Wingsuit and Boostpack side quests are now available and can be found during exploration mode.
Other changes include:
Re-adjusting World Tour stage modes
Easier race and checkpoint difficulty
More paths through glacier in Courmayeur
Also, there has been a lot of feedback regarding the tutorial and having a more guided experience so we will be redirecting our focus to remaking the tutorial and adding more instructional beginner courses. Happy Holidays everybody!
Early Access Release
It's game time! The chopper awaits, more mountains await, and the first descent of the best winter sports VR game has begun. Download Terje Haakonsen's Powder VR today!
After 2 years of development, we feel like there's enough game to offer a unique experience. THPVR is now Early Access which means it's playable but still in active development! It's not 100% finished but with your help, we can improve and evolve THPVR into the best game possible as we cross the finish line together.
If you're looking for a polished finished product, please wait until the full release. If you liked the beta and want more, join us in Early Access for the full ride.
What's in the Early Access release?
20/60 total playable areas + new maps dropping weekly
3/6 playable mountain ranges, Mega City by Xmas, Alaska in January
5 modes: Race, Freestyle, Checkpoint 1+2, and Time Attack
It's on sale now at 25% off for one week only! Get your copy today and you'll have access to the full version once it's live.
Early Access Delay
It was not an easy decision. We found some last minute issues and decided to delay the release to shore up the quality before asking folks for their hard-earned money. We will be working through the weekend to make it happen. New release date is Wednesday Dec 16th. Thank you everyone for your patience and support.
New Beta Release! V0.7.9b - Speed, HDR and the Weddle
Here's an article from Tony Hawk Pro Skater on the rechristening of the mute grab trick to the weddle. Chris Weddle who is deaf, is the trick's creator. The move was subsequently named to reflect his "quiet" demeanor, per Hawk. Now nearly four decades later, a more appropriate name has been chosen.
Terje Haakenson's Powder VR is pleased to follow suit.
Here's the now renamed Weddle Grab Stiffy. It's just like the regular version but with straight legs.
[previewyoutube="k6aOWf0LDcQ;full"]
12 Arcade vs. Simulation Part 3
So where do we draw the line? Nobody wants to play a game to relive pizza / french fries. Notice how snowboarding games start after the falling on your butt phase of learning? Well what we want players to experience is winter sports at the pro level: 60+ mph no sketch, even if you’ve never ridden a lift in your life.
All the fun without waiting for weather delays, waking up at 3am, and growing icicles from your nostrils. Pedal to the metal, send it from the mountaintop. If you get really good at the game, you should be able to board like one of the world’s best. It’s not just a snowboarding simulator, it’s a snowboarding-like-Terje-Haakonsen simulator.
Dragging Your Hand
Ever take a hard turn on your board, lay back, and drag your hand in the snow? Well now you can do it virtually! Your hands now work the same as poles in the game! Want to drag your hand in the snow without slowing down too much? Disable super braking. Congrats, your game just got real(er). One other reason to drag your hand in the snow? To make projectiles! How else will you protect your snow fort?
Marine Corps Birthday
Happy Birthday USMC! We might not be making a biathlon or tactical skiing game, but there might be some firearm-related easter eggs in the game. Get your copy on Black Friday and get your ski on. And unless you’re a leatherneck, the cake is a lie.
NEW VERSION BETA 0.7.2! Snowballs, Adjustable AI Difficulty, Tutorials
It's been a while since the last update but I think we can all agree that this year has been nuts! It's always encouraging to see people leave comments and participate in the development of the game. We would love to add polls to these discussions. Do Steam discussion boards support polls?
Many comments in the last post have indicated a preference from halfway to mostly realistic gameplay. All of our pro snowboarding consultants have insisted we push the envelope in terms of realism. Unsurprisingly, most pro athletes along with a huge chunk of the population are not avid VR gamers. VR locomotion takes some getting used to. So not only are there a bunch of first time VR gamers, but also a lot of gamers who have never gone skiing or snowboarding.
Native VR gameplay is a brave new world. If this was a non-VR game, there would already be a template in place and all we'd have to do is add new stuff that other games haven't done before. Mind you, there are quite a few never-before-played features we're adding to Powder VR but the biggest, most important task is re-inventing the basics.
What's it like to carve, jump and go fast. That's 30% of a traditional winter sports game, but it's probably 60-80% of Powder VR since it's one of the first VR titles of the genre. Nevermind tricking, combo systems, elaborate jibbing or equipment upgrades. If you can't comfortably rip down a mountain and feel like you're in full command while carving fresh pow, none of the other stuff matters.
Bottom line, basic gameplay has to be easy enough to pick up and play while at the same time it needs to feel real, to both beginners and experienced shredders. That will make or break us.
