Added left handed mode which swaps the controller's inputs & switches the holster to your left side (dominant/preferred hand can be changed in the settings)
Added magazine release button for guns that have an easy mag release (Does not work with Vive Wands)
Grenade pins can now be pulled with your teeth!
Added a helmet to the player that shows the ammo count of a magazine when the mag is tapped on it
Added the MP40
Added the MAS 49/56
Added the Hi-Power
-----
Major Changes/Fixes:
Added "Buttweiser Extreme" cans which are like normal Buttweiser cans but more extreme
Replaced follower AI on Combat Base with static AI
Knocking an enemy out (with your hands or a grabbable item) in Siege mode will grant you a free token
Ammo crates no longer respawn on Siege mode, but spending one token replenishes all that were used
Friendly AI can no longer hurt the player (with bullets at least)
Added inventory settings where you can change the inventory offset, holster placement, and eventually holster presets
Added an option for controller-based movement
Added option to enable/disable the Knuckles controller rotation offset fix (if your using Knuckles controllers & your hands are rotated by about 90 degrees when grabbing, then enable this option)
Buttweiser cans are now available on Firebase Alpha (main menu) & can be stored and saved to a custom loadout
Inverting the M79 & cut-down M79 when it's open will drop the shell out of the chamber
Temporarily removed Embassy (will be expanded & improved in Update 11!)
Added an option to revert back to the last stable update (tutorial below)
-----
Minor Changes/Fixes:
Rearranged ramparts & the ground around it on Combat Base to fix numerous issues
Fixed issue with AI falling/jumping continuously on Combat Base
Made terrain bumpier on Combat Base
AI can vault over the ramparts now on Combat Base
Added Buttweiser Extreme spawner to Combat Base
Added a sound that plays when you earn a token outside of surviving a wave in Siege mode
Fixed bug with graphic preset & hand editing button in the settings
Rearranged the settings UI to be more clear (still need work, but it's much easier to use)
Added mag release tooltip to FirebaseAlpha
Added an additional 30 seconds to prep time on Siege mode
Increased friendly AI accuracy on Siege mode
Decreased accuracy of NVA enemies that come after wave 10 on Siege mode
Increased M2 Carbine fire rate
Increased scale of the flashlight
The flashlight's lens color changes when its on/off
Added a flashlight to the start of the tunnels on Streets
AI that use an M14 no longer shoot 5.56 and use the proper 7.62 NATO ammo & ballistics
Centered player inventory
The river on Bridge pushes you and items towards the other side of the river to aid with swimming
Fixed error spam from bad code
Added option for a left-hand holster
Made settings, tutorial, & credits buttons larger so they're easier to navigate
Fixed issue where the player settings wouldn't update correctly
Changing the difficulty setting now affects player health to levels where it's applicable
Reorganized menu UI to encourage playing other missions before diving into the campaign
Increased ballistic durability of dirt material
Added mission map & briefing to Streets
Made middle menu panel show the UI pointer when hovering over any spot of it
Added collision sounds to Thompson magazine
Adjusted player mouth trigger size
Fixed bug where the bottom right inventory slot wouldn't save properly for custom loadouts
Fixed issue on Ruins where enemies couldn't stop jumping
Fixed muzzle flash issue with grass on Ruins
AI no longer spam their "spotted" bark when they see an enemy
Added collision & collision sounds to .45ACP casings
Added muzzle smoke to XM21
Fixed casing ejection issues with M16a1, XM177, M14, & XM21
Disabled Knuckles rotation fix by default
Fixed credits page button
Decreased weight of M14 & XM21
Decreased thick foliage ballistic strength
Fixed collision issue on Elephant Grass
Added background trees to Elephant Grass
Slight optimizations to Tunnel Rat
Lowered trigger reset threshold on all guns
Adjusted directional light intensity on Combat Base
(Possibly) Fixed issue with a gameObject being wrongly instantiated & causing performance issues in Tunnel Rat
Adjusted position of some enemies on Streets
Added game mode explanations to each mission
Added new tips to the rucksack menu
Fixed bug where AI wouldn't shoot player
Replaced tree line on Paddies with a more fitting one
Fixed an issue where some AI got stuck in search mode
Changed layers of audio triggers on Streets so that enemies can see through them as they should
Adjusted reaction times of some courtyard AI on Streets
Friendly AI can no longer accidently shoot the "skip wave" box
---------
Closing
Though it may not be as exciting as a huge content update, Update 10 was the stepping stone for future updates. As I mentioned above, I temporarily removed Embassy from the available mission selection because I wasn't super happy with the state of it. It was rushed and not thought out as well as it could be and I didn't feel comfortable with leaving it in its current state. Alongside the helicopters & beach mission that will be included in Update 11, I'll add a new & improved Embassy mission!
