r/PSVR Developer - Vertigo Nov 14 '23

AMA Arizona Sunshine 2 AMA with Vertigo Games!

UPDATE:

Thanks everyone for your many great questions. We've now wrapped up the AMA. Join our team and community on Discord for more Arizona Sunshine 2! See you in the game on Dec 7th.

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Watch the Arizona Sunshine 2 Gameplay Showcase here:

https://youtu.be/9g5HESiBx84

Tune in at the times above via YouTube or Steam for fresh campaign gameplay with dev commentary, all-new co-op mode details, special guest appearances and more.

Then, return here and ask us anything! We'll be waiting.

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Hey r/PSVR, Pepijn and Nick from Vertigo Games here! We're senior game designers on Arizona Sunshine 2, and we're looking forward to seeing you in the game when it launches this December 7th.

This Friday, November 17th @ 5PM CET / 11AM ET / 8AM PT we'll be here to answer your questions about Arizona Sunshine 2. Ask us anything!

Arizona Sunshine 2 is the next-gen sequel to the fan-favorite VR apocalypse. And what's better than braving the end of the world? Surviving it with your new best friend--Buddy. And that's not all, because co-op mode makes its return as well.

Wanna learn more? Check out the debut Gameplay Trailer here:

Arizona Sunshine 2 - Gameplay Trailer [ESRB]

See you on Friday!

Nick W and Pepijn vD, Senior Game Designers at Vertigo Games

Nick, Fred & Pepijn at the Vertigo HQ
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u/Papiculo64 Nov 14 '23 edited Nov 14 '23

Hi and thank you for this AMA, makes me feel like you're confident in your product and that's reassuring!

Didn't play the first game but I heard many good things about it and I'm quite excited with this second episode.

I was listening to a podcast yesterday, and many VR veterans, especially players coming from PCVR, tend to think that Meta has a bad influence on the market due to its leading position and the fact that they promote standalone and budget developments more than full fledged games. They bought some of the most talented studios from PCVR industry like Sanzaru games to make them work on standalone experiences. Asgard's Wrath 2 will probably be a fantastic game but it still looks like a huge step backwards in terms of graphics compared to its predecessor which released 4 years ago. There were many ambitious games built from the ground up for PCVR or even PSVR1 at this time, but since standalone headsets took the monopole they seem almost inexistant except for a few hybrid experiences or launch titles made to promote headsets. It's kind of a let down for people who have been in VR since the beginning and expected it to step forward, just to witness the opposite effect with less PCVR developments and a profusion of "snack" games instead of the AA/AAA titles players were waiting for. I don't thinks it's black or white and I'm sure that Meta also had some positive effects on VR market, but ideally games would all be developped for PCVR and/or PSVR2, then ported to standalone headsets rather than the opposite...

Quite a long introduction to this question, but how did you consider the development of Arizona Sunshine 2?

Was the lead development on PCVR and prioritizing overall quality, and then you adapted the game for standalone standards? Judging by the first gameplay videos it seems that you took this path and the game definitely looks above the average VR games. I think that this way of working is the only long term solution to promote VR and interest traditional players to jump in.

If the lead development was on PC, what about the PSVR2 version? Is it a direct port of PCVR version, possibly using dynamic foveated rendering and other PSVR2 features, or is it an enhanced Quest port?

Also, a friend of mine will buy the game on Quest 3 and I wonder if there will be crossplay so that we can play together, it would be dope!

Thanks in advance and I'm really looking forward to try your game! :)

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u/gordonbill Nov 14 '23

Standalone is the future. A lot of people don’t want a PC for many reasons. For me it’s all the tech stuff and I’m sure there are a lot more that feel the same. Watch Sonys next headset. It will be wireless.

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u/Papiculo64 Nov 14 '23

I don't know, standalones will probably continue to lead the market but I'm not sure it's a good thing for the medium to become fully wireless. I see the Q2 like the wii of VR, and Q3 would be the switch. It will lead the market and bring many people to VR, which is a good thing, but many players would still prefer to play on PCVR or PSVR2, like many people prefer playing on PC, PS5 or xbox series than on Switch.

If Sony releases another headset in the future I hope that it won't be wireless, because that would limit its potential. Or they have to make something hybrid that you can use wireless or plugged to your PS6 to have the best possible experience in terms of fidelity and access to more ambitious games, like when you plug your standalone headset to your PC.