When it comes to VR game design, Survios' "Raw Data" stands out as a shining example of success. At the recent VRDC Fall 2017 conference, two key developers from Survios shared insights into the challenges they faced during the development process and the valuable lessons they learned along the way.

Mike McTyre, the Director of Design at Survios, and Alex Silkin, the Technical Director, began by stating, “Today we’ll be sharing some of the issues that came up with Raw Data.”

Launched on Steam in a pre-release version in June 2016, "Raw Data" has since received seven major updates. While the game supports both the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive (with the PSVR version set to launch soon), the majority of players—around 80%—are using the HTC Vive. This highlights the importance of platform-specific optimization and player preferences.

One of the most interesting points made during the presentation was the initial plan to include only a limited number of maps—perhaps just two. However, as the game gained popularity, the team decided to expand the content significantly. Unfortunately, this led to a problem: only 21% of players managed to complete the fifth task, indicating that many players never explored beyond the early stages of the game.

“The first impression is crucial,” said Silkin. “Most players try the single-player mode and don’t venture into PvP or co-op. Once they get that initial impression—that this is a game where you stand in a room and shoot—it’s hard to change their perception.”

McTyre added that the team invested heavily in developing a PvP mode, but only 12% of players ended up using it. Even more surprising was the fact that just 16.5% of players tried the co-op mode, despite it being one of the game's main selling points.

“This is a key takeaway for other developers,” McTyre emphasized. “Even though VR is growing, creating a PvP-centric product or trying to build a PvP community can be a real challenge. We encourage developers to provide a solid single-player experience as well.”

The data collected from "Raw Data" also revealed some unexpected trends. For instance, only 1% of players used the game’s defensive abilities, and at one point, 50% couldn’t even pass the first task. These insights helped Survios better understand how players interacted with the game and what needed improvement.

Another important lesson was about update frequency. Initially, the team aimed for bi-weekly updates, but that didn’t work well. They eventually settled on monthly updates, and later, every three months. “We realized that small updates didn’t bring players back,” McTyre explained. “But when we made bigger, more meaningful updates, player engagement spiked.”

Platform differences also played a big role. For example, 79% of HTC Vive users preferred the “Sticky” control scheme, while 72% of Oculus Rift players favored “Hold.” This showed the need for tailored experiences across different hardware.

When adding PvP, the team had to switch from a transfer-based system to a stick-based one. “We didn’t want PvP to feel too easy,” Silkin said. “If enemies could be sent away at any time, it would become boring.” Despite the controversy, they went ahead with the change, even though only 20% of players actually used it.

For the PSVR version, the team faced unique challenges. The PSVR controller lacks a joystick, so they introduced a “rewind” button, which worked well. Additionally, Sony’s strict performance requirements forced them to optimize everything—from enemy animations to overall frame rates.

“Porting to PSVR was one of our biggest challenges,” McTyre admitted. “We weren’t planning for it initially, so we had to make a lot of changes under the hood.”

Finally, the team shared some practical tips for VR game developers:

  • Bundling is key: “Become part of a series of platform partners.”
  • Participate in promotions: “You’ll be surprised how many users are waiting to buy your game. Platform promotions create huge sales spikes.”
  • “Hardware sales are still rising, and we recommend launching on as many platforms as possible. It adds work, but it can lead to greater success.”

These insights from "Raw Data" not only highlight the challenges of VR development but also offer a roadmap for future projects looking to succeed in the ever-evolving VR space.

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