StarConicus or Star Control VR was a side project that I started back in February 2016 that Incorporated the use of VR technology and Leap Motion controls. It centered around a game that I fell in love with when I was a child, the game in question was on a 3DO console and it called 'Star Control 2'
I was always fascinated by the rise of virtual technology ever since I was a child. I remember designing neat 'VR' ideas back in the mid 90's, I still think I have on of my 'VR backpack' sketches laying around somewhere circa 1993. However, I digress. Since the rise of the Oculus Rift, I have have been experimenting with different VR platforms.
I really liked the idea of Google's 'Cardboard' platform more-so than the Oculus Rift although it was far more limited than the Oculus Rift and the main reason behind it was the fact that anyone could use it as long as they had a cellphone. It did not require any sort of expensive hardware or expensive computer to run it on, only about $10 (to purchase the cardboard kit or similar from various online sources) and of course, your phone, which slips into the cardboard unit as seen below
Of course there are more sophisticated units out there that rely on the same idea/technology which I decided to use instead of a cardboard kit. I decided to use VR BOX for this project and similar (Here is the link), it includes a comfy headband and eye cups which really make a difference.
So, onto the game!
Star Control VR was programmed entirely in Unity3D, a great and POWERFUL cross-platform graphics and physics engine. Heck, I would go as far as 'suite' as it includes absolutely everything to crank out a game on just about any platform imaginable.
Most of the functionality for Star Control VR was coded in JavaScript instead of C# (Personal preference, I can use both).
Below are screenshots of actual game play of the alpha of Star Control VR
This image is typical in-game, 3rd person view. The health and energy meters are not coded in yet
This is the cockpit view, utilizing Leap Motion controls to manually control the ship. Although controls are not completely tied in yet, this is a very promising step forward.
One of the earliest in game images of StarConicus before it even went VR.
Here is the first image ever of StarConicus, this was a concept image before I began using Unity3D.
Leap Motion can be used with Google Cardboard with only the Android OS at this time (Here is the Android SDK for Leap Motion).
The other option is to treat the Google Cardboard device like an Oculus Rift by connecting it to a PC by use of Kino3D which acts somewhat like a streaming service to/from the Google Cardboard enabled device to the PC.
That's all I have for now but as time goes on there will be more posts devoted to the research and development of StarConicus / Star Control VR.
