DSubs - abstract multiplayer subsim

ottoatom · 03-07-20, 02:14 PM

This will sound like a stupid question (because it is) but any VR planned for this?..

lol ok, I am actually being kind of serious :P. let me explain, back in subcommand/cold waters days I found the external views ridiculous, as pretty as they could be (which they werent..

at all) and never used them, so yeah, pretty much sensors, maps and targetting solutions made the game for me.

But that doesn't mean I don't like cool 3d graphics, on the contrary, graphic realism improves immersive gameplay by a lot, at least for me. The only game I play nowadays is DCS in VR. for anyone that hasn't tried that yet, you're in for a treat. There's no point going back, just doesn't make sense to me.

So I would love to have a subsim game (or space game for that matter, pretty much the same thing I guess) that would recreate the inside of a real or fictional ship with high fidelity with battle station consoles, sensor stations, engineering, weapons etc. in a "non-condescending" way, without fisher-price style interfaces and game mechanics.

Does that make sense to anyone?.. I'm not talking about the work that would require which would be considerable of course but I think this could maybe be of interest to a greater public that you might think. DCS can be very technical and you do have a decent amount of people playing it.

You say the game core is what matters, the bells and whistles can come later. Couldn't agree with you more, how difficult would it be to "attach" those screens you have been coding to an actual 3d model? using unreal or unity there are pretty amazing and smart things that can be made..

Anyway, don't hate me for this comment. I just found this post a few days ago for the first time and really love the idea and game. Great job man, hope you keep at it.

Boris-Barboris · 03-07-20, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ottoatom

This will sound like a stupid question (because it is) but any VR planned for this?..

lol ok, I am actually being kind of serious :P. let me explain, back in subcommand/cold waters days I found the external views ridiculous, as pretty as they could be (which they werent..

at all) and never used them, so yeah, pretty much sensors, maps and targetting solutions made the game for me.

But that doesn't mean I don't like cool 3d graphics, on the contrary, graphic realism improves immersive gameplay by a lot, at least for me. The only game I play nowadays is DCS in VR. for anyone that hasn't tried that yet, you're in for a treat. There's no point going back, just doesn't make sense to me.

So I would love to have a subsim game (or space game for that matter, pretty much the same thing I guess) that would recreate the inside of a real or fictional ship with high fidelity with battle station consoles, sensor stations, engineering, weapons etc. in a "non-condescending" way, without fisher-price style interfaces and game mechanics.

Does that make sense to anyone?.. I'm not talking about the work that would require which would be considerable of course but I think this could maybe be of interest to a greater public that you might think. DCS can be very technical and you do have a decent amount of people playing it.

You say the game core is what matters, the bells and whistles can come later. Couldn't agree with you more, how difficult would it be to "attach" those screens you have been coding to an actual 3d model? using unreal or unity there are pretty amazing and smart things that can be made..

Anyway, don't hate me for this comment. I just found this post a few days ago for the first time and really love the idea and game. Great job man, hope you keep at it.

I have thought about it too, it seemed to me a natural counter to my lack of graphical competence and resources: a snappy feel of an unusual VR interface. After some consideration I've put the idea on hold. The main causes of my disenchantment were:

1). The 3 main mechanics that I value the most, TMA, waterfall and active sonar, are well covered by inherently 2D interfaces (tactical map, waterfall, active sonar wavefront image). Keyboard and mouse are optimal interaction methods for these interfaces. VR looks like a detriment here, not an improvement. You will effectively spend 95% of the time in the views that do nothing for VR experience, and, in fact, are better off without it.
2). VR is strong at character immersion, which needs character and his environment. For subsim it means at least a detailed bridge and the controls on it +- characters. I certainly do not have a skill nor do I have time for such a system.
3). It should be possible to add VR to Wolfpack IMHO. I think the best chance to have a live experiment on whether VR is viable or not in a subsim is to keep pushing it's devs towards it. Their possible refusal to do it would be a great result in it's own: it would mean that the effort is not justified in current the market.

To conclude, I think VR is good for "cockpit" experience. Subsims are not a cockpit experience. Flight and racing sims are.

ottoatom · 03-07-20, 04:37 PM

wow, you did think about it.. all valid points, I stand corrected. The only closest thing to what I was saying would be startrek bridge commander (with better graphics, because that thing is hideous..) with your sensor style systems

I guess emulating an existing sub in a game is not great in VR. In light of what you say, the sensors would have to be tailored for VR, much like what they have done for elite dangerous so probably a fictional ship either under the sea or in space with a well thought out interface would work best.

You are onto something though, a missing part in most games around. Im sure something great will come out of it.
Cheers,
Otto

Aktungbby · 03-07-20, 07:36 PM

ottoatom!

03-07-20, 04:37 PM	#3
ottoatom Nub Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 2 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	wow, you did think about it.. all valid points, I stand corrected. The only closest thing to what I was saying would be startrek bridge commander (with better graphics, because that thing is hideous..) with your sensor style systems I guess emulating an existing sub in a game is not great in VR. In light of what you say, the sensors would have to be tailored for VR, much like what they have done for elite dangerous so probably a fictional ship either under the sea or in space with a well thought out interface would work best. You are onto something though, a missing part in most games around. Im sure something great will come out of it. Cheers, Otto Last edited by ottoatom; 03-07-20 at 05:25 PM.

03-07-20, 07:36 PM	#4
Aktungbby Gefallen Engel U-666 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: On a tilted, overheated, overpopulated spinning mudball on Collision course with Andromeda Galaxy Posts: 27,982 Downloads: 22 Uploads: 0	Welcome aboard! ottoatom! __________________ "Only two things are infinite; The Universe and human squirrelyness; and I'm not too sure about the Universe"

03-07-20, 02:14 PM	#1
ottoatom Nub Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 2 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	This will sound like a stupid question (because it is) but any VR planned for this?.. lol ok, I am actually being kind of serious :P. let me explain, back in subcommand/cold waters days I found the external views ridiculous, as pretty as they could be (which they werent.. at all) and never used them, so yeah, pretty much sensors, maps and targetting solutions made the game for me. But that doesn't mean I don't like cool 3d graphics, on the contrary, graphic realism improves immersive gameplay by a lot, at least for me. The only game I play nowadays is DCS in VR. for anyone that hasn't tried that yet, you're in for a treat. There's no point going back, just doesn't make sense to me. So I would love to have a subsim game (or space game for that matter, pretty much the same thing I guess) that would recreate the inside of a real or fictional ship with high fidelity with battle station consoles, sensor stations, engineering, weapons etc. in a "non-condescending" way, without fisher-price style interfaces and game mechanics. Does that make sense to anyone?.. I'm not talking about the work that would require which would be considerable of course but I think this could maybe be of interest to a greater public that you might think. DCS can be very technical and you do have a decent amount of people playing it. You say the game core is what matters, the bells and whistles can come later. Couldn't agree with you more, how difficult would it be to "attach" those screens you have been coding to an actual 3d model? using unreal or unity there are pretty amazing and smart things that can be made.. Anyway, don't hate me for this comment. I just found this post a few days ago for the first time and really love the idea and game. Great job man, hope you keep at it.