Why did VR users buy Odyssey knowing FD stance on no longer supporting VR?

VR Mr Teatime

VR Mr Teatime
Kickstarter LEP here, so "free" for me.
I haven't upgraded the other 3 accounts I have "responsibility for", but did drop some coin on ARX after update 8, which was running pretty good for me. Of course then Update 9 dropped and the flickering bug came with it, but if its on the "to do" list and given that Frontier have greatly improved with their cadence and comms this year, I will continue to support them and will upgrade my other accounts once the flickering bug is sorted.
It also looks like there is plenty of mileage left in COBRA yet, depsite some obvious challenges with rendering, realtime planetary generation and NPC/AI/Settlement spawning, but these are not impossible to overcome and nor is a more fleshed out VR support, so I see a window still open, rather than closing for good...
 
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BigBANGtheory [VR]

BigBANGtheory [VR]
Dooguk said:
Lifetime expansion pack owner. I wouldn't have bought it otherwise.
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yup same here, not that I'm opposed to on foot game per se its just the bar was so high to get it working well I had serious doubts Frontier would be able to deliver on that.... the rest is history.

Hope they get it sorted, but there is a difference between patience and retro gaming and imho Frontier simply haven't put anything like the resources into Elite they could and should have done there is no excuse for that damage has been done.
 

Old Duck

Old Duck
VR andysonofbob said:
I didn't buy Odyssey for the reason in the title.
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Same. Additionally, the support of VR in Horizons actually negates some of my interest in space legs as implemented in Odyssey, because VR already gives me "space legs", albeit on a short tether. I can walk around my cockpit / bridge in Horizons VR. I can get out of my SRV and walk around (on a very short tether) on planet surfaces. I can use the free cam to position myself anywhere on my fleet carrier, a space station, or outpost and then literally walk around and take in the sights, in a way that's much more immersive than Odyssey's 2D legs. So in some ways, for me Odyssey is a step backwards in implementing "space legs", especially since I'm not that interested in the "rob 1000 lockers for useless components" gameplay that Odyssey seems built around.

Now if Odyssey had much better planet and atmosphere tech and maintained a framerate that would allow me to continue to enjoy this in VR, then I would buy it for that alone. For players with top-end PCs who can play Odyssey in VR at maximum settings without stutter, jutter, and general low FPS, and who don't mind morphing mountains and dancing shadows in an otherwise realistic virtual reality space, I can see how they would enjoy Odyssey. These people spend multiple thousands of dollars on their VR rigs, so what is an extra $40 to them for some bluish skies? Though IIRC, a surprising number of VR players do not think this is enough. 🤷‍♂️

SIDE NOTE - In space games that don't offer VR, legs are a huge component for me to feel immersed in the game on a flat monitor. I do not want to just "be" a ship (ED Horizons on a monitor sans head tracking), but rather a pilot inside a ship (ED Horizons VR, Space Engineers, X4, Subnautica, Star Citizen, etc). Odyssey doesn't add anything to the "I'm a pilot inside a ship" experience that I don't already have in Horizons.
 

amigacooke

amigacooke
Agony_Aunt said:
Same as people who are ranting about the lack of ship interiors twisting Arthur's words into an absoloute statement that FD will never do ship interiors.

What's a day on the forums without some drama though?
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Sadly, Frontier make it so easy by not providing information.

Features that have sat around since the dawn of ED like ship interiors (he said it), are currently in the 'we have no plans' status while fleet interiors get bumped up to a front row seat.

To me, the only sensible position is to pay Frontier for what exists and put little credence into what doesn't, especially if it's labelled 'we have no plans'.
 

Agony_Aunt

Agony_Aunt
amigacooke {macOS} said:
Sadly, Frontier make it so easy by not providing information.

Features that have sat around since the dawn of ED like ship interiors (he said it), are currently in the 'we have no plans' status while fleet interiors get bumped up to a front row seat.

To me, the only sensible position is to pay Frontier for what exists and put little credence into what doesn't, especially if it's labelled 'we have no plans'.
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Fair enough, although i am looking forward to FC interiors.
 

VR micmacmoc

VR micmacmoc
I bought it for my main account and my explorer account only when they introduced that we could go flat screen through the rift. Whilst it’s not ideal it’s better than nowt. The third person camera works in tv which makes me wonder just how hard full VR will be. Just got the quest 2 for ED, it’s great!
 

