Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Overload and Elite Dangerous

Overload

  • This game is a spiritual successor to the old Descent games that I loved back in the day.  
  • I got out my HOTAS setup, which I haven't used in years, and wow is this game fun.  I'm still learning the controls so I'm dying a lot. You can play with a kb/m and do much better but it's not the same feeling you get with actual plane controls.  
  • Once you throw on the VR headset the game goes to another level. The VR implementation is perfect and you feel like you are piloting a real ship.  
  • I have gotten a bit queasy at times, but I think that's due to me using the HOTAS and not having the controls down pat.  When things get hectic I am not sure of my controls so I'm flying erratic and my eyes are not sure where to focus.  
  • The game has a 15 level singe player campaign, challenge modes, and mutiplayer so there is a lot of content for the $30 asking price.
  • https://youtu.be/lKuILmzw6H8

Elite Dangerous

  • Since I already had my HOTAS out for Overload I decided to get ED and give it a spin.
  • The games are vastly different, Overload is fast and in your face while ED is just you alone is space trying to learn how to pilot a space ship without blowing yourself up. 
  • The game is complicated and will take some time to learn, but you feel like you are actually learning how to fly a space ship.  
  • The game of course supports VR and once again the VR mode is a better way to play.  
  • In Non-VR mode you have menus on the left and right that come up by button presses, in VR when you look to the left or right the menu's automatically appear. You can also target anything by just looking at it instead of having to aim your ship at the object.
  • The first time you exit hyperspace and come to a screeching halt in front of a sun is awesome. 
  • I played the first night and had a great time and didn't have many issues, I mostly had to look at how the actions were mapped to my controls.
  • The next day I found out about VoiceAttack and HCS Voice Pack modules.  They allow you to control your ships functions with your voice. The Voice Pack gives you a virtual AI that you  communicate with and they are voiced by sci-fi actors and I had to chose William Shatner.  He has over 1500 lines of dialog it makes the game super immersive and the ship much easier to control.  
  • The main issue i have is navigating the map to find  out where I need to go so I'll look up some tutorials for that. 
  • I really wish they would make a new Star Wars Tie Fighter game.