Hi Everyone,
This latest version brings an important update to Vector36 by introducing a new ECU system!
The new ECU system removes the previous 2 ECU's; Storm and Atom, and creates a new unified and completely customizable platform. Gone are the days where you don't know what ECU does what, and welcome a completely custom and hopefully intuitive control scheme.
New ECU features:
Completely customizable
3 Total Parameters
Up to 8 Lift Vectors supported
4 inputs ( Horizontal, Vertical, Rudder, Thrust )
2 outputs ( Pitch, Power )
Mirror Copy and Reset to Default.
Automatic Banking (Detects Drift)
Multi-directional Automatic Braking (Stops Skimmer, even going sideways!)
Here's how it works:
If you have an existing skimmer, you will get to keep your old ECU in your Skimmer until you choose to upgrade. All new Skimmers come with the new ECU, but when you choose to upgrade, go into the store and buy it (it's the only one there).
Your skimmer will be automatically configured to use the new ECU as a baseline. Fly as you would if you utilized a Storm ECU.
When you have the courage to customize your own scheme, go into the garage, and under the ECU filter, you will see the advanced button. Click that to begin. Hover your mouse over each of the advanced icons to bring up that component's settings.
I will be increasing the functionality and range of the new ECU over time, but please tell me what you think of this version.
Other improvements to this build:
New Practice Mode ( no AI, and no damage!)
Improved and Optimized Skimmer Physics
Slightly Improved UI
Blackouts for High G's and Spinning (Anti-Nausea for VR)
Other Minor Tweaks.
Known Issues:
Store Skimmer Sale will sell all shared parts.
Tournament Panel sometimes doesn't recognize correct Skimmer tier.
Controller schemes still sometimes delete.
UI moved by controller still a bit chaotic. (I would just use the mouse)
Thanks and keep sending me your thoughts, especially on the new ECU.
Remember if you like the game to give it some good feedback on the store page.
-Ryan
Minor Update, OST, and some thoughts on DLC.
Included in this update are the following:
Updated base Nanowave to be slightly quicker.
Initial Accessory list now includes a headlight and 2 renobots.
Changed AI difficulty range to have slower low tiers and faster high tiers.
VR recenters when you Pause the game in race.
Fixed the Win10 stretching GUI issue (not my fault, I swear!).
Refined control schemes further.
Fixed certain obstacles popping up just in front of you suddenly.
Adjusted the Storm ECU to include and Auto-Banking feature which will detect drift and counteract with opposite bank.
Final Mastered OST by Kubix, see notes below.
Next Update I hope to include:
Reformed Quick Race format.
New "Practice Mode" with no AI and no damage.
New ECU unit with 3rd axis for manual banking control ( Pitch, Bank, Yaw) Advanced Users Only!
Hopefully a fix for the Nvidia Oculus Issue (Still waiting on Oculus and Unity)
OST is available by our very own Kubix!
The Journey: VECTOR 36 Original Soundtrack is now available on BandCamp.com by the talented composer Kubix. He has worked very hard to put this together so give him a look.
DLC, EA, and Vector36
I have had quite a few angry/disappointed comments in regard to releasing a DLC pack for Vector36. The intent was never sinister and I never thought it was such a sensitive subject when I created it.
Let me just be clear that all DLC in Vector36 will never be based on any play/feature advantage, only convenience. The new garage is essentially 2 extra garage slots, a new skin, and a new song track. All Skimmers, components, tracks, accessories or anything in updates that alters direct play will always be free, as a policy.
In regards to accusations that I am "cashing out", the simple answer is, of course I am. I am absolutely dedicated to improving the experience and extending the reach of Vector 36 to be the game you want it to be. It won't happen if I don't try to bring in extra sales. The more I "cash out" the better the game will be.
Please let me know in the comments if you are interested/not interested in any more DLC or even the OST release in Steam Music while in an EA phase.
Holidays and Merriment
Thanks and Happy Holidays to all the Vector36 pilots. I appreciate the feedback and look forward to taking the game to the next level in the New Year.
-Ryan
Major Update Released and News
This latest update of Vector 36 has some substantial and juicy updates.
Major News: I am very pleased to announce that Vector 36 will be available for the PS4 /Morpheus and XBox One in late 2016. I am looking forward to bringing these to the consoles. I am also hoping to have cross platform multiplayer available by then, so stay tuned.
