VR vs pancake

[Dragsham]

Having never played elite in pancake I've always been a loud advocate for that lump stuck on my face.
And lve said many times how immersion within VR is awesome.
But what l didn't know was how pancake was. I'd never played elite in it. So...
I decided today to have a go.
I'm out in the black have been a few mths now. Mapping, doing bios, Stella phenomena, raw mats in a buggy, even mining cores etc.
So l figured I'd do pretty much the same routine as normal only in pancake .

Fired up elite and spent 4 hours or so this morning without that appendage stuck on my face. And that's the only upside!
Because its bloody horrible in pancake...mining cores! A doddle in VR in pancake I was missing everything! Put that down to inexperience at 2D I guess.
Mapping was OK but boring cos l can't see anything! No eye candy no amazing sunsets vistas not a sausage. Put that down to me being spoilt rotten as VR just stops you dead sometimes..
Bios...on foot...flatscreen! I almost died...ran out of battery power chasing a 3rd scan l couldn't find the buggy!! Omg this view is soooo convoluted! Like looking through the wrong end of a telescope..! Adjusted elites settings marginally better but again...spoilt rotten by panoramic VR.
If you haven't tried it. Do.
Because omg your missing the good stuff.
Ain't all about content. It's about how the game makes you feel. Pancake is defo not for me in elite odyssey.
Experiment failed !

o7

 

[CMDR Is Fat]

Having never played elite in pancake I've always been a loud advocate for that lump stuck on my face.
And lve said many times how immersion within VR is awesome.
But what l didn't know was how pancake was. I'd never played elite in it. So...
I decided today to have a go.
I'm out in the black have been a few mths now. Mapping, doing bios, Stella phenomena, raw mats in a buggy, even mining cores etc.
So l figured I'd do pretty much the same routine as normal only in pancake .

Fired up elite and spent 4 hours or so this morning without that appendage stuck on my face. And that's the only upside!
Because its bloody horrible in pancake...mining cores! A doddle in VR in pancake I was missing everything! Put that down to inexperience at 2D I guess.
Mapping was OK but boring cos l can't see anything! No eye candy no amazing sunsets vistas not a sausage. Put that down to me being spoilt rotten as VR just stops you dead sometimes..
Bios...on foot...flatscreen! I almost died...ran out of battery power chasing a 3rd scan l couldn't find the buggy!! Omg this view is soooo convoluted! Like looking through the wrong end of a telescope..! Adjusted elites settings marginally better but again...spoilt rotten by panoramic VR.
If you haven't tried it. Do.
Because omg your missing the good stuff.
Ain't all about content. It's about how the game makes you feel. Pancake is defo not for me in elite odyssey.
Experiment failed !

o7

I had a similar experience forced on me, cable failed on my old heaset a couple of years ago so had to get a replacement, the wait forced pancake on.... 5 minutes later pancake off, no ED for me without VR, which makes the Oddy on foot implementation so frustrating, but thats another issue completely.

The lack of visual clues, depth and just being there
Yep, if you havnt tried it you definitely should.

 

[Dragsham]

I forgot to mention collecting mats in a buggy.
Now l love the scarab. It can fly. And in VR I fly from one node to another pretty much 90% even in pitch dark with nv on.
In pancake I could not see past the window sill or so it seemed. It was like I was stoned driving dead slowly and not even realising it... I was crawling along (stupidly went to the dark side bad idea) cos l could not see the topographical view I'm so used too. Decided to fly the buggy a bit....didn't work for me...just plunged face first into the surface .. bloody light is crap in pancake.
Bloody awful!

 

[DrinkyBird]

Works fine for me.

 

[Dragsham]

I guess it's perception and lack of experience.
The lack of depth and panoramic view.
Once you bite that apple.

 

[DrinkyBird]

Because its bloody horrible in pancake...mining cores! A doddle in VR in pancake I was missing everything! Put that down to inexperience at 2D I guess.

Never had any issues with mining using a monitor, except for suicidal limits, which I don't think VR fixes.

Mapping was OK but boring cos l can't see anything! No eye candy no amazing sunsets vistas not a sausage. Put that down to me being spoilt rotten as VR just stops you dead sometimes..

I've seen plenty of beautiful views on my monitor.

Bios...on foot...flatscreen! I almost died...ran out of battery power chasing a 3rd scan l couldn't find the buggy!! Omg this view is soooo convoluted! Like looking through the wrong end of a telescope..! Adjusted elites settings marginally better but again...spoilt rotten by panoramic VR.

