Games
We check in with the makers of the sweaty-palm inducing free solo virtual reality experience, The Climb 2.
It’s fair to say that a lot has changed in the two years since the launch of Crytek’s flagship VR experience, The Climb. The game’s sequel, The Climb 2, is arriving with updated features and the power of the much-improved CryEngine.
The CryEngine is set to be one of the most important new features in the game, alongside the introduction of new-and-improved real world environments. We spoke with senior producer, Fatih Özbayram, principal level designer, Matthias Otto and lead environment artist, Stefan Heinrich about the major changes to the game.
First, we asked what new features they’re most excited to introduce to avid players of the game?
“For me, it’s the dynamic objects. Our first game, The Climb, feels very static compared to the Climb 2,” says Otto. “The introduction of objects such as ropes, containers, ladders and climbing equipment that players can climb on sets this one apart from the first. The cool thing is the objects will react to the player’s weight as they jump or climb on them. As long as the player times it right, they can leverage this momentum to jump further or take a shortcut. However, when the object that you climb onto swings, you could potentially fall, so timing is crucial. It feels really cool when you master it."
Embracing your inner Tommy Caldwell and mastering the dynamic gameplay isn’t the only thing that sets The Climb 2 apart from its predecessor. Heinrich is particularly excited about the introduction of the new city settings, saying: “In the previous instalment, we only climbed in natural environments, with occasional human made structures. We spent a lot of time prototyping this new experience and created a fun playground with lots of interesting, varying surfaces to climb on."
Whilst the idea of replicating Spider-Man and scaling skyscrapers may seem appealing to some, ensuring that the challenges of traditional free-solo climbing were integrated was key to making this level as dynamic as it is. Heinrich adds: “A typical skyscraper is actually pretty dull to climb on. We settled on a solution that has many different surfaces and lots of horizontal traversals. We typically climb not just one building but three different ones that are all very distinct in their gameplay characteristics.
We selected iconic elements associated with the regions to create a sense of scale and beauty
“For example, on buildings mostly made of glass, we use suction cups and moving window cleaning platforms. You will zip line through vast cityscapes to reach the next building. You can jump onto moving elevators that haul you upwards and so on. I don't want to spoil everything, but there's some really cool stuff in there. In general, there is a lot more variation in the city settings to make it fresh and exciting.”
Ozbayram adds: ”The city setting allows for many more dynamic objects than in our natural environments. For instance, we have hanging containers or the slides that we place on scaffolding. These features bring different challenges and give us a nice gameplay variation between the urban and natural levels.”
Keeping it real
The added dynamism of the game is set to be a significant upgrade on the already beloved, The Climb. However, one of the key gameplay features that resonated with fans in the first instalment was the authenticity and realism it provided in natural climbing environments. So has this remained and where have the developers taken inspiration from in terms of climbing spots?
Heinrich says: “The location of the new city setting is based on Miami. We wanted to have this sunny, bright vacation feeling with a clear turquoise sea. It's all about good vibes, vibrant colours, and giving a sporty feel to the game. [However], gameplay has to come first. Our gameplay requirements are demanding and specific, and a straight replica of Miami skyscrapers would be too dull to climb on.”
Heinrich also explained that the natural environments are loosely based on renowned climbing environments such as Maya Bay, the Grand Canyon, The Alps and Iceland.
“We selected iconic elements associated with the regions to create a sense of scale and beauty.”
In Ghost Race, you race against someone else’s time – either friends or against the global community
When it comes to gameplay, a key factor behind The Climb’s success was the realism and authenticity of the skills and movements required to be good at the game. Otto explained the process they went through in order to create the new movements that will provide such epic gameplay.
“I usually climb and boulder myself every week. The original prototype for the first Oculus Rift, which had no motion controllers, was based on the concept of 'I look where I grip'. When I’m climbing, I first look for the next grip and then I move my hand there. Within this in mind, even without Touch controllers, we could build this game, as we just move the player’s free hand to where you are looking with the Oculus device.”
In addition to this, the creators have implemented a stamina system that is reflective of the trials of real-life climbing.
“You drain stamina when holding onto a grip with only one hand. It’s stressful to use only one hand in real life and it's a big relief when you get to hold onto the next grip with your other hand," Otto says. "This is reflected in The Climb's stamina system. We also have chalk. Chalk helps climbers to hold onto a grip. If your hand is not chalked, you might need to exert more effort to hold on, draining more stamina.
Chalking improves your grip and it also relieves your hand for a moment. You might shake it a bit, but then you are ready to go. That's why chalking in The Climb is more like a 'relaxation handshake' rather than moving your hand into an imaginary chalk bag.”
The practice of climbing in reality is a lot of trial and error. Experienced climbers will know the meticulous gesturing, half-lunges and practice holds that they do on every climb to protect their stamina and reduce fatigue. So has this been addressed in the second iteration of the game?
“Yeah. The idea comes from the fact that, as a new climber, you hold the grips with all your force because you are afraid. However, it's better to know and feel the grip, and its angles, to grip it in the best way so that you can use less force. This is not easy, so we introduced the half-press," Otto explains. "You can grab onto a grip and hold down the controller trigger halfway, and you won't lose stamina at all. This sounds easy, but gripping and releasing those triggers without pressing them too much is a real challenge. However, if you master it, you can move very quickly as you pretty much have unlimited stamina.”
Outclimbing your friends
A huge part of gaming is the love of challenging friends or people online, but how does this translate to a VR climbing experience? When developing The Climb 2, improving this aspect of the game was a conscious decision. This was all pulled together in the game’s new feature, Ghost Race, which is set to add a competitive edge to what is already a spine-tingling experience.
“In Ghost Race, our game’s asynchronous multiplayer mode, you race against someone else’s time – either friends or against the global community,” Otto adds. “The opponent’s character is visualised as ghost hands showing the path that they’ve taken. It can help you understand how you're tracking against your opponent and how they negotiate the course.”
This competitive streak is not only important for engaging players but also pushing them to improve. Otto agrees: “If you’re not beating them, you can improve your technique.”
Upping the ante
With added innovation, comes added vertigo. The first edition of The Climb brought thrills, spills and chills to many. So how has this changed? In short, it’s got scarier. Otto says: “The strong vertical lines of the buildings and the objects you see on the streets below you will be very familiar. That's why the sense of vertigo works so well. That familiarity makes it feel more real.”
To wrap up, we asked Ozbayram about the experience of working with a rapidly changing format such as virtual reality. He concludes:
“VR is all about immersion and the graphical fidelity of the game is crucial to making us feel like we are present in the environment. Of course, CryEngine renders worlds beautifully and that is what gives people a sense of presence and indeed vertigo when they play. In The Climb 2, we use the latest rendering pipeline of CryEngine and have a close collaboration between our engine and game teams to create a believable world, following the immersive and intuitive gameplay from previous instalments.”
It’s fair to say that the latest iteration of Crytek’s immersive climbing series is arriving with big shoes to fill, but we have no doubt the game will scale even greater heights.
The Climb 2 is out on March 4 on Quest and Quest 2.
