Is VR ‘Easy Mode?’

[Rock Hunter]

I’m currently was sitting at one of the Guardian Sites for the first time since I got into VR with the distinct feeling that it’s just so easy in VR. In fact, everything is easier in VR. Getting those big Beluga and T9/10 ships through the mail slot and docked, landing on uneven ground, driving the SRV (if you don’t suffer motion sickness,) targeting the weapons onto the sentinels or other targets and of course your situational awareness is superb.

Am I over egging the benefits of VR or is it all so much easier?

Now I’ve got all Guardian modules except weapons and SLFs I treated myself to a Mamba, previously avoided as I didn’t know what to do with it. I’m now just sitting in it. More Wow.

 

[Hell Razor5543]

Nope, it is just so much more immersive you can actually believe you are there, and can judge distances, etc., far more easily.

 

[Aekero]

flying ships yeah, in my mind being able to headtrack, and be "in" the cockpit is much easier...srvs I don't even try, makes me too sick

 

[znôrt]

it's 'wow' mode.

re difficulty, you get much more awareness, otoh sometimes stuff is easier to 'align' (if that makes any sense) on a 2d projection. i guess that varies from person to person.

(oh and never try looking 180º back! )

 

[WeComeInPeace]

Just spent a couple of days at a Guardian ruin where the landscape was rough. Running to shelter from the sentinels was the first time I've experienced getting motion sick from VR.

VR also gives a much better feeling of speed and size, due to 3D perception. I hate the mask and the "sweaty eyes", but the visuals compensates that easily. It is really one of those things that you can't describe but have to try. ED is one of the best VR experiences I've had, but I must admit that I also enjoyed dogfighting in EVE Valkyrie. The depth perception also comes handy in simracing.

The Mamba is beautiful in VR. So is the view from some of the explorer ships. The Mamba might be a fighter, but it excels at going as fast as possible from A to Z. Get the biggest fuel scoop you can and see if you can get above 3000ly per hour. It's a great adrenaline kick. Don't blink while scooping. I'm planning on using it for a "Sag A* trip in a day". No time for honking. I know that will annoy almost anybody, but I honestly don't give a flying duck.

 

[Aekero]

Just spent a couple of days at a Guardian ruin where the landscape was rough. Running to shelter from the sentinels was the first time I've experienced getting motion sick from VR.

VR also gives a much better feeling of speed and size, due to 3D perception. I hate the mask and the "sweaty eyes", but the visuals compensates that easily. It is really one of those things that you can't describe but have to try. ED is one of the best VR experiences I've had, but I must admit that I also enjoyed dogfighting in EVE Valkyrie. The depth perception also comes handy in simracing.

The Mamba is beautiful in VR. So is the view from some of the explorer ships. The Mamba might be a fighter, but it excels at going as fast as possible from A to Z. Get the biggest fuel scoop you can and see if you can get above 3000ly per hour. It's a great adrenaline kick. Don't blink while scooping. I'm planning on using it for a "Sag A* trip in a day". No time for honking. I know that will annoy almost anybody, but I honestly don't give a flying duck.

mamba cockpit is wonderful in vr, so much so that i have to fight the urge to use it as a fighter (and to a lesser degree, explorer) over more viable options. As far as exploration goes, how is it any faster? There are plenty of other ships with comparable if not better scoop rates for their size, which don't come with the mambas heat problems. Is there something that affects speed of mass jump travel besides scoop rate and being able to jump while scooping?

 

[WeComeInPeace]

mamba cockpit is wonderful in vr, so much so that i have to fight the urge to use it as a fighter (and to a lesser degree, explorer) over more viable options. As far as exploration goes, how is it any faster? There are plenty of other ships with comparable if not better scoop rates for their size, which don't come with the mambas heat problems. Is there something that affects speed of mass jump travel besides scoop rate and being able to jump while scooping?

I don't think you can tune it to go faster through hyperspace. With a 5A fuel scoop I keep the throttle open after a jump, then roll to scoop orientation (star above), look at the radar to find next star, find the target behind the star, yaw/roll/pitch to get the target visible, press FSD, go in a straight line to get away from the heat, and line up. You can do that forever if you KGBFOAM. In some systems, where the target is straight ahead, you might miss a few drops of fuel, but you'll catch up in the next system. I put on a music album that's exactly one hour long and race my old records. It's exhilarating.

I haven't been able to get above 2500ly/hour yet, so other ships might be faster, but this is fun! I think there is something to be had with the FSD buildup time and a proper engineer. Also, the Guardian FSD boost is a must, and with a 5A fuel scoop, there is only room for a class 4 FSD boost. I think the best combination is engineered buildup and Guardian range, but time will show.

 

[CMDR Harada]

Have to say, it does seem like easy mode.

Head tracking is the biggest sell. I can track the enemy in a CZ/HazRES much better, see what they are doing, and adjust. Just being able to keep an eye on the target as it zips past is huge. In normal 'desktop' mode, all you can do is watch the little radar screen.

