MusicVR
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
MusicVR is a virtual reality project created and developed by the musician Mike Oldfield. To date it has produced two standalone simulation games and inspired content for some of Oldfield's albums.
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[edit] History
MusicVR set out to be a real-time virtual reality experience which combines imagery and music, as a non-violent and essentially a non-goal driven game. In the early 1990s when Oldfield first wanted to create this world, the computers required to render the quality of images which he wanted were large and vastly expensive. This prevented the early versions of the game being released to the public, and although Oldfield had toyed with the idea of touring game, with his own powerful computer, this never happened. It was not just the graphical demands that were restrictive, but also the idea that the game should have 'freedom' and not be restricted to one path.
In 1994, Oldfield's album The Songs of Distant Earth, one of the first enhanced CDs, featured a 3D interactive segment, with some ideas similar to MusicVR. Music Virtual Reality (MusicVR) was previously called Sonic Reality and Sonic VR during it's development stages.[1]
By the 2000s, as home computers had moved on in their complexity, it meant that this earlier problem was mostly erased. So Oldfield and his team of programmers set off developing a version of the MusicVR game for release to the public. They felt that they could not use another game engine, because of the nature and idea of MusicVR was so different from many of today's games; so they developed their own, with Oldfield deciding on the look and feel at each step.
By 2006, Oldfield had spent £25 million developing the game.[2] The game was developed on and for PC, although Oldfield uses Apple Macintosh computers for recording his music.
[edit] Tres Lunas
| Tres Lunas | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Developer(s) | Mike Oldfield |
| Designer(s) | Mike Oldfield |
| Series | MusicVR |
| Platform(s) | PC |
| Release date | September 7, 2002 |
| Genre(s) | Simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Media | CD, Download |
| System requirements | Pentium III 500 Mhz, 64 MB Ram, 16 MB OpenGL graphics card[3] |
| Input methods | Keyboard, Mouse |
2002 saw the release of Oldfield's first new album of the Millennium, entitled Tres Lunas. This was also to become the first publicly released MusicVR game, also titled Tres Lunas. A demo version of the game came on a second CD packaged with the album, with the full version available for purchase from Oldfield's website. The game has since become available for free. The game featured segments of music from the album Tres Lunas, along with especially composed music. In the game you can fly around the world, collecting a maximum of 7 gold rings, which change the music which you hear. You can also study manipulate many objects, with various consequences.
By the time of the first release, Oldfield had also expressed the desire for people to share their game with others, and thus the game became a multiplayer game, with people connecting to the game world via the Internet. Each person could have their own avatar, which they would use to fly around the virtual worlds. A maximum of 13 avatars can be in use at any one time, with others being observers, all having the ability to chat. Oldfield would also from time to time, be connected to the game allowing fans could chat to him live. Oldfield was also interviewed about the game and faith on the BBC show Heaven and Earth.[4]
[edit] Maestro
| Maestro | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Developer(s) | Mike Oldfield |
| Designer(s) | Mike Oldfield |
| Series | MusicVR |
| Platform(s) | PC |
| Release date | 12th April 2004[5] |
| Genre(s) | Simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Media | Download |
| System requirements | Pentium 3 processor, OpenGL compatible graphics card, 128Mb RAM |
| Input methods | Keyboard, Mouse |
The following year Oldfield had rerecorded his first album, Tubular Bells, as Tubular Bells 2003. This was to become the musical inspiration for the second MusicVR game, initially titled The Tube World.[6] The final title became Maestro in 2004 and once again it was available for purchase on his website, and since has become available for free. The game featured segments of music from the classic Tubular Bells, along with more especially composed music. In the game there are 24 medals and 4 'gravitars' to find.[7] The original price was £14.98 for the download and £18 for the CD.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ Tres Lunas, Richard Carter's Mike Oldfield discography
- ^ MusicVR Interview (Spanish)
- ^ MusicVR (German)
- ^ Interview with Mike Oldfield from BBC 1's Heaven and Earth programme, August 25, 2002
- ^ Review at GamersEurope
- ^ Talk time: Mike Oldfield, The Guardian, July 31, 2003
- ^ Review
- ^ Relax with Mike Oldfield's Maestro
[edit] External links
- Music VR at MikeOldfield.com
- Tres Lunas and Maestro at MobyGames