Another noticeable change is that quick-play and war story missions were merged into one mission selection board. This was intentionally done to prevent Bridge & Operation X-Ray being the first experience of PunjiVR for new users that may not be used to the unforgiving nature of the game. Hopefully this small change will allow players to be gradually introduced to PunjiVR & its mechanics rather than thrown in face-first.
As always, if you experience any bugs or problems, don't hesitate to let me know through one of the links below or on the Steam forums. Good luck and remember to check for leeches!
Click on the dropdown box, then select the option for last_stable_build
If you want to go back to the most recent update, follow the same process but click on "None" in the dropdown box.
Update 9 Patch 2
Fixed crash when loading Elephant Grass
Gave player more starting health on Combat Base
Smoke grenade pins have their collision removed when the grenade is holstered
Slightly optimized Bridge
Fixed incorrect ballistic materials on metal barrels
Fixed some sandbag collision issues on Bridge
Shrunk player boundary on Combat Base
Fixed a few tree collision issues on Combat Base
Slightly increased light intensity on Combat Base
Slight optimizations to Combat Base
The Near Future (Update 10 & beyond)
Maintenance Update (The New Update 10)
Update 9 turned out very well and introduced a few impactful things to the game, mainly loadouts and the Siege game mode. Just as I figured, a lot of you have really been having a good time defending the base [and yourself] on Combat Base, but there are still a lot of things that could be polished, fixed, and tweaked. Because of this, I decided to push what was meant to be U10 to U11 so I can really set the current state of the game in stone before I add any more major content.
I'll work on a maintenance update next that does those things I just mentioned (polish and bug fixes, mainly) for the new content as well as the rest of the game. I have received a lot of super great suggestions from a few of you, some of my favorites being:
Additional holster layout options
Magazine tapping on your helmet
Additional spawn points for S&D mode
A left-handed option
Grenade pins being able to be pulled with your teeth? (it's unrealistic, yes, but can be fun for gameplay. Let me know your thoughts on this)
Plus a lot of others that I plan to include or at least work on for this maintenance update, including balancing for: AI, the Siege gamemode, level design, health, and so much more.
While this update will relieve a lot of issues and improve many quality of life aspects, it may not be as exciting as a content update like U11 due to most of the things being behind-the-scenes changes/additions. To fix this, I'm planning on adding in as many new weapons as I can!
I'm talking: -SMGs like the MP40, MAT49, and the Owen Gun -Rifles like the MAS 49/56, Arisaka, SKS, and SVD -Pistols like the Hi-Power and Makarov -Machine guns like the DP28, RPD, and RPK
I probably shouldn't have went overboard with the weapon naming like that because
not all of them will be added in this update
, but I do have a lot of gun models ready! It depends on how long the fixes and changes take, but I'd love to add as many as I can before November, especially now that there are custom loadouts!
-----
Update 11
After Update 10, when everything is more polished and rigid, I'll start work on U11 which will return the focus back to helicopters!
I plan on adding at lease 2 new helicopters in this update, one being the AH-1 Cobra and the other being the Huey Gunship (one variant with rockets and another with quad-M60s), as well as a beach assault mission.
For the Cobra, I aim to make both the pilot and the gunner role playable. The pilot will have an AI gunner that engages any target that comes in their view. You'll be able to fly around freely and take out objectives with your rockets & machine gun. To keep the non-linear feel of other missions while playing in the gunner seat, the idea is that you'll have a map that you can point to which will give your AI pilot a waypoint that they fly to and loiter around while you clear out enemy positions. I'm excited to see how this will play out and what doors it will open up for future missions.
