Long before public realized about
the huge potential of virtual reality, CCP Games had started to develop the
contents. EVE Valkyrie, a spin-off of the MMO EVE Online game was designed for
VR headset - be one of those games that accompanied the launch of Rift and would
also be bundled together with PSVR. But for CCP Games, its journey in the VR
realm didn’t stop there.
CCP Games will continue its
investment in the VR field, and this time reportedly the developer is
experimenting to present the 'full-body' VR experience through the digital
proof-of-concept work called Project Arena. Perhaps the idea behind the
creation is not as ambitious as The Void, but Project Arena requires the users
to move their bodies, just like the disc battle in the Tron movie.
Project Arena was exhibited to
visitors of EVE FanFest 2016 last week. In Brawl mode, the participants competed
in one on one disc-throwing battle. The player's mission is to throw the disc
to the opponent. Which makes it more complicated is that everyone has his/her
own disc, and it will bounce in the virtual wall.
The game prototype is presented
through the Oculus Rift, but the most important component there is the Oculus
Touch. In each hand, there is motion controller that serves as a shield and
glove to throw the disc. Scores will be obtained if the disc can hit the body
of your rival. It is not as easy as the theory because every player can parry
and dodge.
To throw the disc, the player can
simply press a button on the Touch, swinging it like a baseball, and then
release it at the right moment. According to Andy Kelly from PC Gamer, Project
Arena makes you forget if you're wearing a headset. The virtual hands will
follow the player's hands movements smoothly, and when the disc has started to
fly, each player will try to avoid the disc.
There is possibility that CCP
Games is not planning to launch the Project Arena as a retail product, but
imagine if it's made as esport, the simple game yet distinctive just like the
Project Arena is needed by virtual reality today.