Valve’s award-winning VR title incorporates developer feedback into the game itself.
Of virtual reality, it has always been said that immersion is one of its most distinctive characteristics, but despite the technology having been on the market for quite some time, Valve found a gap that had hardly been explored: that of triple A. Half-Life: Alyx has emerged as one of the titles of the year, a product that takes full advantage of the capabilities of virtual reality. Now, the company that owns Steam has updated the game with an ingame documentary.
This ‘behind the scenes’ was initially planned for its launch, which took place in March. However, the developer encountered an unexpected problem, the coronavirus crisis. Like so many other companies, this situation caught them off guard and they were forced to delay content for a few months … until now. Players can now enjoy the 147 points of interest, allowing them to see first-hand the vision of the developers.
How do you access the comments?
It is not the first time that Valve has offered its perspective from the point of view of the members of the study, but this time it integrates it directly into the game. The very nature of the product is special, as it is a title that cannot be played without virtual reality. Its charm lies precisely in the way in which the gameplay has been adapted to the needs of this technology.
In the scenarios, users will find brands with which they can interact. A panel will then appear with the name of the speaker and the comment (subtitled in 11 languages). Valve has recorded more than 3 hours of content, covering the various aspects of development: art, design, animation, rendering and sound. “We are working from home,” they say. That means that instead of using their professional recording studio, the developers have recorded the audio from their homes.
Half-Life: Alyx is available exclusively on PC via Steam.
