Helios
The End. Shutting down on 15th of January
This project has taken a massive toll on us both and we've come to the conclusion that it's just too much for one developer to handle. Especially as both of us have had to maintain full time jobs throughout development. With no hope of substantial outside funding and the constant hoops, hurdles and roadblocks from Epic and Steam, we feel it is better to end things now as dragging this out any further would likely alienate all the new friends we've made who have stuck with us these last 4 years.
As of 10am UTC on the 15th of January, the game will be removed from the Steam store.
The Helios Discord will stay up for as long as we feel the message still needs to get out. Feel free to hang out or leave as you please. We may try to turn it into an Unreal Engine community. Time will tell.
Any content uploaded will stay on mod.io unless you remove it.
Please accept our sincere apology for not being able to live up to everyone's expectations. We knew this was a gamble to begin with and suspect the majority of the community understood it too. That didn't stop so many of you from giving your support over the years in the form of time, knowledge, money, and morale. We were truly inspired by it all and it kept us going in the tough times.
Unfortunately, we have to face the reality that this just isn't going to work.
QOL Fixs
We're pleased to roll out an update packed with fixes and improvements that enhance your gaming experience. Here's a breakdown of what's new:
VRIK Fixes and Improvements:
Resolved the notorious "Chicken Arm" bug reported by community members, rectifying T-pose issues. Now, you can seamlessly use T-posed assets in your IK Retargeter without the need to reposition your character to A-pose. No additional work is required on your end.
Improved elbow pole vector prediction for smoother and more accurate animations.
REGH Replicator:
Kudos to a vigilant community member for spotting and reporting issues in the REGH system. We've fixed a memory leak and addressed an initialization problem when not attached to a player.
Quality of Life Fixes:
Modified Epic's media plugin to function at runtime, resolving the problem of empty emojis with videos.
Ensured proper updating of maps when joining a player's session.
Fixed an issue where audio levels weren't being applied at launch.
Added Features:
Introducing a media decoder for Giphy! Now, links to your favorite gifs or clips on the website can be played in-game, adding a touch of dynamism to your experience.
Introducing a Fresh Sound Distortion Effect for Walkie Talkies! This latest enhancement replicates a more authentic sound, adding an element of realism to create enjoyable moments in various situations.
We greatly appreciate your continued support and feedback.
Thank you for being an integral part of our community.
Regular Update
We have primarily been focusing on adding in some content features for gameplay, along with some features to allow creators to use this content easily and expand on it with their own games.
Stay tuned for these updates to follow.
Updates in this build:
Fixed loading outdate Content files when joining into a map causing outdated avatars to show if they had been update by creator recently
Added more third person camera view modes, changeable by holding or double tapping V
Fixed authorized users functionality in Avatars
Fixed per user volume setting
Improved Friending players flow and UX
Several optimizations on cpu load.
Thank your for your continued support and feedback.
QOL and Social systems update
In this minor update, we're bidding farewell to outdated social systems and introducing a new, more robust system that addresses previous limitations and bugs. While you may not notice significant visual changes, these improvements work behind the scenes on our backend servers to create a smoother experience. Additionally, we've implemented quality of life improvements to enhance the user interface, ensuring a more enjoyable and user-friendly experience.
We sincerely appreciate your ongoing support, and we're excited to see you in game!
Game Update Complete: Patch Notes
Hello there
We're excited to announce that our latest game update is now complete! Thank you for your patience during the update process. Here's what's new and fixed in this update:
VOIP 2 - Proximity Voice:
Voice chat/VOIP is now spatially integrated into the game world, with realistic effects such as sound occlusion by walls and echoes in environments.
Microphones: Creators can place microphones and speakers within their worlds. When you speak, your voice will project through in-game speakers. This brings an element of authenticity to scenarios like live stage events or PA systems.
Speakers: Microphones project your voice through in-game speakers, creating immersive scenarios like live events.
Walkie Talkies/Radios: Explore unique and atmospheric situations with player communication through walkie talkies. They'll be particularly interesting for scenarios like spooky maps.
Megaphone: Equip a megaphone to project your voice over a considerable distance in-game.
These Voice props will be made available to make creators through the Creation Kit shortly.