Major Updates:
New DLC includes the 4 slot enclosed Garage!
Reworked cockpit models and interfaces. Stage 1 full VR support.
In-Cockpit pilot model and active IK added.
Major optimizations to models and terrain.
Rework of initial Skimmer to something easier to fly.
Flight model reworked for more stability.
Damage model changed to allow "brushing" against objects without total destruction. IE: Less damage :).
Popups reworked for VR integration.
General stability and glitch fixes.
User Feedback fixes:
Skimmer History and initial save states. (A Skimmer undo button!)
Garage test mode before edit commitment.
More controller support. ( up to 3 controllers at once).
Controller input now drives interface making it easier for VR navigation.
Currency system more forgiving
Garage and edit system slightly more manageable.
Currently known issues:
As always, there is an issue with the Oculus runtime drivers and high end Nvidia cards. This should be addressed in runtime 0.9, but for now 0.8 is REQUIRED for oculus play as it is the only available runtime.
Enjoy!
-Ryan
Latest Update
Team,
This update includes the following major changes based on your feedback:
Test Skimmer in the Garage: Now you can test your modified skimmer before committing to a build. When you return from the test, you will still have your modified skimmer, but until you SAVE the skimmer, it wont be a permanent configuration.
Skimmer History: Now whenever you build a skimmer of a particular name, it's old version is saved in a history. You can effectively UNDO a skimmer to a previous build, but you will have to SAVE that older version for it to be permanent. Change the name of your skimmer to begin a new build history.
Visualization Tool: In Flight Mode, next to the ON button is the visualizer. This has been updated to show more useful information, in a more effective way. It is currently lacking a "Center of Thrust" as I haven't found an aesthetic way of displaying that yet.
Center of Gravity: This equation has been changed to be more accurate. Some of your Skimmers might fly slightly differently because of it, but it shouldn't be a game breaker.
Nanowave Update: Your first skim, the Nanowave, has been replaced with the updated Nanowave II. The Nanowave II uses a different ecu, and additional rear vectors for stability. The old Nanowave is technically faster, but the new one is more stable, and closer to the Tutorial ship. Let me know what you think of the new one.
Skimmer Parts: Items you do not own or cannot own will show up as blue in the Shop and Garage. Certain items, including the GK80TT, are no longer available, so if you already own it, congrats, you are IBTL.
Options: Resolution dialogue has been completely recoded. There is now full control over resolution and refresh rate. Any other issues related to resolution are now a problem for 3rd party developers, such as GPU and VR.
Included are also several minor stability, graphical, and optimization tweaks.
I have also started a vlog to talk about the finer points of Vector 36. I aim to have a new one every week. https://youtu.be/4vUVwpt-ZRI
As a reminder: All VR development is very much in BETA and I make no guarantees of performance. If you meet the minimum requirements and are having an issue with the game, try disabling all VR and play the game without it. If the problem persists, please post on the discussion forums and I would be happy to look at it. As an early access game, I am more than happy to fix game based issues, but I cannot control VR runtimes and plugins.
Thanks and remember to give me a good review if you like the game and want to see it go further!
-Ryan
Possible Oculus framerate and judder issues.
There is a consistent issue with certain PCs and Vector 36 performance. Some users are reporting bad framerates or oculus judder, regardless of FX or resolution settings. I have spent a lot of time trying to solve this, but it is clear now that the issue not something I can solve on my end. This is an interoperability issue between new Unity, Oculus, Nvidia, AMD, and Windows 10 software and is currently being delt with externally to Vector 36.
Please see this forum post if you believe you are experiencing it:
https://forums.oculus.com/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=26029
At this stage, I would ask anyone with these issues to refrain from posting negative reviews in regard to system performance related to Oculus as it is out of my control at the moment. Please keep in mind that ALL VR DEVELOPMENT IS STILL IN BETA.
Oculus is working hard to improve the experience:
https://forums.oculus.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=27342&p=304355#p304355
I apologize for any inconvenience.
-Ryan
PAX Aus Final Stage, Completed! Update Roadmap notes.
Hi team,
Now that the dust has settled from the overwhelming event that is PAX, I can start to look at the game again and get some issues taken care of. First of all, the convention!
Vector 36 had an amazing turnout of people who had cued up for upwards of 30 minutes to give it a try! We had oculus running at full tilt and 0 nausea fatalities. Thanks to those that came out, those who bought the game, those that won the competition, and to my booth minions. I will post some photos on the news page shortly of the booth and winners.
