CCP may have shuttered their VR game-producing branches, but EVE: Valkyrie (2016), the studio’s multiplayer arcade dogfighter set in the EVE universe, lives on with the addition of support for traditional monitors. Launched today across all platforms including PSVR, Oculus Rift and HTC Vive comes the Winter Update which includes custom matches, spectator mode, a new map, and support for TrackIR and Tobii for non-VR players.
One of the most important parts of the update is invariably the ability to make your own custom matches. Now you’ll be able to host your own matches on EVE: Valkyrie’s dedicated servers where you can set up lobbies with passcodes, create private invites, and cycle through maps and several game modes. Make every ship ridiculously overpowered, underpowered, use only certain weapons—it’s up to you.
CCP says Spectator Mode lets you either observe a match in progress from fixed hotspots scattered throughout the map, or fly around at will in a third-person ship-anchored POV, although we haven’t confirmed if the last one is capable in VR considering how nauseating it sounds.
Tying EVE: Valkyrie even closer to the EVE universe, CCP is including a new Moon Refinery map in celebration of EVE Online’s recent ‘Lifeblood’ expansion. Set in the midst of a moon mining operation, the map is populated with a few choice ships from EVE Online.
The studio also added support for Tobii and TrackIR head-tracking cameras, letting gamers with traditional monitors use head gestures to look around the battlefield in what promises to inch somewhat closer the benefits of actual VR headsets. CCP says the feature allows non-VR players to take advantage of the head-tracked ‘look-to-lock’ weapon functionality present in the VR experience of the game.
