Phew...that was a long pause between updates. Sorry for that. I'll make a point to release more frequent inbetween updates in the future, but enough about that. Let's talk about PowersVR's first content patch, which brings a fair amount of bug-fixes, art upgrades and of course features to the game. A patch I've dubbed:
One of the most common (and very valid) criticisms PowersVR has received is it's lack of gameplay, today's update is hopefully a step in the right direction as it introduces the first two challenges. Mini-tasks which are placed around the sandbox, and require specific heroes to take on. Completing these challenges with a good score will also unlock you one of the two new heroes.
As is often the case, building the underlying tech and assets is easier than creating additional content, so now that all the systems required to make challenges work are more or less done, creating new challenge areas and superpowers should be a much quicker process. This will allow me to get the rest of the planned heroes and missions to you at a quicker pace.
With the launch of this update I've also raised the price of PowersVR to 10 USD. This won't be something I do for every content update, but as the game grows so will it's price. I'll talk a little more about what's next for the game, but first the patch notes:
New Characters
* An anti-hero and a wronged villain have joined the cast and made it a bit darker.
- Nightwatcher's past keeps him on the streets, grappling from building to building, lurking in the shadows.
- The Witch's life has been stolen from her, along with her memories. The cold lab from which she escaped with her telekinetic powers is all she knows.
Challenges
* This update's highlight are challenges. Two challenges are waiting to be found and beaten in the city.
- Challenges are accessed through kiosks with a hovering hologram of a trophy.
- Completing a challenge with a score better than the required one will unlock one of the newly added heroes.
General
* Heroes that don't fit in the current 4-character wheel, will be placed on a new page.
- Players can toggle pages using the side buttons when the menu is open.
- This may change to a swipe gesture in a later patch.
* Refactored and optimizated a lot of old code.
* The pre-sandbox tutorial has been updated to include an explanation for challenges.
Options
* Reworked the way menus are handled thus removing a number of bugs caused by them.
* A new Sandbox tab has been added to the options menu, for settings which will affect only that mode.
* You can now reset all your progress from the options menu.
- A new confirm menu has been implemented for this option and future options with consequences.
* The settings menu now only rotates around the Z axis.
Sandbox
* There are now loads of physics items scattered throughout the city.
* Game textures and materials have been reworked to now take up less space, load faster and use less memory during runtime.
* Some art assets have been retouched.
* Removed deprecated assets.
Zap (Superspeed)
* Speed now depends on the amount the controller's trigger is pressed.
* All effects and animations have been reworked to work better with the new method of speed control.
* Fixed some issues with collision.
Fuego (Fireballs)
* Has a 0.8s cooldown inside the challenge mode.
* You can now cancel charged Fireballs by pressing the side button.
Dark Prinxess (Lasersight)
* Moved laser origin to make it feel more natural and remove a visual glitch.
Next on the agenda is of course fixing all the bugs and problems that this new patch will bring about. If you encounter a glitch or have feedback about any aspect of the game do not hesitate to contact me here, with a PM or on the forums.
Once it's stable I'll start working on the next content update with another couple of heroes and challenges. I'll also focus on creating 3D new assets and working on Enemy AI, which will not only make the sandbox and challenge areas look and feel nicer, but will also be used in the story mode.
After patch 0.3.0 hits, I'll focus my attention on the campaign, as that is supposed to be the core of the game, releasing new heroes and challenges occasionally, but consistently updating with bugfixes and improvements, as well as informing you of the current progress.
If you wanna influence the game's development I've also just created a Google survey. The results of this survey will determine what gets done next, so fill it up and let me know.
The last thing I wanted to talk about, before I go collapse in bed is some pretty great news. If you've already read this much of today's update then you've probably played the game and enjoyed it, but there are currently many VR early adopters who cannot. Well, after contacting the folks over at Oculus, I've been approved for and sent an Oculus Rift headset and Touch controllers. The tech feels awesome, and I'm super thankful for being given the chance to port my game to that platform. I'm already looking into enabling Rift owners to experience PowersVR for the first time and thanks to Unreal Engine, it may be easier than I once imagined.
That's it from me guys. It's been a pretty busy month, but totally worth it.
Challenge mode progress - part 2
Haven't posted in a few days, since I've been busy working on the Challenge Mode update. This is the first major content patch for PowersVR, and will feature not only the addition of several challenges which you can complete with the current heroes, but beating the challenges with a good enough score will unlock the latest characters making their way into the game as well.
There's also a lot of new art to do (2D and 3D). I want to make the sandbox feel more real, and the first step is adding dynamic props. Rocks, trash bags, soda cans. Stuff that will fly around when you blast a fireball next to it.
The "big" news of the week is that I've finished the system that ties together challenge score keeping and unlocking of new characters, and finalized the menus related to that. So now all that's left to do is get the challenges done. And, of course the new superpowered characters. One of which I've actually just completed (minus some balancing). Here's a small tease.
v0.1.7 Patch notes - What's on the menu
SUPER EDIT: Just pushed a v0.1.7.1 update, which enables volume controls!