Err isn't on-foot stuff flatscreen even in VR? The only difference being the background being reality when using a monitor, and just grey in VR.

Once you bite that apple.

I've bitten that apple, I've no intention of biting it again.

 

[Dragsham]

I've bitten that apple, I've no

I think @DrinkyBird we already have that loud and clear.

Err isn't on-foot stuff flatscreen even in VR? The only difference being the background being reality when using a monitor, and just grey in VR

Yup meant in the buggy.

 

[DrinkyBird]

Yup meant in the buggy.

Err but?

I almost died...ran out of battery power chasing a 3rd scan l couldn't find the buggy!!

Still can't imagine VR helping much in finding bios in an SRV, as I'd still have to use the free camera to find other spots (I'm not 500m tall).

 

[Old Duck]

I guess it's perception and lack of experience.
The lack of depth and panoramic view.
Once you bite that apple.

Depends on the size of the pancake. If I explore while sitting in front of a 4K HDR TV, it immerses me, and in some ways more than VR, because of the much lower PPI and contrast ratio of my Oculus Rift S compared to my TV. The starfield and even planet surfaces look amazing on a 4K TV! Add to that some sort of fluid head-look mechanism, be it an eye tracker or gyroscopic controller headlook (the one thing I greatly miss from PS4), and it's really not as terrible as you make it sound.

Now for something like combat, I agree that VR is a whole other dimension compared to "pancake", as there you really do get a better sense of being "in" a battle. On the other hand, most of my favorite games are pancake-only, and I enjoy them even on my 15 inch laptop screen. That includes epic space battles in X4! Though if I'm playing MSFS, I always take the time to connect the 4K TV, as having an IRL "window" that matches the size of my plane's window is a wonderful impedance match.

BTW, I have tried MSFS in VR, and it is freaking amazing (though a too demanding for my computer to handle smoothy). However, if I'm doing something more casual, be it going on a long-distance flight or exploring system after system in Elite (which is mostly a 2D FSS screen), I don't like being prisoner to my VR headset, especially in this hot and humid weather. That's why VR is mostly a winter hobby for me, when IRL is boring and having a hot box strapped to my face is less of a physical torture, LOL.

 

[Dragsham]

Fly man!
I use the buggy as a overhead viewer. Or if the atmosphere allows I'll go on foot using modified suits jump to find em. I like the view on foot. I don't have to take the hmd off...so it's buggy on foot scan rinse repeat.

 

[777Driver]

I was playing in VR since Gamma (with HOTAS, pedals, BK gamer etc) refused to play in pancake mode. Took a year out due to the pandemic, but came back and played Odyssey on a big 4K TV in the living room. I only play in VR now when I'm exploring in my ship.

VR 'is' 1000x better for immersion and living in the simulation, but there's something nice about chilling on the couch playing the game with friends, way less anti-social

 

[Catherine Abrasax]

VR's amazing, but I hardly ever use it. Still too much of a hassle. Wish it was something I could pop on and off as desired, without having to fool with restarting or reconfiguring graphics/controls each time. I can't stand the on-foot flat screen in VR, and I don't necessarily know whether I'll be doing any on-foot stuff in any given play session, so it's easier to just boot it up in "pancake" mode by default.

 

[Terry Daniels]

Because its bloody horrible in pancake

Agreed, and it's kind'a annoying - pre VR I loved most space games but...
I should love X4 (and it should have replaced ED for me) but even on a hires 27inch monitor with Tobii eye tracking I feel utterly removed from the pixels on the screen. Ships looming large on my port side in VR just look like tiny little models in flat...

I've seen plenty of beautiful views on my monitor.

Difference between watching a sunset outside your window or watching it on a tablet (for me) - not as good obviously since reality has better pixel resolution but you get my point.

 

[VR andysonofbob]

I have a projector screen with an image of over 2m in length (can't remember the exact dimentions but the diagonal is pretty mucking fassive) and have EDTracker for head look.

Projector simply does compare to VR. The projector does have higher fidelity but where-ever you sit, the cockpit remains flat and in front of you instead of 3D and surrounding you.

