Will virtual reality lessen DOOM's impact?

[ChickenOrBeef]

Many people who have tried VR describe it as a transformative leap for gaming, and some even feel they'll have a hard time going back to regular gaming.

DOOM is releasing Spring of next year. PlayStation VR is releasing Spring of next year, along with some very promising launch titles like EVE: Valkyrie. Oculus will probably launch around the same time.

I don't think VR would stop DOOM from being a well-received and successful game, especially since VR won't have a large install base right out of the gate, but I do think VR will strip away any chance DOOM has for being anywhere near as impactful to the industry as the original Doom was. The original Doom was at the cutting edge back in 1993, but now the new DOOM won't be using the latest tech.


So here's some interesting questions:

1) Do you think DOOM will be immediately out-of-date (at least somewhat) since VR is hitting around the same time?

2) It seems that Bethesda/iD will be stubborn to use VR for DOOM due to the John Carmack fiasco, but perhaps they'd be open to supporting the other platforms, like PlayStation VR at least. Do you think they'll end up supporting VR at a later date?

3) Do you think a game like DOOM would even work in VR? You're playing as a character who's moving his legs and running/jumping around really quickly, unlike a cockpit game such as EVE: Valkryie or Ace Combat 7. I've heard complaints that the disconnect causes nausea. But I've also heard that the first three Doom games can be played with Oculus and are quite fun that way.

[DooM_RO]

I don't think it will be immediately out of date since there will not be any launch Apps for the Rift BUT...

...I think Doom 2016 should have been the posterboy for VR, the same way Quake was the posterboy for 3D accelerators. It would have been the perfect game. In fact, I would go as far as making it VR-Only, or at least leaning more towards VR than traditional keyboard/mouse/gamepad gameplay.

[Clonehunter]

1) No

2) Maybe?

3) Who the fuck cares?

[Chezza]

Clonehunter said:

1) No

2) Maybe?

3) Who the fuck cares?

I'm gonna 1+ this.

[Koko Ricky]

Despite the leaps we've made with VR tech, no one knows how to give you full directional freedom. That's why all the demos and games tend to be cockpit style. It's going to remain a dumb novelty until the tech improves. I doubt this will impact Doom '16 much at all.

[The Civ]

I definitely see STRAFE being a big competitor for DOOM next year, even if it is an indie game.
It's got fast, Quake style action, and will fully support VR, with several features exclusive to playing with VR.
Now, visually, it goes for a low poly Quake 1 style look, which may set it back, since so many people just go "UUNGA BUUNGA ME NEED PHOTO REAL GRAPHIC", but the fact that you can fly around at high speeds with VR, gibs and blood flying everywhere, is pretty damn cool.

[Koko Ricky]

You know, I want to like Strafe, because the released footage inevitably reminds me of Doom, Quake, Blood, Duke 3D, Unreal Tournament, Chasm, etc. But watching gameplay of it makes me want to play those games instead of Strafe. And boy howdy does it turn into a fucking visual mess when blood and bullet casings litter the environment. It's a game that looks fun, but significantly less so than the shooters it's aping. It's hard to imagine something that generic and forgettable looking being in direct competition with Doom '16.

[Xaero_Four]

GoatLord said:

Despite the leaps we've made with VR tech, no one knows how to give you full directional freedom. That's why all the demos and games tend to be cockpit style. It's going to remain a dumb novelty until the tech improves. I doubt this will impact Doom '16 much at all.

You're right. As cool as Rift looks it's still in its infancy. It'll be some time before the tech evolves and really becomes something special and viable.

[AirRaid]

GoatLord said:

You know, I want to like Strafe, because the released footage inevitably reminds me of Doom, Quake, Blood, Duke 3D, Unreal Tournament, Chasm, etc. But watching gameplay of it makes me want to play those games instead of Strafe. And boy howdy does it turn into a fucking visual mess when blood and bullet casings litter the environment. It's a game that looks fun, but significantly less so than the shooters it's aping. It's hard to imagine something that generic and forgettable looking being in direct competition with Doom '16.

STRAFE (in it's demo form) is pretty fun to play, and I'm looking forward to it coming out. It will obviously draw all sorts of comparisons to Quake-era games, but I think the most important one is how the gunplay feels really similar to that era. They really nailed the Quake 2-ish feel of machineguns and grenade launchers and such.

[ChickenOrBeef]

DooM_RO said:

I think Doom 2016 should have been the posterboy for VR, the same way Quake was the posterboy for 3D accelerators. It would have been the perfect game. In fact, I would go as far as making it VR-Only, or at least leaning more towards VR than traditional keyboard/mouse/gamepad gameplay.

This is along the lines of what I'm saying, but that would certainly be extremely risky. I agree that if DOOM were to really make an impact as a VR game it would need to be built from the ground up for VR. But as GoatLord mentioned, I think iD would have only built DOOM around VR if VR was ready to fully handle regular FPS games. The resulting experience probably wasn't worth the risk.

All in all, I just don't think iD's goal is to put out something as industry-shaking as their 90s output. If Carmack was still part of iD I'm sure he would have pushed to make DOOM a VR posterboy. In fact, I believe he said that after he left.

The Civ said:

I definitely see STRAFE being a big competitor for DOOM next year, even if it is an indie game.
It's got fast, Quake style action, and will fully support VR, with several features exclusive to playing with VR.
Now, visually, it goes for a low poly Quake 1 style look, which may set it back, since so many people just go "UUNGA BUUNGA ME NEED PHOTO REAL GRAPHIC", but the fact that you can fly around at high speeds with VR, gibs and blood flying everywhere, is pretty damn cool.

I don't think Strafe will be much of a competitor. It's going after a niche PC audience. DOOM is trying to bring that type of formula to the masses.

[Touchdown]

DOOM4 would not be as impactful as the original anyway. It's not the same environment where one title can single-handedly do what DOOM did back in the day.

As cool as VR seems to be (haven't tried it), I don't see it as a clear replacement for other gaming setups. Monitors are not going anywhere. Unless it's holo-deck, it won't replace anything. So no, DOOM4 will not be out of date without VR support. VR-only games are gimmicks / baby steps at best.

Also, STRAFE plays like crap. UNLOVED demolishes it, as far as indie shooters go.

[The Civ]

Touchdown said:

Also, STRAFE plays like crap. UNLOVED demolishes it, as far as indie shooters go.

The gunplay in STRAFE, even in it's earliest Alpha form, is really satisfying and fun. Look at the most recent video of the gun demonstrations. The amount of strategy, and skill required to use each weapon to its fullest is pretty incredible.

[Clonehunter]

STRAFE plays pretty well. Liked it more than the little I played of UNLOVED. Tighter gunplay. More strategy. More visual style. More fun.

Also, you can't beat that trailer.