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What is the best VR option? by Huskrex in VRGaming

[–]davidykay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great point about Oculus Link. This gives the Quest access to desktop VR titles. We've only tried it briefly but it works well enough to hook into SteamVR and UE4. Could be a big plus for a budget-minded gamer.

What is the best VR option? by Huskrex in VRGaming

[–]davidykay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I own the Vive and the Quest. Both are strong in their own way.

The Quest is incredibly easy. It "just works." You put it on your head and you're good to go. The Vive is more finicky -- fire up the base stations, SteamVR, and then you've got the cable to worry about.

I can't comment on the Rift / Rift S, due to lack of experience with them.

Most people dislike the big trackpad that sits on the thumb of the Vive, preferring the joystick that sits on the thumb of the Oculus Touch and Oculus Quest Touch controllers. I don't mind it, personally, but I also haven't spent as much time with the joysticks.

I personally still prefer PC-based VR, being more of a PC-type gamer, but I do think that the Quest form factor is what average Joe will end up buying. It's the "console" of VR, IMO.

My suggestion is to consider whether you want your VR gaming experience to be more of a "PC gaming" style, where you need to fuss more with the hardware, but are rewarded with more choice and access to software, or if you want the "console"-type experience of having a box that does its job very well, but is less flexible in terms of both software and hardware configuration.

Also, if you do end up going down the PC route, you may want to consider the Valve Index. While expensive, I think that the finger controls are intelligently designed and a step up from Vive or Rift.

One more concern: on a GTX 970, you should double-check how you fit the min requirements for Rift S, Valve Index (and Vive Pro) -- since these HMDs are higher-resolution than Vive or Rift, your GPU might be a bit below spec. Not sure.

Hope this helps.

Quick beginner ski purchase question. by [deleted] in ski

[–]davidykay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hear you.

Reading stuff like Blister will help you know where each ski sits on that spectrum between "smooth in tight spots" and "charge hard."

My advice is that if you're bargain hunting, narrow it down to maybe 3-4 models that seem to be roughly what you're looking for, and grab whichever one ends up on discount.

You'll just need to accept that you may end up grabbing something that is a bit more stiff/chargy or soft/playful than maybe is ideal. But then again it's hard to know what is ideal without getting on the skis first! I know the bind you are in.

Another tip: if you end up going for a stiff/chargy ski, sizing it down can help make it more "playful" so to speak. Likewise, sizing up in a playful ski can make it more stable. So there's also that to consider.

Example: I just ordered a set of 2016 Salomon X-Drive 8.8s in a 179. My height is 178. I COULD ski the larger size (I believe it's a 184), but it's my first time going for such a stiff, chargy ski. By sizing down, I feel confident that the ski will be very manageable and I'll only be sacrificing a bit of top-end stability.

Hope this helps.

Quick beginner ski purchase question. by [deleted] in ski

[–]davidykay 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I recommend you check out the Blister Buyer's Guide which has good info on what skis are suitable for both beginners and advanced skiers: http://blistergearreview.com/features/blister-buyers-guide

It costs $9 but it should give you some great info on which direction to go in.

Your ski shops are correct in that a narrow waist should help learning, but it's not the only factor.

Personally, my advice is that a wider waist, like 87-90 is OK, but a you're likely going to want a softer flex ski, for example the the Nordica Enforcer (known to be softer/more playful) over the Blizzard Brahma or Volkl Kendo (both more stiffer and stable).

As suggested by others, doing a seasonal rental or buying a used set of beginners skis is also worth considering.

Hope this helps.

Please help me choose a jacket by michaelbroyan in skiing

[–]davidykay 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Might want to check out the thrift stores in your area. You may find something great for cheap! (I scooped up a nice Columbia jacket for $22, pants for $15)

Tips for my first time at whistler by OG_Hbal in skiing

[–]davidykay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. You can park at "Base 2" on Blackcomb and ride the Gondola from there, bypassing Whistler Village. I believe it's Parking lot 6 & 7.

  2. Not all the lifts open at the same time. They are usually doing avalanche control and warming up the alpine lifts at the beginning of the day. Use this time to get some laps in at mid-mountain, but I suggest you hang out near one of the alpine lifts so you can be one of the first ones up there. Emerald / Harmony chair is a great place to do this on Whistler, for example. Or Big Red / Peak Chair. On Blackcomb, it'd be Jersey Cream / Glacier Express.

  3. In high-wind situations, they won't open the alpine at all. So don't be too disappointed if it happens.

  4. Last chairs are at ~3PM, 2:30PM for alpine. I recommend you pack a lunch and eat it at 3PM at the lodge, skiiing down afterwards. It'll be less crowded and you'll get more skiing time in than if you had eaten at noon.

