With 2MD VR Football about to be released onto the PlayStation VR. I wanted to get some more information and learn about how the idea of mixing Virtual Reality with Football came to be and how it allows anyone to be that Quarterback they have dreamed of being with only two minutes to make that play. So I reached out to Truant Pixel to get some input and they were happy to help out.
Hello and welcome to The PlayStation Brahs. Please introduce yourself. So working at Truant Pixel must be really amazing. What do you do for them and what is a typical day like?
“Hi, this is M from Truant Pixel. I’m one of the founders, and I’m the lead artist/composer/theme programmer. A typical day is a tough one – since are work is fairly varied and divided between our own projects and consulting with other companies, what we do daily can change significantly from one day to the next. But there’s almost always a Devkit involved!”
What other games or projects has Truant Pixel worked with or been part of that some of the gamers out there might not have been aware of?
“We’ve done more than 80 dynamic themes, including the PS2 Legacy Dynamic theme, The Hanami Dynamic theme, and more. We’ve also published two VR games (most recently 2MD), and are currently working on a visual novel called Akash: Path of the Five. ”
2MD VR Football is about to release on PlayStation VR. Tells us about the game. What was the inspiration to merge Football and VR and bring that into our homes?
“2MD was born out of our first experiences with room-scale VR – we were inspired to find a way to really make use of the space, rather than focus on seated play.”
Will 2MD VR Football have any multiplayer or is this only a single player? Any online leaderboards?
“2MD does support regional leaderboards, presently it is designed as a single-player arcade experience. We don’t have anything to announce right now, but we are always open to trying new things if the game finds its audience.”
So 2MD VR Football is about the two-minute drills. About how many different drills will be available?
“The game is actually a series of 2-minute drills that occur in a continuous 7 round heat, with round 7 being the championship game. Between each round, there is a ring-drill bonus round that lets you amplify your score. There’s also the added strategy of designing your own offensive plays.”
Will there be any future DLC that will be coming in the future that is planned?
“Good question! nothing to announce at this time, though!”
Tell us about the control scheme. Will it be something that will be easy to learn or tough to master?
“The controls should be fairly simple – I’ll include a small diagram that shows the button mapping (it’s also viewable in-game). Really, the core concept is as simple as throwing a ball. The “difficult to master” part probably comes from when deciding on your strategy. Who do you throw to? Maybe you should hand it off to the runner instead? Or heck, maybe you should run it yourself . . .
When you approached Sony with the idea of 2MD VR Football, were they very receptive to the idea or did they have some concerns that maybe you did not think about?
“Sony didn’t really offer us any guidance there since this is an independent project. We provided them a design document, and they approved it in short order.”
Do you see that Virtual Reality is here to stay? If so, what do you think could use some improving on?
“I think so. It’s definitely a frontier, and as a technology, it is constantly evolving. I’m not alone in thinking we are definitely in the nascent phase of VR, and things will probably look very different in the next 5 years. Things like tracking fidelity, visual quality, and hardware limitations are going to dramatically improve in that time.”
With the catalog of PlayStation VR games and experiences growing, what would you say to the gamer out there who was looking to pick up something new on why they should pick up 2MD VR Football?
“Hmm. Well, 2MD is meant to be enjoyed by both football superfans and casuals alike. If you enjoy an over-the-top presentation and have an appreciation for arcade experiences that are easy to learn and challenging to master, 2MD might just be for you.”
Are there any future games or experiences that Truant Pixel is working on that can be discussed at this time? Anything PlayStation VR related?
“As I mentioned earlier, we’re working on Akash: Path of the Five for PlayStation 4, though that’s more of a standard release. We don’t have any new VR announcements at this time, but we’re always cooking up something!”
I really want to thank M from Truant Pixel for taking the time from his busy schedule and being able to share some insight and answer questions about Virtual Reality, Sony, and 2MD VR Football.
2MD: VR Football is out now on PlayStation VR and is also available on Steam and Viveport. A review copy was provided.
Also, check out the review.
To learn more about Truant Pixel, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy.
Mr. PSVR, May 7, 2018, theplaystationbrahs.com
