Viracy is a first person virtual reality game based on the Steam VR. Players take on the role of a Virus who awaken in the D:/ Universal Service Bus. Players take over the D:/ drive and set out to find the meaning of their life while expanding their influence
Viracy uses the Steam VR to handle interactions and combat. The hand based controllers in the VR feed information for the games combat system with arm motions being fed into the game through the hand held controllers to allow for sword or gunplay. A system called combat synchronisation is used to help the feeling of combat where players can move around the room slightly to allow for a more satisfying combat experience in terms of movement but leaving the combat sync zone slows the game to allow players to re-centre themselves. Outside of this limited movement players will use thumb sticks to move, this is to allow for expansive environments without losing the fine-tuned components of combat the VR system can bring. The game has two states. Ship and Combat. Ship is a controlled state where players interact with their "crew" who are other viruses they join forces with or capture. The player is mute and answers yes or no with a nod of shake of their head detected via the VR headset. They can build and customise the ship to their liking and equip and prepare their crew before combat. When going into combat on the ship the players use a war table which they manipulate using their hands. Players define three squads of five, two of which they set AI tactics for while the third they lead into combat. Once this is done players enter combat, they will receive information through diegetic UI elements and a commentary from their shipboard tactical advisor.
Viracy is all about deep immersion it uses the VR system and careful design to deliver this. Considerations such as being mute are important because it would be difficult to retain immersion if the wrong voice is coming out of your face. The game has no HUD instead opting for a specific art style which has stark contrasts. Enemies and blue and white with humanoid round features to look friendly (anti-virus) while allies are black and red with sharp edges (viruses). The environments are largely white with sharp edges, similar to what you might find in a hospital. Because of the simplicity of the art style it is very easy to feed the player diegetic information throughout gameplay.
While doing this Viracy aims to explore the grey space available to it. Players can embrace the fact they are a virus and destroy everything, they can travel looking for the reason for their creation or they can try and find a place where they can be safe
●Deep immersive gameplay
●Virtual Reality
●Intense combat
