Civ VI in VR?

[Carver]

If Civ6 ever adds a VR component it will probably be more of a gimmick than anything else, but by Civ7, who knows. I'm skeptical that VR would add a lot to a game like Civ, but as another view (normal/strategic/VR views) it could be interesting, perhaps during combat.

 

[bison21]

No thanks. Not at all interested in VR and I'd rather they not devote resources towards it, IMHO.

Totally agree. I think until technology is at a point where we don't use mouse and keyboard and just grab and point and stuff in the air, there is no point in VR for a game like Civ. The entire thing will be great for FPS, then RPG, racing, and then it will probably take a long time before making its way over to the non-first-person-view kind of games.

 

[DJ_Tanner]

Actually in some current games you move the cursor simply by moving your head and looking at icons. Then press a physical button to click. It's pretty easy and takes little effort. Civ would probably use this method.

I thought so too before I played a third person game. It's actually pretty cool. You have to experience it for yourself.

Though at that point, you are basically just using a mouse, so why not just use the mouse?

Besides the fact that Civ, and Firaxis in general, is all about inclusion of their playerbase there is no chance they would jump to VR unless it became the majority platform, which I find very unlikely for at least 2-4 new generations of tech.

 

[UncivilizedGuy]

Here is an example of a game that might give you a sense of what Civ would look like in VR:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOjgmyVesgM


Now this video is made for a flat screen so you don't get the concept of depth that you get when you are in VR. When I look at VR games on a flat screen they look like any old video game. But when I am actually in VR mode the games FEEL entirely different. The screen fills my entire peripheral. I feel like I'm IN the game. It's very hard to explain. When you look down and see the units in full 3D, they look like little statues or action figures that are alive. It's something that needs to be experienced to understand. I know I'm repeating myself but I had the same opinion as you guys until I saw it for myself.

 

[rastak]

Here is an example of a game that might give you a sense of what Civ would look like in VR:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOjgmyVesgM


Now this video is made for a flat screen so you don't get the concept of depth that you get when you are in VR. When I look at VR games on a flat screen they look like any old video game. But when I am actually in VR mode the games FEEL entirely different. The screen fills my entire peripheral. I feel like I'm IN the game. It's very hard to explain. When you look down and see the units in full 3D, they look like little statues or action figures that are alive. It's something that needs to be experienced to understand. I know I'm repeating myself but I had the same opinion as you guys until I saw it for myself.

I'm a little surprised at how many games support VR. I won't have my Rift until later this summer.

That said, there is way more important things to work on now and as Arioch pointed out, it may simply not work for a turn based 4x game.

 

[UncivilizedGuy]

I'm a little surprised at how many games support VR. I won't have my Rift until later this summer.

That said, there is way more important things to work on now and as Arioch pointed out, it may simply not work for a turn based 4x game.

I don't see any reason why Civ wouldn't work in VR and I don't expect Civ VI to ever support VR. VR will gradually grow in popularity over the next few years. I'm predicting that the Playstation 4 VR (hits the market in October) and XBox VR (will use the Rift) will drive VR to the mainstream. And once console VR becomes popular then game developers will start to take VR seriously. And then we will begin to see support for most games. I predict that we will be there at Civ VII.

 

[rastak]

I don't see any reason why Civ wouldn't work in VR and I don't expect Civ VI to ever support VR. VR will gradually grow in popularity over the next few years. I'm predicting that the Playstation 4 VR (hits the market in October) and XBox VR (will use the Rift) will drive VR to the mainstream. And once console VR becomes popular then game developers will start to take VR seriously. And then we will begin to see support for most games. I predict that we will be there at Civ VII.

Hope VR is as cool as it sounds. My first purchase will be Apollo 11.

Back to your regularly scheduled Civ complaints, fights and discussions.

 

[Countmonte8242]

I kinda think that civ would work better with augmented reality like Microsoft's Hololens rather than pure VR. With the Hololens, you still see your surroundings but it can overlay a game on a surface. Microsoft even did a live demo where someone played minecraft on an empty table. So civ could truly look like a board game with the Hololens as you could sit on your couch and see the civ map in 3D on your coffee table.

