With so many resources available to us, anyone with the correct amount of ambition and discipline can make a mark in the gaming industry. Developer Frooxius has dabbled a great deal with applications and games and a quick glance at the older work on his site will show you a programming language centered on music called MusicString, a few casual games, and even a VR solar system model. His latest project is inspired by the later and is arguably his most ambitious: The first dedicated VR world engine.
Game engines such as Unreal engine, Source, and RPG Maker provide the framework for visual, aural, AI, and other crucial elements for many of the games we play today. Many different games and genres can be created within the different engines, but some of them offer specific benefits to some types of play styles. Frooxius is content with retrofitting existing engines for VR development and are providing an engine, called Neos VR, built from the ground up for virtual reality experiences. Via the website, the mantra is to create a platform with the ease of use of Minecraft, the collaboration of Google docs, the ecosystem of Youtube, and intuitive controls that mirror real life interaction.
Neos VR has been three years in the making and is finally available in its Alpha form, as revealed by Frooxius on Reddit . Its core feature is the generic synchronization engine, a system geared toward easy development of multi-player interactions and behaviors, but there are additional features available in the alpha for curious developers and enthusiasts to try out. On the Reddit post, Frooxius makes it clear the goal is to work with those interested in the platform as opposed to developing behind the scenes. There are bugs to be expected considering alpha tests are largely incomplete works of software, but if you’re interested you can register here for the download.