Old Duck

Old Duck
amigacooke {macOS} said:
You're right of course, we shouldn't be discussing fleet carriers interiors at all as they were not indicated as part of Odyssey, VR or otherwise
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Well as long as we are, I'll take this opportunity to say that not all VR players are created equal. I find VR very compelling for sitting games, where I'm a pilot or a driver, since my reality person (as in, me) and virtual person are perfectly matched up. Same goes for standing games or small room walking games, like the demo that comes with Oculus where you're in a small room interacting with things. As soon as I have to press a stick or button to walk, however, the illusion falls apart, and I just don't get the same enjoyment. Sure, I can (and have) played games like Skyrim in VR, and I don't even get sick, yet I always feel like I'm "driving" a person rather than being an actual person doing actual walking, and it just feels wrong to me. VR was a great way to experience Skyrim, but not a great way to play Skyrim, at least for me. Same goes for any "drive to walk" VR game. And don't even suggest VR teleporting to me, that's a terrible gimmick! 🤮

This is why I actually prefer playing walking games on a monitor rather than in VR. Now here's the thing - if my character were in a fancy wheelchair like Professor X, I think I'd be totally immersed in "driving" around the halls of a fleet carrier interior in VR. I suppose I could pretend that I'm on a skateboard like some Elon Musk, though that illusion falls apart when I get to the stairs... My point is, while some VR players are totally fine with "driving" people around, many of us are not, so I actually do understand the predicament that Frontier finds themselves in. I question if walking in VR can ever be properly done right without being on some sort of 360 degree treadmill that translates real walking into virtual walking, and even that doesn't deal with things like stairs and inclines. Having said that, I think Frontier should still go ahead and give players the ability to "walk" around in VR if that's what they want to do. I wouldn't even put too much effort into it, just take the VR free cam view and bolt it onto our virtual heads. While I personally wouldn't play the game this way, I would at least use it to experience things like standing at the big window in a station concourse and looking out at ships passing by.
 

DaggerSnake

DaggerSnake
VR andysonofbob said:
I didn't buy Odyssey for the reason in the title. Just wondering why others might have bought it.
Thanks!
Edit
Ideally from those who bought it as an expansion, not as LEP and
Feel free to sell it to those who haven't bought it yet etc
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I’m an avid VR user with many hours logged into multiple headsets. However, although incredibly immersive and fun, I’ve always considered Elite a flat screen game ported to VR. There are no VR designs built into the UI. The galaxy map, then DSS, then Odyssey are clear indications of that. My preferred way to play Elite is with a Track IR, and large high res screen. I picked up Odessy because it expands on the game and I think it’s fun .

VR is still my favorite game medium, but there are many more experiences out there that are specifically designed for it. Sadly for me, Elite isn’t one of them.

I do still jump into Elitr VR if I’m doing something that involves a majority of cockpit time.
 

Ronzer

Ronzer
DaggerSnake said:
I’m an avid VR user with many hours logged into multiple headsets. However, although incredibly immersive and fun, I’ve always considered Elite a flat screen game ported to VR. There are no VR designs built into the UI. The galaxy map, then DSS, then Odyssey are clear indications of that. My preferred way to play Elite is with a Track IR, and large high res screen. I picked up Odessy because it expands on the game and I think it’s fun .

VR is still my favorite game medium, but there are many more experiences out there that are specifically designed for it. Sadly for me, Elite isn’t one of them.

I do still jump into Elitr VR if I’m doing something that involves a majority of cockpit time.
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ED "was" designed for VR, circa 2014. You enjoy that huge text? Thats so it could be read in VR. (do you recall how rough text used to look back then??) You like having to turn your head, which brings up the AR panels? That's to make use of head movement, which at the time was to show off the capability found in VR. You like being able to stand up and walk around the full interior cockpits? (still not sure why folks ask for whats in there already).
ED was a 3D VR game ported to flat screens. They won an award for it at the first VR awards. (thats where I heard of ED in the first place). But, I think, in time, that focus may have shifted or dwindled as they never really delved into using hand controllers. For functionality, it's still bounds ahead of other VR 'flight' games and some driving games (The SRV is a blast in VR), and that's without using the hand controllers. Now there are other games out there that make great use of hand controllers for flight stick, throttle, etc, which hopefully makes its way into ED and sure, they may be better for VR now, but Im saying for a while, VR was a great thing with ED. And though they haven't added much yet to Odyssey, I think they will. But lets face it, Odyssey presented a whole boat load of other issues they may not have even expected. Get that sorted first, then consoles, then hopefully VR.
 

CMDRCorrMorningstarFelian

CMDRCorrMorningstarFelian
What the hell are you talking about!?! I play VR in Elite Dangerous Odyssey literally all the damn time. No, its not a pure VR experience but is it bad? No, and it is still one of best VR titles in existance. Transition back and forth between Odyssey and base game is fairly solid and game play is thoroughly enjoyable. Even with the weird half-way VR implementation it still feels real when you are exploring on foot or fighting in a settlement. Don't knock something you know nothing about. I literally can keep my VR headset on when playing Elite Dangerous and when in Odyssey.

- A 100% VR player of Elite Dangerous since 2017
 
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