A fairly short and informative lesson on the last manned mission to the Moon. I was really hoping this would be a top-notch experience like the other Moon themed experiences, but honestly, this one is just a little buggy. (HA!) No seriously.. there are problems with it. Nothing major, but a bunch of minor things that detract from the overall experience. Even if they fix all the bugs, they need to pay someone to read the script who isn't currently on medication. At least give the guy a cup of coffee so he can TRY to sound more enthusiastic? I almost wanted to laugh at "you got a rock sample" delivered with all the excitement of Charlie Brown on Halloween saying "I got a rock". To top it all off, at the very end of the presentation, the narrator tells us that our flag we planted is bleached white, almost everyone who has ever been on the moon is now dead (don't tell Buzz Aldrin that!) and that it's unclear if we'll ever go back to the moon ever again. Cue the saddest version of ...
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About This Game
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Experience an ultrarealistic recreation of exploring the moon including photogrammetric reconstructions in 3D from the astronauts actual photos.
About the Game
Apollo 17 - Moonbuggy VR - Lunar Rover ExperienceLast Man on the Moon
Explore the Moon on the Apollo 17 Mission in Virtual Reality
- Walk on the Moon
- Drive the Lunar Rover
- Find the Original Apollo 17 Sites
- Experience Photogrammetric Reconstructions of the Lunar Surface
- Enter the Lunar Module
- Visit Mission Control
- Discover little known Facts about the Apollo 17 Adventure
Experience the dream of driving a Lunar Rover on the moon! Re-live the lunar rover exploration on the last moon mission - Apollo 17. This is the apogee of the most extreme travel, camping, and hiking expedition in mankind’s history. Imagine not only landing on the moon, but then having an incredible moon buggy to explore far beyond where you can see or easily get back to the landing module. The application employs realistically modeled moon terrain and mountains from satellite images, real moon photographs, and photogrammetry to bring the moon closer than ever before. Travel the actual rover route and visit the sites from the original expeditions. Get out and walk around to explore in more detail. Go places the astronauts never could, but maybe dreamed of.
"This is what it feels like, this is what it looks like"
You are Commander Gene Cernan, the last man to walk and drive on the moon. This is what he said he felt as he was preparing to leave the moon - "I couldn’t get out of my mind this almost science fiction world I was living in. I wanted to press the freeze button and stop time. I wanted to reach out, stick it in my space suit, and bring it back home with me. I wanted to show it to everybody - This is what is feels like, this is what it looks like." - This is the mission of this VR application, to really bring the experience of the moon to you like never before.
Apollo 17 was the last and most advanced moon mission to date. This mission was refined using knowledge from all the other Apollo missions. They stayed on the moon longer and traveled further than ever before and ever since. The Apollo 17 astronauts traveled over 22 miles in the rover. Much of the time in the rover, they were not even in sight of the lander.
The application also chronicles the astronauts discoveries on this mission and little known facts. This includes the massive Camelot Crater over half a mile across, orange dirt discovered at Shorty crater, an emergency repair or the rover, and other adventures. You will see the moon just as the astronauts did. Some site details are brought to clarity with photogrammetric regions generated from collections of astronaut photos. The mountains and horizon are generated from low lunar orbit elevation data. Intermediate terrain is formed with the aid of high resolution orbital images.
The rover itself is modeled on the original using real physics simulation with 4 wheel suspension, 4 wheel stearing, damping, gravity and power just like the original. You can also use VR teleport portal to cover huge distances in seconds rather than hours. The original photos the astronauts took are displayed in certain areas allowing you to compare and validate this computer reconstruction of the moon.
Come experience the Real-Moon like never before!
Instructions
- Use the Left Controller for Walking and Menus
- Use the Right Controller for Driving
- Use the Trigger for Rover Brake
Keyboard Commands
These commands are not required but give users enhanced capabilities.
- L = Lunar Rover Enable Entry/Driving - So you can get into the rover at any time
- Y = Cycle thru Skyboxes – Black is what the astronauts reported seeing on the bright moon, actual Milky Way, and Surreal close earth
- F = Flip Rover - If the rover gets stuck or flips over, can hit repeatedly if needed
Screenshots
User Reviews
Very informative and lovingly made. Some bugs with the teleport, like not being able to exit the module which stops progress in the game. Nice touch with the rock sample reconstructed from photogrammetry. Graphics could use some overall impvoment but all in all this could be a good experience for NASA fans. Dear Devs please fix the teleport issue: I got stuck when asked to see the rover fender repair in the Rift S and was not able to leave the green" exit the LEM teleport area." This broke the game for me.
A fun game. Chock full of information both of an education and trivial nature. An odd mix of fantasy and reality, but enjoyable. Definitely worth the money, clearly a lot of effort went into it. I think it is pretty clear what is fantasy (such as stargate-like portals that cause the moonbuggy to fly above the ground), however, I think I would have preferred a more factual and straightforward approach. This title offers plenty of content and is worth the price for it's photogrammetric scenery and rocks (read: accurate realism). suggest some upgraded textures at some point. Have fun with it, I recommend it.
Cool moon exploration experience, I enjoyed it
Recommended with a caveat: This is a very broken (though fascinating) experience. I lost count of the amount of times my buggy glitched and started spinning through the air, or landed inside the terrain.
System Requirements
Minimum
- OS *: Win 7, 8, 10
- Processor: Intel Core i5-4590 (AMD FX8350) or better
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: VR Ready Graphics card (GTX-980 or higher)
- Storage: 2 GB available space
- VR Support: SteamVR
FAQ
How much does Apollo 17 - Moonbuggy VR cost?
Apollo 17 - Moonbuggy VR costs $9.99.
What are the system requirements for Apollo 17 - Moonbuggy VR?
Minimum: Minimum: OS *: Win 7, 8, 10 Processor: Intel Core i5-4590 (AMD FX8350) or better Memory: 8 GB RAM Graphics: VR Ready Graphics card (GTX-980 or higher) Storage: 2 GB available space VR Support: SteamVR
What platforms is Apollo 17 - Moonbuggy VR available on?
Apollo 17 - Moonbuggy VR is available on Windows PC.
Is Apollo 17 - Moonbuggy VR worth buying?
Apollo 17 - Moonbuggy VR has 86% positive reviews from 7 players.
When was Apollo 17 - Moonbuggy VR released?
Apollo 17 - Moonbuggy VR was released on Jul 17, 2019.
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