This. I imagine laying the main game board on a table or just hanging horizontally in the air in front of you. The mini map would be a globe that would always be hanging off to the side. Your advisors would be real figures off to the sides flanked by their data. If you want to know what your city production looks like you just turn to your domestic advisor and either look at the data hanging there in space or ask them a question. You can move your advisors or map anywhere you like in the room, wherever suits you best. Want to go into a city management screen? Select the city and the management screen pops up in the space above the game board so that you don't have to lose sight of the map.

The key would be ability to transfer from the AR experience back to typical flat screen experience seamlessly. You may not want to play in VR / AR for hours on end, you may only have access to your laptop at some point, or your AR battery might die! The mobility of the experience would be key so that you can continue your Civ game with the old standard when necessary, but being able to play the game in a new way would definitely add immersion and an ability to have much more omnipresent data without having to switch in and out of so many screens.

We'll see experiences like this within 3-5 years, guaranteed, whether it's Civ or some other strategy game.

 

[Mike Donovan]

Sorry about the necro, but this is the thread my search turned up.

I would love for Civ to have a mode where you could enter into first person ... zoom right into a city an run around, and so on. Would be fantastic.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

I've tried it in VR. It's like playing on a screen the size of a wall.

I'd like to be able to fly over the map like you can in Google Earth VR

 

[Miserable Old Git]

As an old person (born when Churchill was still Prime Minister), I find the idea has as much appeal as a ground-glass enema.

 

[UncivilizedGuy]

Wow I no longer have that VR setup because I couldn't handle the motion sickness. I still feel it's the future of gaming but I'm waiting for the technology to improve before giving it another chance.

 

[Scrum Lord]

What if Civ had VR, but only for diplomacy? For instance, a world congress session is awaiting your presence, or you have a chance to talk to another leader, so you put on your VR headset to enter a space where you can "interact" with other leaders in a virtual assembly or throne room. Perhaps you can design your own virtual thone room too. Then when you're done immersing yourself in politics / 1st person leadership, you go back to your regular viewing mode to continue playing.

 

[vorlon_mi]

I played briefly with a VR setup at work, where we were visualizing internal airflow inside a car. Does the air make it from the front to the back? It was a totally natural feeling to turn and look where the air was going; I was holding a 3-D "air mouse" in each hand, each with a trigger/button.

My initial thought for a Civ game would be to "walk" through and over the map. See your cities, yes, but also see where your units are deployed. Many times -- in both Civ6 and earlier games in the franchise -- I have clicked on the wrong unit when engaged in battle. Being able to move my view point, to see the city that I'm attacking, to clearly see the AI units defending and their health... well, that would be cool. Hearing a countdown, turning to watch one of the space missions launch, that would be cool. Pick up a governor from one city, dropping the governor in the new city. Both handheld devices, and their buttons, could be used for interacting with menus. The whole UI would need to re-thought and adapted.

I also realize that these scenarios don't happen every turn. Especially if the player is pursuing a diplomatic or religious victory, the ability to "stride like a colossus" over the map may be less useful. On balance, it may not make sense to develop a 4X game using VR tech for everyday play... "just one more turn"... the way that Civfanatics like to play.

 

[SupremacyKing2]

I feel like VR would be too much of a gimmick. It would be cool the first few times to walk through your city or meet with a world leader but it would just be eye candy. And maybe the new headsets are better, but I found the headsets a few years back to be uncomfortable to wear and an eye strain after an hour or so. I am not sure it would add that much to the game. It would not make the strategy better or make the AI better.

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

This video is Google Earth VR. If Civ were in VR, this is how I'd want it utilized. Not leaders. Cities and the whole map, like so:

Edit: Wonder videos would be pretty epic too, if you could move around as you pleased, zooming in and out, while they're playing out the construction.