What is an immersive simulation?

• Games and experiences where player freedom, choice, role-playing, and complex systems with realistic interactivity are emphasized, rather than a specific linear or narrative path. Though it is often accompanied by a steep learning-curve for the player, it remains undoubtedly the most ideal genre for Virtual Reality, especially when combined with a truly open world design. (See "immersive sim" on Wikipedia.)

Is it really a full-scale star system with life-sized planets?

• No, but that was never the goal. Technically the planets range from 81 km to 225 km squared, and you can keep going "around" the planet for as long as you want. The terrain will loop seamlessly as you traverse it. Just one example of how Revria's been designed to create the illusion of a full-scale star system and planets in every way possible, without compromising frame-rate/performance - the absolute highest priority for a comfortable and immersive VR experience.

Does it have the realistic physics stuff I see in other VR experiences?

• The target level of physics simulation is somewhere between Half-Life: Alyx and WD: Saints & Sinners. With the scale and depth of the world already using up most of the Quest's resources, I may not be able to achieve active-ragdoll physics. But this will definitely be a physical and tactile world. (Note: There are no hand-collisions when piloting ships. This is by design and might not ever be changed.)

What about inventory? Will I be able to eat/drink, have a home, buy property, upgrade my gear, etc.?

• While not all of these features are represented in the game's early state, everything that's possible and makes sense will be in the game eventually. Revria's intention is to simulate every possible facet of daily life in this world.

What about control and accessibility options? Or what if I want to experience a more peaceful world, and I'm not interested in combat, etc.?

• The game will launch with all of the most standard options for Smooth Locomotion VR control schemes. (*See below about Teleport Locomotion)

• You'll be able to pilot ships using either the real thumb-sticks or the virtual controls, which are placed exactly where you have your hands when clicking the thumb-stick to calibrate/recenter (such as your lap or arm-rests). Unlike many other VR experiences, the virtual joystick is based only on rotation (as it should be, with the physical controller acting as a lever with the fulcrum at the bottom where it is resting). With the default combination of the virtual controls and thumb-sticks you can control your vessel in 6-DOF with both hands resting comfortably on your lap or arm-rests. A lot of thought went into this system, and it feels, to me, like playing with a real HOTAS. Naturally I'm happy to add even more options if they are requested.

• The game should be fully playable one-handed in its current state, but some things are tricky. For instance, to reload a weapon, eject the battery, put the weapon in one of your holsters (or set it down) then you can easily insert a fresh battery. If you are a one-handed player or anyone with any other accessibility requirements I have missed, please let me know! You can use the contact form here on the site.

• This is not an experience that will force you into combat/action in any way. If that's not your thing, you can be an outer-space delivery driver and (eventually) spend all your money at the arcade or the candy shop (once I've created the interiors etc. for those buildings). Or if you want to live off-the-grid in a cave and just meditate by the sea all day, or maybe camp on a different planet every night, eventually you'll be able to do all that and more.

• Other modes and options will be added to the game over time so that every possible player can experience this world in a way that's enjoyable for them.

• *Teleport locomotion? - I'm on the fence about including any type of teleport locomotion since this is a high-intensity/advanced-user VR experience by definition, but if there's enough demand I don't have much of a problem with adding it.

Quest 1!?

• Yes indeed! The headset model is detected by the app, and a few graphical adjustments are made automatically (higher texture resolution + dynamic shadows enabled on Quest 2). Other than in a few specific circumstances, both headsets maintain a smooth 72fps 99.9% of the time, no AppSW necessary. I may add an experimental 90hz mode for Quest 2, but there would have to be a trade-off like losing dynamic shadows and the few realtime point lights I’m able to use.

PCVR?

• Not for now. It’s just me so I’m focused on a single platform until the game reaches at least 1.0. With that being said, everything is being designed as future-proof as possible. It won’t take much effort to push the graphics and lighting closer to PCVR quality standards. I can also very easily increase the population density etc. And bonus for future you, the performance will be amazing!

Is this game an "Asset Flip?" Who made all this stuff? How is this even possible on mobile VR?

• Aside from the Unity Engine and other tools/software, a base-mesh from MakeHuman, a bunch of PBR textures/materials, sound effects, a couple of shaders, and one simple IK script, this is all the work of a solo developer. I designed the world-streaming tech and sculpted all the terrain. I wrote the AI and player/interaction scripts, as well as the background simulation manager that keeps it all running, and many other systems. I create all the buildings, ships, items, etc. in Blender, then map them onto my giant, magical, ever-evolving PBR texture atlas (one of the many important things that make this game possible on Quest). The stars and lots of other textures were made with Gimp. -- In other words Revria is possible because I'm versatile, I have nearly a decade of Unity experience, I follow best-practices for good performance, I'm intimately familiar with every line of code, and performance optimization is done constantly throughout development.