Another patch is ready with gameplay improvements galore! This was a tough one to finish as I kept finding one more tweak I could make to improve things, and there were a few bugs that were challenging to track down. Hopefully I can get these patches out weekly, and the full version will be done in no time!
NEW FEATURES
Added support for grabbing boxes with two hands!!!!
Added level progression for Deadline mode - you have to get $500 or more in a single workday to unlock the next difficulty level. I’m doing this to help guide new players through the content rather than to limit your play. So $500 should be relatively easy to obtain.
Auto-selected the difficulty level based on the highest one you’ve unlocked.
Added cloud saves of levels unlocked and high scores.
Added a new way to get citations in Endurance mode - every 100 missed blocks will trigger a citation. (3 citations and the workday is over)
Added display on each box to indicate its current value if shipped. This should help you learn the scoring system through experimentation.
Added ‘under construction’ note to game play modes that aren’t working yet
Added text to control panel to indicate level unlock requirements
Added voice line to explain block type must match box type
Added adaptive rendering to improve performance
Added occasional wild block notification and dialog to mention wage multiplier changes
Added contextual text coloring on control panel and scoreboard
Added new posters and K3-VN plaque
BUG FIXES
Fixed bug where you could get to a level 0 (which has no data) and things start breaking.
Added lots of backend support for upcoming Special Order mode.
Further improvements to the manager’s intelligence, he shouldn’t trip over his lines anymore...I hope.
Fixed leaderboards not clearing results from other levels in some cases
Fixed another controller-getting-stuck-vibrating bug
PLAN
Spectator camera mode - I got the security cameras working, just need to build a UI so you can control the spectator viewpoint
Coming Soon: Special Order mode - Currently testing and doing basic balancing.
Better looking display panel for box value
Particle effects and audio to guide new players through their first game
Manager dialog for missing blocks and getting citations in endurance mode
Add effects to the manager voice
Add speed up to music in endurance mode based on citation level
Add stingers to game over events in endurance mode.
Give the manager some memory so he doesn't sound repetitive
Create in game tips board with some of the more complicated ideas explained. I’m doing whatever I can to just make the game mechanics intuitive and discoverable, i.e. ideally you should be able to understand the game from what information is presented to you. However, some people might appreciate the more detailed info.
First update...visual and mechanics fixes
Hello coworkers!
I got some coding time in this weekend and fixed up a bunch of bugs. Next up I'm going to try and get some basic spectator camera working, or maybe tackle two handed box interactions. Whichever seems like it will progress faster.
We had a mini-launch party this weekend and everybody had a lot of fun playing. It continued to highlight how much people want use two hands to grab boxes, so I definitely want to get that in. This patch does fix a major bug that that caused problems when people used two hands to close the box.
Here are the patch notes:
<*>Made manager speak better, but he stills gets mixed up occasionally.
<*>Made tutorial skip lines if you go through the actions fast.
<*>added some color to scoreboard.
<*>improved box lid animations.
<*>fixed graphical error with hand opacity.
<*>fixed bug with hand being in solid mode after making a gesture.
<*>fixed bug where a box could get stuck to a hand if you try to grab the box with two hands. Still need to implement two handed grabbing, just use one hand per object for now please!
Ship It is SHIPPED!
Hi All,
Thanks for checking out SHIP IT! It is going Early Access because I've been slaving over it for months and I need your feedback to help make it better. I've got a lot of plans for improving it and I'll do my best to bring you along and let you know what is coming next.
There is some real fun in the current product, and plenty of content to be worth your money. You'll have two highly-replayable game modes and the training mode.
Ship It is also great at appealing to a wide audience...it is a great first demo for people new to VR as it offers a simple environment with intuitive interactions. Turn up the difficulty level a bit and you'll be surprised how quickly your brain becomes overwhelmed with the challenge.
Fill up those leaderboards and send me your feedback!
Thanks,
Ian
Below are the current planned features and known bugs.
Development priorities:
Performance tuning & bug fixing
Lighting improvement
Spectator camera interface
Two handed interactions
Rework of room layout for better usability in small rooms
Improved art
Improved sound effects
More interactable decorations
Make everything shreddable
Add special order mode
Add breaktime mode
Improved haptics
...MULTIPLAYER
Known bugs:
Hand render errors in opaque mode
Box lid animations clip through dispensers
Controller vibration can get stuck on (workaround-pull and release trigger)
Triggers occasionally miss a pickup/drop input
At low framerates, the interactable object system breaks down and accurate object movement is not possible. I'll be working on getting bulletproof performance as much as possible to improve this. We all want to be locked at 90fps anyway!
