"Modding KSP to VR" or "VR is not just about 3d!"

[Poldor]

Dear Moddingcommunity,

 

Ive been following the KSP-Moddingcommunity from the quietside and decided to go live now! 

My prefered Playstyle is "fly everything from IVA - Feel like a real Kerbonaut". For this I use the great mods out there like RPM, ASET IVA improvements, ALCOR etc etc etc
It also happens to be that Im a so called "VR-enthusiast", having a Dk2 and that VR-fanboy stuff like a razer hydra etc etc

 

As I got VR partly working now with KSP and hopefully Implementation will even get better with the unity 5 upgrade incoming I decided to blow of the dust from my Hydras and to mess around with ksp props in unity. This resultet in the following video (I know what Im talki9ng about is a bit unrealistic, but please let me dream a little bit...):

 

https://youtu.be/gSP6-PmJfVA

 

I sadly have no idea about coding or modding and Im making my way right now throug basic tutorials. But I have yet no Idea where to start or what to do in general to get the above shown input to work. So my Question is: Is there some experienced guys beneath you who could give me hints about what to do, where to start or even work with me together on this?

Hoping for many answers;
Poldor

 

 

Edited December 18, 2015 by Poldor

[RaendyLeBeau]

wow great vid. !!

what parts of VR or products you would recommend for KSP recommend ?

[Poldor]

As far as I can tell at the moment I would recommend HTC Vive and Oculus rift CV1 as soon as Oculus touch hits the market (hopefully before Q3/2016). But only if at that time Input is possible in VR (and by that I mean natural input as implicated in my video, not a controller or Joystick). Hopefully we get something like that done by then. Additionally I hope we can make a proper VR Implementation of the headsets, which should be possible as soon there is SDK 1.0 available from Oculus and we have KSP 1.1 released (probably in 1/2016). As for what I can get done at the moment is a good working non 3d virtual environment in Vorpx or a distorted 3d environment in Tridef - so lots of space for improvement.

But as soon we get Input (Like with Hydra for the moment and OTouch/HTCvive in the future) and Output (Preferably native Support with unity 5 in KSP 1.1) done the only thing we would have to care about is FPS (which I think should be solvable with some tweaks and 1.1), so nobody gets sick ! And maybe we can get a bit more horsepower on our gamingrigs (at least I would recommend that if your prone to Simulatorsickness)

 

The next thing would be (considering the change of gameplay) adapting the Gameplay with e.g. using multiplayer mods where one player is the "command" using the conventional PC-monitor for flightplanning while the other(s) man the vessel in VR. This should result in a gameplay like in "Keep talking and nobody explodes" (sounds also quite like a "kerbalized sentence") - which I love for being very intense! (but Im dreaming again...)

This is btw as far as I've gotten by today:
http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197972802810/screenshots/

 

Regards,

Poldor

Edited December 18, 2015 by Poldor

[hieywiey]

Google Cardboard?

[Poldor]

I think the mobile devices lack of positional tracking which I find crucial for VR-Gaming. Also I dont think mobile devices like Google cardboard and GearVR are strong enough for KSP. Also there is no "natural" Input  device like touchm hydra, stem or Vive controllers- and that is in my opinion what makes the diffrence between "just another (mostly passive) VR-Experience" and real VR-Gaming. When you sit in a cockpit in VR you want to reach out and touch things, everything else breaks immersion.

So in short, there are just 2 things that need still to be done: 1. Make an experience that doesnt make you sick; 2. Make an experience wehre you can use and see your Hands. 

[BinaryDude]

I have had incredible success with cardboard-style VR (just not with KSP). My setup was around $35-$40, not including peripherals and games.

I bought a $30 TEEFAN Headset (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XVHXW5Y) paired with KinoConsole for iOS. 

Edited January 23, 2016 by BinaryDude