At EVE Fanfest 2016, 2P.com and 17173.com had a chance to interview Andrew Willans, the Lead Game Designer of EVE Valkyrie, the VR space shooter which is already available in Oculus Rift. You can also check out Chinese interview version here.
1. Why the game is called Valkyrie?
A: We were a big fan of North mythology and there's the Icelandic connection, Viking, you know. It felt like a good fit.
2. Gunjack is now the most popular VR game as CCP announced on day 1 of Fanfest. Valkyrie was announced earlier than Gunjack so how's the community reaction to Valkyrie?
A: It's been fantastic. The game got a very small and very hardcore group but it's now growing. Now what we see is players can't wait to play the game on new headsets. As more and more headsets get delivered, our communities are going to grow. So our challenge now is not the software challenge but the hardware challenge. We just need more consumers to have the kit.
3. Do you have an official recommendations on controllers?
A: We map everything to the gamepad because most people are very comfortable of the gamepad. We also support joysticks so many players are using fly sticks. We'll be adding more and more configurations. So the mini requirement will be the Xbox One controller. When the Vive comes out we'll recommend something else. And when the PS VR comes out, which is what we're very excited about, it'll be the DualShock 4.
4. Valkyrie has been confirmed to support cross-platform play, so is that a huge challenge in terms of technology?
A: No, surprisingly not. We always want Valkyrie to be a VR regardless of platform. So it was a goal from day one. There's brand-new hardware and it would be foolish to say there's Oculus version, a Vive and a PlayStation VR version. So it's not a massive technical challenge, it's a political challenge but I think all the manufacturers and publishers are very happy about this because they want to build a vibrant VR community.
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5. Will the cross-platform play supports other VR platforms in the future?
A: Yes. When different devices come out, we'd like to look at the devices, see how compatible they are, we'll work on it.
6. The new Carrier Assault mode requires more team work. However, Valkyrie's unlimited space makes it not easy for players to work together and see their teammates' position like they do in FPS and MOBA. Will you do something to improve and encourage team work in Valkyrie?
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A: Absolutely, one of the things on our top list is to improve our squad system, and vocal communication. We'll look to improve all those aspects of the game. We now look at the scoring behind the Carrier Assault, so we balance the game now. Above and beyond just victory and just winning a match, could you say, get a bonus of hitting the core, and get bonus of how many cooling nodes you manage to take out to bring down the defense system.
7. What do you think of the chance of Valkyrie in e-sports in the future?
A: I would be a liar if I won't be excited by doing something in e-sports. But I think it's incredibly arrogant to say we are making the game for e-sports, because e-sports pick you. So if people think this is really a cool e-sport game and it'll be an honor to be accepted by the e-sports community.
1. Why the game is called Valkyrie?
A: We were a big fan of North mythology and there's the Icelandic connection, Viking, you know. It felt like a good fit.
2. Gunjack is now the most popular VR game as CCP announced on day 1 of Fanfest. Valkyrie was announced earlier than Gunjack so how's the community reaction to Valkyrie?
A: It's been fantastic. The game got a very small and very hardcore group but it's now growing. Now what we see is players can't wait to play the game on new headsets. As more and more headsets get delivered, our communities are going to grow. So our challenge now is not the software challenge but the hardware challenge. We just need more consumers to have the kit.
3. Do you have an official recommendations on controllers?
A: We map everything to the gamepad because most people are very comfortable of the gamepad. We also support joysticks so many players are using fly sticks. We'll be adding more and more configurations. So the mini requirement will be the Xbox One controller. When the Vive comes out we'll recommend something else. And when the PS VR comes out, which is what we're very excited about, it'll be the DualShock 4.
4. Valkyrie has been confirmed to support cross-platform play, so is that a huge challenge in terms of technology?
A: No, surprisingly not. We always want Valkyrie to be a VR regardless of platform. So it was a goal from day one. There's brand-new hardware and it would be foolish to say there's Oculus version, a Vive and a PlayStation VR version. So it's not a massive technical challenge, it's a political challenge but I think all the manufacturers and publishers are very happy about this because they want to build a vibrant VR community.
5. Will the cross-platform play supports other VR platforms in the future?
A: Yes. When different devices come out, we'd like to look at the devices, see how compatible they are, we'll work on it.
6. The new Carrier Assault mode requires more team work. However, Valkyrie's unlimited space makes it not easy for players to work together and see their teammates' position like they do in FPS and MOBA. Will you do something to improve and encourage team work in Valkyrie?
A: Absolutely, one of the things on our top list is to improve our squad system, and vocal communication. We'll look to improve all those aspects of the game. We now look at the scoring behind the Carrier Assault, so we balance the game now. Above and beyond just victory and just winning a match, could you say, get a bonus of hitting the core, and get bonus of how many cooling nodes you manage to take out to bring down the defense system.7. What do you think of the chance of Valkyrie in e-sports in the future?
A: I would be a liar if I won't be excited by doing something in e-sports. But I think it's incredibly arrogant to say we are making the game for e-sports, because e-sports pick you. So if people think this is really a cool e-sport game and it'll be an honor to be accepted by the e-sports community.