Dev Blog 2 - The Locomotion of Neon Exile

As we approach the initial Early Access release of Neon Exile this summer we have begun to share images and videos of the current state of the game. Over the next few weeks we plan to give the community a better sense of the atmosphere, story and mechanics. 

One of the key mechanics that really inspired Neon Exile was climbing and leaping locomotion that provides a dynamic and immersive way to move in VR. Ever since our early prototypes we saw how quick and easy it was to move this way. Even those who weren't experienced in VR felt comfortable with climbing the world around them. After we worked out the mechanics of the climbing movement, we expanded on the motion by adding a leaping/jumping move that would let players leap great distances. It feels amazing and powerful to propel yourself this way. 

However the more extreme the movement, the more intense the feeling can be. Climbing by itself is fairly comfortable for most players, but leaping and especially falling without control are where things get a bit tricky. We spent a lot of time testing out techniques to mitigate any motion sickness and have found that adding a vignette, motion lines and a blackout on landing worked to reduce motion sickness for the majority of users, but that doesn't cover everyone. There will still be users who are not comfortable with some of the more extreme movement in the game (at least at first). The good news is that even if you are in that group, the game is still accessible as not everyone needs to leap around the world. You can get anywhere just by climbing and using a horizontal air-grab movement style.

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-Jedrzej Jonasz & the Neon Exile Dev Team