More VR Modding Updates Since Our Last Issue

Call of the Sea VR

Official VR Port | In Development

Image courtesy
Out of the Blue Games

We’re always excited when a developer decides to officially port their flat game to VR. Part of why we mod games into VR is just to show what’s possible with VR ports. We spend a lot of time figuring out how to translate certain game mechanics into VR and then give developers blueprints for methods of tackling certain flat game elements in VR, encouraging developers to make that leap into VR officially themselves.

With Call of the Sea VR, the developers have spent careful attention to redesign the game for VR with new VR interactions for puzzles and game mechanics. Call of the Sea VR is releasing directly on the Quest 2 (no word yet about a PCVR or PSVR 2 port yet).

Half-Life 2 VR Mod

Modded VR port | Released

Our Half-Life 2 VR mod released earlier this month to an overwhelmingly positive reception and it’s been wonderful to hear just how much joy we’ve given to hundreds of thousands of players and allowed them to experience this classic all over again in a new way. This mod is quite special because it’s been quite a long time coming and Valve officially approved it to be downloaded directly on Steam. In just the first couple of days after release, the mod saw over 120,000 downloads and that number continues to grow daily.

It’s exciting to see how many people have tried Half-Life 2 VR that might not have bothered to try a VR mod otherwise. Being on Steam certainly made the mod a little more accessible and easier to install and I think it’s opened a lot of people’s eyes to just what’s possible with VR mods. HL2 VR only requires you to own a copy of Half-Life 2 (it doesn’t even need to be installed) and you can just press download and play it.

The mod features an assortment of motion sickness-prevention accessibility options, full motion controls, manual climbing, manual reloading, Half-Life: Alyx-like weapon UIs and more.

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The VR mod is already quite polished from start to finish, but it’s technically still in Beta (you can read the full roadmap here). Some exciting things that are still coming are additional layers of polish, improved graphics, higher res textures, better lighting, improved weapons, the Episode 1 & 2 game expansions, workshop / additional modding support and more! Here’s a few screenshots of the gorgeous lighting that’s being reworked for the game:

Neon White VR

Modded VR port | Released, early access

The next Flat2VR mod that came out this month is Neon White VR. Master modder Raicuparta who has created some fantastic narrative / puzzle Flat2VR ports before such as Outer Wilds, Firewatch, The Stanley Parable, etc. has now tackled a very different genre with Neon White.

Neon White is a speed runner’s dream game, turning a whole game out of that ‘just one more run, I can beat my previous time’ element that can often be quite addicting in games. The mod features full motion controls, new 3D weapon models, and full 6DOF VR natively-in-the-engine.

Some might assume that this game would induce motion sickness because of how fast it can (which it still may be for some, so please keep that in mind), but I was surprised just how comfortable of an experience it is. The cartoon style graphics that other VR games ust, like VR grapple shooter SWARM, Windlands, etc, seem to do a lot to reduce discomfort. For those that have their VR legs already, Neon White is a can’t miss mod!

Download on Raicuparta’s Patreon here

Trombone Champ VR

Modded VR port | Released, early access

If Raicuparta’s previous mod isn’t your cup of tea, perhaps his mod for the zany and hilarious Trombone Champ rhythm game just might be what you’re looking for (though it’s hard to argue anyone was exactly ‘looking for’ this game). Trombone Champ is a game that went viral overnight when it released last month, partly because of how hilariously badly you can sound trying to play a trombone with your mouse and keyboard.

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The VR mod changes how you play (though doesn’t necessarily make you any better out of the box) by allowing you to hold your motion controllers like an actual Trombone and play.

It’s a fantastic VR mechanic that’s even fun to play free-style and there’s a strong modding community for the game where you can download fun additional songs and mods.

Download on Raicuparta’s Patreon here

Jedi Knight Jedi Outcast / Jedi Academy

Modded VR port | In development

DrBeef is currently working on porting Jedi Knight Jedi Outcast & Jedi Academy to the Quest 2 with full 6DOF VR & motion controls!

Team Beef is responsible for millions of mod downloads on Quest & has been influential in helping to grow VR.

Here’s a sneak peek:

There’s no release date yet, but the team is making incredibly fast progress. You can support their work on Patreon.

Bendy and The Ink Machine

Modded VR port | Release, early access

BaggyG from Team Beef has done a fantastic job bringing the puzzle / action / horror game Bendy And The Ink Machine to VR with full 6DOF and motion controls!

The mod is already quite polished and playable to the end, but released in early access on the Team Beef Discord if you want to help test it now.

Raft VR Public Release

Modded VR port | Released

After a lot of polishing, the amazing Raft VR mod is now public and 100% free to download!

DrBibop has done an incredible job adding in full motion controls, VR specific mechanics, VR menus, VR multiplayer support more to the addicting survival game!

The game really feels like a made for VR game in a lot of ways and even has a lot of additional options for motion comfort (like even disabling the ocean swelling if that’s hard to stomach).