The planned mission that will come with U11 will be a full assault on a beach and medium-sized village. You'll be able to play as different roles on either the attacking or defending side.
I'm planning an infantry role where you fly over the village once in a Huey and get to shoot the mounted M60, then you land and push your way up the beach to secure the village. I'll add a few combat helicopter roles and maybe a transport pilot role too, but I'll have to see how everything works out for the timeframe and mission design.
The defending side will have access to heavy machine guns and rockets to defend the village from the "birds" and it's your job to hold them off for as long as possible, a similar style to the mission Paddies.
All in all, this will be a very exciting update and I can't wait to see how it turns out!
-----
The Next Campaign
The next campaign will start development after U11 drops and will likely take more than the one month update schedule, but hopefully no longer than 2 months.
This campaign will have you playing as a Viet Cong sapper and will be focused on stealth. Missions will be designed in a way that will make your standard shootouts even more challenging than they already are to encourage staying undetected, although a guns-out approach will not be directly punished and you'll still be able to play however you want/need to. A few of the missions include laying & escaping from an ambush, sneaking into a combat base, assassinations, and sabotage.
Along with this, I plan on reworking enemy AI to work well with this stealthy set of missions by giving them more realistic behaviors like having a more difficult time seeing when it's dark and the ability to detect dead bodies. This campaign is inspired by the classic stealth games from the early 2000s and late 90s and will be taking a lot of mechanics and aspects featured in those games.
If all goes as planned, I'll start work on the campaign at the start of December and have it ready by the end of January, 2023. I'll keep you all updated and will be able to have a better idea for the release schedule after U11.
-----
If you experience any issues while playing and/or have additional suggestions, don't hesitate to let me know through one of the links below or on the Steam forums. Good luck and remember to check for leeches!
Lowered first wave cout to 5 enemies on Combat Base
Made all enemies stand and run on Combat Base to increase the flow of waves
Fixed a few areas enemies got stuck at on Combat Base
Flattened terrain on Combat Base to prevent AI "dancing" bug from happening
Made static allies more aware on Combat Base
Adjusted some colliders on Combat Base
Added a tooltip that lets you know when a mission doesn't support custom loadouts (only Combat Base for now)
Fixed issue with sandbag LODs on Combat Base
Removed overlapping text on Ruins
Fixed a typo on Combat Base
Fixed out-of-scale ammo crates on Ruins, Bridge, and Highlands
Removed old ammo crate models from Ruins
Fixed some floating props on Bridge
Fixed a few broken enemy spawns on Highlands
Increased grab timeout on M60
Update 9
Highlights:
New Mission: Streets
Streets is the first urban mission included in PunjiVR and features three main buildings (with interiors), a courtyard, and an underground tunnel system. Eliminate all of the enemies in the area to win!
New Mission & Gamemode: Combat Base
Because so many of you enjoy the Wave Defense gamemode on the mission Paddies, I took the core idea of it and expanded it into an entirely new mode: Siege. Enemies charge your position and it's your job to repel their attacks! For each wave you survive, you earn a token, which you can spend on upgrades like forifications, new weapons, AI reinforcements, fire support, and more. How long can you hold them off?
Custom & Preset Loadouts
You now have the ability to bring whatever loadout you want into battle!
-----
Major Changes/Fixes/Additions:
Loose round stacks have been added for weapons without magazines (mosins & shotguns). This allows for easier weapon storage and reloading.
AI detection quality changes based on your stance (stance detection works for physical crouching/lying down as well as changing your stance in-game by using the right joystick or touchpad)
Smoke grenades block enemy vision properly now
Added visual & audio effects if you're too close to an explosion
The game is labeled properly as "VR Only" rather than "VR Supported"
Heavily optimized enemy AI scripts
A defensive enemy that was shot and didn't die becomes aggressive
Added enemy count to Search & Destroy missions
Minor Changes/Fixes/Additions:
Decreased volume for Huey radio, rotor blades, & engines
New explosion, smoke, & muzzle flash effects!
