Changes

Due to the nature of VR, walking and running often isn’t as comfortable as driving and flying. Movement is an essential part of games and game design, but it has been a challenge to fully overcome the problems of moving in a virtual environment while the body of the user stays still. Due to this, developers have experimented with new locomotion techniques, such has the method of “blinking” from one place to another. Although it is comfortable, this specific method is not the most immersive one <ref name=”8”> Lang, B. (2017). “Freedom Locomotion System” is a comprehensive package for VR movement. Retrieved from http://www.roadtovr.com/freedom-locomotion-system-comprehensive-package-vr-movement/</ref>. Other techniques are being explored and applied so the user can feel immersed in the virtual experience and not be nauseous with its exploration, although there isn’t a global solution for locomotion in VR games. While devices like the omni-directional treadmill Virtuix Omni, or VR parks such as The VOID give a good immersive experience, reducing the sickness side effects, these technologies are still not completely accessible to the average user <ref name=”3”></ref>.

Due to the nature of VR, walking and running often isn’t as comfortable as driving and flying. Movement is an essential part of games and game design, but it has been a challenge to fully overcome the problems of moving in a virtual environment while the body of the user stays still. Due to this, developers have experimented with new locomotion techniques, such has the method of “blinking” from one place to another. Although it is comfortable, this specific method is not the most immersive one <ref name=”8”> Lang, B. (2017). “Freedom Locomotion System” is a comprehensive package for VR movement. Retrieved from http://www.roadtovr.com/freedom-locomotion-system-comprehensive-package-vr-movement/</ref>. Other techniques are being explored and applied so the user can feel immersed in the virtual experience and not be nauseous with its exploration, although there isn’t a global solution for locomotion in VR games. While devices like the omni-directional treadmill Virtuix Omni, or VR parks such as The VOID give a good immersive experience, reducing the sickness side effects, these technologies are still not completely accessible to the average user <ref name=”3”></ref>.

One technique is roomscale locomotion, in which the user moves around within a large-scale tracking volume. Oculus and Sony already offer large-scale tracking volumes, but are focusing on a balance between standing and seated gameplay. Another one is to use a vehicle that allows the user to assume a natural sitting position while also reducing the discrepancy between what is seen to what is felt. These cockpits are used in racing or flying games, for example. It’s also possible to use a full vehicle instead of only the cockpit, provided there’s enough space available. As an example, the 2016 title Hover Junkers, by StressLevelZero, is a VR game that allows users to play with the game’s hover boats, as a roomscale vehicle <ref name=”3”></ref>. Teleportation is a technique that addresses some things that induce nausea in VR, like the Yaw stick poison, or when using the right stick of the controller to turn the POV. According to an article in uploadvr.com “YAW refers to movement along a vertical axis, such as turning the nose of an aircraft. YAW is also one of the quickest ways to get someone sick in VR. When you connect a game’s YAW control to a stick, rather than to your head motion, it creates an uncomfortable disconnect that Oculus’ CTO John Carmack has gone as far as to call “VR poison.” The teleportation method has been used to excellent effect in several virtual spaces like AtlspaceVR, or Cloudhead’s Blink, and the game Budget Cuts uses it as a gameplay mechanic <ref name=”3”></ref> <ref> Mason, W. (2015). Five ways to reduce motion sickness in VR. Retrieved from http://uploadvr.com/five-ways-to-reduce-motion-sickness-in-vr/</ref>. Flight in VR has been proven to reduce the discomfort of the users, providing the ability to simulate smooth, gaze-based forward motion without dizziness. An example of this is Ubisoft’s game Eagle Flight, which attempts to provide intense action while also remaining comfortable to use. VR comfort mode makes use of a sort of micro-teleportation in which the smooth movement made with the controller’s right stick is replaced with a “snap-to” turn. This allows for a more pleasant experience in virtual reality while in a seated position. There’s also the possibility of using gaze-based locomotion in VR comfort mode, but it’s less natural than “snap-to” turns. Finally, there’s floating head, which is a VR third-person viewpoint. This method allows for good VR gameplay without the locomotion problems that first-person titles have. It’s a good way for VR newcomers to play something more familiar with traditional games and ease the transition into the new format <ref name=”3”></ref>.

