPS game, and decidedly so. Yes, it is first person, and yes, you shoot guns (depending on your character very often), but that does not make it an FPS. The missions are actually fun, and a lot of them can be approached in a variety of different styles: Go guns blazing, or sneak in and try to be undetected, murder everyone or just do your objective without noticing, raid a settlement Terminator style or pick them off one by one from the largest building top in the settlement... your get the idea.

Of course you have to learn the mechanics, the do's and don't's of interaction with the NPCs, and you will have and want to do the gear upgrade spiel. But my experience was that, as with the ship gameplay, the grind is what you make of it. Personally, I got a good start with store bought G3 gear - which in many cases is good enough so be successful - and then made a list which weapons and suits I wanted modded and upgraded. It will be a grind if you want everything right now, but if you are content to progress your gear naturally during the gameplay it is not so bad.

Also I do not share the opinion that the on-foot gameplay is disconnected and tacked on. Yes, some mechanics from the ship gameplay do not transfer to on-foot gameplay, there are differences, but all in all I find it well integrated in the sense of: I fly to a station, get out to the concourse, pick my mission, maybe do some shopping or trading, get back to my ship, fly out to my target body, approach the settlement, land, murder everyone, get back in my ship, fly to the station, cash in my reward. It feels like a fluid process to me.

Personally, I can live with the performance deficiencies and having to work around some bugs. But I am having a great time and do play even more than before since integrating Odyssey on foot stuff into my gameplay. It might be worth trying for you. It is on sale often enough that the damage is limited if you don't like it.
 
A 4090 (what headset?) is not going to struggle with anything in Legacy unless you really max out everything (including the headset resolution plus supersampling). Chances are you are already playing Horizons 4.0. Do you have a shield percentage display at the bottom of the shield rings? Then you are playing 4.0.

For me, Odyssey is totally worth it. Performance is still a struggle, but it has become much better for me with U14. For reference, I use a Reverb G2 on a 5900X with 32 GB RAM and a 3080 Ti, and I run my G2 at 60% (yes, that low, and my system still struggles at times). But I really like the Odyssey gameplay. I only started with Odyssey settlement gameplay in january, as before U14 performance was not tolerable for me. But since I started, I am having a blast. You have to get over the fact that on-foot gameplay is displayed on a virtual flatscreen. I am okay with that and just enjoy the gameplay. You still get full VR in the camera suite, and while running around on a planetary surface this might be okay, you cannot interact with anything and have no HUD, so it is not a substitute. Also, there is no motion controller support.

I originally bought Odyssey for one, and only one reason: Atmospheric planets. Back then I did not care about the on-foot stuff, but I wanted to be able to land on the new atmospheric planets. Approaching one of these, especially near the terminator, is just awesome. I never get tired of it. The atmospheric visuals are really well done, and I also do like the new planetary tech that came with Odyssey; not everyone does though.

Back to the on foot gameplay: I was put off, first because performance was atrocious, and later refrained from trying because... well franky because everyone talked so bad about it. I just put it aside and stuck to ship gameplay. But if you approach the on-foot gameplay with the right expectations, it is a lot of fun.

People say it is a "tacked on FPS", a lackluster Call of Duty, and so on. Truth is, the on-foot gameplay is not a FPS game, and decidedly so. Yes, it is first person, and yes, you shoot guns (depending on your character very often), but that does not make it an FPS. The missions are actually fun, and a lot of them can be approached in a variety of different styles: Go guns blazing, or sneak in and try to be undetected, murder everyone or just do your objective without noticing, raid a settlement Terminator style or pick them off one by one from the largest building top in the settlement... your get the idea.

Of course you have to learn the mechanics, the do's and don't's of interaction with the NPCs, and you will have and want to do the gear upgrade spiel. But my experience was that, as with the ship gameplay, the grind is what you make of it. Personally, I got a good start with store bought G3 gear - which in many cases is good enough so be successful - and then made a list which weapons and suits I wanted modded and upgraded. It will be a grind if you want everything right now, but if you are content to progress your gear naturally during the gameplay it is not so bad.

Also I do not share the opinion that the on-foot gameplay is disconnected and tacked on. Yes, some mechanics from the ship gameplay do not transfer to on-foot gameplay, there are differences, but all in all I find it well integrated in the sense of: I fly to a station, get out to the concourse, pick my mission, maybe do some shopping or trading, get back to my ship, fly out to my target body, approach the settlement, land, murder everyone, get back in my ship, fly to the station, cash in my reward. It feels like a fluid process to me.

Personally, I can live with the performance deficiencies and having to work around some bugs. But I am having a great time and do play even more than before since integrating Odyssey on foot stuff into my gameplay. It might be worth trying for you. It is on sale often enough that the damage is limited if you don't like it.

I’m running a G2, with an MSI 4090 Suprim X and a Ryzen 5950. Although I have to say that none of it is what you might call optimised.

