Neuralgia is an asymmetrical 2 player co-op cyberpunk game.

Created for the Oculus Mobile Jam by the people who made Chicken Walk, ElementL and Kaiju Panic.

Walkthrough (SPOILERS, only use if you get stuck!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L2DHXrRTAw

Setup

Requires 2 Gear VRs

Both devices need to be on the SAME WIFI network with INTERNET access.

It can work over the internet but you need to forward port 25000 (not ideal).

Ideally you should play in the same room so you can talk to each other.

Occasionally Unity's master server will not register properly, just try again and it should work.

Controls

No gamepad required, touchpad only (and keep talking to each other!)

Tap the back button to restart a level (or if there is a master server error).

Hold the back button to quit the app.

Operator:

Look at the holo table to interact with it

While looking at the table, swipe left/right to rotate

Swipe up/down to zoom in/out

Tap on memory data to pick up and put down

Tap on an audio memory to start playing (syncs over the net)

While audio is playing, swipe left/right to scrub through the timeline

Swipe up/down to change audio pitch/speed (turn the volume up)

Hold down the touchpad while looking at the holotable to create a marker there to help communication

Runner:

Swipe forward to walk

Walk towards the memory cubes to collect them

Tap to pick up and put down

Swipe back to rotate objects

Look at buttons and tap to activate

Pick up the gem to complete the level

Mechanics

Player 1 (The Operator)

Has a top down view of the map and can freely swipe to rotate the map. He can see the underlying circuitry of the level and has extra information such as guard patrol routes and view cones. He can also see all the data collected floating about and can put aside the junk data or take a closer look at useful data such as door codes and puzzle clues.

Player 2 (The Runner)

Plays in first person and needs to navigate the level, grab data for player 1, avoid patrols and get to the exit. He can see and do things from his closer and lower viewpoint that might be obscured to player 1 and he can interact with switches and objects. Data collected by the Runner is sent to the Overseer for analysis and sorting. If the Runner is caught by the host's subconscious then he will be identified as a foreign body and will be forcefully ejected from the host mind.

Both players must cooperate to complete each zone as quickly as possible while grabbing as much data on the way out as they can.

Innovation

Our game offers a new way to play VR experiences in a social way and encourages communication by connecting both players to the same world while giving them different view points of the world.

You can even include observers in the room in puzzle solving by streaming the view to a TV via Chromecast or similar device.

A pop up alerts the Operator of when there's new data collected.

The Operator can point to a location on the holotable and a marker will appear for the Runner to help communication.

You can organise lots of information using only head tracking and the touch pad and encourages full use of the room space by spreading out data panels and placing relevant information near each other. Do you prefer a spider diagram or flow chart? Find a method that suits you.

The audio data panels respond to touchpad swipes in an intuitive way as does the map rotation mechanic.

Audio memories are synced across the network so both players can hear the clues hidden within, maybe one of you will catch the hint before the other and ask for a replay/speed change.

We implement a simple VR nose which some people report as helping reduce motion sickness.

There is a floating cursor that reacts to distance of the objects you're looking at to help the user focus on it.

Plot

In a world where information is the new currency and server hacks are an everyday event, the safest place to keep your secret information is in your own head. That is unless you've been mind hacked!

A technique for a 3rd party to enter the sleeping mind of a host to retrieve suppressed memories was originally developed to treat PTSD patients but was quickly banned for its ethical ramifications. However, memory manipulation and data mining is big business and there are large corporation that will pay a lot of money to get their rival's secrets and manipulate their CEOs.

Mind Divers are people who provide such a service. For a fee. Just remember the rules, never dive alone and never dive too deep.

Links & Credits

Development/VO - Kevin Tsang

Art - Julian Fisher

Design - Vivienne Wu

Music - Martin Gratton

www.mechabit.co.uk

@mechabit

Oculus Forum (APK included)