Just happened to have some extra money (even though I’m still saving up for PC parts next year), and bought three games via the Steam Winter Sale..
Rolling Line
Accounting+
TO THE TOP
So, what did I think of them (while also using Playspace Mover when needed)?
Rolling Line
Good..
-I feel like a kid again. 😀
-How you can ride in engines (inside and outside). Using Playspace Mover made it even cooler (how I was simulating climbing on the side of a locomotive).
-Steam Workshop support. Download new sets and cars/engines.
-Once you get the hang of it, it’s easy to build a train.
-Customizable weather/sun position and time, and the ability to freeze time and weather.
-Apart from when loading a new layout, the game runs beautifully on my hardware.
-Long trains use realistic physics (takes time for the train to get up to speed).
Bad…
-No way to fully automate trains (aka, respond to signals and stop to allow other trains to pass safely, or automatically switch tracks at junctions to avoid incoming trains). Plus no one seems to care for it (find that quite odd).
-I don’t know how to go back to the main menu, to select another layout. I’m sure there’s a way, but I haven’t found it yet.
-The game’s physics engine starts to freak out overtime, and it happens when the player doesn’t constantly babysit them (trains forget junction settings and cross into incoming tracks of other trains (or hit a one-way track and crash), and cars glitch through eachother).
Five negative comments about the tutorial;
1. The window that pops up takes nearly 1/4 of my vision, forcing me to turn my head in order to see if this or that is what I’m supposed to be clicking on.
2. It took a half an hour to find this ‘car in a station’. A simple arrow pointing down at a certain point of the layout, would had been a lot more helpful of where to go.
3. Controls taught to me assume the user has a Vive (when the game fully supports WMR), which made things quite confusing for me.
4. I was never told to look down and see I had two remote controllers attached to the player character’s waist, or even how to get more (as there’s four slots that I could see).
5. I was never told how to delete unwanted cars/engines. In WMR, you pick it up with the secondary trigger and then drop it, then you can destroy it. Feels a bit clunky though.
Overall…
As cool and fun as this game is (almost like a VR version of Microsoft Train Simulator), the physics bugs were killing the mood, and it was making me regret my purchase.
However, these issues were (unsurprisingly) not happening as frequently when running the game through the standard Desktop mode (which had a similar feature that Playspace Mover has).
—
Also, the game is being developed by one guy who sadly can’t devote all of his time to working on it (has a job). But, he promises new updates, official layouts, and changes next year.
So if you love trains as much as I do, get this thing. Because, where else are you going to get this level of immersion, without spending a fuckton of money on a model train set (and having to renovate half of your house for it)?
———————————–
Accounting+ (the ‘sequel’ to the original I played, that I found out I could play Vive games in WMR)
Good…
-It’s Accounting, but with new segments.
-Sitting/Standing Play options at the start (with teleport points for Sitting play).
-Classic Rick and Morty memes (that even give people that never watched the show, a brief history of them (such as ‘Pickle Rick!’)).
-Multiple endings (and secret areas), find them all… including this secret Zoo level.
-Subtitles! I can finally see what the tree guy and the guys on the phone are saying at the same time! Fuck YOU, tree guy!
Bad…
-In the ‘boning’ room, the sound was strangely getting quiet and going back to normal, at a constant pace.
Overall…
Think of Accounting with a paid DLC, because this is that game. There’s not much to say about it. It’s still as hilarious as the last, but with new hilarity.
But (IMHO), the original Accounting felt more immersive. Might try this game again in Standing Play, and see if I feel that same immersion.
Now, fuck you. Don’t buy this game! Just don’t! For this game requires you to have an IQ of 300+! And you clearly don’t have that! So, don’t bother buying this game! Just fuck you! Don’t even look at the game! Fuck you! Go awa– NO! Put down the game! I said DON’T buy the game! Put DOWN the game and walk away! Just get out of here! You don’t belong here! Fuck you!
———————————–
TO THE TOP
Good…
-Mirror’s Edge if it was done in VR, except you jump on blue things instead of red.
-Movement is taught as you play (best kind of hand-holding), and it doesn’t show up in your face.
-Core gameplay is simple to understand (get to the finish as quick as you can). But you also don’t have to be quick if you don’t want to. The game allows exploration to get used to the level.
-Getting through a level is insanely fun and immersive (even when sitting down, it forces me to turn my head to make sure I’m always going in the right direction). This is the kind of forcefulness I actually love.
Bad…
-Why is Sitting Mode (enables being able to play the game while sitting down) spinning the camera around for no reason? And it seems to enjoy spinning to the right.
-Load a level, black screen (yet I hear sound in the background)… why? Is this a ‘feature’, or a bug? I have to take off my headset just to get the game to render.
Overall…
When I’m actually able to play (without a unnecessary black screen filling the headset), being able to take a leap based on the position of my head is freakin’ awesome! Absolutely love this feeling of movement freedom.
But… if the devs fix the black screens, I would enjoy this game even more. Not to mention I’m also have to fight the controls when the camera starts snapping to the right for no reason.
.
And so, there you go. My thoughts of these three VR games. One of them, I wish I could get my money back (but hope the issues will be fixed).
Would had liked to buy GORN and Job Simulator, but I think both of these are room scale (and GORN is going to be hard even with Playspace Mover).