One technique is roomscale locomotion, in which the user moves around within a large-scale tracking volume. Oculus and Sony already offer large-scale tracking volumes, but are focusing on a balance between standing and seated gameplay. Another one is to use a vehicle that allows the user to assume a natural sitting position while also reducing the discrepancy between what is seen to what is felt. These cockpits are used in racing or flying games, for example. It’s also possible to use a full vehicle instead of only the cockpit, provided there’s enough space available. As an example, the 2016 title Hover Junkers, by StressLevelZero, is a VR game that allows users to play with the game’s hover boats, as a roomscale vehicle <ref name=”3”></ref>. Teleportation is a technique that addresses some things that induce nausea in VR, like the Yaw stick poison, or when using the right stick of the controller to turn the POV.

 

According to an article in uploadvr.com “Yaw refers to movement along a vertical axis, such as turning the nose of an aircraft. YAW is also one of the quickest ways to get someone sick in VR. When you connect a game’s YAW control to a stick, rather than to your head motion, it creates an uncomfortable disconnect that Oculus’ CTO John Carmack has gone as far as to call “VR poison.” The teleportation method has been used to excellent effect in several virtual spaces like AtlspaceVR, or Cloudhead’s Blink, and the game Budget Cuts uses it as a gameplay mechanic <ref name=”3”></ref> <ref> Mason, W. (2015). Five ways to reduce motion sickness in VR. Retrieved from http://uploadvr.com/five-ways-to-reduce-motion-sickness-in-vr/</ref>. Flight in VR has been proven to reduce the discomfort of the users, providing the ability to simulate smooth, gaze-based forward motion without dizziness. An example of this is Ubisoft’s game Eagle Flight, which attempts to provide intense action while also remaining comfortable to use. VR comfort mode makes use of a sort of micro-teleportation in which the smooth movement made with the controller’s right stick is replaced with a “snap-to” turn. This allows for a more pleasant experience in virtual reality while in a seated position. There’s also the possibility of using gaze-based locomotion in VR comfort mode, but it’s less natural than “snap-to” turns. Finally, there’s floating head, which is a VR third-person viewpoint. This method allows for good VR gameplay without the locomotion problems that first-person titles have. It’s a good way for VR newcomers to play something more familiar with traditional games and ease the transition into the new format <ref name=”3”></ref>.

As a final example, the studio Huge Robot created the Freedom Locomotion System to try to resolve the problem of comfortable and immersive VR locomotion. It is a locomotion package that comes close to solving the issue of VR locomotion with the current practical limitations of VR. This system as what has been called CAOTS (Controller Assisted On the Spot) movement, which is a sort of “run-in-place” movement system. According to George Kong, Huge Robot’s Director, “it lets players comfortably and immersively move while leaving their hands free for interactions with the virtual world (especially important for games where you might regularly wield a weapon like a gun or sword).” Besides CAOTS, the system has other subsystems that offer different modes of locomotion and methods of interaction with the virtual world <ref name=”8”></ref>.

As a final example, the studio Huge Robot created the Freedom Locomotion System to try to resolve the problem of comfortable and immersive VR locomotion. It is a locomotion package that comes close to solving the issue of VR locomotion with the current practical limitations of VR. This system as what has been called CAOTS (Controller Assisted On the Spot) movement, which is a sort of “run-in-place” movement system. According to George Kong, Huge Robot’s Director, “it lets players comfortably and immersively move while leaving their hands free for interactions with the virtual world (especially important for games where you might regularly wield a weapon like a gun or sword).” Besides CAOTS, the system has other subsystems that offer different modes of locomotion and methods of interaction with the virtual world <ref name=”8”></ref>.