Oculus Rift: Game development in the sign of the headless cat

Funny and exciting, Forsyth has explained how many details have to be taken into account when programming the VR glasses. Because the developers often lose sight of the fact that the users are still “fresh and innocent” in their experience with the virtual reality glasses. It is necessary to slowly bring the inexperienced user to the experience. Exaggerated particle effects are thus taboo.


The transfer of the camera is also prohibited. This is left alone to the user, because for him, loss of control feels funny. If, however, from a technical point of view, a jump or an aperture is necessary, then recommends Forsyth to grasp the so-called blinking. So slowly fade out, the change of location and slowly fade again. The blinking should last longer than 300 milliseconds. Less people do not perceive.


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But the first problems do not arise in the presentation of games over the VR glasses. Before any gaming is to be considered, the distance between the eyes and the nose must be correctly adjusted. If this does not happen, the virtual world is wrong for the user. Only when the eyebrow is adjusted properly, the brain feels as part of the virtual world and accepts it.


Also the size of the player is important for the player's genuineness. Depending on the individual body size, everyone also has their own view of their own reality. This factor will also be taken into account in the development of VR worlds. A corresponding option is provided by the SDK, whereby the distance of the eyes to the ground is determined and transferred to the game. Thus, the camera is once again at the usual height. Next station: looking around.


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In order to look around in the new world, it also helps to have a body of its own. Preferably one that you also see when you look down at yourself. For ego-perspectives, a decapitated cat on a meat hook is an example. In order to create a realistic body for the player, one starts from a dancing cat. With head without hooks. In the middle between the eyes, the camera is fixed to create a centered image that the human being is accustomed to. Now the head has to go away, because if one would leave this, the player would see his own eyes, nose, teeth from the inside. This is usually not typical human. If the head is removed, or alternatively and less cruelly reduced to size 0, the meat hook comes. This is used to fix the camera position so that the body moves around the camera, not the other way around.


Also important for the final touch: the frame rate. The 75-Hertz refresh rate of the Rift DK2 would like to see Forsyth gladly used. He also drew attention to the three-dimensional stereo sound, doubling the draw calls. For this reason, Forsyth recommends developers to the Mantle API or the upcoming DirectX 12.