Tactera
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| Tactera | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| VR/AR | Virtual Reality |
| Developer | E McNeill[1] |
| Publisher | E McNeill[2] |
| Platform | SteamVR (PC version)[2] |
| Device | Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive |
| Operating System | Windows (PC version)[2] |
| Type | Full Game |
| Genre | Strategy |
| Input Device | Tracked Motion Controllers (PC version)[2] |
| Game Mode | Single Player, Multiplayer |
| Release Date | 2016 (Gear VR); 22 December 2017 (Steam)[3][4][2] |
| App Store | Steam[2] |
| Website | https://emcneill.com/press/sheet.php?p=tactera |
Tactera is a virtual reality real-time strategy game by E McNeill, presented as a miniature battlefield on a virtual command table. It began as a 2015 mobile VR jam prototype and developed into a commercial Gear VR game in 2016.[1][3][4] The PC edition includes VR and non-VR versions. Steam records its release as 22 December 2017.[2]
Features
Players command forces by choosing production bases and deployment destinations on the battlefield. A June 2016 review of the Gear VR edition describes bases that produce particular unit types, with production cooldowns differing between lighter and heavier forces. Capturing additional bases increases the army's production capacity.[4]
The full game's roster has twelve unit types, and players select three types for a battle. Their different capabilities make army composition a decision made before combat, followed by choices about deployment and movement. The creator's description emphasizes these decisions rather than manual resource gathering and detailed control of every individual unit.[1]
| Mode | Documented form |
|---|---|
| Campaign | Single-player procedural campaign.[2] |
| Skirmish | Customizable missions.[2] |
| Multiplayer | Head-to-head play appears in both the creator's materials and the PC description. In the Gear VR edition reviewed in June 2016, an opponent appeared across the table as glowing eyes that followed their head movements.[1][2][4] |
Controls and viewpoint
The original Mobile VR Jam submission documents gaze selection combined with the Gear VR touchpad. The player looks at a base and taps to select it, then chooses a destination for the troops. An additional interface selects the army's composition. The prototype's options included camera-height adjustment for sitting or standing and a control over stereoscopic depth, including a monoscopic setting.[5]
These controls were designed around the mobile headset's input limits. A November 2015 written summary of an interview with McNeill describes the single-touch constraint as a reason for simplifying the strategy interface. At that stage he was developing multiplayer while improving the single-player AI.[6]
Development
The jam record dates Tactera's entry to 17 April 2015. McNeill's press kit identifies it as a finalist in the Oculus Mobile VR Jam and describes the prototype's subsequent expansion into a full game.[5][1]
In his July 2015 essay The Virtual Tabletop, McNeill discussed Tactera as an example of concentrating VR activity into a small area in front of the player. He described gaze selection and the ability to lean toward miniature action where positional tracking was available. He also identified table size, height and distance as design problems that could affect interaction. Vive room-scale experiments, AR adaptations and multiplayer examples in that essay were proposals at the time.[7]
McNeill revisited the technical approach in a January 2017 developer article. He said Tactera and his later game Skylight shared technology and were designed around mobile performance limits. The account describes their abstract, low-polygon presentation and use of unlit materials.[8]
The press kit credits McNeill as game designer, Alexander Kvasnicka as 3D artist, Clemens Scott as 2D artist and Kojo Kumah as multiplayer programmer. Brendan Hogan and Jamie Hunsdale are credited for sound design.[1]
Release history
| Date | Version or event |
|---|---|
| April 2015 | Entered in the Oculus Mobile VR Jam as a Gear VR strategy prototype.[5] |
| December 2015 | A Gear VR pre-release demo appeared. Contemporaneous reporting also linked a demo for the Oculus Rift DK2.[9] |
| May 2016 announcement | The Gear VR full version was announced for 31 May. Rift and Vive editions were described as being in development, without a specific date.[10] |
| By early June 2016 | Commercial Gear VR availability was reported. A 1 June review lists 31 May as the release date, while a 3 June release roundup lists 2 June.[11][12] |
| August 2016 update announcement | An update was scheduled for 3 August with hard and expert campaign difficulties, revised AI and effects, and an AI battle option while waiting for multiplayer matchmaking.[13] |
| 22 December 2017 | Steam PC release, with Rift/Vive VR and non-VR versions.[2] |
The December 2015 demo report had recorded an earlier plan for a full release in the first quarter of 2016, including campaign and multiplayer additions. The later commercial records above distinguish that plan from the released game.[9]
System requirements
The PC store's listed minimum requirements are:[2]
| Component | Listed minimum |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 7+ |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-4590 or AMD FX 8350, equivalent or better |
| Memory | 4 GB RAM |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, equivalent or better |
| Storage | 1 GB available space |
| VR backend | SteamVR |
The listing separately notes that the Steam client has required Windows 10 or later since 1 January 2024.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 E McNeill. "E McNeill". Tactera press kit. https://emcneill.com/press/sheet.php?p=tactera. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 "Tactera on Steam". Steam. https://store.steampowered.com/app/696040/Tactera/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "E McNeill". Official developer portfolio. https://emcneill.com/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Joe Durbin (2016-06-23). "'Tactera' Review: The Future Of Tabletop Gaming Is Here". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/tactera-review-future-tabletop-gaming/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 E McNeill. "Tactera". Oculus' Mobile VR Jam 2015, Devpost submission. https://vrjam.devpost.com/submissions/36306-tactera. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ "E McNeill on Designing the Real-Time Strategy VR Game Tactera". Road to VR, Voices of VR episode 238 written summary. 2015-11-05. https://roadtovr.com/e-mcneill-designing-real-time-strategy-vr-game-tactera/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ Edward McNeill (2015-07-10). "The Virtual Tabletop". Game Developer, originally Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-virtual-tabletop. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ E McNeill (2017-01-11). "Developer Perspectives: Lessons from E McNeill". Oculus developer blog, preserved by Meta. https://developers.meta.com/vr/blog/developer-perspectives-lessons-from-e-mcneill/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Julianna Crisalli (2015-12-28). "Real-Time Strategy Game 'Tactera' Makes Promising Debut". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/tactera-demo-e-mcneill/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ Jake Tucker (2016-05-19). "VR Strategy Tactera releasing on Gear VR at the end of this month". Pocket Gamer. https://www.pocketgamer.com/tactera/vr-strategy-tactera-releasing-on-gear-vr-at-the-end-of-this-month/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ Scott Hayden (2016-06-01). "‘Tactera’ Review". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/tactera-review-gear-vr-note-4/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ Jamie Feltham (2016-06-03). "New Oculus Rift and Gear VR Releases for the Week of 05/29/16". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/new-oculus-rift-and-gear-vr-releases-for-the-week-of-052916/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ Joe Durbin (2016-08-01). "Gear VR Strategy Game 'Tactera' To Launch Massive Update On August 3". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/gearvr-darling-tactera-launch-massive-update-august-3/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.