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The game starts you (and any friends you play with online) on a little raft out in the ocean and you have to use a rope and hook to start gathering supplies floating nearby in the water, all the while careful to avoid a shark that likes to circle your little raft. After you get more supplies, you can expand your raft, turn it into something more of a ‘ship’, colonize small islands in the water, build farms, raise animals and more!

There’s even an MMO mod that you can download so that you’ll occasionally come across real players that you can trade with while surviving on the ocean.

The Long Dark VR

Modded VR port | In development

The Long Dark is a survival game that I’ve personally spent hundreds of hours playing. Like any other of these mods, it’s absolutely wild seeing it again in 6DOF VR natively-in-the-engine! It’s a weird feeling when you remember back being in those locations before, but it was more like you only saw them in a dream (in flat) compared to ‘being there’ in VR.

PureDark did some magic to get it working perfectly in full 6DOF VR and full motion controls are currently being worked on. You can join the Flat2VR modding Discord to stay up to date with development.

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Get Connected and Stay Up to Date on VR Mods

Well, those were some of the biggest Flat2VR updates this month, look out for another issue next month! If you’re interested in learning more, need to get help with installing/using any of these mods or just connect with an amazing community of enthusiasts follow along here:
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Brian Tate
  • Sofian

    Scorn would be spectacular in VR.

    • Brian Elliott Tate

      In case the last post doesn’t get approved (it doesn’t like links on this forum) youtube dot com/watch?v=lFmKMmzS-Rs

    • david vincent

      Only 3 more days for the launch of Scorn !
      I hope they fixed the boring gameplay since the alpha demo 5 years ago…

    • Sven Viking

      I had some problems with Scorn, but the artistry is incredible.

  • Tommy

    This is THE best mod and is HUGE for VR!
    Can’t wait for Praydog to release the Injector mod!!

    • Bumpy

      I hope this does truly end up working and be free but this all sounds too good to be true.

      • Tommy

        That fact that they already have so many working gives me great hope :)

      • Lowgarr

        I doubt it will be free.

        • Brian Elliott Tate

          Just like Praydog’s RE Engine VR mods, it’ll be both free and open source.

        • Tommy

          It will probably cost you $4, which is a one month sub to Praydog’s Patreon. That is a steal for all his mod access. Download all the mods you want and then cancel the sub, or keep it going and retrieve great support and bug fixes for said mods :)

  • Tommy

    I doubt most of these would run on Quest. I have a 1080ti and these mods about fry mu GPU.
    Tie Fighter would be amazeballs!

    • Brian Elliott Tate

      There’s a VR mod for Tie Fighter already out

      • Yep, but, again, THAT’S NOT WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT.
        I, along with MANY others I’ll wager, want a NATIVE Quest 2 version.

        • Brian Elliott Tate

          Yeah, natively on Quest would be awesome! One hope is that the work we do will encourage more devs to make those official ports.

          Btw, if you haven’t checked it out already, DrBeef’s new Star Wars Jedi Outcast VR mod is fantastic natively running on Quest! It released in early access on Sunday.

      • Tommy

        It’s an older code but it checks out.

        I still want the Praydog treatment :)

  • I’d absolutely love to play DMC 5 in vr if that is possible.

    • Brian Elliott Tate

      That VR mod is already out!

      • I know about the current mod, but it’s 3rd person and played with a controller. I want to play in first person with motion controls.

        • Brian Elliott Tate

          Ahh, okay. That one would be hard to translate to first person without majorly changing the gameplay and combos, etc. But all Praydog’s mods are open source and has a great example of adding motion controls on the same framework (for the RE games), so definitely prime if you were interested in jumping in and modding that!

      • VR5

        About that… that mod breaks traditional controllers. I ranted about it on Twitter and also asked for help on discord but didn’t get a reply.

        On first run, the controller works and it’s great. I got 2 hours of gameplay out of it which I enjoyed a lot.

        But when I shutdown the game and run it again (or on the next day, for that matter), the controller doesn’t work anymore. It also stops working for other Steam games until I go to controller settings and use Identify to make it rumble. That restores the controller for other Steam games but it breaks again when running DMC5.

        Seeing your exchange here about DMC5 I saw the chance to address the issue to someone who might actually respond but to make sure, I tried again if the controller started working again. And on first run it did. But I had to restart for a different annoying PC not working as it should issue and now it’s back to controller breaks when starting DMC5 with VR mod.

        I tried a Dualshock 4 controller connected over USB over AirLink, which works fine for other games, and DMC5 on the immediate first run. And I tried a wireless Xbox controller over Virtual Desktop, which also works for other games.

        Apparently something in the mod breaks traditional controllers on my side, which makes the game unplayable. Which sucks because it is actually great when it works.

  • 3872Orcs

    Huh! I did not know about a lot of this stuff! Neat!

    Besides this, any word on System Shock 2?

    • Tommy

      They already have a video with the Injector mod working in System Shock :)

  • Torsten Balle Koefoed

    I fear playing Antichamber in VR will render me a vegetable but I have to try…

    • david vincent

      Sorry but this VR injector only supports UE4 games.
      I would have loved to play Antichamber and RenaissancE in VR too…

  • Foreign Devil

    Looking for an easy to install VR mod for Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5.. . also one for cyperpunk 2077 would be nice. All these games I haven’t played yet and would like to play in VR.

