Yesterday, the VR community was set on fire with a new anti-modification update for VRChat and rising prices for Quest 2. I was discovering a little jewel in a VR gameProposed to me by my friend Dario Cyber Machine Studio.. The game is called “Rock Life: Rock Simulator” And it promises to be a small revolution for both VR and pancake games. Let’s talk more about it.
Gameplay
In “Rock Life: Rock Simulator” You play like a rock. When you enter the world of VR, you will notice that there is a rock in front of you and you are in a small land full of grass. You cannot move or do anything because you are a rock yourself. However You can stare at the rock There is a bird song in the background.
This game is very accessible and should be praised by the designers of this game. Because I can’t move and I can’t do anything Anyone can play the game. It is also safe to suffer from motion sickness. Because … I can’t move. This is a genius move to guarantee participation in this game.
You can stare at the rock for as long as you want, there is no limit. The game also has some achievements, one must be 20 hours rock and the other 100 hours (because it will be a gigachad rock). Unfortunately, I’m a weak person, made of meat, not rock, I abandoned it after a few minutes. It’s embarrassing.
The game has a menu with two buttons:
- 1 and You can change the type of rock.. You can choose gray rocks, red rocks, round rocks, flat rocks … there is a good choice of rocks to choose from. If you’re a fan or rock (I mean objects, not music), you’ll appreciate it. I’m sorry to all NFT fans. There are no NFT locks available here that can be purchased exclusively for Monkey Locks.
- With the other, You can change the environment. If the first environment is a CGI Green Garden, the second environment looks like this: A large Zen garden reconstructed by photogrammetry. But don’t be afraid this can change your gameplay. In the new environment You are still a rock and you can’t do anything yet.
I found this experience very relaxing: Finally, I was able to do what I wanted to do in real life in VR.However Do nothing and pretend to be a rock.. I wonder why game developers continue to play these games by implementing tedious tasks such as VR fitness movements and puzzles. Rock is clearly what VR gamers like, That’s why the game has a “very positive” score on Steam.
I tried a flat screen version of the game and it’s very similar… You can become rocks, change rocks, and change the environment.However Flat screen games are less immersive I felt myself not like a rock, but like someone looking at a rock on the screen. This shows the power of virtual reality. Thanks to the headset, I could feel like a rock, Something that changed my perception of life. The only drawback of this embodiment is An addiction that gives you a rock life. For example, when a colleague asked me to implement a feature in a VR application, I pretended to be a peaceful rock and didn’t move or talk, but he started angry and screaming. Get money. I wanted to answer his concerns, but I don’t talk about rocks.
Fortunately, the flat screen version It also provides a way to meet your rock buddies.. There is a multiplayer mode, You can join multiple multiplayer lobbies to find other rocks..Because I joined the room with two other players I saw three rocks on the screen.It was very emotional to me Because at last I was able to connect to fellow rocks and do nothing with them. It was very peaceful. A big feature of rock multiplayer life is that you can’t do anything, so you don’t risk meeting trolls or people screaming. You are just all happy rocks. Unfortunately, multiplayer is still in beta, so Not yet available in VR: This is very disappointing. This program Rock Metaverse.
Multimedia elements
I think the visual element of the experience was even better.Especially in the CGI environment Doesn’t give us the proper realism that rock fanatics want to see For a real rock experience. It looks a little fake. Furthermore, when playing in VR, My frame rate was about 50 FPS on the RTX 2080 Super. The game is clearly not optimized for virtual reality. Photogrammetric environments are more realistic and instead run at better frame rates.
Instead, you’ll hear the chirping surroundings of the birds Very relaxingSo it’s well done.
Input and control
Rock Simulator also has problems with game input. I could see the Oculus Touch controller, There are strange cylinders above them, and small spheres are moving while moving the thumbstick. Given that the cylinder is completely useless and the thumbstick is useless in this game, the sphere moves further with the thumbstick.
There is a rock and an in-menu game that changes the scene on the left side of the scene, but because there is a rock in front of you, you can not see the menu and the rock at the same time, The operation of changing rocks is a little unpleasant. You need to keep spinning your head from the menu to see which rock it is.In addition, the rays coming out of the controller to interact with the menu It’s too thin to see This makes the interaction even more clunky. Fortunately, I’m a rock, so I didn’t have to interact much.
Immersion
When I was in the photogrammetry scene, it didn’t move and the rock was in front of me I really felt it was a rock. I understand what the ever-resting rock life is, facing all the changing conditions around you. Games can really change your life and make you a rock. Or lock.
community
The game has a great community of rock aspirants. Lively discussions at the game forum. Below is an example of a dialogue that impressed me.
availability
“Rock Life: The Rock Simulator” is available on Steam on this page.Free Because creators really wanted to give everyone the potential to be rock.
Final impression
Technically the game needs improvement, I liked the way “Rock Life: Rock Simulator” tried to make me feel like a rock. That’s what many of us in the VR community have been waiting for, and probably One of the apps that leads to mainstream success in VR.. Even after using virtual reality for eight years, the feeling of rocks and immobility was a whole new sensation for me.
I also like the multiplayer mode, I think it is also necessary for the VR version. Also, optimize the game, Metaquest 2..
This is a hidden masterpiece, so please give it a try. Lock-on!
(Header image by BGNB Studio)
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