Hello all, and thank you for your feedback and help. I uploaded a new version last night, with a whole bunch of changes:
VR Improvements
Here's a video with me talking through most of the improvements
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urL3r9Audpc
I am continuing to work on VR as I find out how people play it, and I think in this new version, it should now be good and easy to play no matter which VR platform you are on. I think even Windows Mixed Reality
should work fine, except you will need an xbox controller - but this works well due to the new options flat hud.
Please let me know if you have any problems and which platform/controllers you are having problems on
I know there have been some teething problems with VR that some people have been frustrated with, I thank you for your patience and your very helpful feedback
VR Options...
Defaults to follow cam, as this seems to be the preferred way of playing, good for seated play. Still has "top down" fixed camera view and cockpit
Can recenter your position, but doesn't yet take into account rotation. Will add that later
Scaling - you can resize the whole game to your preference.
Height - can move camera height up and down
HUD mode: you have the standard hand held hud as before, but now also can pick a flat mode, more like it is in 2D, and angled, where all the panels face you.
You can also alter the distance and size of the HUD. I will add height later if people want it
I've also improved the in station camera and fixed the bug that was causing a drop in frame rate in stations.
Future VR options
I would like to improve the cockpit view for VR players, to make visibility better and maybe add some more fun features
Somebody also suggested some voice commands or speech-to-text which I really like the idea of. Would make chat much easier in VR and also it would be fun to active hyperspace by saying "Engage!" in a captain picard style... well i would enjoy that at least.
Other Changes
Its not all been VR, ive fixed lots of little things and added in a new Help Terminal in space stations - I basically wrote out a game manual this week while waiting for things to compile etc. I will also add this to the website before too long
New low shield alarm - sound like a basic thing, but I'm really pleased with it, it adds something and isn't too annoying I dont think - you can switch it off in the options menu if it is!
Other Plans
Ive been working on making our own solar system, and players have been discussing the idea of "Capital" Star Systems, which i think sounds quite fun. I am trying to think what humans should do in the human capital, maybe just courier missions etc, or maybe some pirates etc... I think though for high level aralien empire players, this could be like going into the "lions den", which could provide a unique challenge...
I am also working on an Offline Mode, and also making the game attempt to reconnect if your connection drops out for whatever reason.
Loads of other plans of course, im coding as fast as I can! but the priority is still making the game playable and understandable to all
List of Changes
- Low shield warning alarm - is adjustable in options menu
- Help Terminal added to stations
- Fixed the VR crash in stations + when using the steam menu - this might also have been the cause of the slowdown people were getting at stations - let me know
- Also improved the VR camera in stations
- Some more minor VR tweaks
- Should no longer give you collect and deliver missions that deliver to anything other than a refinery
- Large weapons are no longer removed when out of ammo, but ammo costs are now the same as the original weapon
- Turrets now respawn on stations (quicker in higher level star systems)
- New weapons: Double and Intelligent Broadsides
- New weapon: Stilletto Rocket
- New Weapon: Plasma Cannon Plus
- Fixed bug where you couldnt look at/sell augmentations on the cargo screen
- Improved turret AI so that they are not always turning/making noise
- Burst weapon stats fixed
- Fixed problems with proton beam
- Andromedan Ram shield no longer massive
- Fixed some problems with the bug reporter - still an issue with voting, will fix that soon
[ 2019-08-10 11:59:23 CET ] [ Original post ]