It takes a very specific (and expensive) setup for a non-VR rig to beat VR fpr cockpit games. I would say Boosted Media's set up might come close but even they admit there are downsides e.g. 2D, limited viewing angles, even heat

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhd5S3SKKF0

 

[VR andysonofbob]

I was playing in VR since Gamma (with HOTAS, pedals, BK gamer etc) refused to play in pancake mode. Took a year out due to the pandemic, but came back and played Odyssey on a big 4K TV in the living room. I only play in VR now when I'm exploring in my ship.

VR 'is' 1000x better for immersion and living in the simulation, but there's something nice about chilling on the couch playing the game with friends, way less anti-social

EDs an interesting game to play on the sofa with mates. How do you do it? Sandbox it e.g. combat and swap when someone explodes? Speed runs?

My wife and I play together and it is a complete ballache setting up our rigs because we haven't got dedicated ones. It is pretty unsociable too. We're in the same room when we play ED (in VR) but we still have to use headphones, with mics to communicate because we both use voice attack and without it we trigger each others VA! That said I think we would struggle with the lack of immersion because we only have EDH. Kate even said 'But that's crazy!' when I told her Ody wouldn't be in VR (when it was first announced) because she associates ED with VR

And because the setup is such a ballache we tend to play most games together, sofa style with the proj. We both have Q2s and some of those games are super convientient to play together and really sociable because you can see each other's avatar e.g. Walkabout Mini Golf

 

[777Driver]

EDs an interesting game to play on the sofa with mates. How do you do it? Sandbox it e.g. combat and swap when someone explodes? Speed runs?

It's kinda funny, I used to be one of those hardcore pure FA-OFF guys, must use flight controls etc etc. Now I just use an Xbox controller when not in VR, pass it around, and don't care if anyone crashes a ship or accidentally shoots a station. I have a mate who lives abroad, I'm in the UK now, when we have an online session together it's (a bit) more serious.

Another thing, I could never drink alcohol and fly in VR (probably a good thing) having some beers and a laugh while playing ED is a great stress relief though.

I used to have a dual VR setup when I lived abroad, my ex would multi-crew onto the ship. It's great that your wife is into gaming.

 

[Tenshi]

I used to play on a monitor, but then tried VR at CGX one year and bought myself a headset once I had saved the money up. Never looked back.

 

[Terry Daniels]

I have a projector screen with an image of over 2m in length (can't remember the exact dimentions but the diagonal is pretty mucking fassive) and have EDTracker for head look.

EDTracker was the first thing I bought when I got into ED but that setup's pretty sweet, would definitely enjoy X4 more on it (tho the res etc would probably melt my PC).

 

[Frank]

Having never played elite in pancake I've always been a loud advocate for that lump stuck on my face.
And lve said many times how immersion within VR is awesome.
But what l didn't know was how pancake was. I'd never played elite in it. So...
I decided today to have a go.
I'm out in the black have been a few mths now. Mapping, doing bios, Stella phenomena, raw mats in a buggy, even mining cores etc.
So l figured I'd do pretty much the same routine as normal only in pancake .

Fired up elite and spent 4 hours or so this morning without that appendage stuck on my face. And that's the only upside!
Because its bloody horrible in pancake...mining cores! A doddle in VR in pancake I was missing everything! Put that down to inexperience at 2D I guess.
Mapping was OK but boring cos l can't see anything! No eye candy no amazing sunsets vistas not a sausage. Put that down to me being spoilt rotten as VR just stops you dead sometimes..
Bios...on foot...flatscreen! I almost died...ran out of battery power chasing a 3rd scan l couldn't find the buggy!! Omg this view is soooo convoluted! Like looking through the wrong end of a telescope..! Adjusted elites settings marginally better but again...spoilt rotten by panoramic VR.
If you haven't tried it. Do.
Because omg your missing the good stuff.
Ain't all about content. It's about how the game makes you feel. Pancake is defo not for me in elite odyssey.
Experiment failed !

o7

The thing that gets me is the Galactic Map. Everyone keeps on banging on about how much easier it is to use in pancake. In VR, you're in there with the stars in glorious virtual-reality-o-vision. It's much clearer when you're plotting in 3D

 

[VR andysonofbob]

The thing that gets me is the Galactic Map. Everyone keeps on banging on about how much easier it is to use in pancake. In VR, you're in there with the stars in glorious virtual-reality-o-vision. It's much clearer when you're plotting in 3D

I know! I think it's really cool in VR.

For VA, I also use "Stella Cartography" to activate GalMap as it reminds me of ST:TNG's stella cartography.