Fixed issue with M2 Carbine magazine storage
Fixed material issue on violet smoke grenade
Increased damage & blast radius of all frag grenades
Made ambient sounds louder on Firebase Alpha
Tweaked recoil for both mosins
Tweaked threshold for crouching
Replaced some terrain textures on Paddies
Re-optimized Paddies
Moved magazine grab & bolt grab on Type 56 to prevent accidental grabbing of one
Fixed issue where the bolt/charging handle on the XM177 & Thompson could only be grabbed with the offhand
The chopped version of the Model 37 shotgun shoots #4 buckshot instead of 00 buck
Increased decal lifetime
Decreased saturation on some environmental objects on Highlands
Added new explosion sound effects
Changed ammo crate placeholder out for a real prop
Made ammo crate signs more clear
Added single shells that start in the side holsters on the chopped Model 37
Added collision sounds to some environmental objects (will work on adding more)
Added new trees to Firebase Alpha
AI are more likely to crouch when being shot at
Fixed tree & hut LOD issues on Highlands
Fixed skybox rotation issue on Highlands
Added build number under the logo on Firebase Alpha
Empty 40mm shells no longer despawn and can be refilled like a normal magazine
Changed out Spooky Gunship model for something more accurate
Adjusted player holsters
Fixed issue with ladder hint text not showing on Paddies
Adjusted M60 muzzle position
-----
Closing
Wow! Update 9 was a big one, but I'm very happy that I finally got it out to you all. I'll make a post in the next few days that will cover the plans and goals for Update 10+, so stay tuned for that! If you experience any other bugs or problems, don't hesitate to let me know through one of the links below or on the Steam forums. Good luck and remember to check for leeches!
My idea for the "Ride of the Valkyries" update was composed of the content added in Update 8 with the addition of combat helicopters, a large beach invasion mission where you can play multiple roles, and a few minor things like new weapons. It's pretty obvious that the scope was a little too large for the monthly update timeframe I'm working on, so I made the decision to split the major update in two: Update 8 and Update 10. I'll discuss this more in-depth after Update 9.
---
For U9, I'm taking a break from helicopters to focus on some requested quality of life options, loadouts, and [at least] two new missions. To get more replayability and freedom out of the game's missions & campaign, I'll be working on a loadout system where you can either choose a preset or create your own custom one.
Each of the three presets will be inspired by the historical roles & equipment used by a soldier of the military and time the mission is based on. The first preset will use standard issue weapons and gear for the average soldier, the second preset will have close-quarters style equipment like SMGs and Shotguns, and the third will include weapons like the M60, marksman rifles, and M79. Loadouts will save between all missions and the presets are dependent on the specific mission's time period and who you're playing as. If you just want to grab a gun and go, presets will be the best option for you!
I know many of you have been wanting custom loadouts, so I'm happy to finally add them in! The way I'm planning on implementing them is to have it so you can create your loadout in the menu scene (Firebase Range), then hit a button that reads what item is stored in each inventory slot and stores it for use in the missions. Unfortunately, this won't save any items stored in your rucksack due to the way it was coded, but I'll experiment with some things to try and get it so you can at least bring a few more items than you can store in your chest webbing to make up the difference.
Other parts of the inventory & loadout system that I've already completed for the update include stacks of loose ammo that can be stored in your chest webbing & rucksack (for shotguns & bolt actions) as well as revamped smoke grenades that actual conceal positions from the AI. -
Update 9 will also see at least two new missions, and they'll be good ones!
The first mission will be an urban scene with a tunnel system underneath. I will be working on completely redoing the doors so they work this time and aren't buggy and will hopefully have those ready for this mission. There will be about 9 separate building interior floors to clear in this level as well as a deep maze of tunnels, so this will be a perfect map for those of you that like close quarter combat and room clearing!
-
For the next mission, think Paddies but 10x better.