Voice Bubble: In the new Audio settings, you can tune how far away you hear other players from your point of view. This customization ensures a tailored audio experience that suits your preferences.
UI Improvements:
New UI System: Audio settings in the UI has been updated to use our new UI system. The Old UI will be progressively phased out.
Bug Fixes:
- Fixed a bug with finger values in VR causing the arms to be affected rather than the finger bones
This issue was caused in editor when creating a avatar, which was resolved a while ago but this update applies a automatic fix without needing to reupload. - Fixed Avatar being too high if switching when in VR seated mode
- Fixed FOV slider in desktop resetting
- Fixed Logout issue with VOIP eliminating the need for game restarts.
- Fixed VOIP after a group map travel
Improved viseme system: We've replaced the old viseme system with a more natural and responsive one.
Improved VR Streaming Support: Our support for VR streaming applications like Virtual Desktop has been improved, ensuring smoother gameplay for those who prefer this mode.
Social system upgrade:
Please note that the social system upgrade will be included in a future update. We've chosen to focus on delivering a better experience without cramming too many changes into this update.
We hope you enjoy these enhancements and the improved experience. Your feedback is invaluable to us, so please don't hesitate to share your thoughts and report any issues you encounter.
Thank you for being a part of our community. We look forward to seeing you in the game!
Update Downtime: Enhancements in VOIP📣, UI, and More
We're excited to bring you an important update that includes significant enhancements. To roll out these improvements smoothly, we will need to schedule some downtime for maintenance.
Community meetup for this update will be 1:30am UTC 16 September
Maintenance Schedule:
Expected End Time: Around 12pm 15th UTC
During this period, the game will be temporarily unavailable as we implement the following changes:
1. VOIP Enhancements: We're introducing an upgraded VOIP system with proximity voice and voice props to create a more immersive and interactive experience.
2. UI Improvements: Our new UI system will gradually replace existing elements, enhancing overall usability.
3. Social System Rebuild: We've revamped the backend of the social system to improve efficiency and robustness.
4. Bug Fixes: We've addressed several issues reported by the community, enhancing game stability.
Full list of changes to come
We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the downtime. We are working diligently to ensure a swift and seamless update process. Once the maintenance is complete, you'll be able to enjoy these exciting improvements.
Thank you for your understanding and continued support. We can't wait for you to experience the enhanced gameplay. Stay tuned for more updates and patch notes when the maintenance is complete.
See you there!
Progress Update: Enhancements in VOIP📣, UI, and More
Hello there, We're here to share a progress update on the upcoming patch that's in the works. While it's not ready for prime time just yet, we're excited to give you a glimpse of the significant features and improvements that are in the pipeline. Let's take a closer look:
VOIP 2 - Proximity Voice:
We're introducing refinements to our VOIP system with VOIP 2 - Proximity Voice. Your voice will now blend seamlessly with the in-game world, creating a more immersive experience. Imagine speaking from behind walls, with your voice naturally muffled, or having your voice echo in reverb-rich environments. This enhancement takes on added significance in VR, where it creates a richer soundscape around you.
Voice Props:
Our voice system's makeover has opened up new creative avenues:
Microphones:📣 Creators can place microphones and speakers within their worlds. When you speak, your voice will project through in-game speakers. This brings an element of authenticity to scenarios like live stage events or PA systems.
Megaphones: Equip a megaphone and project your voice over a substantial distance in a cone in front of the megaphone. Useful for broader communication needs, this feature enhances coordination across larger spaces or for when you need to make your point heard.
Walkie Talkies: We're introducing walkie talkies, offering the opportunity to simulate communication in the game. Combining microphones and speakers, they'll be particularly interesting for scenarios like spooky maps, where players can communicate through walkie talkies, adding a layer of atmosphere and immersion.
Voice Bubble: In the new Audio settings, you can fine-tune how far away you hear other players from your point of view. This customization ensures a tailored audio experience that suits your preferences.
UI Improvements:
We're gradually rolling out a new UI system. While it's currently replacing specific sections of the existing UI, we're ultimately working towards a complete overhaul. An immediate change you'll notice is the replacement of the old audio settings with a more user-friendly system that ensures smoother interactions.
Social System Rebuild:
We've been working behind the scenes to revamp our Social System's backend. This rebuild minimizes idle costs and enhances the system's robustness. These changes lay the foundation for more seamless and enjoyable social interactions.
