A bit of a long story, but please bare with me....
Back in the days of the C64, many hours of my youth was spent playing Elite. Since then, other games (and sequels) have come and gone (inc sequels) but I never really found anything that had grabbed me as per the orginal Elite.
So anyway, a few weeks ago when ED goes into Beta I decided to buy into it. Straight away, I could see the game was the perfect reboot/sequel of the orginal Elite. Sure there are some small issues here and there, but it has all the feeling of the orginal and great graphics too... especially on my triple screen PC setup that I was using.
However, there was a problem... me. Life had moved on. I no longer had endless hours to play the game and although the game looks supurb, underneath it was still the same game princible as the game I had played to death all those years ago (yeah, I know.... of course it was!).Anyway for those reasons I found myself not really playing it much!
Typical I had spent all these years waiting for the game and then when it arrives I quickly get indifferent.
However, things have now changed by the following two additions...
HOTAS
Back in the days of the orginal C64 Elite, my biggest fear was docking. I can't count the amount of times I totally shafted my game by cocking up the docking sequence. However back then we only had keys and primative joysticks to use.
Roll onto 2014, and obviously control methods are a lot better. Playing ED on a 360 controller was miles better than the old days... but I was struggleing to get my head around all the control assignments in such a tiny space. So after reading other threads, I opted to get a cheap HOTAS.
After a bit of searching I found a cheap Saitek X45 on ebay for £30. Ok, it needed a bit of TLC and the centering spring is not the best (until you do the spring mod) but I have to say it makes ED so much better to play when the controls are sperated into two hands. So much more natural.
Oculus Rift
Ok, I have had the rift on order for a few months. In fact I did not even have ED in mind when I ordered it... it was just a bonus when I realised that ED was supporting it. Anyway, the Rift turned up the other day and although I don't want to review the rift in detail, I will just say that generally that its not perfect (there are issues, but then again its also a beta device)... but I think it pretty damn good and fairly amazing.
Getting the Rift to work with ED is a bit of a kerfuffle at the moment, it was one of those moments when you change things and put the headset on, only to find it still not working.
Then after about the 10th attempt, I put the headset on.... and the only thing I can say is $&£% me!
It is almost impossible to describe what the ED cockpit looks like on the rift. However, the feeling of being there is imense. Its like sitting in a real truck or bus. There is stuff all around you that you just don't appriciate even when running a triple screen setup! Things like the grab handles, above your head... the dirty rubberised floor.... even your thermos flask to your right! If you sit upright in your chair, you can see the front of your sidewinder through the front window.... but if you slouch down, you can't!
I must confess I was that blown away that I spent about an hour just looking around the cockpit and cocking about manovering in deep space. I have never know anything that make you feel as if you are actully sitting in a real space craft. It really blew my mind! I even spent a few minutes admiring my batman type chest!
Of course there some limitations. Although the resolution of the rift is fairly high... its still pixilated having a screen that close to your face. The result is that some of the heads up display is not easy to read unless you lean forward to get closer to it. Also there is a slight studder issue if you move your head too fast (which doesn't happen in other rift stuff, so I think it is something to be addressed in ED itself?). However, the feeling or 3D and immersion is immense and is something that really blows my mind!
The end result is it moves the game onto a whole new level. I really feel like I am sitting in a ship... it now feels like my ship and I am now getting very attached to it! In all the years I have played Elite, I have always avoided conflict. I don't even have guns fitted atm. However, since the rift I am getting the strong urge to go out and shoot stuff! Thats how much difference it makes.
Back to the HOTAS
Anyway, the downside to the Rift is you obviously can't see what your hands are doing in real life. Therefore you need a controller that you can use blind. In ED, you are using a HOTAS system in the game that. Your virtual hands move in the game... which spookily matches you real hands almost exactly if you have a HOTAS. It is therefore the rift/hotas combo works very well.
To summerise, if you have a good spec PC and have the money to spare and are you are fairly techno minded, I totally recommend you try the Rift for ED. However, remember it is only a beta (developer) device... and it will be superceeded eventually by a better consumer release. Throw in a HOTAS and your ED experience hits an enirely different level!
Thankyou
I have know Idea who is responsible for that 3D cockpit and the adaptation to the Rift but it is brilliant work and sadly one that many of the ED beta testers sadly can't apprciate. Brilliant work, Thankyou.
