How PS VR shooter Bravo Team plays with the Aim, Move and Dualshock 4 controllers

Hi there, my name is Simon Harris and I am the Executive Producer at Supermassive Games for Bravo Team.

As we approach launch, we wanted to share some of the experiences we had in making the game and explain how we worked to ensure it would be compatible with Aim, Move and DS4 controllers.

We learnt a lot about the different ways that controllers can make you feel when we made Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. Players told us that they felt so drawn into the game that they actually forgot they were holding a controller. Instead it became part of them as they explored their new world.

TITLE

We were really keen to replicate this kind of feeling in a shooter so looked at the different ways players become immersed in their gameplay and tested a host of styles to see what would be the most effective.

Let’s talk about the Aim Controller first.

How the Aim Controller impacts your Bravo Team experience

We got our first look at this peripheral before Bravo Team was in development and we knew straight away that the opportunity to create for it was something we wanted to maximise.

The chance to give players something that would mimic the physical feeling and stance you take when of holding a weapon was something that especially appealed and we felt would be instrumental in drawing players further into the world we were creating.

The early days of development saw us using the Aim Controller to experiment with an assault gun style rifle. We would hold the Aim Controller high to look down the sights and take down targets and rest it gently in our hands as we lay in wait, ready to take aim at a moment’s notice.

As time went on, we looked at what weapons would best allow us to integrate the rumble mechanics of the controller and provide accurate feedback to further enhance the feeling of firing a gun and draw players even further in. The storyline led us to try out shotguns and sniper rifles, both of which worked brilliantly with the peripheral.

TITLE

Once we were happy with what players using The Aim Controller would experience, we wanted to look at what we could do to make sure that players using Move or DS4 controllers would have an equally great time.

How you play Bravo Team with the Move controllers or the Dualshock 4

We have had a huge amount of positive feedback from players regarding the Move Controllers and have used them in a number of different titles to great effect, (including The Inpatient and Until Dawn: Rush of Blood) so we felt it was important to ensure that Bravo Team supported these controllers.

We tested a number of different ways to see what would work best and provide the most natural and immersive experience. The solution was to treat each Move controller as a part of the same gun in the game. This means you get a really intuitive experience as your hands are in the same positions as your virtual hands, so aiming and shooting comes very easily.

Of course, you don’t need to have any special controllers to be able to enjoy Bravo Team, as the game fully supports DS4 as well. We had to find ways to draw the player in and make them feel like their controller was an extension of themselves and their gameplay.

TITLE

You can raise the DS4 and bring it up towards your eye-line to aim down the sights, aim it left and right which will move the gun in your chosen direction before you shoot. Although you are still holding it in the traditional manner, these commands very quickly become second nature and deliver a great experience.

Keeping a close eye on your surroundings is really important in Bravo Team; you never know which direction the next threat could come from. Players can rotate their view 90 degrees to the left and right instantly, simply by flicking the left stick in either direction. This allows you to react instantly to threats coming from the side and even behind them!

That’s all from me today, we have so much more to show you in Bravo Team, launch is just a few weeks away now and we can’t wait to hear what you think.

The post How PS VR shooter Bravo Team plays with the Aim, Move and Dualshock 4 controllers appeared first on PlayStation.Blog.Europe.

Subscribe to our mailing list

Get the latest game reviews, news, features, and more straight to your inbox