Fixes:
Fixed issue with random logouts: We've resolved an issue where players were being logged out of the voice chat system at random times, eliminating the need for game restarts.
Improved viseme system: We've replaced the old viseme system with a more natural and responsive one, contributing to an enhanced overall experience.
Improved VR Streaming Support: Our support for VR streaming applications like Virtual Desktop has been fine-tuned, ensuring smoother gameplay for those who prefer this mode.
We're dedicated to refining your gaming experience, and this progress update offers a glimpse of what's on the horizon. Keep an eye out for more improvements and additions coming your way. Your feedback is incredibly valuable, so if you come across any issues or have suggestions, please don't hesitate to reach out. Until then, enjoy your exploration!
Helios Community Meetup
Hope to see you there!
📣 Community Announcement: Game-breaking Bug in Epic Online Services
We hope this message finds you well. We wanted to bring to your attention an ongoing issue that has caused significant frustration among our community. A game-breaking bug has emerged within the Epic Online Services (EOS) component of Epic's infrastructure, and unfortunately, we have received an update from Epic Online Services that has left us feeling rather annoyed.
We reached out to Epic Online Services regarding this bug, and their response was less than satisfactory. They informed us that the issue will cause multiplayer connection failures between some users. This means that our community members may experience difficulties connecting with other players, impacting the overall multiplayer experience.
Epic Online Services stated that their plan is to address the problem in version 1.16 by completely overhauling the peer-to-peer (P2P) system. While this news should bring some relief, it also means that we are left to wait for a future update before the issue is resolved.
It is important to note that this issue is not unique to our game alone but affects other games as well. We are not the only ones grappling with this frustrating bug, which makes the lack of urgency in addressing it even more disheartening.
Given the circumstances, we feel compelled to flag this matter as an upstream EOS SDK issue. Regrettably, there is no immediate solution available to us, and Epic Online Services' response reinforces the notion that we must rely on their upcoming 1.16 update for a resolution.
We understand that this situation is frustrating for our community members who have been affected by this game-breaking bug. Rest assured that we share your frustrations and are actively advocating for a swifter resolution from Epic Online Services. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide updates as they become available.
Thank you for your understanding and patience during this trying time. Together, we hope to overcome this obstacle and enjoy a more seamless gaming experience in the near future.
Enhanced Stability and VR Improvements
We've dedicated significant effort to improving your gaming experience with Patch , This update prioritizes stability enhancements, focusing on resolving crashes and addressing VR-related issues. Read on to learn more about the changes:
Fixes:
Enhanced Stability:
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- Invested substantial effort into hunting down several memory issues that were causing random crashes and unpredictable behavior.
- Modified the engine XR system initialization to prevent exceptions in Steam's VrClient.dll on specific systems.
- Fixed crashes related to avatar switching, map switching, and repeated menu opening in desktop mode.
- VR Improvements:
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- Addressed the Full Body left leg tracking issue to ensure more accurate tracking in virtual reality environments.
- Improved text chat functionality: messages will no longer fade out if received while typing.
- Adjusted transparency of VR menu buttons to enhance visibility during gameplay.
Known Issues:
- P2P Connections: We are aware of an ongoing issue with P2P connections, which may fail for some users due to limitations in Epic Online Services. Rest assured, we are actively working on a solution and eagerly await a fix from their end. We greatly appreciate your understanding and patience.
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- VR Compatibility: It's important to note that DX12 and Vulkan are not currently optimized for VR usage. For the best VR experience, we recommend continuing to use DX11.
Future Work:
In our continuous effort to improve your VR experience, we've prioritized the development of a new, more VR-friendly UI system. This upcoming system will address multiple issues present in the current VR UI implementation, ensuring smoother interactions and improved usability. Our team is working diligently to create a seamless experience on both desktop and VR platforms. Expect further updates on this exciting development in the near future.
Additionally, we are actively exploring the integration of SRT or RIST streaming, allowing you to effortlessly capture your local machine's screen and share it with other players during multiplayer sessions. Stay tuned for more information on this feature!
Your feedback is valuable to us! If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for further improvements, please don't hesitate to reach out to our support team or use our dedicated feedback channel.