VR Mini Bowling cover
VR Mini Bowling screenshot
Steam
Genre: Sport, Indie

VR Mini Bowling

New Mode, Updates, Transition to Full Release, Additional Thoughts
Hey Everyone,

With the latest update, a new game mode was added! In the regular bowling lanes, an "Active Spin" mode was added. In this mode, you can control the spin on the ball after you release it by simply rotating your controller. This is certainly an easier mode for scoring well, but I find it to be a lot of fun.

Next, I added the ability for Oculus users to be able to snap-rotate 90 degrees left or right by pressing the thumpad in those directions. This should help players be able to orient themselves appropriately for 2 sensor setups. I did not include this for Vive or WMR users because I fear accidental touches on the trackpad, but if I get enough requests to add this functionality for those headsets as well I can certainly look into implementing it.

Another quick note, I reduced the maximum time per lane in Rush Mode to 60 seconds, because 99.99 just seemed a bit too long to me.

Today VR Mini Bowling transitioned from Early Access to Fully Released. While I will continue to look into ways to improve the game and implement feedback from players, at this point I have included all of the core functionality that I was looking to achieve in the game, which is why I finally made the transition (a bit later than initially planned, my apologies).

I know many of you have asked about an online multiplayer mode; I promise I haven't forgotten about this or ignored your requests. I never planned to include this in the game originally (this is a project that I work on in my spare time around a full time job), and so the game isn't really coded well upfront to adapt to a multiplayer mode. While developing my VR Curling game I started to dive into multiplayer, and since then I've been thinking of ways to include this in VR Mini Bowling. I still hope to achieve this at some point, but it still may be a while, and I don't want to promise it at this point in case it doesn't happen. This is why I transitioned the game from Early Access at this time.

Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback so far and helped me improve the game. I look forward to hearing your thoughts going forward, and to continue to improve the game in the future!

Thanks,
Brian

New Lanes Coming Soon
Hey Everyone! I just wanted to post a quick announcement that a new course (10 new lanes) will be released soon!

Update - Realistic Physics!
With the new update, realistic physics have been added to the traditional bowling mode. You can now put spin on the ball to throw a curve down the lane, and you can adjust the spin sensitivity to increase/decrease the effect. I've also added oil patterns and a toggle to show them on the lane if desired. There are 2 oil patterns so far, with more to come.

Please let me know if you think the physics are off at all and I will continue to make adjustments until they are as realistic as possible. Have fun!

V3 Release - New Lanes Added!

Quite a few people have requested that I add a traditional bowling mode with realistic physics to this game. In response to those requests, a new traditional bowling mode has been added! To access this, use your pointer to click on the "MORE LANES" button on the wall. Then as always, bowl to begin. Please note that I don't have ball curve physics applied to the game yet, but I wanted to release this update once the lane was ready for play. Updates to the ball physics will follow in the near future. If you run into any issues or have any suggestions, please let me know!

-Brian

V2.0 Update - Customizations!
With this release, many new features were added to the game!

Customizable Audio:
You can now choose custom sound effects for most sounds in the game. In addition, you can also edit the volume for both music and sound effects.

Customizable Visuals:
You can now change the color of the pins for each course, and can change the color of the lighting in the rooms.

Customizable Physics:
You can now play with anti-gravity pins (once you hit them they float around like they are in outer space)! You can also apply up to a 2X multiplier to your throws. This allows you to throw the ball harder in the game without having to swing the controller as hard.

All of these settings can be changed by accessing the menu in each course (not in the main lobby area).

I hope you all find that these new customizations provide new and unique ways to experience the game!

-Brian

V1.9 Release
Further improvements to pin collision sound effects. Soon these will be customizable in an updated pop-up menu screen.

V1.8 Release
Oculus users can now point and teleport with the A or X buttons. This can still be done by pressing down the thumbstick as well.

V1.7 Release
With the latest update, the pin collision sound has finally been updated. There is still room for improvement, but it is certainly more realistic. For those of you who were attached to the previous sound, do not worry, in the near future I will be adding the ability to choose different sounds for pin collisions.

Scoreboards have also been added to the main lobby. These will show the scores for the most recent game played (starting once you play a game after the update).

Based on user feedback, I have added the capability to pick up bowling balls with the grip button (the trigger button still works too). This may be more intuitive for some Oculus users.

More updates to come soon!

V1.6 Update - Multiplayer!
You asked for it, and now it is here.....multiplayer! You can now play 1-4 player local multiplayer with friends and family! There are still many more updates that are needed, for example, I will be adding scoreboards to make it easier to track everyone's score, and I would like to add the capability for each player to choose their own ball as well. But for now I wanted to roll out the new capability once it was up and running, and I will add the enhancements in the near future.

Please note: this update required some substantial code editing. And so, please let me know if you run into any issues while playing.

Also, I have received a lot of feedback and suggestions about the game, and I really appreciate your comments, so keep them coming! Now that multiplayer is up and running, I will be working to address any bugs/issues that users have experienced.

Thanks,
Brian

V1.5 Update
With the latest update, leaderboards are now available for all lanes for both stroke play and time rush modes. Once again if this update was rolled out after you first played, your best scores will be added to the leaderboards the next time you play the game.

I also fixed a bug that was giving incorrect scores for stroke play mode. This didn't affect many users, and it shouldn't have any impacts going forward.

Enjoy the weekend!
Brian
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