Re: Exploring the world of Knightmare with Oculus Rift
Posted: 18 Jun 2015, 14:37
Wow, these are fantastic! Thanks for posting.
Although this doesn’t necessarily have to ‘lead to’ anything (it’s a joyous piece of fandom in its own right) it does get me very excited about VR and the possible future of Knightmare.
The buzz coming out of E3 seems to say that VR which actually works (as opposed to the awful 90s version) has arrived on the high-street and is going to revolutionise gaming and story-telling. As KM straddles both these strands surely there’s some kind of future application?
As far as gaming is concerned, being able to be a dungeoneer in a fully immersive 3d world would be the ultimate gaming experience for a KM fan? This moves the brand away from TV but I for one would still be very interested in such an idea. The recent announcement that the Crystal Maze is coming back as a live experience suggests that retro shows might have a future that’s more ‘doing’ than ‘viewing’ and a well-written Knightmare VR (!) with great puzzles, stories and characters could be a great success.
That’s not to say consumption of KM has to be so active though. The sort of 360 degree film-making that Google have been exploring – whereby action happens all around and the viewer chooses where/when to look – could also be used by the Watchers as a quest is in progress. No two viewers would have the exact same experience and quests could be viewed repeatedly from different angles (this is far more interesting than the viewer simply following the dungeoneer’s POV exactly as this actually removes the drama of seeing them in relation to hazards – which is what creates tension in the KM viewing experience).
I think that considering this technology as a ‘sight’ potion equivalent misses the point slightly. Aside from the fact this breaks a core gameplay mechanic, this headset isn’t for the dungeoneer – it’s for the player/viewer!
If I had time I’d think about all this in a bit more depth – it’s exciting!
Although this doesn’t necessarily have to ‘lead to’ anything (it’s a joyous piece of fandom in its own right) it does get me very excited about VR and the possible future of Knightmare.
The buzz coming out of E3 seems to say that VR which actually works (as opposed to the awful 90s version) has arrived on the high-street and is going to revolutionise gaming and story-telling. As KM straddles both these strands surely there’s some kind of future application?
As far as gaming is concerned, being able to be a dungeoneer in a fully immersive 3d world would be the ultimate gaming experience for a KM fan? This moves the brand away from TV but I for one would still be very interested in such an idea. The recent announcement that the Crystal Maze is coming back as a live experience suggests that retro shows might have a future that’s more ‘doing’ than ‘viewing’ and a well-written Knightmare VR (!) with great puzzles, stories and characters could be a great success.
That’s not to say consumption of KM has to be so active though. The sort of 360 degree film-making that Google have been exploring – whereby action happens all around and the viewer chooses where/when to look – could also be used by the Watchers as a quest is in progress. No two viewers would have the exact same experience and quests could be viewed repeatedly from different angles (this is far more interesting than the viewer simply following the dungeoneer’s POV exactly as this actually removes the drama of seeing them in relation to hazards – which is what creates tension in the KM viewing experience).
I think that considering this technology as a ‘sight’ potion equivalent misses the point slightly. Aside from the fact this breaks a core gameplay mechanic, this headset isn’t for the dungeoneer – it’s for the player/viewer!
If I had time I’d think about all this in a bit more depth – it’s exciting!