VRC Volleyball (website listing here) is the latest attempt in a decades-long quest to create a seemingly simple thing: A physics-enabled game involving a ball that people can play together from around the world in a 3D virtual world in real time. Most attempts end up being comically, unplayably laggy.
This new version in VRChat, however, has been playable enough to generate not only a large returning audience -- over 300,000 visits since launching last November -- but also player leagues... and even live sport casters on YouTube. (Watch above.)
The world's creator, mamemoyasys (on Twitter/X here), had never actually played volleyball in real life when they started building it, but was inspired after reading the volleyball-themed manga Haikyuu!!
They also saw a need for such games on the platform:
"Many game worlds in VRChat are similar to FPS games," they explain, "where even if people are playing together, they often feel like they are acting separately. I wanted to create a game world where everyone interacts with a single target, leading to natural communication."
At first, the ball itself was powered by Unity’s physics engine, but that didn't quite work well enough for gameplay:
"[It] wasn’t nearly enough to make it a fun experience. So, I experimented with different mechanics, such as allowing players to receive the ball just by touching it and slowing down the ball’s falling speed. Through repeated testing, I fine-tuned the mechanics to make the game more enjoyable in VR."
As you'll see in gameplay videos, the ball velocity is purposely decelerated, making it more like playing the game with a beach ball.
"Since the ball's speed is slowed down to reduce the impact of network latency, it is possible to play," mamemoyasys tells me. "I also enjoy playing with international players, communicating through the ball instead of words."
A VRC player from Japan, mamemoyasys found themselves connecting with players from around the world in a meaningful way:
"I’ve had many opportunities to interact with people I had never met in VRChat before, especially players from overseas. Through conversations with people from Korea and Taiwan, I’ve noticed similarities between Japanese, Korean, and Chinese, making it a valuable experience for language learning as well."
For players in Asia, there's a league of 150 players registered with the league, and an in-game group of some 1,700 where events are organized.
The creator's advice on getting started:
"There are easy modes available," mamemoyasys tells me, "so I encourage new players to try it out casually. Just playing around with the ball with friends can be a lot of fun. Public instances also have active games, and many players are friendly, so don’t hesitate to jump in!"
You can play for fun with pretty much anyone anywhere, though serious games are somewhat limited by the speed of light:
"There is unavoidable latency when connecting with players overseas, causing the ball to appear slightly delayed. For experienced players who want to play serious matches, I recommend playing with others in nearby regions."
Also, if you have motion detected enabled, don't play VRC volleyball in a crowded space:
"I’ve even seen some people spike the ball by physically jumping in real life instead of using the in-game jump function," mamemoyasys explains. "Many players have accidentally broken their monitors or ceiling lights!"
That's no easy feat, since the world is PC-only. ("I believe those who physically jump are using a Meta Quest wirelessly connected to their PC," they explain.)
However, mamemoyasys do plan to make it playable on Quest as a standalone experience. Other updates coming soon:
"I plan to add new effects, sound effects, and a team shuffle feature, along with adjustments to ball speed. Since players have become more experienced and strategies have evolved, I want to fine-tune the ball speed accordingly. Additionally, I’m planning to introduce a beach volleyball world around summer!"
Follow them on X/Twitter here for more updates.
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