Sorry for that title. I'm seeking help. Today's update is something that might seem trivial, and an afterthought for most, but it's still pretty important. I've added a settings menu, which allows people to tweak their experience to their liking. It's a first iteration, so it doesn't have a lot of options, but just getting it into the game was a huge weight off my shoulders, since it was a serious undertaking to rework some systems to use the new settings. Some stuff is sadly not available in this release. While there are some comfort settings for people prone to motion sickness, I had to disable music and sfx volume sliders due to a bug I'm still working on. The animated camera setting while functional, is useless right now, however that'll change next patch. Right then, time to focus on those challenges!
General
* Added a settings menu, activated by pressing the Menu button on either controller
- Left-handed support
- Toggle Rumble on/off
- Toggle FoV obstructor on/off
- Max Speed slider for superspeed/flight
- Height slider
Phaser
* Improved particle effects
* Fixed a bug where cancelling the teleportation would persist the beam and rumble
Dark Prinxess
* Added a rumble effect
v0.1.6 Patch notes - Oops
PowersVR is my first major project, and there are many things I would have done differently and more effeciently if I had the chance to go back in time. Most of them boil down to "learn how the entire engine you're making the game with works first", and the primary topic of today's update is no different. For the last two days I've been staring at collision menus, which if you dont know is your 3D model, and a bunch of boxes and spheres on top of it saying where something has to touch it to count as a "hit". The reasons for these are ,without getting too technical, performance and precision. Its the end of clipping through building when running fast, or having your fireballs go underground, and if your CPU has been struggling with the game, that should be improved as well. Just one of the many things I've had to go back and completely redo, but now I know :)
The other big change is that all heroes now have animations! Hands will change depending on what you're doing and subtly move when they're idle. All thanks to the work of Lavio Fidelis.
General
* Simplified collisions throughout the whole game, which has several effects
- Significant CPU performance boost
- Projectiles no longer travel through the floor and other flat surfaces
- Movement abilities such as superspeed and flight should no longer clip through buildings
- Vision disruption when peeking your head inside of geometry should work more consistently
* Added hand animations for Fuego, Phaser, Zap, Whirlwind, Dark Prinxess and Professor Hex
* Fixed an issue that would cause projectiles in your path to prevent movement
* Widened play area, allowing flying on higher altitudes, and over water
Alloy
* Remodeled minigun
* Barrel now spins while firing
Phaser
* Fixed an issue where holding the controller too close to your headset would prevent placing the indicator
Professor Hex
* Fixed a bug where the aura particles would persist when changing to other powers.
Dark Prinxess
* Laserbeams are now closer together
* Laserbeams now take 0.8s to reach their full length, as opposed to being instantaneous.
Still alive, by the way
Now that I have a lot more time to spend on the game, I decided to do a couple of things I've been postponing for a while. This update is mostly to let you know that I am still working, rather than tell you the specifics of the upcoming patch, but in short I'm improving ingame collision and it's taking forever to go through all models in the game, but it will be worth it!
This is what I've been staring at for the last few days:
Not the most exciting stuff, but important. I'll keep you posted!
v0.1.5 Patch notes - I quit
Not the game of course. In fact I'm quitting FOR it. The past week at my office was also my last, since it's become clear I can't give my all at both places. This should mean a more rapid development process. I'd like to, once again, thank everyone who purchased the game and gave me feedback. This patch uses a lot of it to hopefully bring a better experience to players, especially in the upcoming challenge mode. Since PowersVR is a single player game, balance becomes less of an issue, and I get to
focus more on user experience, and the idea I'm trying to push is, of course, that you're a superhero! Superheroes are powerful, using their powers should be fun, so I went through all powers to try and determine what's fun, and what is just useful. This resulted in most cooldowns being removed from the game completely, Professor Hex getting reworked and a lot of other stuff getting changed.
As for the challenge mode, while it took a backseat these last few days, I was able to make some good progress on the system that will tie all of it's level together. I also touched up some of the art around the
sandbox and menus.
