VR0GU3
Very sad news: we are closing down
As a result, VR0GU3 will soon be removed from the Steam store and will no longer be available for sale anywhere.
If you already own a copy of VR0GU3, it will of course continue to be available and playable in your Steam library.
I sincerely regret that I cannot continue my business. Thank you for your consideration and your understanding in this difficult time.
Leaving Early Access
As my personal skills in VR are not strong compared with that of my old team, I have made the difficult decision to cease further VR development so I can focus my efforts on my next project, which is a traditional PC game and has a more manageable scope for a solo developer.
For any player who has been patiently awaiting an update, I truly apologize—over the past couple of years, I have come back to VR0GU3 time and time again, and made a sincere effort each time to step into the shoes of the VR developers who left the team, but (given my personal lack of knowledge in the VR space, coming from traditional PC game development as I do) my skills were simply not up to the task, and my attempts to revitalize and restart the project failed.
This is a difficult admission to make, but as an indie developer I have always believed in being transparent and honest, and I hope you understand why I have made this decision.
As a $4.99 game, it is my hope that VR0GU3 has given its players reasonable value as a highly replayable rogue-like VR shooter experience. To the players who purchased during Early Access, I want to say THANK YOU for your support. All members of the team were always grateful for your feedback when the game was in active development.
To new players who may have come to VR0GU3 after today, thank you for your custom and I hope you enjoy the game's unique experience.
Looking ahead, as mentioned above, my next project will be a traditional PC game, which is a space in which I am far more comfortable. When that project is ready for release, it is my intention to find a way to make that game available to VR0GU3 owners for free, by way of a small apology. I hope this news will be received in the spirit it is intended.
VR0GU3 Early Access update v0.6.3 released!
What's changed?
We've improved the game's balance (weapon and damage mechanics, player levelling, how the intel access point bonus works, etc), replaced the basic enemy unit with a much better looking model, fixed up the holographic effects, reworked the shooting model to improve hit detection and visibility, did a pass on the game environment assets to improve the visuals, and even added the first new unit type!
As part of the game balance review, we decided to change the goal from reaching a player level to reaching the 5th Floor of the station. This provides greater impetus for players to complete floors as quickly as possible, creating a core conflict between your desire to improve your character (by levelling up, such as through interacting with intel access points) and your weapons (by finding Weapon Upgrade kits) while amassing a high score (XP), pitted against your desire to win outright by surviving to the end.
We've also done a visuals and performance improvements pass on the game environment assets. This required us to replace every level, but you'll definitely notice a significant improvement in performance (especially those on 970s) and in how the game environments look in the new build, which we're very happy about. On a related note, the performance improvements have enabled us to field more enemies on the map at any given point, so you'll see bad guys more frequently and in greater numbers as you delve deeper into the space station.
Overall, we're happy that the game is significantly improved between last version and this one. We hope you agree!
Release notes for v0.6.3 are available in the Steam Discussion forums.
So what's next?
- We're adding a new Marathon game mode that allows for saving at the start of a new Floor, but still features Permadeath (to maintain that Rogue-like feel).
- We're adding the next set of environment art assets (models and textures) and building a new set of levels based on these new assets.
- We’re experimenting with modifying the player shooting model to allow for critical hits (e.g. on head-shots).
- We’re starting to replace the placeholder audio files with Final audio assets. There are no Final audio assets in the current build, so there's a lot of work to be done.
- We want to add another melee-type enemy unit.
- We're experimenting with adding VR hands and proper left- and right-handedness support.
— The Big Dumb Fun Games team
VR0GU3 Early Access update v0.6.3 released!
What's changed?
We've improved the game's balance (weapon and damage mechanics, player levelling, how the intel access point bonus works, etc), replaced the basic enemy unit with a much better looking model, fixed up the holographic effects, reworked the shooting model to improve hit detection and visibility, did a pass on the game environment assets to improve the visuals, and even added the first new unit type!
As part of the game balance review, we decided to change the goal from reaching a player level to reaching the 5th Floor of the station. This provides greater impetus for players to complete floors as quickly as possible, creating a core conflict between your desire to improve your character (by levelling up, such as through interacting with intel access points) and your weapons (by finding Weapon Upgrade kits) while amassing a high score (XP), pitted against your desire to win outright by surviving to the end.
We've also done a visuals and performance improvements pass on the game environment assets. This required us to replace every level, but you'll definitely notice a significant improvement in performance (especially those on 970s) and in how the game environments look in the new build, which we're very happy about. On a related note, the performance improvements have enabled us to field more enemies on the map at any given point, so you'll see bad guys more frequently and in greater numbers as you delve deeper into the space station.
Overall, we're happy that the game is significantly improved between last version and this one. We hope you agree!
Release notes for v0.6.3 are available in the Steam Discussion forums.
So what's next?
- We're adding a new Marathon game mode that allows for saving at the start of a new Floor, but still features Permadeath (to maintain that Rogue-like feel).
- We're adding the next set of environment art assets (models and textures) and building a new set of levels based on these new assets.
- We’re experimenting with modifying the player shooting model to allow for critical hits (e.g. on head-shots).
- We’re starting to replace the placeholder audio files with Final audio assets. There are no Final audio assets in the current build, so there's a lot of work to be done.
- We want to add another melee-type enemy unit.
- We're experimenting with adding VR hands and proper left- and right-handedness support.
— The Big Dumb Fun Games team
Changes in v0.6.2
General changes
While VR0GU3 has only been out for a few days, we've already benefitted from some excellent constructive criticism that has enabled us to focus our immediate efforts on improving the core experience—particularly in the areas of usability and player feedback.
Here's what we've changed:
- We've increased controller rumble and added muzzle flash when shooting.
- We've added sparks that appear when an enemy robot is shot, to provide better hit feedback. (We tried bullet holes too, but they were very difficult to see on the models—sparks are still not always easy to see, but are definitely better.)
- Enemy robots now smoke out upon death, again to provide better hit feedback.
- We've added audible feedback when using the Weapon Selector.
We'd like to thank to Kris.vdv, Nagrom Nalla and tonka for taking the time to help us improve the VR0GU3 experience for all players.
First collectible weapon
We've added the first collectible special weapon to the game: the Blaster.
Available to find from Floor 2 on, the Blaster is an energy weapon that holds 99 shots and does not need reloading; however, you can only find it once per game, and there are no reloads available for it. You can drop it at any time with the Grip button, in which case it will fall to the ground where you can pick it up later.
The Blaster does not do as much damage as the Tomlin Wilks 10mm (your main sidearm), so it is more powerful earlier in the game than later, when your enemies are tougher. Nonetheless, if you can find it, the Blaster should give you a significant advantage while it lasts.
To ensure you don't accidentally throw away your magazines for your TW10mm, the buttons needed for reloading are turned off while holding the Blaster.