Boneworks Has the Physics Underpinnings to Be a Next Generation VR Masterpiece

cageymaru

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The VR development studio, Stress Level Zero is working on its most ambitious VR title yet; Boneworks. Boneworks will feature advanced physics that aren't found in other VR titles. It uses the capabilities of the upcoming SteamVR Knuckles to allow users to grip one end of an object like a crowbar and slide/rotate their fingers around the other end. Not only does it allow users to see and use each of their fingers individually in the VR world, gamers can toss objects up with one hand and catch it with the other. In first the video, the developers demonstrate some of the forward-thinking, next generation technology featured in the game. Special thanks to Supercharged_Z06 for the information.

BONEWORKS Is a narrative VR action adventure using advanced experimental physics mechanics. Dynamically navigate through environments, engage in physics heavy combat, and creatively approach puzzles with physics.

Advanced Physics: Designed entirely for consistent universal rules, the advanced physics mechanics encourage players to confidently and creatively interact with the virtual world however you want.

Combat: Approach combat in any number of ways you can think off following the physical rules of the game's universe. Melee weapons, firearms, physics traps, environments, can all be used to aid you in fights with enemy entities.

Weapons, lots of weapons: Boneworks provides players with a plethora of physics based weaponry; guns, swords, axes, clubs, spears, hammers, experimental energy weapons, nonsensical mystery tools, and anomalous physics weapons.
 
I'll take a refund for their first VR game... community of maybe 60 people at launch, and it's dead now.
hoverjunkers was junk.

But since i enjoy NODE videos I'll give them benefit of doubt
 
This is how they should make Half Life 3

It actually kinda looks like they're going for that....it looks very Half-Lifey already. But, I have to say, this looks closer to something that won't be quite as embarrassingly infantile-looking in ten years.
 
Looks fantastic and very fun, look forward to this.
 
I just kept thinking of Doom and Shadow of Mordor/War. In DOOM, Glory Kills could get nuts. And Shadow, oh man, the mechanics you could work in there.

Good stuff.
 
There's some greater significance to this title than what's been mentioned here so far. It's the first non-Valve title that appears on their "Master list" -- an internal list of app ids with all of the games Valve has ever produced or developed. On this list now alongside Half-life, Portal, and Left 4 Dead, is Boneworks.

What this could mean is any number of things, the speculation is that Boneworks will be a Knuckles launch title. Also possible that Valve has acquired the Boneworks developer (joining Campo Santo - the Firewatch developer - another acquisition that happened after Gabe stated Valve had "3 titles" in the works). Two things are certain: Boneworks is going to be a prominent title for Valve and SteamVR, and SLZ has been working very closely with Valve according to various reports.

GDC 2019 is two weeks from Monday (March 18-22) and hopes are high that we'll get more info from Valve then. But who am I kidding? :)
 
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I love it! VR is the future. Just add a/c to the helmet and zing!
 
I read some stuff just last week because I was wondering why most VR games only show you hands, and it was reasoned that this is because current VR systems do not know where your shoulders are. How have they gotten around this problem?
 
I read some stuff just last week because I was wondering why most VR games only show you hands, and it was reasoned that this is because current VR systems do not know where your shoulders are. How have they gotten around this problem?

There is an open source initiative that uses the Kinect along with VR to do full body tracking. It isn't perfect, but it is decent for the cheap price of a second hand Kinect. You can also buy individual sensors for something like the Vive that you can attach to whatever you want.

At this point, none of the above really improves VR that much because the games and headsets are just not there yet. I suppose you could find a use if you spent a ton of time in VR Chat or something similar to that.
 
This looks like it's headed in the right direction - much more natural interaction with a virtual universe. Please, please, please, they need to fix the wrist mechanics. I'm getting nauseous just looking at the bends in the VR character wrists...
 
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