Just checking in to give you all an update. We have finalized our new hires, and art development is now fully underway for the Hypatia: Grand Opening update. Later this week we will have an additional post with a more accurate release date and our first opportunity to discuss some of the upcoming features in depth.
For now, enjoy this teaser image!
Happy New Year!
Hello Hypatians! I hope your New Year has started off as well as ours has! We have some very good news to share with you, but first let's address the elephant in the room.
The last patch was 4 months ago, with the last major update being an additional 2 months before that. In that time, I can assure you that we at Timefire VR have been working diligently towards the next stage of Hypatia. We've seen new and returning players log in, and even popped in to say hello a couple of times. Our fans mean the world to us, and your continued interest is why we’re still pushing forward.
So if we’re still here, why have we not said anything? There have been two major blockers on our communication.
Due to outside financial changes, we had to downsize our development team to a more conservative size. This means content takes longer to complete, and we absolutely HATE promising things that we are not absolutely sure we can deliver on (meaning, if we don't have a realistic time estimate, we do not announce it).
Secondly, we WERE a publicly traded company. This means there was a lot of legal restrictions on what we could and could not say. This is where the good news comes in. Timefire has been bought out, but that’s a long and complicated history best told another day. The developers that are here are staying here, myself included. That means we’ll now have much greater freedom to share our development process with you.
But enough of history. What's next? We're filling in some key positions for our team, and ramping up for the next stage of Hypatia. We have a lot of awesome updates and additions which build upon the current foundation of Hypatia. Most of what needs to be done for this update is art content and bug-squashing. Currently, we’re estimating a late March release date.
I can’t spoil all of the fun details yet, but we do have two new areas, hundreds of items, significant new gameplay systems, and a large rework of some existing areas!
Stay tuned for upcoming details about Hypatia: Grand Opening, including a more in depth look at the upcoming changes!
Patch 1.0.134
This is a minor patch for some collision updates and adding graphical setting presets. We hope to announce the much larger update that we're working on sometime in the next few weeks.
Added
Overall quality settings “Low, Medium, High, and Custom” These are just presets to make managing your quality settings easier. Hypatia will default to “Low.”
Fixed
When multiple UI windows are open, your pointer will properly hit the top most window now.
Fixed pickup collider on settings window blocking some input
Collision in the underwater tunnel
Travel gates not receiving you properly when teleporting from far away.
Fixed audio in the character creator that was starting before load finished
Patch v1.0.129
This patch is focused on a few key bug fixes and rendering optimizations.
Added
Added a slider to the graphics settings menu for foliage density. Foliage can be expensive to render particularly on minimum spec video cards.
Additional error handling and notifications for login/connection issues
Updated
Changed default settings to low quality. We’ll likely be addressing this further.
Improved graphical performance in various areas
Fixed
Fixed the issue with the hand getting stuck pointing after dropping an item via grips when using toggle grip mode.
Grab rotations fixed when using grip controls
Using the paintings in Bon will no longer cause the player to momentarily see “the void”
Fixed a crash bug with friend requests
Reporting a player will now give proper feedback
Various collision and navigation corrections
Waterfront gate positioning fixed
Update v1.0.114
Hello Hypatians!
This update adds a number of requested features including movement options, friend summoning, inventory upgrades and more!
The next major update will be focused on releasing the demo, avatar upgrades, and everything else described in our previous blog post that we haven’t gotten to yet.
Blog post: http://timefirevr.com/2017/06/23/hypatia-news-horizon/
Changelist V1.0.114
Added
Movement aiming mode! You can now choose between head aiming and hand aiming modes. These aiming modes work with every movement mode (Locomotion, Teleport & Step). Hand aiming is the new default control option.
Inventory storage has been added. In Centrum, and Centrum South, you will find ATM Kiosks that allow you to transfer items between your backpack and storage
Friend summoning! You can use the social menu to summon a friend to your location.
Maps have been added to both Centrum and Centrum South
A proper settings menu for controls, graphics, and voice. This will be updated with more settings and setting descriptions over time.