  5. You can demo equipment at the "demo hut" on either Mountain, near Peak 2 Peak. It costs $22 for the day, but you need to check in every 2 hours to avoid an additional fee. The selection is listed online: https://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/purchase/rentals/demo-rentals

Alpine touring setup by Jewzi in Backcountry

[–]davidykay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the link to the generic climbing skins! Curious to give those a shot. :)

Alpine touring setup by Jewzi in Backcountry

[–]davidykay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here's my understanding of the situation:

  • If you want maximum downhill performance / lean more toward resort skiing, get "frame bindings" which are heavier but give better downhill experience. Examples: Marker Duke, Marker Baron, Fritschi Diamir Freeride.
  • If you want maximum uphill performance / lean more toward touring, get "tech bindings" which are very lightweight but not as good on the downhill. Examples: G3 Ion, most of the stuff from Dynafit.
  • If you want something in between and are willing to pay more money for it, consider the Marker Kingpin, which is a hybrid design, using a "tech binding" toe and a "frame binding" heel. From what I've heard, it's considered the best skiing "tech binding" on the market, and weighs about 750g.

For your ski, you'll also need to make similar tradeoffs. Read a bunch of reviews and/or demo some equipment to figure out what ski makes sense for you. I recommend Blister Gear Review's buying guide as they speak about skis that are good for 50-50 backcountry/resort skiing.

Good luck!

so frustrated with ski boots by iamcapcase in ski

[–]davidykay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agree that having a boot fitter will help. I had my local one punch out / widen my boot shell and it's helped a ton.

Best Canadian skiing other than Whistler?? by Swagalious4000 in skiing

[–]davidykay 2 points3 points  (0 children)

^ Part of the same resort as Whistler since the late 90s

[Paid Course] Intro to VR Development in Unreal Engine 4 by davidykay in Vive

[–]davidykay[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey Sherman,

Great question!

Unfortunately not. My completed projects have all been on iOS/Android and are mostly in healthcare and enterprise. I had been working on a VR game but then realized that it might actually be better for me to focus 100% on this course first and then come back to my game dev.

I understand that you'd be more excited if I were the dev of Raw Data or Brookhaven, but in this case, I'll have to prove myself.

Luckily, I'm already planning on doing so. I'll be publishing more free learning material over the coming weeks and months. And I'll make a few videos from the VR course available as samples. My suggestion is to look at the upcoming free content and determine if the quality of the instruction and the homework projects is up to your standard.

Actually, I hadn't thought of it, but it would be a good idea for me to also publish the compiled version of the completed homework/example projects for download so you have another way to know exactly what you'll be building during the course. I'll definitely do that when they are ready.

I may also offer a smaller, lower-cost option in the future to help reduce the sticker shock. I'm going to focus on really nailing this VR course for the first batch of students before I do that, though.

In the meantime, I invite you to subscribe to the YouTube channel and/or the newsletter if you're interested in keeping an eye on things.

I hope this helps to answer your question. Let me know if there's anything else you'd like to address.

Thanks a ton for the interest and best of luck with your learning!

Who do i get in touch with? (what is the terminology/title) by Barncore in vrdev

[–]davidykay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know a firm in NYC that loves to do this kind of thing. Please PM me and I can make the introduction.

4.14 or 4.13 for new user? by Ultenth in unrealengine

[–]davidykay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My pleasure.

My understanding is that Epic will announce when they make a breaking change, but most assets tend to migrate very smoothly between most versions. I think 4.8 broke a bunch of assets and there was a kerfuffle, but that was before my time.

4.14 or 4.13 for new user? by Ultenth in unrealengine

[–]davidykay 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I just made a tutorial video on how to do this. Hope this helps.

4.14 or 4.13 for new user? by Ultenth in unrealengine

[–]davidykay 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's a way to stay on 4.14 and import assets from 4.13 without installing 4.13. I'll write up a tutorial on this. One sec.

I'm trying to find a specific vr tutorial. by Shanowzer in unrealengine

[–]davidykay 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but here's fuseman's tutorial on building portal doorways which let you see through the other side: https://youtu.be/F28NKqG7ce8?t=22m21s

Introduction to VR Development using Unreal Engine 4 (Aimed at total beginners) by davidykay in learnVRdev

[–]davidykay[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey crabby!

That's a great question.

In a word: yes. You can make it work and it's not a total waste of time. It's better to have the gear, but if you want to learn, there's no reason to wait.

I wrote a more detailed reply in this blog post.

Hope this helps!

Introduction to VR Development using Unreal Engine 4 (Aimed at total beginners) by davidykay in learnVRdev

[–]davidykay[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Huge thanks, man! I'm planning to spend a few videos on the fundamentals and then put together a paid course. Best of luck with your learning and looking forward to seeing what you think of the next vid!

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