Hello guys! I’m EchO, one of the Game Designers of Gravity Royale VR. I am mainly responsible for character movement design. I wanted to share some words about our three-dimensional space combat design with you guys.
Our game, Gravity Royale VR is a BR game. This means that you will be collecting loot on a very large map, moving and fighting through different environments as the ring shrinks, and winning the game or being eliminated. Most popular VR shooter games at the time, like Contactors VR and Pavlov VR, are all CQB Games. Players are allowed to fight in limited close quarters. The main way the character moves is by walking and running. Obviously, for our game, we don't want players to traverse such a large map using only their two legs. It would be tiresome and boring. So we need more interesting movement abilities to allow players to move and fight freely and quickly in a larger environment.
I love VR shooter games in VR and PC. I had a lot of fun with Pavlov VR, Contactors VR, and Population One. I also realized that most VR shooter games' levels are very flat, and movement is slow. You have to hold your weapon and move carefully in the game. When you meet enemies, you must react quickly, raise your gun and shoot, like cowboys in a western duel. It's also great, but I think for VR shooting games, there are still many things to do. We hope to design more dimensional levels with more flexibility and free mobility, allowing players to enjoy the fun of moving and shooting at the same time.
So we do more three-dimensional diverse Level Design, including many multi-story buildings, air platforms, cliffs, and more. To match it, we added GrappleHook and Air Jetpack to the character. This way, players have faster Z-axis movement ability. I know you'll ask: Why don't we add climbing ability to the character? In fact, we have considered it. Although the climbing experience is great in VR. But climbing requires players to constantly wave their arms. This has certain requirements for players' physical endurance. In tense and thrilling battles, you need to constantly climb to reach higher and more advantageous positions, which will exhaust you. We don't want Gravity Royale VR to be like this. We hope that players can play the game easily and happily, so we have designed an Air Jetpack, which is more convenient and interesting.
You can imagine that characters can use the AirJetBag to fly onto rooftops or jump off tall buildings. And use GrappleHook to switch between different floors, and fight with other players in the air. Although you need some practice and patience, it will be a cool thing.
We have done a lot of interesting level design. The entire map is divided into multiple different areas. Each area has different styles and gameplay. For example: urban areas with more buildings; fields with many cliffs; large spacecraft with complex interiors. Most buildings have multiple floors and multiple exits and entrances. With your Air Jetpack and GrappleHook, you will be able to reach most of the places you want to go. (However, I'm very sorry to inform you that in Pre-Alpha we have only opened some areas with high completion rates and some areas are still in the making）
Each player has an Air Jetpack. Long press the A-key and you will jet up. At the same time, the Air Jetpack will give you the ability to move horizontally, and you can use the left joystick to move horizontally. When you want to stop, all you need to do is release the button. Try it a few times and you will quickly master it. In combat, you need to jet and move as much as possible to keep your advantage. It should be noted that the energy of a jet backpack is limited and when you run out of energy, it also means that you are vulnerable to enemies on the roof.
Each player also has a GrappleHook. Lift your hand and aim, then press the trigger to launch it, and the hook will take you to the target location. During the movement, the Armkit will also project a virtual joystick, attempting to rotate your wrist and arm to control it, which will bring you additional directional speed. The speed of the hook lock is very fast, and when you want to escape or pursue the enemy, this will be your best choice. It should be noted that the CD of the hook lock is very long, and you may not be able to use it many times in a battle.
These are some of our designs of three-dimensional space combat. In the process of turning our ideas into reality, everything is still in an early stage. In this test, you may encounter some bugs or may feel that some game designs are not good or make you feel tired or dizzy（Motion Sickness. We deeply apologize for these poor gaming experiences. I hope you can actively give us feedback and share your experience with other players on the channel.
And finally, I hope everyone has fun in Gravity Royale VR!