    • Tommy

      Good luck with Rockstar games. They made Ross pull the VR mods off his Patreon

      • Foreign Devil

        Yeah I just read that when I searched for a VR mod. Makes no sense since it would probably help their game sales and definitely boosts replayability.

        • Tommy

          Exactly

      • david vincent

        Even Vorpx doesn’t support GTA V anymore… ☹️
        I bought Vorpx only for this game (because there was a great VR mod to go with it)

  • Tommy

    My mistake.
    #rude

    • I understand your reaction, but allow me to explain ….
      I WAS NOT being rude to you.
      Wayyyy too many times to count, I’ve said stuff plainly & clearly.
      Only to have it 101% misunderstood either deliberately or sincerely.

      In order to “keep the peace” as it were, nine times outta ten I’d let it slide.
      No more: my patience for stupidity and assholery has finally reached it’s limit.
      If someone can’t understand a simple declarative English sentence,
      then I’m coming down hard on them.
      “Oh, but what if English isn’t their first language?”, one might say.
      Then go contradict somebody on a forum that IS your first language.
      Unknowing’s no excuse.

      • Tommy

        …

      • MosBen

        So, you are being rude. You just think that being rude is justified and/or good.

  • Tommy

    Speaking of flat to VR mods, there is an emulator you can install to play all the 3DS games in VR. There’s an article over on VRScout if you’re interesed.

    • david vincent

      Thanks for the info. I wonder how the low-tech 3DS games look in a VR headset…

      • Tommy

        Haven’t tried them yet myself but from the article they say they look good, especially in Bigscreen Beta.

  • Dominant

    I’ve never tried one of these mods, Does this stuff actually work well or there a terrible performance hit or something? Sounds great but my brain can’t handle 45 fps.

    • david vincent

      It usually works well with old and/or small games. With recent big games like RDR2 or Cyberpunk 2077, not so much…(except if you ike flickering)

      • Jeremy LePage

        RDR2 and Cyberpunk 2077 are Luke Ross mods using Alternate Eye Rendering. Praydog does not use that method. Beyond that, Rockstar has blocked RDR2 VR mods.

        This will actually work for UE4 games, but I’d expect you’ll need a beefy PC to run with high settings and reasonable framerate. 3080 and 5800x is about right for RE2 remake, for example.

  • Derek Kent

    I’m glad there are options available, but I’m personally not interested in playing a “VR” game where my arms are sticking out of my face. either I have real hands and interact with the world, or this is just 360 camera gaming. I don’t really know why this should be called VR if it’s essentially the same as Vorpx.

    • Brian Elliott Tate

      As the article mentions, full motion controls can also be added and that a universal motion control solution is also being worked on.

      Even now though, it’s very much full 6DOF VR done natively in the Unreal Engine with roomscaling support, detached head look from aiming, etc. VorpX fakes a sort of “VR-like” experience by sticking the flat camera on your face. This is an actual VR camera in the game. (Would be happy to go into details about how that’s different if you’re interested!)

      • Derek Kent

        Again it’s super cool and I’m not complaining. Its just that VR isn’t a camera type. it’s the way you interact with the game world. Unless you have full motion controls, it’s not a VR game. I appreciate the amazing work all these folks do, but I think it’s a bit sensational to call a game with an injected camera mode a VR game. It isn’t Alien Isolation’s Mother VR mod doesn’t make it a vr game. you still just have arms sticking out of your face. you press a action button to grab things, etc etc. Nvidia 3d vision isn’t vr. Youtube 360 videos aren’t vr.
        etc

        • Brian Elliott Tate

          That may be just a matter of your personal definition then and that’s fair. Remember though, the Oculus CV1 didn’t even come with motion controls. Lots of even more recent official VR games like Star Wars Squadrons or F1 2022, MS Flightsim, etc. don’t even have any motion control support.

          I’d still personally say Alien Isolation’s Mother VR mod is still 100% VR without motion controls. If you’ve played that, you should fully know what to expect here out of the box currently (though look up our Deep Rock Galactic VR mod for an example of an UE4 game we also added modded in motion controls to too). That’s also possible for all these games.

          • Derek Kent

            ok.

        • david vincent

          “the game world. Unless you have full motion controls, it’s not a VR game.”
          Nope, just a screen strapped to your face with headtracking is enough to be qualified VR

  • david vincent

    VR modding is really booming nowadays ! Who said PCVR was dead ?

  • Rosko

    Most VR mods are not that great & is it going to be any better than vorpx?

    • Tommy

      Yes, it will be much better than Vorpix. We are talking detached head and arm/hand movement. Full 6dof with motion control support.

  • Max-Dmg

    Can we have a Prey VR mod? The VR dlc is a pathetic implmentation, but thegraphicss are gorgous. I’d love to play ths game in VR (With the usual sensible locomotion settings in the other mods you guys have made).

  • thelodofall

    My heart breaks with every ending.