Now, more importantly, feedback and roadmaps:
I have been watching the online discussions and will be tackling some of the more prominent issues this week.
Resolution settings for high-spec machines. This is a persistant bug that will either not allow any resolution setting higher than 720p, crashes on resolution override, or crashes when using the Oculus. It has been the most apparent on high spec machines and 4K displays, but I have been tracing the issue down to possibly just being Windows 10 compatability with Unity. I will hope to have this sorted for good by the end of the week.
Laps numbering wrong from Sprint /Circuit. Something that popped up while creating a build for PAX. Also a quick fix.
Sometimes players will cross the finish line in a position that is changed moments after if other bots cross the line nearly at the same time.
Crashes when going back to the Garage.
Very slow framerates on high spec machines. (Weird!)
Practice mode requested and in development.
Skimmer revision history requested and in development.
The most common sources for most of these problems are either Oculus Runtime issues, Windows 10, multiple monitors or Graphics Card Drivers.
Please make sure you are using the latest Runtimes and VR specific Beta drivers for your graphics cards. If you have serious stuttering in a high spec machine, try unplugging the video cables to monitors you arent using. I dont know why this works, but it does for me.
Most of the technology used within Vector is just coming out now. Between Win10, Oculus, and Unity, we have a maelstrom of new and untested code interoperability.
Thanks again for your support and patience. Some big changes are coming to Vector 36 soon, so keep watching this space.
-Ryan
Build Update
Among minor updates, the new key updates are:
- Resolution Override in the Options > Visuals Section. Designate your own resolution if the native resolution finder isnt behaving.
- Credits will now never fall into debt. I dont know why I didnt do that earlier.
- "Jump" function for Nanowave fixed.
- Oculus now automatically positions your head before every match. Make sure you are looking/sitting where you want to during those loading screens!
- Lengthened time to clear quick races and advance to the next map. (Will only work if full reset is performed)
Thanks for the feedback so far everyone!
-Ryan
Oculus Support for Vector 36
I have had a lot of questions regarding Oculus hardware and runtime requirements. Heres what you need:
When running the oculus, you should unplug all other monitors except your primary. I have personally found that running 2 monitors and the Oculus causes serious graphics issues.
While typically the oculus does a good job of autodetecting your position, sometimes it goes a bit rogue and places the camera too far back or too far forward. I will be addressing this in the next update.
Using the Oculus will disable some in-game notifications. It is HIGHLY RECOMMEDED to try the game without oculus first, especially the tutorials. Once you understand the basic controls, the VR experience is much richer.
Thanks and happy VRing,
Ryan
Vector 36 now available! 10% off first week Early Access.
Hey Everyone,
Vector 36 is now available to the world. It has taken me 2 years to develop this game in my spare time so I hope you love it as much as I do. To celebrate, you get 10% off and I get to sleep. It's win / win really.
Some notes on this fresh squoze build:
• If you are using an Oculus, I would recommend starting the game without it first. You can navigate and play through the whole game with the Oculus, but you will miss certain instructional cues that you need to get started.
• Please go through all the tutorials and read the prompts. They explain most things.
• Be very careful with the Garage function of the game. You can completely modify and build your Skimmers, but once you modify, you will be stuck with your creation, good or bad! In the event that you have tinkered beyond your means, see the next bullet.
• In the event that something goes wrong, You can go into Options, Advanced, then Full Reset. This will start you from scratch.
• There are a lot of unexplained concepts and features in this build. I am still trying to decide what the best way to handle this is, from both a development and language barrier standpoint.
• Have a question? Post it in the forums here. I will do my best to monitor and field any questions.
Known Issues:
• On rare occurrences, your end position may not read exactly right if a group of Skimmers went through the end gates. You should still get points or credits, but might not be accurate.
• The Renobots, bless their hearts, sometimes get stuck or forget about you. If you end up sitting too long on the ground, just restart the map, assume they have found something shinier to chase.
• Skimmers will sometimes spin uncontrollably when parts are mounted too close to each other. Make sure each part, when placed, has a little bit of an air gap. This is probably from a physics feedback loop. Fun with physics!
• There is no penalty or Game Over for being in debt yet. I don't know how to punish players appropriately. If you get so in debt you cant buy anything, I would just do a full reset.
• Other things I cant remember because its 2:30 am.
