What level of compromise are VR players willing to temporarily accept in Odyssey?

[VR CMDR Novindus]

The below quote from Tim Smith (emphasis mine) talks about wanting to have VR support meet a particular standard of form and function before allowing VR play in the Odyssey expansion.

My understanding is that, technically, VR perspective capability in any part of the game world is already inherent, and is a matter of enabling and disabling.
It seems as if the motion and movement mechanics for FPS VR gameplay are a concern to FDev, who understandably want to release a high quality product, and haven't put the required work yet into that aspect.

My question is, would VR players accept an interim compromise of being able to control their player character during EVA gameplay, without any consideration given to optimisation for in-VR control and controller-motion capturing?

Personally, for the ability to continue to play currently existing game loops in VR mode with Odyssey, and for the VR functionality to continue, however crudely, into EVA play, would mean a launch date purchase from me, particularly if FDev committed to work on improving the VR experience within even an estimated one year time-frame.

How would the rest of the VR playing community feel about that?

Greetings Commanders,

Thank you for your overwhelmingly positive response to the announcement of Elite Dangerous: Odyssey. We’ve been really excited to share this and it’s amazing to see that you all feel the same way!

This is just the beginning and we will be sharing more details and information in the coming months that you can look forward to.

We’re seeing all your streams, videos, posts and questions and, today, we wanted to answer a few for you straight away:

Is Elite Dangerous: Odyssey coming to VR?

Currently, Elite Dangerous: Odyssey will not be VR-compatible at launch. We’re big fans of VR and we are truly proud of the amazing experience that we currently offer in Elite Dangerous. However, the new gameplay, mechanics and features that will be introduced with Elite Dangerous: Odyssey means that we had to re-examine if we could deliver that same experience without compromise, which, for launch, means Odyssey will not be VR-compatible.

Will there be Base Building in Elite Dangerous: Odyssey?
Base building is not currently on the roadmap for Elite Dangerous, however we have plenty of new features planned instead such as on-foot exploration, new planetary tech, social hubs, combat as well as more to be shared later on! We’re looking to put our best foot forward with Odyssey and if you’d like an overview of what to expect, you can check out the website or Steam page.

Will Elite Dangerous: Odyssey be included in my Lifetime Expansion Pass?
While Elite Dangerous: Odyssey is a paid expansion, we're happy to confirm that yes, this expansion will absolutely be included in the Lifetime Expansion Pass for free.


Stay Safe, Commanders o7

 

[Andro]

I don't think they will completely drop it. I hope not, after seeing the outcry here and on Reddit and the accursed Steam discussions. A lot of people invest a lot of money and time into accessories to play this and they must feel shafted right now. I've never even used VR and I understand.

 

[VR SenseiMatty]

I only want to fly through atmospheric planets and explore them in the SRV in VR.
I'm not so much interested in legs.
So an option for me would be:

Purchase Odyssey and when I launch Horizons from the launcher I get the atmospheric planets without legs. When I want to play legs I launch odyssey without VR.

 

[Balthazar Jenkins]

Let somebody play with their space legs and their pew pew gun. I would be perfectly content shooting my turret from my SRV in VR.
But in all seriousness, I would have been totally fine with the "next big thing" being atmospheric planets, more SRV customization, more interstellar features, comets, accretion disks.. you know, space/flight simmy stuff.

 

[CMDR Jayce MacLeod]

I'm not a VR user, nor am I nuanced in software development, but is it really that hard to convert what you see on a screen into smaller screens in front of your eyeballs? Or is it more of a problem involving controlling characters and such?

 

[VR CMDR Novindus]

I'm not a VR user, nor am I nuanced in software development, but is it really that hard to convert what you see on a screen into smaller screens in front of your eyeballs? Or is it more of a problem involving controlling characters and such?

VR was built into this game. I'm a software developer, though not a game developer admittedly, but I don't think there is any issue in Odyssey with VR support with regards to sending the image to the VR HMD at the vantage point of the player character's head, including with head tracking, which is also already supported.

I think that FDev did not schedule development on movement mechanics and in-VR motion controller capture, and how it will be handled graphically and mechanically.
This is why I'd be willing to compromise in the interim, whilst at the same time expressing alongside the VR Elite community how important we think continued support for VR is.

 

[VR SenseiMatty]

I'm not a VR user, nor am I nuanced in software development, but is it really that hard to convert what you see on a screen into smaller screens in front of your eyeballs? Or is it more of a problem involving controlling characters and such?

Imagine you have your cool setup with hotas installed on your chair, cusomized controls, buttkicker, dolby surround, ultrawide curved display. Then suddenly FDEV tells you that the next update has a such complex code that you can only play the game on keyboard at a max resolution of 1024x768 and with the internal pc speaker sound.

Plus maneuvering your ship is a much more natural thing, like driving your car. You don't need to check the speed to know that you're going fast. You can feel it directly. And the freedom to look around allows you a much better and more precise control of the ship.

 

[milligna]

Label it experimental and unsupported with no comfort options like teleportation in open play and only have it in solo or group. The team will have their hands full with everything else breaking at first, get to improvements based on feedback later in 2021.

I'll settle for pared down graphics to hit 90 fps, full locomotion with all kinds of options for turning.

The grizzled old hands will be able to cope, but don't make a big production of it as the second coming of VR bliss, upfront state it's not going to be doable for those with sim sickness issues. "Frontier values your feedback and will be monitoring the responses for future fine-tuning of this much-desired, but very difficult-to-implement feature" or some gibberish.

