Half-Life Alyx Case Study #Mixed Realities

Technical analysis 8/10

Half-Life Alyx was developed by Valve using their new game engine Source 2. Source 2 is a game engine first used in Dota 2 from 2015. Half-Life Alyx is the first VR game made using Source 2 engine and the game performed incredibly, the game is very well optimised and runs very smooth, the game mechanics is very different from other VR game, grabbing action is done using gravity gloves (prototype of gravity gun). The player aims at the object and pull back as if there's a string connected to it, the object will fly towards you and you can grab it in midair. This mechanic was created very forgiving. When the object flies towards you, if you press grab, the object will stick to your hand like it's magnetised, therefore the precision timing to grab is not needed. The whole game was built around this mechanic and it's what makes Half-Life Alyx different from other VR games. The physics and object complexity was created to extremely detailed. In the game, almost everything can be picked up or interact with. The player can throw a glass bottle and shatter it like every other VR games, but in Half-Life Alyx, the player can pick up the shattered glass and interact with it. Things that are unnecessary for the player to interact with are also intractable such a roll of toilet paper. The game was made with incredible details, that's why this game is extremely immersive.

Immersion analysis 9/10

Half-Life Alyx is the most immersive VR games I have ever played. The game was so well optimised that I think it's about 80% alike to the reality, It allows the player to play for a very long time without taking a break, the story, visual and sound combine to get you immersed into the story. It takes about 10 hours to complete and I spent around 7 hours the day I got the game. This was my first time having the headset on for this long without a break. After completing the entire story on the second day, I even tried to use the gravity gloves in real life (at least no one saw that). For conclusion, Half-Life Alyx was well made to sucks players into the storyline. The game itself is very comfortable to play, it can be played for hours without feeling sick.

Comfort analysis 9/10

The overall comfort of a VR experience is heavily depended on the hardware. The analysis of Half-Life Alyx is made from an Oculus Rift S user. There are mainly 2 ways to move in a VR experience, teleporting and walking. Half-Life Alyx introduced both moving mechanics into the gameplay. Teleport is how a player jumps in the game, but if the player feels motion sickness from walking, I believe you can also only use teleport function to complete the entire game. This allows VR beginners to enjoy the gameplay as well. After completing Half-Life Alyx twice, I found standing the most tiring part of the gameplay, standing for 7 hours straight was how comfortable I was with everything else.