General
* Updated several older 3D models in the game to fit the art style better
* Redesigned the Motion Sickness warning screen
* Changed text around the game to more accurately describe heroes` abilities
* Ground movement abilities now move through different heights smoothly
* Holding down the trigger will now activate powers after their cooldown has expired
Professor Hex (Magic)
* Spells have been reworked
* Professor Hex now has three spells at his disposal
- A short range damage spell which applies a stacking damage over time debuff
- A mid range projectile attack, which deals damage in an area and pushes enemies away from it's center
- Three long range projectiles, fired in a volley, which deal moderate damage to any target hit
* Swapping spells is now indicated an effect around the player's hand
Zap (Superspeed)
* Zap can now strafe by turning the controller while running
Shield Maiden (Shield)
* Push ability has been removed
* Holding the trigger will now cause Shield Maiden to walk forward
Dark Prinxess (Laserbeams)
* Sound effect volume slightly raised
* Damage per tick increased from 5 to 8
Phaser (Teleportation)
* Ability cooldown has been removed
Fuego (Fireballs)
* Ability cooldown has been removed
* Fireball damage at minimum charge has been reduced to 10 from 35
Challenge mode progress
* General - 25%
- Need to implement new hero unlocks
- Need to implement highscore saves for all challenges
- New movement hero is in concept stage
- Work on new combat hero is pending
- Additional 2D and 3D art used in all stages required
* Zap Stage - 90%
- Need to implement win conditions
* Fuego Stage - 30%
- Core programming needs to be done
- Assets missing
v0.1.4 Patch notes - Firestarter
As I work on the challenge mode's first two stages, I was able to tweak it's corresponding characters a bit. Zap and Fuego has both had some changes, and while with Zap they're mostly visual (as I feel he's in a good place now), Fuego has been almost entirely reworked. He's now a lot more fun and challenging to use, and relies on skillful shots instead of calculating enemy walking trajectories. From now on, I'll also be including all progress done on challenge stages, as well as list what is left to do onthem.
General
* Changing powers now plays a visual and sound effect
* Made a number of visual improvements to models, textures and particles
* Freed up some space by removing deprecated assets
Zap (Superspeed)
* Sped up by 15%
* Made some corrections to particles
* Added sound while running
Fuego (Fireballs)
* Fireballs are no longer aimed and fired in a straight line, but instead thrown
* Fireballs move faster or slower depending on the speed of the throw, instead of the charge time
* Fireballs now lock onto the first enemy they approach and attempt to home into them
* Fireballs are now affected by gravity
* Hitbox has been slightly increased
* Hit target damage has been increased to 35 minimum and 60 maxiumum
* Fixed a bug where fireballs didn't dispawn after their lifetime had ended
* Fixed an issue where fireball particles were destroyed as soon as the fireball exploded
* Fixed a bug that dealt damage to the player when a fireball exploded near them
* Indicator for burn status has been improved
* Fireball trail effects have been improved
* Removed indicator line
Challenge mode progress
* Zap Stage - 85%
- Need to implement win conditions
- Some more code left for debuff
* Fuego Stage - 30%
- Core programming needs to be done
- Some assets missing
Challenge mode progress
With a big wave of initial bugfixes and suggestions implemented and others coming in the next patch, I've moved to working on the first big content update - namely the Challenge Mode update.
This patch will add a big amount of gameplay and I expect it to go live in March. The biggest addition are seven challenge stages (for all current heroes except Phaser), each tailored to the hero's superpower. The aim of these challenges is to rack up the best high score you can, and will also be the way future heroes are unlocked for the sandbox.
Speaking of future heroes, there are currently two in the works, which will release in the same update as the challenges. I won't be talking much about them here until they are further along in development, but as usual I tried to make them feel very different from the rest of the cast.
One of the best parts of working on these challenges is that putting all characters in a gameplay-rich environment really outlines what works and what doesn't about them. So as I work on each stage, I'll also be refining the corresponding hero. And the first one is Zap the speedster.
Zap is already a favorite among players, but he is still lacking in effects and currently has no sounds. Both of which I'll work on. Additionally people expect him to be able to run on walls, which I've really thought about, but decided against it, because I couldn't answer the question "What happens when the player stops running along the wall?". Looks like I'll have to give this some more thought.
So that's pretty much what's up with development right now. I'll leave you with a sneak peak of Zap's challenge stage. Still working on nailing the aestethic, but I think I'm getting there.
v0.1.3 Patch Notes - Whirlwind upgraded
Today's patch focuses on the charming Whirlwind. The flight superpower has been drastically changed, replacing some of the overkill
anti-motion sickness techniques with effects that are more immersive and fun.
NOTE: This patch also upgrades the version of Unreal, so there may be issues for some players. You may even need to reinstall the application. Please report any issues you may have. I don't think I'll be updating the engine version for a while...
General
* Added a particle effect and sound for activating checkpoints.
* Fixed a bug with white circles appearing on the player's camera.
Whirlwind - Flight
* Sped up flight speed by 20%
* Added wind ambience when flying
* Removed Field of Vision limiter
* Replaced static dust motes with speed line particles
* Whirlwind now moves slower when closer to the ground, making takeoff and flying near ground more natural
Zap - Superspeed
* Temporarely removed Field of Vision limiter.
I also had time to toy around with the art style for the story mode's cinematics. Here's a sample in several stages of progress.
v0.1.2 Patch Notes - Save system
Hey, I focused on getting this save system done by the end of the weekend, and it is! I even threw in checkpoints and death. People like dying, right?
General
* Added a save system, so you dont have to collect all the powers every time you start the game.
* All power tokens are now checkpoints. The last one you visit is active.
* Players can now die, which will instantly transport them to their last checkpoint.
Alloy (Minigun)
* Improved particle effects
* Fixed a bug that would trigger reload twice when you ran out of ammo.
