Best way to use Elite to demo VR? (ie best setup so I can pilot while my "passenger" wears the headset)

[Archvillain]

Best way to use Elite to demo VR? (ie best setup so I can pilot while my "passenger" wears the headset)

I'll be set up for VR soon, and I'd like to be able to use Elite to demo VR to friends who have never tried it. Is there a "best" way to put them in the cockpit (VR headset) while I can still do the flying?

I could probably network a laptop (also running Elite) to the VR machine, so multi-crew could be a possibility, but that seems like a lot of setup time - would anyone recommend multicrew for this?

I understand I could feed the headset graphics to a monitor, and then try to fly based on that monitor, but it would be a distorted image and won't be looking at the instruments when I need to see them, so that doesn't seem ideal.

Is there a better way?

 

[Flapdrol1337]

multicrew and another elite account is probably your best bet

I just let them fly the basic flight training mission.

 

[CMDR MAIN SEQUENCE]

Agree multi-crew is the best way, but choose a ship where they feel like they are in the cockpit i.e. close to the canopy, would suggest one of the Asps or T-9 as opposed to the FGS for example where the co-pilot sits further away from the canopy.

 

[DaggerSnake]

I let them launch and leave the station, then request permission and re dock on the monitor until hey are comfortable with out using keyboard.

Then I say, now do it in VR.

Put on the Rift and see their head explode.

 

[Shinkaze]

Funny this, was lucky to meet Mr. Braben at GDC 2015 when my company was looking for an experience to demo. He connected me to Michael Gaper and we discussed this at length. He recommended the Solo combat Training, and 1,000+ hours of VR demos to tens of thousands of people later I completely agree for a number of reasons.

1.) Peaceful: Boys love the pew pew, but more mature fliers prefer the sight seeing. The Solo-Combat is set in an ice-ring that gives lots of near field pretty, but the Sidewinder Bogey only attacks if you attack it first, so the pilot has a lot of agency to determine what sort of experience they want to have and they can engage in combat once they are comfortable with the controls.

2.) No-Consequence: I have tried the second CMDR account idea running two rigs side by side. but the issue is that everything "fun" for a passenger to do causes a fine for your main account. So either the passenger can ruin your game making the scourge of your system or they are...

3.) Boring: .....stuck in a passenger seat with nothing to do, I have witnessed yawns coming from the passenger seat, where the most interesting thing to do is stand up from the seat and walk around the Vive tracking volume. Until Elite enables Multi-crew SRVs or MutliCrew Keelbacks, I just don't see how any moderate players are going to be able to provide a fun mutlicrew experience to their buddies, when the funnest thing to do is FLY!

Finally Multicrew really needs Head tracked Avatars. The Idle animations of your co-pilot looking around have absolutely nothing to do with what they are actually looking and that really breaks immersion because the non-verbal communication from your passenger is that they are not listening to you and are absorbed in other things, while their disembodied voice has no relevance to what you see their avatar doing. You might say "Hey checkout that crater to the left" and they say "that's soooo cool"but because their avatar might be looking to the right, it feels like they just sarcastically snubbed you, which might not have been their intention but subconsciously it feels that way when their avatar's head movements are doing other things.

Soooooo
Single Player Combat training is far more enjoyable to first time Elite VR users. Great no-consequence way to show what elite VR feels like and you can quickly separate friends that are excited to play Elite from those that are "meh" in a short 5 minute scenario. And hey, if they like it then they can complete the other training missions and THEN go flying with you in Open.

 

[shadow133]

Interesting points here, I always wanted to introduce ED VR to people but never did because of the limitatiins mentioned. The multicrew approach seems like a hassle and even I get confused in MC. Ill try the solo training one, but I wish there was a way to fly the ship in a monitor while a passenger watches in VR without resorting to MC. Currently I dont see how this is feasible once the pax starts looking around and you are flying blind.

 

[vic]

If all you want to do is demo VR for friends I would like to suggest to you Discovering Space 2. It is even lovelier than ELite dangerous as far as graphics are concerned and although you do get a spaceship that you can control you can also set it to auto/tour mode which flies you to certain destination in our solar system and with narration too. The latter mode would be great for demos. It is definitely worth the 12 bucks!!!

 

[shadow133]

I know this is a tad old, but anyone care to share success stories in demonstrating ED VR to guests? Did multicrew worked? What did you do, where did you take them? I have lots of people coming over soon and Im planning a tour of ED for them, but don’t want to get stuck in the boring stuff or not able to control and see the ship. They are not pilots and I strongly believe any attempt to fly a ship will result in a catastrophe beyond a thargoid level.

 

[Alec Turner]

Don't know if this will help but I stuck my wife in an SRV, sat next to her and drove her around until she practically puked!

 

[dogbite]

You can let them sit on your lap and turn on the base shakers. Ya have to really like them though.

 

[shadow133]

I dont think they would will be amused with the idea of sitting in my lap lol. The bass shaker is there. Plus this doesnt solve the problem that one can only see using the hmd, the screen is almost useless. I think ill get another account and try a multicrew tour. Now, how the heck do you drive an srv without seeing? On another note my mom almost passed out when I put her in a rollercoaster.

 

[Flimley]

Stick them in a T-9. Amazingly huge cockpit with massive views, and nice and easy to fly.

Flimley

 

[Gorgath]

Answering to op: Elite renders in your monitor as well as in the headset, so when demoing to friends, I just sit them wherever while I sit where I always sit, recenter view for their position, and just ask them to look left, right or front when I need some info from the panels or distances. I've had no problems this way. A docking computer might be a good idea, they like to look the station interiors while landing, and that makes it easy. And remeber, fly smooth, it's not the same being a pilot or being a passanger!

