Sims 4 VR

[Villianize]

Hey everyone. So today is the day I'll be getting my VR set up and the first thing I'll probs try it out on is Sims 4. As we all know Sims has its 1st Person mode when you press Shift+Tab and if you look up if its possible to run Sims 4 on VR you get some info here and there saying yes and no, a YouTube video here or there,and "Is it compatible with Vorpx?" etc. 

 

I'll be aggresively trying to figure out how it works later on today, so once I have everything all figured out I'll be posting here what I did step by step as to help others in case they are curious or wanting to try Sims 4 in VR. Hopefully all goes well and others can use this as a place of reference to get VR set up for Sims 4 if that's something they're interested in.

[Villianize]

HOW TO SET UP SIMS VR:

 

UPDATED: October 17, 2020

 

NON DEFINITIVE RUNDOWN:

 

Before I begin, just know everything i will state thus far is experimental and not to be taken as the law for doing this. Though what I have done so far WORKS, It is not up to my standards but I will keep this post updated until I feel it summarizes what the average simmer needs to do for the optimum VR experience. I will also be speaking in regards to using the Occulus Quest 2 so for other Headset users some things may not align but should in theory.

 

REQUIREMENTS:

-Headset

-Vorpx [$39.99]

-Tethering Cable 

 

SUGGESTIONS:

-Direct Controls Mod [OPTIONAL:  I find this helps enter doorways easier while in VR]

-Disable Autonomy for Selected Sim [OPTIONAL: Decreases getting yanked around by your sim while trying to function]

 

CONTROL MAPPING:

 

~WIP~

 

VORPX SETTINGS:

 

~WIP~

 

SETUP:

To start things off ensure you have software on your PC in order for the use of a remote Desktop/Tethering. For those using any Occulus Headsets, the installation is on the Occulus Website. 

 

Once software is installed and you know for a fact your headset can be used for remote desktop purposes on your PC, obtain a copy of Vorpx. [Note: Vorpx now has capabilities to work With Sims 4 once installed which is a major plus]

 

Once Vorpx has been installed, look over its options. You'll notice one that says Local Profiles, and one that says Cloud Profiles. Local from my understanding is more of a blank slate base profile to use for games etc. What you'll want to get is one of the Cloud Profiles. Theyre something of a Tried and allegedly true preset for what your going to attempt with Vorpx and whichever game your intending on playing, in this case Sims 4. turn on your VR Headset, and Start Vorpx on your PC. After Vorpx has been started you'll see a symbol for it on your computers Taskbar. Right-click the symbol for Vorpx and click to begin cinematic mode. 

 

So far assuming everything is going through correctly, your headset should be showing the Vorpx loading screen or something to that likeness. After it finishes loading you should be at your desktop. 

 

Next open Sims 4. You'll know things are going well if you notice Vorpx showing a few prompts as sims is launching. This is Vorpx injecting itself and preparing to do what it needs to. Once you've gotten your game all set up and loaded, press Delete and configure your Vorpx settings as needed. Depending on the resolution of your headset you may have to lower it to see things a little more clearly. Also disable Headset positioning. If left on, when you move your head in RL your camera will move in sims and you may find yourself looking at the back of your sim.

 

+×+×+×

 

This is as far as ive gotten with the software and currently I'll be finding better settings, key bindings, and whatever else needs to be shared so for those interested check on this post. I will also look into if Vorpx has the ability to not only leave head tracking for VR but leaving the ability to use point/click abilities with the controllers in order to maintain efficiency when running VR for Sims 4.

 

MOD REQUESTS:

 

• To better aid VR users, a mod that gives the player a hotkey ability to center camera on the front of your sim. The option already in game to center on where your sim is facing is nice but often there are times where your sim is facing off to God knows where and centering dead front of your sim is more beneficial.
• Another camera mod, but to make the camera completely move by players choice without randomly centering where the played sim is looking.  Between the vanilla games center where sim is looking, and hopefully a the before mentioned Mod request,  Players would be able to have full control of where they want their head to face.
• Smaller First person reticule, or adjustable options.

 

?+x+x+x   DISCREPENCIES  +x+x+x?

 

-Manual Movement may be in ones best interest in order to have an efficient feel.

•  Manual Movement {Direct Controls] Is nice to have but I find is optional depending on play style. I believe it assists greatly in maneuvering through doors and up/down stairs. 

 

-finding the best resolution is a must in order to be able to read the Hud and other dialogues effectively.

• Increasing Sharpen all the way in Vorpx Settings in game solves alot of the Blur problem for the game, BUT I believe the way the HUD is rendered perhaps theres no way to make it look any clearer unless a mod to replace the entire HUD with a more VR friendly version were to come out.

-Finding what must be done to be able to use point click capabilities on Vorpx would be an immense plus on being able to play effectively. 

• Unless Ive missed something, I dont believe Vorpx has Point-Click capabilities for VR Controllers, like other VR things do [IE: VIrtual Desktop, or general VR use] If it does please notify me that way I can tinker with it and correct this post.

 

-Blurry HUD

• If you are experiencing a blurry HUD,  you can open the options file in the Sims folder in My documents. Within this, look for an option named UI scale.  The smaller the number the bigger the HUD. In order for me to be able to see/read my HUD at the bare minimum without it taking too much of my screen, I must set it to 70. If I set it to 50 I can see my HUD with detail but some options won't fit on the screen, so its users choice.

 

-Finding a way to Circumvent the 1st Person Camera being yanked around when attempting to look in certain Directions.

 

-Within the capabilities of Vorpx, and some user alterations to better suit their playstyle.  1st person camera control and perhaps a possible mod to ease  any player performed interaction in game may be final touches in order for an enjoyable experience for a game that doesn't not have VR built in. Currently there is no hand tracking created for Sims 4 let alone Vorp X, so for the moment using the analog/TouchPad on the controller [if using VR controller] is the only option until further notice.

 

?+x+x+x   PROS  +x+x+x ?

 

-Whicked Whims Looks great and runs great. Especially with animations with great 1st person views

 

-I'm unsure as to how this works but I believe the game is designed to render far less when in 1st person view, or something to that effect. I have noticed personally an increase in performance when playing in 1st person compared to regularly playing, but then again this could be debatable depending on what mods one has installed as well as hardware.

 

 

[frogstar]

Golly, if you could get TS4 running in VR, I might have to stop playing Skyrim VR ?

[Villianize]

On 10/19/2020 at 6:39 AM, frogstar said:

Golly, if you could get TS4 running in VR, I might have to stop playing Skyrim VR ?

It works the only problem as of right now I find is maintaining the camera to something comfortable for VR standards [its playable with what i have done so far but it could be better imo] and more efficient movement, which would come down to Vorpx releasing hand tracking so you technically can use your left and right hand as a mouse. other than that its very possible as ive done it for a few days

[miscreg]

Have things improved at all for Sims 4 via vorpx?  I have an Oculus Quest 2 coming in soon and I'm excited to try it.