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4 months ago

Building the Foundation of a Social VR Game — Movement & Multiplayer in Baby VR Episode 2

So, I’m building Baby VR — a social VR game that I’m developing with the community on YouTube.

In the first episode, I talked about where the idea came from and what kind of social sandbox I want Baby VR to become. But before we touch things like game modes, cosmetics, progression, or monetization, there’s something much more important we need to build first:

The foundation.

Movement and multiplayer.

If these two systems aren’t solid, nothing else in a Social VR game really matters. So in this post, I’ll walk you through how I’m structuring Baby VR’s technical core — from modular architecture to Gorilla Tag–style locomotion and real-time networking using Photon Fusion.

Let’s dive in.

WHY FOUNDATION COMES FIRST

In Social VR, players don’t just control a character — they are the character.

Every movement, every hand gesture, every head turn becomes part of how other players perceive you. That means two things need to feel perfect from day one:

* Locomotion — how you move through the world

* Networking — how other players see you move in real time

Everything else — game modes, progression, stores, and live events — is built on top of these systems.

THE MODULAR ARCHITECTURE (FLAMECORE)

Baby VR is built using a modular system I call FlameCore.

Instead of one giant, tangled codebase, the game is split into independent modules, where each one does a single job. This makes the project:

* Easier to build

* Easier to maintain

* Easier to scale over time

Think of it like LEGO blocks. You can swap, upgrade, or rebuild parts without breaking the whole system.

THE 5 CORE MODULES

Here’s the high-level structure:

* Core Module: Locomotion, VR Interactions, player rigs

*Networking Module: Multiplayer sync, player authority, sessions

* Gameplay Module: Game modes, rules, sandbox logic

* Backend Module: Economy, store, platform services

* LiveOps Module: Challenges, analytics, moderation, live events

Social VR isn’t just a “game” — it’s a live service, which is why LiveOps is treated as a first-class system, not an afterthought.

LOCOMOTION — MOVING LIKE A PLAYER, NOT A CONTROLLER

Inside the Core Module, Baby VR uses Gorilla Tag–style arm locomotion.This system is based on an open-source project from the creator of Gorilla Tag, and it changes how players relate to the world:

You don’t press a joystick to move

You push against the environment

You climb, swing, and launch yourself physically

This creates what I like to call somatic progression — players don’t “level up” their character. They level up their own coordination and skill. For a social sandbox, this kind of movement makes every interaction feel more personal and more expressive.

MULTIPLAYER — HOW SOCIAL VR ACTUALLY WORKS

Every player in Baby VR exists as two representations:

HardwareRig (Local Player)

This is the version of you that lives only on your computer. It reads directly from your VR hardware: headset position, controller positions, and hand movement.

Its job is simple: read reality.

NetworkRig (Online Avatar)

This is the version of you that everyone else sees. It syncs your movement across the network and represents you inside the multiplayer session.

Its job is also simple: show reality to others.

THE DATA FLOW

Here’s the full loop:

* You join a Photon Session (the game room)

* Your HardwareRig reads your VR hardware

* That data is packaged into custom network data

* Your NetworkRig sends it to the session

* Photon Cloud broadcasts it to all players

* Other clients update your avatar in real time

The key concept here is State Authority. You only control your own NetworkRig. Other players’ NetworkRigs are read-only on your machine. This prevents conflicts, keeps the simulation stable, and ensures everyone stays in sync.

Your head and hands follow the exact same logic — they’re just smaller versions of the same pipeline.

META STORE RELEASE CHANNEL

To make this truly community-driven, I’ve opened a Meta Store Release Channel. Join here.

This lets you access early builds, test experimental features, and see Baby VR evolve step by step. If you join, you’re not just a player — you’re an OG tester helping shape the game from the ground up.