 

[Alec Turner]

And remeber, fly smooth, it's not the same being a pilot or being a passanger!

Actually, joking aside (see my earlier post re: wife in SRV) this is a good point. Being moved around in unexpected ways in VR is something which can really trigger nausea and you don't want to be sending all your friends off into the world spreading the rumour that VR doesn't work because it makes you feel sick. So yeah, fly gentle. In fact, generally being flown around by someone else is quite possibly a very bad idea. If you have a HOTAS (which is a fairly intuitive control to use) then maybe the best thing to do is put them in an asteroid field (or maybe at Sisters' Refuge asteroid base near HIP 16813 A1 ... or maybe at the scientific installation near San Tu 4C) with some decent shields, explain the basic flight controls (pitch, roll, yaw, throttle and maybe the lateral/vertical thrusters) and just let them fly themselves around for a bit.

 

[TorTorden_VR]

Actually, joking aside (see my earlier post re: wife in SRV) this is a good point. Being moved around in unexpected ways in VR is something which can really trigger nausea and you don't want to be sending all your friends off into the world spreading the rumour that VR doesn't work because it makes you feel sick. So yeah, fly gentle. In fact, generally being flown around by someone else is quite possibly a very bad idea. If you have a HOTAS (which is a fairly intuitive control to use) then maybe the best thing to do is put them in an asteroid field (or maybe at Sisters' Refuge asteroid base near HIP 16813 A1 ... or maybe at the scientific installation near San Tu 4C) with some decent shields, explain the basic flight controls (pitch, roll, yaw, throttle and maybe the lateral/vertical thrusters) and just let them fly themselves around for a bit.

I wouldn't use ED to demo VR period.
It is far two complicated to just be dumped into and the "ride along" could be cool for three minutes but then what ?

Especially at my place where I have a HOTAS and pedals, my control scheme is like "push this button, and that button and then move your right foot 30% forward and pull the stick halfways back"...
People go ! I'm out long before I throw VR into the mix.

Nah, I'd use robo recall, The lab or vivecraft.
As for room play stuff, setup a demo area at a LAN with the Vive, mostly using vivecraft.
For young kids basically under the age of 14-15 was utterly incapable of realising they needed to be aware of the real world while in VR.
Had to basically follow them foot by foot to keep them from sprinting into boundaries and walls and it still happen.

First time a ten year old sees a white bunny in vivecraft, he's not going to have the wherewithal to teleport towards it.
He's running at full speed.

 

[dogbite]

Lone Echo is a pretty useful demonstration of what is amazing about VR and seems pretty easy on the stomach. Floating around on the space station with Olivia for a few minutes often has many newbies offering the usual expletives of joy.

 

[Alec Turner]

The more I think about this thread the more interesting I find it.

Lone Echo is a pretty useful demonstration of what is amazing about VR and seems pretty easy on the stomach. Floating around on the space station with Olivia for a few minutes often has many newbies offering the usual expletives of joy.

The problem with Lone Echo is that it takes a while to get to the really good stuff (e.g. you need to get to and then work through some of those tutorial sections to learn how to move, how to boost and stop, how to scan things, etc.). If you've got a bunch of friends/family around and want to show them VR I think you need something a bit quicker.

Robo Recall is quite good actually (although I agree about younger kids - I showed it to a nephew who's about 12 and jeez, he was so violent, I was terrified he was going to punch the Touch controller right through the middle of my monitor).

Generally what I do is start with something like Dreamdeck or Showdown (just to let them have a passive experience and get used to what it looks like in VR) and then move on to something like Tilt Brush or Robo Recall (depending on their age and sensibilities) or maybe Bullet Train (which is still great and gets into use of Touch control really quickly). Perhaps Lucky's Tale if they're young, Google Earth VR if they're mature and not into gaming, or another alternative is Aircar (nice simple Touch based controls for flying around without requiring too much skill). I guess a lot of people might say First Contact but I find that a bit naff really - makes me feel like I'm trying to handle things with boxing gloves on.

 

[shadow133]

Awesome tips, this is the kind of info I was looking for. Thanks Cmdr Turner for the systems, added to my potential tour locations. As far as VR demo, they have done those, I own the rift since launch (2 years now?). In this case they know vr basics already. The only thing I have not shown is ED, and since they see me wasting my life in this game, people are often wondering what the heck it is about.

ED is a tough one, for the reasons you guys pointed out. Ill try the mc soon as a way to control the ship remotely. I also have a full hotas setup and yelling press the little button on your thumb... no the other thumb... no... gets old.

My regular vr introduction tour always begins with Dreamdeck, with 4D on the t-rex scene (water spray in the face), showdown (perfect graphics!). After that it varies, some people I take them to the little robot touch demo (forgot the name), then job simulator or I expect you to die, or onward for firing some shots. Others I move into google earth or something less interactive.

 

[BaronVonDoon]

I've put a few friends in an Asp, and given them a 5 minute flight from one system to the next, maybe stopping off at some rings or something in between. I'll usually take the control and fly from the monitor, it's much easier than trying to get someone to learn to use a hotas first. Then I'll let them do training missions or whatever if they want too.

Most people seem to like racing games the best, couldn't get my mate off pcars2 in VR, it's simple, everyone knows how to drive a car, and gives the sense of immersion that you want people to experience.

 

[dogbite]

The problem with Lone Echo is that it takes a while to get to the really good stuff

You show them the 2 thruster buttons, tell them to play with the sticks for direction and tell them they can grab hold of stuff. It's not like a whole lot to remember or that they need to learn the game. Most get the hang of it right away and have a hoot just flying around the station.. They can ignore the gameplay and enjoy the quality of the game and VR itself. My sister-in-law doesn't like Robo Recall but loves Lone Echo. Very few will try MountWingsuit, however.