In my pursuit of VR Game Development, I started a VR project that took shape and was playable to the point of having 3 movement modes set up (walking, flying and climbing) a starting level, a save game setup, some AI movement (using the new PowerIK tool) and a basic scripted sequence to start.

You can still see a video showcasing the scripted NPC actions I implemented, though I only ever took screenshots (not video) of the actual VR development.

For walking mode, I added walking animations that would play for the lower half of the body whenever the character moves around in the world, either by using the directional input, or by walking around in the VR playspace. Only the head and hands are tracked. For the walking animation, I used similar logic to Fortnight for rotating with a “turn-in-place” animation when rotating past 90 degrees, and a head-look style control when maintaining general forward direction.

For gameplay I added a couple of custom interactables: a two-handed broom and a collar that you have to remove from your neck area, and can then throw across the room with zero gravity. If you were able to toss it directly at a post (think zero-gravity fisbee golf), then you could teleport to that post as a tether. Magic stuff.

The first quest was to sweep the magical laboratory before the “big experiment” – I meant to elaborate on immersive first person experience with a Half Life 1 influence. I decided in the end that VR development was not for me, and pursued traditional flatscreen development.