Depth perception is also a huge plus. Docking is sooooo cool. Just sitting in the station watching ships come and go is neat. It's a lot easier to judge position in the mail slot.

I just spent 40 minutes the other night in my Vulture ( I've got the big 3, fully engineered, but the Vulture is too much fun ), flying in an asteroid field. It was very cool doing rolls/loops around/between giant space-bergs. It was almost religious.

 

[TorTorden_VR]

Yeah I definitely have easy mode.

Not just VR but the hotas and pedals help too.

Heck I thought I was marginally cheating with the CH hotas and pedals but with the virpil and MFG setup it's even better.

It is also a huge help in the srv, well worth getting used to it.
One thing most will likely do wrong with the buggy is to start driving slow.
The faster you go less bumps you will hit.

In fact when I'm in the buggy I spend at least 2/3 of the distance and time airborne.
VR really help judging the landscape accurately so I can better control the landings.

 

[BinakAlgo]

Not sure if easy. Some actions are the same to me, but for combat I do much better in a screen than in VR for some reason. I think I keep trying to find the bandit looking for the windshield like it is IL-2 BoS forgetting that all the info is in the dashboard.

 

[Ozmodion]

of course its easier, you have depth perception, try walking about your house with an eye patch on, how many times will you hit your shin or walk into the door frame....

but being easier using VR is not cheating, its just another way to play the game.

 

[Macros Black]

Didn't notice the easyness, I was too busy puking my guts out.

 

[Ozmodion]

Didn't notice the easyness, I was too busy puking my guts out.

wimp....

 

[Old Duck]

P2W

 

[TorTorden_VR]

of course its easier, you have depth perception, try walking about your house with an eye patch on, how many times will you hit your shin or walk into the door frame....

but being easier using VR is not cheating, its just another way to play the game.

Seriously, if you can't navigate your own home with one eye closed, you should probably consult some doctors about that.

 

[The Lawful]

In VR, some parts are easier because of headtracking and depth perception in general, but on the other hand, you have to deal with the low resolution, occasional FPS drops, ASW artifacts and the general hindrance of the headset when it comes to accessing the keyboard first. Then, in dogfights, a major drawback is that it's rather hard to make out the details of ships directly ahead of you, with the Oculus at least, so fixed weaponry is challenging. And so on. Some parts are better, others not, but the immersion overrules everything. And at the Guardian structures, toppling over when hit by a missile can be a rather physical experience

O7,
[noob]

 

[WeComeInPeace]

In VR, if you have a long cable for the HMD, you can walk outside the SRV. Pretty trippy

 

[Rock Hunter]

In VR, if you have a long cable for the HMD, you can walk outside the SRV. Pretty trippy

I regularly pop out into space and wash the windscreen of my Sidewinder, all thanks to a long cable and my Remlock gear. I need a much longer cable for most of the other ships.

 

[WordSmith]

For me it's 'Playable' mode.

I first started playing Elite Dangerous on a flat screen, fairly large one, but couldn't get the hang of it. Switched to the xbox because someone said the controller made more sense, but for me it didn't, so came back to the PC and bought a joystick.

Fine! But...

Still couldn't do stuff, like dock or find my landing pad, or keep track of ships in combat.

Switched to a Hotas. This helped. A bit.

Added Voice control and a HSS pack.

Also helped. A lot.

But still, couldn't really get into the game for some reason.

Then I went round my mates house and tried his Rift with Elite and .... wow....

Made plans to upgrade my PC, new PSU, new case, added a USB card, upgraded the Graphics card, finally bought the Rift.

And then Elite Dangerous finally made sense.

Even now, when I enter the game, over a year later, it still feels special.

If I could stop playing Pavlov so much, I might already be Elite in something or other, but I will get there... One day...

Oh and I built myself a hotas chair to go with all this, turning the game into cumffymode

 

[Rock Hunter]

For me it's 'Playable' mode.

I first started playing Elite Dangerous on a flat screen, fairly large one, but couldn't get the hang of it. Switched to the xbox because someone said the controller made more sense, but for me it didn't, so came back to the PC and bought a joystick.

Fine! But...

Still couldn't do stuff, like dock or find my landing pad, or keep track of ships in combat.

Switched to a Hotas. This helped. A bit.

Added Voice control and a HSS pack.

Also helped. A lot.

But still, couldn't really get into the game for some reason.

Then I went round my mates house and tried his Rift with Elite and .... wow....

Made plans to upgrade my PC, new PSU, new case, added a USB card, upgraded the Graphics card, finally bought the Rift.

And then Elite Dangerous finally made sense.

Even now, when I enter the game, over a year later, it still feels special.

If I could stop playing Pavlov so much, I might already be Elite in something or other, but I will get there... One day...

Oh and I built myself a hotas chair to go with all this, turning the game into cumffymode

I bought this game, tried it and just couldn’t get the controls sorted and put it down. A year later I dug out a very old joystick and tried again, from that moment I was hooked. Your progression with joystick, HOTAS, HCS matches mine. VR is the ultimate choice though.

Where to go after you’ve made that choice? Pretty much decking out a room as the flight deck of your choice I guess.