Team Fortress 2 To Become First Official Oculus Rift Title

[-smash-]

Speaking with Engadget, Valve programmer Joe Ludwig revealed that they're releasing the first official Oclulus Rift title on Windows, and it will "be available some time within the next couple of weeks." Of course, the consumer version of the Rift doesn't have a release date, so this is only for those with the SDK but it's good to know this is getting the field experience.

Engadget also demoed the tech and wrote up a little preview accompanied by some pictures of Joe Ludwig with the latest Oculus Rift prototype.

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Here's a break down of what's going on in the TF2 VR mode update:

• Team Fortress 2 will have support for Oculus Rift in "the coming days".
• Windows only for now, but Valve will release Linux and Mac support asap.
• Can play on any TF2 server.
• All Oculus owners will receive a free Oculus Rift themed hat! (Who'd have guessed it?!)
• All Gamemodes and Maps are supported.

Joe will be giving a presentation next week at the Game Developers Conference, titled "What We Learned Porting Team Fortress 2 to Virtual Reality", so we'll have the chance to get an even better look.

 

[Lilgreenman]

So were in the future now? Meh.

 

[Lobster]

If they end up supporting the ARMA series I will buy a pair.

Assuming nobody suffers a bad case of melted eyeballs that is.

 

[cavifax]

How do i Pootis?

 

[Shem]

So were in the future now? Meh.

That's relative. If you want to be technical about it we are never in the future. What happens at this very moment is the present, and everything before this very moment is the very moment we just had, otherwise known as the past.

 

[MFL]

Hat while I hat.

 

[Rorschach120]

L4D2 would have been cooler I think. Especially after reading this.

 

[MFL]

How the balls are they going to do crosshair tracking? I better still be able to control that with the mouse, motion sickness or no.

Edit: Ugh, according to the article, movemap is mapped to the headset. I really hope there is an option to switch that to crosshair. ... or... or both... Oh god what did I just do.

 

[Danny_ZQ]

Nice.

 

[Shem]

He doesn't look very happy.

 

[Omnomnick]

L4D2 would have been cooler I think. Especially after reading this.

It'll come eventually. Team Fortress 2 is and always has been used as Valve's test bed, which explains why, in Glenn's words, the game is such a Frankenstein's monster these days.

 

[-smash-]

Valve press release:

Spoiler

Valve Adds Virtual Reality to Team Fortress 2

The leading war-themed hat simulator now supports the Oculus Rift.

March 18, 2013 -- Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Counter-Strike, Half-Life, and Left 4 Dead), today announced the addition of an experimental Virtual Reality mode to Team Fortress 2. The new mode will be released in the coming days as part of an update to the popular Free to Play game.

Anyone with an Oculus Rift Developer Kit will be able to use their device to play all of Team Fortress 2 on the PC. All game modes and classes are supported with the new Virtual Reality mode.

"When we first played an early version of Virtual Reality mode in Team Fortress we were blown away by the immersion we experienced.", said Joe Ludwig at Valve. "VR is just getting started, but it is going to have a big impact on gaming. This update will let us share that experience with more of the Team Fortress community."

"Valve's done an incredible job bringing Team Fortress 2 to virtual reality! TF2 is the most-played game in my Steam library, so you can imagine how excited I am to play it in the Rift with all of our backers," said Palmer Luckey, Founder of Oculus VR, Inc.

In addition to gaining access to the new Virtual Reality mode, owners of the Oculus Rift will also be granted a unique Oculus Rift in-game hat. Steam codes to redeem for this item will be sent out by Oculus.

Team Fortress 2 is Valve's Free to Play team-based online game. The game has had more than 350 updates since its release with The Orange Box in 2007.

 

[ChiliFan]

Came in here to make a joke about promotional hats but Valve beat me to it.

 

[Shem]

As did MFL.

 

[ríomhaire]

How the balls are they going to do crosshair tracking? I better still be able to control that with the mouse, motion sickness or no.

Edit: Ugh, according to the article, movemap is mapped to the headset. I really hope there is an option to switch that to crosshair. ... or... or both... Oh god what did I just do.

It'll work the same way it works in all proper VR setups, ie, the way you're pointing your head is independent of where you're pointing your gun. Basically the same control scheme at the moment but where you're looking is no longer tied to where your crosshairs are. You have your gun pointed at the enemy and are moving forward but you can glance over your shoulder without changing where you're aiming or moving. The best solution would have head, body and arms/aiming all detached from each other but the normal keyboard/mouse setup doesn't lend itself to that.

 

[Eejit]

Hmmm I expect a lot of people will be tweaking field of view values playing with this gadget.

 

[MFL]

Specifically, I meant whether WASD will correlate with where you are looking or the orientation of your crosshair.

Then I imagined having a separate WASD and just using them both and the possibilities for movement blossomed in my soul.

Now I just need five more fingers.

 

[ríomhaire]

WASD will correlate to the direction of your crosshairs/your body direction.

 

[MFL]

We're told that VR Mode will ship with a few other options for interaction with the game through Rift, offering variations on the way we played. The standard setup has look-dictating movement direction, meaning that innovative uses of Rift, like moving forward while shooting sideways (by looking sideways with your head, as shooting is mapped to the mouse), won't work.

 

[Lobster]

I imagine it will differ from game-to-game, the software side of things will likely be as customizable as any other controller. Personally I wouldn't have much interest in using the motion tracking component with something fast and frantic like Quake or TF2.

However I think it would be great in games that already have a free-look function. For example gazing around the cockpit of a flight simulator without disturbing the controls, or being able to scan the horizon while running in a straight line in ARMA.

My biggest question is how sharp the image will appear when you are wearing it, and as a result how comfortable it is to use for any prolonged period.

 

[MFL]

We've done it boys. Hats, all the way down.

http://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=10148

 

[Red Slug]

Any ideas, what's up with those QR-Codes on the wall? Is it just decorative stuff, cause I can't scan these.

 

[Barnz]

Any ideas, what's up with those QR-Codes on the wall? Is it just decorative stuff, cause I can't scan these.

I want to know the story behind them too. They're everywhere in the building.

 

[Rorschach120]

They are part of Mr. Ludwig's daily satanic ritual.