This mission will be a similar wave defense game mode but with elements of tower defense games. You'll start out with basic equipment and no allies, but after each wave you survive, you'll be granted one point which acts like your currency. You'll be able to spend one point on ally reinforcements (stationary or ones that follow you), a new weapon, health replenishment, or fire support.
---
I plan to have Update 9 ready by the end of September or early October, although I doubt it will take that long where it spills over into October. After U9, I will start work on the beach mission and combat helicopters for Update 10 as well as start putting more effort into the next campaign.
I am working full time and most weekends on the game and I really want to get some good content out for you all without it being sloppy or of poor quality, so I appreciate all of your patience, feedback, and support! We're already past one month since release and I'm really happy with the progress so far and am excited to see where the game goes with these upcoming updates.
If you experience any bugs or have any questions, don't hesitate to let me know through one of the links below or on the Steam forums. Good luck and remember to check for leeches!
Added a button to start the helicopter engines manually
Helicopter engines start when the cyclic or collective are grabbed
Removed a forgotten button that loaded a testing level
PunjiVR - Update 8 Patch 1
Re-Optimized Tunnels, Firebase, Ruins, & Embassy
Added volume slider to radio
Fixed center of mass for loose 7.62x54R rounds
Attempted fix for 1911 hand rotation bug for Knuckles controllers
Hands follow the shotgun's pump now (no more telekinesis :( )
Removed and moved many floating and poorly rotated trees & foliage on Flight Range
Added ladder tooltip to ladders on Paddies
Fixed minor clipping issues on Embassy
Magazines can now be inserted easier & with less hassle
PunjiVR Update 8
New:
Flyable UH-1 Huey
Flight Range Map
Custom Radio
Difficulty Options
-----
Major Changes/Fixes:
Player height automatically calibrates on start
Added color filter to camera
Major optimizations for environmental objects (trees, foliage, huts...)
AI have a relaxed & alert state, where they start off less aware but get more alert once shooting starts
Player is harder to see when in thick foliage or tall grass (concealment drops every time you shoot though)
Updated & improved UI for QuickPlay mission selection screen
Re-added Buttweiser cans (health items)
Fixed major issue with AI fleeing and getting stuck, not shooting, and/or looking the wrong way
Settings save automatically even if the "Save All" button isn't pressed
---
Minor Changes/Fixes:
Lowered matcap brightness on many objects
Decreased fog distance & density on Bridge
Slightly increased player view distance on Bridge
Fixed collision issues with rope bridges
Fixed foreguard grab trigger for XM177
Fixed minor audio issues with M60
Fixed issues with M60's dust cover
Edited & rebuilt navmesh on Island Camp
Edited & rebuilt navmesh on Bridge
Added option to disable automatic height calibration
Trigger reset threshold lowered on all firearms
Updated credits page
Added ammo cans to Evac
Increased max enemy presence on Island Camp
Increased enemy presence on Bridge
Enemies fire shorter bursts with default difficulty settings
Decreased hit sound priority to hopefully fix some audio issues
Slightly moved chest webbing forward
Removed LOD group on sandbags that caused visual issues
Added more tips to the rucksack menu
Auto climb tip appears above the player's left hand now
Watchtowers are now auto climbable
Fixed issues with XM177 collision & grab trigger
Made notch on Type 56 slightly wider
Tweaked M60 recoil
Tweaked Thompson recoil
Lowered river speed on Bridge
Increased contrast & decreased brightness on Ruins' temple materials
Lowered muzzle position on Type 56 to adjust for long ranges
Made clearing more clear on Bridge
Fixed issues with guard tower collisions
-----
New Known Bugs/Issues:
No volume control for radio
Some levels may need more optimization
Paddies' palm trees dance and aren't supposed to
Xm177 foreguard grab trigger may need tweaking
Lone wolf mode may not work properly on Bridge
Position for helicopter may move around after reloading the scene. Going to the menu and back fixes it
Possible audio issues where the sound gets quieter after playing for a long period of time (reloading the game fixes it, let me know if you experience it though_
Possible issues with mission progress saving (let me know if your progress doesn't save/load properly)
-----
Closing
Update 8 has been in the works for over a long time so I hope the wait was worth it! Shortly after posting this, I'll add a guide that explains how to add custom music, so be on the lookout for that. If you experience any other bugs or problems, don't hesitate to let me know through one of the links below or on the Steam forums. Good luck and remember to check for leeches!