Of course there will be gnashing of teeth, but I think ultimately that will lead to less whining and moaning than not having any VR support in one of the flagship VR experiences. Plus I'll get to enjoy it, and I'm selfish.

 

[VR CMDR Novindus]

Label it experimental and unsupported with no comfort options like teleportation in open play and only have it in solo or group. The team will have their hands full with everything else breaking at first, get to improvements based on feedback later in 2021.

I'll settle for pared down graphics to hit 90 fps, full locomotion with all kinds of options for turning.

I would accept that.

I think all current gameplay would work as it always has, but some issues may be experienced in EVA mode, which I'd be fine with in the interim, under the category of no support.

 

[Craith]

I never expected any roomscale action going on in Elite, just controlling the camera with my head while moving with a controller of your choice would be fine for me.

I can live with no spacelegs in VR at all, as long as I am able to enjoy the rest of the content of the expansion (new engine, atmospheric planets, improved missions, spheres of combat in SRV and spaceship).

Just Horizons as it is now forever will be a huge disappointment.

I would be happy with a definite statement that VR will come to Odyssey, within half a year or so ... I am used to waiting, and in no particular hurry. I don't like being left hanging.

 

[Gortron]

I’d accept no space legs at all or a 3rd person view for space legs in VR. So long as I can still land on atmospheric worlds and drive around in my SRV.

I doubt FDEV will comprise though. VR has been on the back burner for ages. They can’t be bothered is what this really boils down to.

 

[willisit]

What we have now with a floaty window for the 2D bits, like the FSS. That much wouldn't be hard to do for them since it's already there. Let us worry about running it. Or being sick. As long as ship bits and the SRV remain, I really couldn't care less. I've no interest in legs at present as Elite was always a space-ship sim to me, and it excels there. I'm never interested in Star Citizen's "run for 40 minutes to get to your ship" bits; pretty as they are.

 

[Broken_One]

I don't think they will completely drop it. I hope not, after seeing the outcry here and on Reddit and the accursed Steam discussions. A lot of people invest a lot of money and time into accessories to play this and they must feel shafted right now. I've never even used VR and I understand.

-- I disagree.

When I purchased my Vive a few years back I knew there would be issues. I knew it would be a pain to find a game. As an early adopter I just expected it. -- I dont know why people would be overly surprised that there are VR support issues, esp if you play in VR regularly. -- VR is like the multi-crew of the gaming world. It is sweet but there are still many kinks.

-- Now I would reserve for the people who invested in VR soley to play elite dangerous. That would kinda suck. Still, if the other users are like me they will understand. It is just new tech.

I mean honestly the reason I dont play elite in VR regularly is because it is much more difficult to communicate with other people.

 

[[VR] optimal_909]

Pretty much as others said, I'm not interested in legs gameplay. Sure, basic walking around in stations and in ships would be great when it's already there, but I would be happy to pay for a limited expansion pack that contains only the spaceship bits.

I hope either FDev listens or someone will create a mod 'week 1' that allows us to play in VR.

 

[[VR] optimal_909]

-- I disagree.

When I purchased my Vive a few years back I knew there would be issues. I knew it would be a pain to find a game. As an early adopter I just expected it. -- I dont know why people would be overly surprised that there are VR support issues, esp if you play in VR regularly. -- VR is like the multi-crew of the gaming world. It is sweet but there are still many kinks.

-- Now I would reserve for the people who invested in VR soley to play elite dangerous. That would kinda suck. Still, if the other users are like me they will understand. It is just new tech.

I mean honestly the reason I dont play elite in VR regularly is because it is much more difficult to communicate with other people.

I am an oddball and play in VR plus kb+m. I am not that good in blind typing, but good enough to chat.

 

[CMDR M Kozak]

Break Odyssey into Two - 1) a "Horizons update" with new tech etc and 2) Horizons "update" with legs.

If you examine my post-history you will notice that I have argued against legs in a space ship game.

 

[Broken_One]

Imagine you have your cool setup with hotas installed on your chair, cusomized controls, buttkicker, dolby surround, ultrawide curved display. Then suddenly FDEV tells you that the next update has a such complex code that you can only play the game on keyboard at a max resolution of 1027x768 and with the internal pc speaker sound.

Plus maneuvering your ship is a much more natural thing, like driving your car. You don't need to check the speed to know that you're going fast. You can feel it directly. And the freedom to look around allows you a much better and more precise control of the ship.

If you have all that gear you would regularly run into issues like games not being able to keep up.

Its VR. It is completely different tech and it has to be compatible fully to be 'supported'

The idea that this is just a resolution issue is laughable.

 

[Broken_One]

I am an oddball and play in VR plus kb+m. I am not that good in blind typing, but good enough to chat.

So you understand what I am saying then.

You get that there are issues finding games and compatibility and all that.

 

[Broken_One]

Break Odyssey into Two - 1) a "Horizons update" with new tech etc and 2) Horizons "update" with legs.

If you examine my post-history you will notice that I have argued against legs in a space ship game.

Yea but I think we are past the pro/con should we shouldn't we discussion. -- Most people were asking for this for the past few months, and people have been talking about it for years. -- but to your origonal point, what 'new tech' -- Are you talking about the graphics? You do understand that clip was not a gameplay clip right?

 

[[VR] optimal_909]

So you understand what I am saying then.

You get that there are issues finding games and compatibility and all that.

Indeed.

I mean, I hope FDev will leave the door open for the community to mod VR into the game.