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[WIP] Fly Like a Bird - Skycall - Rook Island Release

getnamo
Honored Guest
Update
Public Demo is now live!

Grab Win32 build at
Link(Mega)
Mirror(Mediafire)

This demo requires DK1 and Razer Hydras.

About Rook Island:
This is a pre-alpha demo meant to allow you to explore bird flight with the closest possible experience. To gain altitude you will have to flap, once you gain enough speed you will glide and steer with tilt and yaw like you used to as a kid imagining you were a bird/airplane.

Enjoy the shoulder workout! Let me know what you think, and if you manage to find all the eggs...

All the instructions on flight are included in the Documentation check out the flapping video below for an example of controlled flight.

Flapping Video:




Original
Hi Rifters!

I've gotten my flight dynamics to the point where I have to share at least a proof of concept video. The flying is only playable with the Razer Hydras and Oculus Rift.




Each of your hydras define the wingwips of each wing, and you uhhh... flap to generate lift! Once you have enough speed to generate lift it will make things easier and you can soar like a bird identifying the perch you want to land on or maybe... tasty prey on the ground? 😉

Let me know what you think and what you'd like to see next. If you could fly like a bird, where would you go?
Current Project: Skycall
47 REPLIES 47

getnamo
Honored Guest
annnnnndddd .......?

Ive been caught! 😮

Truth is good inverse kinematics is hard, after struggling with it for a bit, the boxes have now officially been replaced with wings, with the first pass model of a bald eagle (WIP! It will look feathery later on I promise 😉 )

comparisonv1.jpg

and below is a preview of winged flight




Some interesting problems crept up which are bound to VR only. For one, while we have similar bone structure to majority of birds, bends, motions and rotations are typically different, a 1:1 replication is neither possible nor desirable from the onset. It should instead feel right, your mind filling the blanks.

Secondly, when you stand to flap, your arms are directly below your head, a perceptional immersion which can be reinforced by placing your wings there (your body expects your appendages to be there, it was how the first video was set up), but thats not how birds see things in flight! When a bird flies it does so horizontally and the wings will appear to be behind you, in fact you would rarely see them unless looking far off-sight or behind you; some feedback can be lost if we do it that way. Still figuring out the best balance here.

Finally bird head position is different when hovering, more akin to our standing position, this transition is yet to be added, but crucial to reduce motion sickness on or near the ground.

@dubster a wee bit longer before you see the wire monster!

@IGameArt I'm thinking initially a Mayan/Aztec theme for the demo so looks like you'll get what you're looking for 🙂

@ganjaroach, @koshinator Wonder what balance between gameplay and realism it should have, perhaps a two-tiered game where there is a lot of hidden optional things to do if you find them. Hydras are pretty cheap and worth it IMO, it takes VR to a whole new level once you see its accuracy and what you can use them for...

@HealthPhysics That is awesome! Can't wait to get this out to people's hands/wings, but the dynamics and immersion have to be solid, there is a bit more work before I can claim that.

@maxmedia, @darkjames I agree, one of my favorite games with music/silence balance is Tomb Raider; really brings you in.

@tensu, @molton Great! I like both of your concepts, ideas always intersect in some way giving wide variations. Doubt rifters will complain for having too many awesome demos 😄

Thanks for the suggestions, keep them coming. Next video will have someone flapping and more interesting scenery!
Current Project: Skycall

Ganjaroach
Explorer
Looking really good so far, the box's where cool but these wings are really looking nice. 🙂 I just don't want to dish out 100+ dollars for the hydra when stem is coming some time next year. Wish they would do another 50% off promo since stem is coming...

virror
Explorer
Looking nice!
Legs look very long though?

dubster
Honored Guest
"getnamo" wrote:
annnnnndddd .......?

Ive been caught! 😮


It was more the wire solution I was talking about ?

getnamo
Honored Guest
"dubster" wrote:
"getnamo" wrote:
annnnnndddd .......?

Ive been caught! 😮


It was more the wire solution I was talking about ?


That will come with the next video, with the flapping person.
Current Project: Skycall

sh0v0r
Protege
This is looking great, how is turning handled can you hold your arms out and tilt in either direction or is it look controlled?

getnamo
Honored Guest
"sh0v0r" wrote:
This is looking great, how is turning handled can you hold your arms out and tilt in either direction or is it look controlled?


Your sight and flying are independent, allowing for scouting and planning. Currently, to turn you can tilt or yaw your arms, the further off-center you are the tighter the turn. It feels pretty natural in the air, but some improvement to how this behaves on the ground should be made.

It's interesting how when you look at things from afar your mind is willing to accept or cannot discern certain motion, but when it is up close, it has to be much more accurate/natural in order to reduce motion sickness.
Current Project: Skycall

getnamo
Honored Guest
Hey Rifters!
I'm nearly ready to showcase a demo for this project, expect an update tomorrow Edit: day after tomorrow. In the meantime here's a teaser...

Current Project: Skycall

getnamo
Honored Guest
Flapping Video!



Rook Island demo is nearly finished, and should be available to download in the next few days.

What do you think? Ready to exercise those shoulders?

Also looking for someone who has razer hydras to share the demo a bit earlier to ensure the download and setup works as intended, let me know if you can help.
Current Project: Skycall

Krisper
Explorer
That is really nice. I can test it with Hydras, but I might not be able to for a day or 2. If no one else volunteers, let me know.