I’ve decided to release one last update, just in time for Steam’s VR Fest!!
I finally found some extra time and motivation to give this little, experimental project one last tidy up and bug-fix. I’ve now solved some previously known issues and made some much needed improvements.
I’ve now started work on my next project and I can’t wait to share with everyone!
I’ve also set up a Patreon for anyone who’d like to follow along in my journey. There I’ll be sharing updates and providing access to pre-alpha builds of my current projects.
Thank you again for checking out this short narrative experience. So many people gave their time and helped me out with this University project, and I’ll be forever grateful for the experience.
I hope to see you all at my next project release!
- Bec
13 July 2022 | Major Update (Final)
End game achievement added.
Picking up objects uses an offset. So you’re holding from the point you’ve picked it up.
Re-built the player controller. You now have two hands (aka mittens) that can pick up, teleport and interact with UI. Full instructions are in the main menu scene.
Audio Tour no longer overlaps. Will restart each time you collide with the silver panels.
Menu pop up available throughout the chapters so you can quit easier.
Some tweaks in appearance with UI and items.
And my favourite: audio has been improved… a lot.
Emma was moved to behind the counter to reduce the levels. How the audio was initially set up, Emma and Jaime share an audio source, which means they share volume. So, I just moved her next to him. They’re really good friends, so it still makes sense.
I found a workaround that should have removed the crackling/distortion that occurred on some launches. I’ve tested a lot and it hasn’t come back, but I’m still worried it’ll pop up. Please let me know if it happens again :)
Known Issues
Sadly, there might be headsets that aren’t supported. Only the Quest, Rift and Reverb G2 have been tested and they appear to be working. There are no plans to add support with this project, but I will definitely aim to incorporate more in the next project.
Okay, let’s face it, the dialogue system ain’t the best. Unfortunately, fixing this would mean a massive overhaul, and I think I’d rather learn from this mistake and put the effort into my next project. So, thank you for your patience with this ːsteamhappyː It’s not terrible, just not a great user experience.
Achievements and Bug Fixes
Minor Update | Now with Achievements!!
Firstly, thank you all for your patience and understanding. We’re looking to make improvements where/when we can.
We’ve been listening and have made a couple of tweaks and bug fixes. Thank you so much to those who pointed out the Seth bug. This has now been fixed. We’ve also gone and added some achievements in, because, well, why not?
Thank you for checking it out and we hope you enjoy this quirky VR experience! We love hearing about your experiences (positive and negative) so please keep sending them through.
- Unnatural Freaks peeps
***
20 Sep | Minor Update
Five achievements have been added. One of them is hidden. We’re keen to see who finds it.
Seth bug is now fixed.
Removed teleport lock (would love feedback to see how this feels for players).
Tweaked audio levels, though there are still some issues.
Known Issues
Spatialised audio volumes continue to be a little inconsistent.
During the dialogue interaction, clicking the continue button before the audio is finished can cause syncing errors.
Occasionally, on launch, audio can be distorted. At the moment, you can troubleshoot this via re-launching the program. It will only happen on launch and not mid-way through the project. We’re working on getting this solved.
Updates still in the pipeline
Support for other headsets. This one is taking a little longer as we want to make sure this runs smoothly and with little errors.
Better user controls. As we’re working with Unity’s XR Interaction Toolkit there are some limitations to what we can do.
Wolf At Evergreen is Now Available!!
The VR interactive narrative Unnatural Freaks: Wolf At Evergreen is now available!
A supernatural-mystery, interactive-narrative VR experience. Are the rumours of a werewolf sighting true? Talk with townspeople and explore the museum to discover what's truly happening in the small town of Evergreen.
In this version of the experience, you’ll be able to follow the narrative and explore the spaces.
Our next update will be released by December 2021 (hopefully earlier). We’ll be addressing the following:
Bugs that arise.
Player movement and controls.
Look into addressing issues presented by players.
Implement additional features recommended by players (hopefully).
Implement an alternate ending (fingers crossed).
Keep in mind, this is a small indie project made as part of a university project that was testing out different ways to explore interactive narratives within a VR environment. We accept that there may be some issues that need fixing and we’ll aim to solve them in our next update.
Sadly, as we only have limited time to work on our personal projects, this is why there’ll be a slight delay in getting an update. In the meantime, we’re looking forward to any feedback (both positive and negative) people may have so we can either improve this project or apply these features to our next project.