Back in the days of the C64, many hours of my youth was spent playing Elite. Since then, other games (and sequels) have come and gone (inc sequels) but I never really found anything that had grabbed me as per the orginal Elite.
So anyway, a few weeks ago when ED goes into Beta I decided to buy into it. Straight away, I could see the game was the perfect reboot/sequel of the orginal Elite. Sure there are some small issues here and there, but it has all the feeling of the orginal and great graphics too... especially on my triple screen PC setup that I was using.
However, there was a problem... me. Life had moved on. I no longer had endless hours to play the game and although the game looks supurb, underneath it was still the same game princible as the game I had played to death all those years ago (yeah, I know.... of course it was!).Anyway for those reasons I found myself not really playing it much!
Typical I had spent all these years waiting for the game and then when it arrives I quickly get indifferent.
However, things have now changed by the following two additions...
HOTAS
Back in the days of the orginal C64 Elite, my biggest fear was docking. I can't count the amount of times I totally shafted my game by cocking up the docking sequence. However back then we only had keys and primative joysticks to use.
Roll onto 2014, and obviously control methods are a lot better. Playing ED on a 360 controller was miles better than the old days... but I was struggleing to get my head around all the control assignments in such a tiny space. So after reading other threads, I opted to get a cheap HOTAS.
After a bit of searching I found a cheap Saitek X45 on ebay for £30. Ok, it needed a bit of TLC and the centering spring is not the best (until you do the spring mod) but I have to say it makes ED so much better to play when the controls are sperated into two hands. So much more natural.
Oculus Rift
Ok, I have had the rift on order for a few months. In fact I did not even have ED in mind when I ordered it... it was just a bonus when I realised that ED was supporting it. Anyway, the Rift turned up the other day and although I don't want to review the rift in detail, I will just say that generally that its not perfect (there are issues, but then again its also a beta device)... but I think it pretty damn good and fairly amazing.
Getting the Rift to work with ED is a bit of a kerfuffle at the moment, it was one of those moments when you change things and put the headset on, only to find it still not working.
Then after about the 10th attempt, I put the headset on.... and the only thing I can say is $&£% me!
It is almost impossible to describe what the ED cockpit looks like on the rift. However, the feeling of being there is imense. Its like sitting in a real truck or bus. There is stuff all around you that you just don't appriciate even when running a triple screen setup! Things like the grab handles, above your head... the dirty rubberised floor.... even your thermos flask to your right! If you sit upright in your chair, you can see the front of your sidewinder through the front window.... but if you slouch down, you can't!
I must confess I was that blown away that I spent about an hour just looking around the cockpit and cocking about manovering in deep space. I have never know anything that make you feel as if you are actully sitting in a real space craft. It really blew my mind! I even spent a few minutes admiring my batman type chest!
Of course there some limitations. Although the resolution of the rift is fairly high... its still pixilated having a screen that close to your face. The result is that some of the heads up display is not easy to read unless you lean forward to get closer to it. Also there is a slight studder issue if you move your head too fast (which doesn't happen in other rift stuff, so I think it is something to be addressed in ED itself?). However, the feeling or 3D and immersion is immense and is something that really blows my mind!
The end result is it moves the game onto a whole new level. I really feel like I am sitting in a ship... it now feels like my ship and I am now getting very attached to it! In all the years I have played Elite, I have always avoided conflict. I don't even have guns fitted atm. However, since the rift I am getting the strong urge to go out and shoot stuff! Thats how much difference it makes.
Back to the HOTAS
Anyway, the downside to the Rift is you obviously can't see what your hands are doing in real life. Therefore you need a controller that you can use blind. In ED, you are using a HOTAS system in the game that. Your virtual hands move in the game... which spookily matches you real hands almost exactly if you have a HOTAS. It is therefore the rift/hotas combo works very well.
To summerise, if you have a good spec PC and have the money to spare and are you are fairly techno minded, I totally recommend you try the Rift for ED. However, remember it is only a beta (developer) device... and it will be superceeded eventually by a better consumer release. Throw in a HOTAS and your ED experience hits an enirely different level!
Thankyou
I have know Idea who is responsible for that 3D cockpit and the adaptation to the Rift but it is brilliant work and sadly one that many of the ED beta testers sadly can't apprciate. Brilliant work, Thankyou.