You speak very well of Odyssey, and you’re enthusiasm comes across well. From what you’ve said, although you’ve grown to enjoy the foot stuff, I’d still probably only be interested in the atmospheric planets. I’m clocking on a bit, and dislike 3rd person games with a passion. Apart from flight sims, and Elite, my “gaming” days are done.

I’ll have a check…. If I’m already on 4.0, then I’ll probably wait for a sale, then take a look at E:O purely for the atmospheric stuff. If I’m on 3.8, then I’m already on the edge of acceptable performance, so shan’t go any deeper.

Much appreciated 🙂
 
You speak very well of Odyssey, and you’re enthusiasm comes across well. From what you’ve said, although you’ve grown to enjoy the foot stuff, I’d still probably only be interested in the atmospheric planets. I’m clocking on a bit, and dislike 3rd person games with a passion. Apart from flight sims, and Elite, my “gaming” days are done.
Elite is pretty much the only game I play, so I can relate. Also, Odyssey is not 3rd person (just to make sure). And yes, I grew into liking the on foot stuff. I guess I am trying to say: Have an open mind, try if you like it ;). And to reiterate: For me, the atmospherics and the exobiology that comes with it alone was worth it for me.
I’ll have a check…. If I’m already on 4.0, then I’ll probably wait for a sale, then take a look at E:O purely for the atmospheric stuff. If I’m on 3.8, then I’m already on the edge of acceptable performance, so shan’t go any deeper.

Much appreciated 🙂
As I said: Look at your shield display, it's the easiest giveaway... apart from the fact that the launcher gives you a big warning that you are not playing the live galaxy if you launch legacy ;).
 
Sounds like you’re on 4.0 - I recently went back to 3.8 and wiped my save (it’s safe to do so as it’s separate from the “live” game), slapped all the settings up to their highest along with increased HMD quality and everything looks fantastic and runs fine 😁

Somewhat depressingly, I’m already playing 3.8, and my settings/performance are borderline acceptable. I have much work to do 🙁

Elite is pretty much the only game I play, so I can relate. Also, Odyssey is not 3rd person (just to make sure). And yes, I grew into liking the on foot stuff. I guess I am trying to say: Have an open mind, try if you like it ;). And to reiterate: For me, the atmospherics and the exobiology that comes with it alone was worth it for me.

As I said: Look at your shield display, it's the easiest giveaway... apart from the fact that the launcher gives you a big warning that you are not playing the live galaxy if you launch legacy ;).

Yep, just checked and definitely on 3.8. I thought the on-foot element of EO was 3rd person? I’m losing it in my dotage 🤪
 
Somewhat depressingly, I’m already playing 3.8, and my settings/performance are borderline acceptable. I have much work to do 🙁



Yep, just checked and definitely on 3.8. I thought the on-foot element of EO was 3rd person? I’m losing it in my dotage 🤪
Nope, it is not 3rd person. In fact, there are people out there moaning that there is no 3rd person mode :p.

The good news is, the 4.0 client is free for you to use and try out before you buy Odyssey for atmospheric landings and on-foot gameplay - everything else is the same, Horizons 4.0 only has landing on atmospherics and disembarking disabled, and there will be no NPCs at settlements. Oh, and you cannot instance with Odyssey players. But at least you get a first impression on how the 4.0 codebase performs regarding the ship gameplay.

Your system should be able to run 3.8 without issues though, unless you have the resolution of the G2 absolutely cranked. SteamVR sets the default resolution for that headset to 150%, which results in a render resolution of 3884x3792 pixels - per eye (the G2 has a panel resolution of 2160x2160 per eye). VR headsets need oversampling to account for pincushion distortion of the lenses, but they seem to overdo it a little bit on the G2 if you ask me.

Maybe try lowering the headset resolution a bit. Personally I run it at 60% to account for the performance issues of Odyssey, and with my lenses, I see no real visual improvement beyond 80% anyway. Try playing with your headset resolution, a 4090 on a 5950 should not struggle in 3.8 at reasonable resolutions.
 
In addition to what Helmut has said above - check what the in-game SuperSampling is set at. If I remember correctly, choosing one of the preset graphical levels cranks this up to ludicrous levels and absolutely hammers performance.

You can try out the 4.0 client without paying for Odyssey, so you can see how it works on your machine 👍

As for third-person, you may have read posts or seen vids of players using the vanity camera - this is in full VR. Interactions and shooting accurately are impossible but it does look nice 😁 With a bit of repositioning of the camera it’s possible to get a reasonable facsimile of on-foot VR.
 
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In addition to what Helmut has said above - check what the in-game SuperSampling is set at. If I remember correctly, choosing one of the preset graphical levels cranks this up to ludicrous levels and absolutely hammers performance.

You can try out the 4.0 client without paying for Odyssey, so you can see how it works on your machine 👍
oh yeah... I would imagine 150% SteamVR with in-game 2.0 supersampling with tank even the best machine :LOL: .
 
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