Constricted VR
Quick Patch - Teleport Movement
I've had an overwhelming amount of players express their concerns about the touchpad movement. Simply put, I'm going to remove it from Constricted VR indefinitely.
I can definitely understand the concerns, which is why for the time being, teleport movement is implemented back in both rooms.
Thank you for understanding, and if you do have any other concerns, please email me at pnxbwood@gmail.com.
Constricted VR: The Hallway - Released!
A couple of changes and updates that I want to mention here as well:
-Updated the game to use touchpad movement, rather than teleportation. For many users who haven’t used touchpad movement, this may be slightly awkward or different. I’m going to implement a setting at a later time that lets you select either teleportation or walking. ***EDIT: Reverting to teleportation movement until fully implemented.***
-Updated visuals in Room #1: Laboratory Escape
-Fixed some performance bugs in the first room
-Changed menu selection from being the widget-style menu on the right controller to being an orb-selection style. You pick up an orb corresponding to the room you want to play through, and place it onto the pedestal in front of you.
-Temporarily removed the “Best Records” area in the main hub. I’m not satisfied with how the system was being implemented, so until I’m 100% satisfied with the start room interface, I’m going to keep this on the backburner.
As always, thank you all so much for supporting Constricted VR - especially during these early stages of development. Over the next few months, my focus is going to be primarily on finding an environment artist and/or 3D artist who will help me polish the visual fidelity of Constricted VR’s two existing rooms. As a solo developer, my skillset is only so limited in comparison to people who specialize in areas of development.
I'll also polish up item and programming interactions during this time. My goal is to have this done by Early Fall of this year. In between that time, I'm also going to be working on leading development on the next game I'm planning on creating (Which is what inspired the design of The Hallway!).
I hope you guys enjoy The Hallway, and discover the secrets that lie within! Please check out my blog at pnxdesigns.com to continue keeping up with development or get in touch with me! Good luck escaping!
The Hallway - Constricted VR Room #2 Release Date: May 31st
I hope all of you are as excited to play it, as I am excited for you to play it. While the difficulty of the puzzles isn't as moderately tough as the previous room, the puzzles are more varied and may force you to think outside of the box more. Over the next week or so, I'm going to be compiling some pictures and a short trailer to highlight the new room, and these will be added prior to the level update.
This room is a precursor to the next full-game that I am currently developing - think of it as a teaser of sorts. The length should take most players around 30-40 minutes, but there is no time limit so players can explore and attempt to escape for as long as necessary. You will need to pay attention to detail if you wish to learn the story behind the level. If you don't care about story, then you can just solve the slew of puzzles that are spread throughout the escape room. I've taken a lot of user-feedback regarding level design and wishes for some more physics-based puzzles and began to incorporate these into the room's design.
One other major note is that due to an overwhelming amount of user response wanting a better form of locomotion, I removed the teleportation movement in both escape rooms in Constricted VR. For movement, you just need to use the touchpad as if it were a traditional analog stick. I've found that it is much more comfortable, and adds to the immersion in both escape rooms. By the time this is out of Early-Access, I'm going to have a menu system implemented which lets players choose their own type of locomotion style.
Once this room is released, the next step in getting Constricted VR out of Early Access is improving the game's overall polish. During the months of June, and a little bit of July, I'm going to be overhauling the textures, entirely improving audio design, fixing bugs, adding hand-models instead of the vive controllers, and updating a majority of the models to reflect a much more aesthetically-fitting game. By the time early-mid July comes, I'm hopefully going to be able to release Constricted VR out of Early Access while I continue to design and build the next escape rooms in the series. As always, I highly recommend following my blog at pnxdesigns.com for up-to-date information and let me know if you have any comments, questions, or concerns! Thank you again everyone for supporting Constricted VR!
Current Status of the Second Room
I'm excited to let you all know that the second room is scheduled to be released before the end of May! The design and layout of the room is complete, so the next step is to finish up coding interactions and adding some more polish.