Time has flown by since I made the last announcement that gave you all an idea of what to expect with this upcoming update, and now that the U8 is getting close to being ready, I thought it would be a good time to share the progress and roadmap with you all.
---
Flying & the Huey:
The Huey is done and working perfectly!
Originally, I was going to make two flight models (arcade & realistic), but after flying around for a couple hours, I decided not to do so. Flying is much easier in-game than I originally thought and, because the Huey is one of the easier helicopters to fly in real life, there isn't any major challenge or issues with the current flight model that an hour or so of practice would fix. With that being said, if there are a lot of reports of wanting an easier flight model, I'll definitely put the idea back on the table.
Another large part of the update is the flight range (also finished). It's the largest map in the game and has the most amount of objects, so I put a lot of work into optimizing it. As you could see in the video above, the trees have more extreme LODs which basically render objects with more detail the closer they are to the camera. Since making the video, I have adjusted the values a little bit to make them not as extreme, but considering it's a flight scene and that there are thousands of objects in it, optimization is still going to be necessary.
---
Radio
PunjiVR is a Vietnam War game, so obviously the music is going to have a large part to play. Unfortunately, I don't have the budget to license music of that era, so the playlist that will be included in the game will be rather limited. Expect a few classical songs, fan made songs (special thanks to MemeIsMyDream on Discord!), and a few others.
Because I can't put in whatever music into the game doesn't mean you can't. The way the in-game playlist will work is I'll have a folder that's included in the build so you can access it in the game's files. You'll be able to drag whatever eligible audio file(s) you want into that folder and the in-game radio will use the music selection from said folder as its main playlist. Hopefully this will satisfy some of your needs of playing Fortunate Son full blast while flying down the river.
---
Other Additions & Improvements
Besides helicopters, I've made and will continue to make a lot of other improvements to the rest of the game.
AI Improvements
I've upgraded the AI by giving them a defined "relaxed" and "alert" state. In the relaxed state, they have their max view distance dramatically reduced as well as a more narrow field of view. Unless they were knowingly hunting you and your squad down, they likely wouldn't be so eagle-eyed as they currently are in Update 7.
Whenever you or someone else shoots their weapon, if the enemy is in hearing range of the shot, they'll go into a more focused/alert state. Their view distance and field of view will increase, their eyesight and detection time will substantially improve, and they'll look around a larger radius at a faster speed. This is to mimic the panic effect you would likely get if you're in that situation where you see someone shooting at or around you.
After going into the alert stage, they'll be on the hunt and either flee/make a tactical retreat, stay in position, try to flank you, or outright charge the noise position. They do not reset to a relaxed stage unless all threats are gone.
Lastly, if they see you or a squad member, they'll enter the combat state, which is unchanged from Update 7.
Hopefully this should make missions a little more realistic and a little more fair for you all. Don't let your guard down though because they will still aggressively hunt you if they directly see you!
Foliage & Stealth
The next campaign focuses more on stealth than outright combat, so I've been working on some features and mechanics in preparation for it, one of which will be included in Update 8: the foliage system.
In tall grass, dense brush, and [eventually] extreme darkness, the player will gain a stealth bonus by making it harder for most enemies to spot you (snipers are affected less). The only mission that this is notable in at the moment is Bridge, but future levels will have this feature included as well.
---
Closing
Instead of working another few weeks to a month on one super huge update, I decided to break it up into two parts. Update 8 will be the framework and first part of the upcoming "Ride of the Valkyries" update which will expand on helicopters and flying a lot more. I'll give more info on that update after Update 9, but expect a few helicopter-orientated missions, additional helicopters including combat ones, and much more!
The update split lowers the scope of Update 8 and makes it so you all will have new content much sooner! Update 8 is expected to release in the next week or two.
Thanks so much for reading, let me know if you have any questions, suggestions, or concerns, and don't forget to check for leeches!