Updated
Anti aliasing option updated for MSAA (Now has Off, Low, and High settings only)
Player Notifications will now use the HMD layer to display
Voice menu moved into social menu
Menus will properly close or follow you as you move away. (depending on menu type)
2D paintings on paintable surfaces will now reload up on server start, which makes 2D painting entirely persistent
Updated hand states + animations
Oculus: A/X Button are now the confirm buttons for the context menu. (Previously thumbstick pressed)
Oculus: Default grip setting is now hold (Previous Toggle)
Fixed
Main menu, character creator, and quit game transitions properly fade out now.
Performance updates and tweaks
Various bug fixes
Update v1.0.107 and short term road map!
This is a pretty significant update with quite a few things to look at. First of all we’ve changed our shading model, which means the world will no longer be blurry at a distance. This is a major visual update and it does cause some occasional graphical issues, but we’ll be actively working on fixing all of those as we go forward. If you find something we’ve overlooked please let us know at support@timefirevr.com
We’ve also fixed a pretty large bug that had been plaguing us - your hand should no longer get “stuck” if you rapidly pick up an object.
Additionally, we’ve been reviewing everyone's feedback from Steam, Reddit, and in-world conversations. While we can’t talk about specific feature and additions (like new levels!) that are still a ways out, we would like to talk about what we’re working on now, that we can guarantee will be released in the near future. Upcoming features include new movement options, a map, inventory & avatar features and more!
You can get all the details here: http://timefirevr.com/category/hypatia-news/
v1.0.107 Patch notes
Updated
Switched shading mode so that the world will no longer appear blurry at further distances
Increased the Screen Percentage range from 100-130 to 100-170. We recommend that only computers with top of the line graphics cards go above 130.
Increased default item cap from 1 to 2.
Fixed
Update: v1.0.102
The login/account creation process has been extremely simplified! We have removed the verification button, as this feature does not currently offer a lot of benefit and its current implementation was just causing confusion. Accounts are now ready to play as soon as they create a character. Finally, new players will immediately load into the character creator.
Patch notes
Updated
Streamlined login process by removing verification and starting new players directly in the character creator.
Polaroid style photos are now tracked as part of your maximum item count (no more infinite pictures on the ground)
Various sound balances
Nameplate positioning now adjusts based on your height.
Changing character name now has a cancel button
Fixed
Welcome to Hypatia!
Hypatia is a multi-player social VR app that encourages creativity and exploration on a global scale. Take a walk and chat with friends on the streets of our city, discover our immersive museums where you can become part of the art. Uncover secrets and unlock treasures through our puzzles. Create 3D and 2D masterpieces on the streets or in the city of Paintville. Create your own fireworks where you might also learn something about the science of how they work. Or get on stage with magic props before you head over to the waterfront to grab a rowboat for a Ride Down a canal that will have you feeling like you are right there in Amsterdam. Keep in mind that this is only the beginning. We will be adding new neighborhoods, shopping, apartments, and a lot more content as the city of Hypatia grows.
Become a founding citizen of Hypatia, help shape the city of the future and unlock its global potential. We are looking forward to meeting you, virtually!
V1.0.101
Updated
Improve readability of exit button in hedge maze
Increased spray can cap in Paintville
Fixed
Fixed friends status not properly updating for both players immediately
Fixed occasionally seeing two shadows for your hands
Invalid player names will no longer remain in the friends list
Fixed Oculus ownership check
Corrected broken server gate from Museum De Kurio
Fixed the bug with Step movement that resulted in you being stuck with a black screen
Hot-fix 3 (V1.0.99)
Updated
Corrected paintbrush painting size to be more accurate to its visual representation
Fixed
Fixed an issue where servers could incorrectly report as full.
Fixed various navigation issues
Fixed painting settings on several meshes in paint city
Fixed an obscure crash that happened with logging out near the "Limbo" painting.
Fixed collision on various objects in Kapow Lake
Fixed fade duration being incorrectly set when in step teleport
Fixed an issue with friend requests not popping up
Fixed navigation and collision with the gates in Cogwheel Garden
Fixed an issue where a 3D paintbrush could become non-functional