I'm not sure how many of you follow my blog, but I had posted a pretty lengthy wall of text regarding the state of the second room, and my decisions moving forward. I highly suggest you check out the blog post at www.pnxdesigns.com/2017/04/19/constricted-vr-update-2/
Ultimately, I've decided to transition the "planned" next room into a full-fledged game, due to the overall design not fitting my vision for Constricted VR. It simply wasn't an escape-room as much as it was a psychological experience. First and foremost, all of you will still recieve four full escape rooms as promised. Secondly, the next room is going to be a 35-60 minute escape room that is being featured in the same environment that the full-game is going to be. Essentially, this second room is a teaser of what's to come. If you want to keep up with development and updates, the best way is to keep an eye on my blog. Thank you, and I look forward to bringing you all the next room in Constricted VR, this May!
Patch 1.01
Below are the patch notes for the first update to Constricted VR! While it isn't anything major, it's mainly an update to address many of the minor concerns players had while playing. There's also a little teaser for the next room beneath the notes! Included in this update are as follows:
– Item force to break grab increased from 500.0f -> 2500.0f. This means objects won’t just clip off your hand when you collide with another object in-game. While they won't fall out of your hands if you put your arm down into a table too much, objects won't just go through all objects in the game.
-More static objects given colliders and the ability to be grabbed. This includes the wine bottles, pill bottles, and mugs found around the room. This was a feature requested by a pretty good amount of users, so I'll be sure to focus on this in future rooms!
-Fixed the Grab issue with objects when placed within the drawers.
-Here's a little hint for people stuck in the first area: (CHECK THE BOX ON THE SMALL TABLE. THE BOTTOM MIGHT BE A LIE)
-Slides given the ability to cast shadows on the wall. While essentially useless, this was a requested feature that I personally like myself.
-Fixed problem with objects flying through the floor. Turns out the collision on the floor wasn't being handled properly...
I'm currently debating changing movement from teleport to touchpad walking. I feel as if this might be better for Oculus Touch users as well as eliminating issues with the pointer colliding with the letter/number pads that many users were experiencing. This was causing some trouble for users trying to press buttons in as well. But, this will also change the ability for players to maneuver around the room at their own pace (Some players are teleport-happy and others take their time). There are some other minor changes I have planned as well, which will be included in the coming weeks. Let me know what you guys think!
Now for some "fun stuff"! The next room, Impossible Hallway (Name still tbd...), is currently in development alongside fixes in the first room! The puzzles I have in store for you all is unlike anything you've ever experienced in virtual reality. Not only are they challenging, but some may even make you lose grasp of your sanity. Of course, every puzzle will be logical, innovative, and understandable, but this escape room will leave you hungering for more. I don't want to give too much away, but here's a little tagline from the next room's theme:
"I just kept going - Door after door. It never led anywhere else but here. Why did she do this to me? Why is she doing this to you?"
I am really excited to show you all the next room, so please keep up with development and continuously check out pnxdesigns.com/blog/ for more information! My current estimate on completion of the next room is roughly 2 months, but if that changes, announcements will be made! Thank you again for supporting Constricted VR and good luck escaping!
Constricted VR Released!
Less than 48 Hours!
Today is going to be a relatively short update with a few preview images for the next room (which will be included for FREE with every Constricted VR purchase)! First, I want to say thank you to everyone who has helped me on this journey to getting my game created and published. While I programmed and modeled everything on my own, I had many people help me with play-testing, creating the trailer for the game, and give me insight on how to tweak the puzzles in the first room to be either more challenging or less impossible! Thank you to Colleen, Vinny, Jordan, Erika, and Evelyn. You all helped me immensely and supported me the entire way through creating this.
With only 48 hours until my game is live, I am extremely hyped and I really hope that you, the community, enjoys what I’ve created and gives me your insight to what you would like to see in future rooms (or in the currently-existing one)! Please visit www.pnxdesigns.com to contact me, offer suggestions, and donate if you want to help promote development! If you visit my most recent blog post (Click Here), you will see a few preview images for the next room in development!
Thank you again, and I look forward to releasing Constricted VR to you all!
Coming Soon
I'm introducing my new VR Escape Game, Constricted VR! Please check out my store page, feel free to visit my website, and let me know what you think of the game (once it's released)! Scheduled release is on March 13th, and I really look forward to seeing what you all think of it!
Constricted VR will continue to be an Early Access game until the four primary rooms are released into the game. Currently only the first escape room is available, but the other 3 are in-development. The first room is an escape from a deranged scientist's laboratory. The only way to escape is to figure out the scientist's full identity and the next victim on his list! I hope you enjoy the puzzles and I look forward to presenting the game's release!