This is the week I head out to the real desert! I leave on the 18th and I've modified some stuff on a vacation I was already going on to add more destinations relevant to Stay Hydrated and make sure that I can get lots of good photogrammetry data! Ideally I would like to send my photogrammetry person out herself at some point, but for now I'm hoping to get a decent amount of stuff to be used in the game --- next weeks update I'll be showing off some of the imagery I've gotten... but for this week I was just finishing up some important player items for my Unreal Dev/Tech artist to use in the implementation of some basic gameplay mechanics! Also we finally got some of those rocks that were processed from a small amount of location-based photography that we had already into the engine!
Here's a look at the players cell phone (me) and some of the rocks (photogrammetry lead)!
Here's a look at the players cell phone (me) and some of the rocks (photogrammetry lead)!
VR SeaLegs : Week 7
Project status:
This week we integrate Unity’s event system into a 3rd party dialogue system. This allows us to run unity events based on dialogue nodes. We added sample dialogue interactions, more art, and a few sound effects to the Seaside Town.
One quîche
On a personal note, I have a real problem with sharks, which is to say that I really, really love them, and I hope you will too after you play with Chomp! We added interactions, adjusted the movement style, and added prototype art for the sharks on your arms. The sharks aren’t even animated and it’s beyond fun to just run around mouthing everything...see for yourself:
Seriously, we are making this.Methodology:
There is no universal VR movement that works for every situation. Every movement type has its own strengths and weaknesses and should be applied to a game or experience based on the best fit for playstyle, immersion, and fun.
VR Sea Legs will expose players to a large variety of movement styles because the longer someone plays in VR, the more comfortable they become.
The methodology in a nutshell is: Learn, use, reinforce, acclimate.
Content Unlocked!
This week starts our more specialized movement systems: hand-guided flight and rubber-band flight.
Shadows of the Vault uses our rubber-band system. Hand-guided flight is all about speed, while rubber-band’s big strength is its precision. Vault’s gameplay focuses on exploration and puzzle solving: The player is a hovering wisp, and rubber-band reinforces this floating feeling, combining it with the fun of flying short distances.
Shadows takes place in a mystical forest; you have grounds and trees. Flying in a grounded world can increase our general lack of ease in the game - being high above the visible ground makes you feel like you might fall. Rubber-band reduces this issue by giving the player fine control, with substantial speed and accuracy.
Purrtropolis is a god game where your primary mission is converting a city into a cat heaven. This uses a “drag flight” mechanic. Drag movement works by reaching out with your hand, grabbing the world, and pulling yourself in the direction you want.
This is natural and intuitive for players, but it does requires a lot of movement. Purrtropolis is designed with this fact in mind: the City is a floating island, and you do not travel to the City so much as orbit around the city.
We’ll unlock some more areas next week!
Week 7 / Dev Blog Post
Midpoint Check-In.
Check.
Time to celebrate -
with pineapples!
Fresh delicious
pineapples!
We're really
enjoying working with awesome, positive, talented people! We feel encouraged
and empowered by what we can accomplish together as a team.
We're also very
reassured by the feedback we have been getting, it's wonderful to feel the
excitement. Hearing what people are saying makes us confident we've chosen the
right path.
When we get to talk
with our audience and see who our project would benefit, it is super
encouraging! It's amazing that, as developers, we have ability to positively
affect people so profoundly through VR.
This is what
motivates us to do the best we can every week!
Week 7 - Pineapples!
- We continued work on our
prototype. - Developed upon and improved
mechanics. - Continued to build out the
visual design, added new models. - Continued work on
sound effects. - Experimented with
overall "vibe"
Keith Patterson
"Eat A Pineapple On The Beach! It Tastes Even Better!"
Hi all,
This week has again been focused on the prototype. I'll be on vacation from 09/08 - 09/15th, then at Connect, so my goal is to get the prototype to 90% in early September. Ideally this will mean the final weeks are spend on bug fixing and polish.
This week's rundown
- For me the whole week was spent on programming game systems. Still have a few things to get working for the elusive narrative system, and have started the mail delivery system.
- Post also got a character model update to add their hat and mail bag.
Goals for next week
- Continue on game systems, including starting on Stamp Collection mechanics.
- Texture passes on character models
- Begin perf review. Haven't seen any major issues so far, but there are several things that could be optimized further.
