Willowisp VR
Bugfix: Button System
When you touch a button, it becomes selected, as indicated by the "Press Trigger" text and an internal particle effect. The buttons stays selected until you touch a different button. When you press the trigger, whatever button is selected activates (whether or not you are currently touching it).
Normal mode added and other improvements
I've also modified some of the settings on the early levels (mostly made them shorter), to get players to the more complex levels sooner.
The biggest changes in this update, however, are behind the scenes. The game has been updated to Unity 2018, I've implemented and object pooling system for the enemy spawners, and have greatly streamlined the code. These changes may result in small improvements in performance, but their real value is in making Willowisp VR much easier to maintain and update.
Willowisp VR will be leaving Early Access soon as I move on to other projects, so if you have any suggestions for improvements, notice any bugs, or have any other comments, any feedback is much appreciated!
MAJOR UPDATE: Art, Sound, and Upgrades!
This update has been a long time coming. Finding and working with vendors when you don't have much money can take a while, but in this case it was worth the wait!
All of the enemies now have real artwork and the swords the swords have been replaced with some awesome-looking mystical blades. Other models, such as buttons and the island have also been significantly improved.
Sound has been improved, both the music and effects, so that it sounds less 8-bit, more orchestral. Further updates on this front to come soon.
Beating levels (and playing in the survival mode) rewards you with Wisp Essences, which you can accumulate to spend in the in-game Store to buy or upgrade your special abilities. There are currently two special abilities available: (1) Slow Time, which as the name implies, temporarily slows down time so you can fight your way out of a tight spot, and (2) Ward, which creates a magical blast in all directions, destroying all enemies nearby and giving you a much-needed breather.
Note: only owners of the full version of the game can access the store, accumulate Wisp Essences, or use the special abilities. The improved art and sound, however, is available to everyone.
So if you haven't played Willowisp in a while or it has been sitting in your Wishlist, now is the time to check it out!
Updates and request for comments!
1) Sword-swapping is enabled by default.
2) I noticed that some players did not notice the story in Story Mode until reaching level 4 (when mirrors are introduced), so I added an auto-play narration feature. I recognize that anything automatic has the potential to be annoying, so I built in some limitations, including: (a) each chapter only auto-plays once (resets when you restart game), (b) narration can still be turned on/off manually by pressing the "narration" button, and (c) the entire auto-narrate feature can be deactivated in by going to Options (from the starting area) and setting Auto-Narrate to Disabled (setting is saved when game quits/restarts so you only have to do this once).
3) Survival mode is now unlocked from the start of the game, so you no longer have to complete levels 1-10 or get 200 points in Demo mode to compete for a high score on the leader-boards. Survival mode is, however, still restricted to those who own the full game. I made this change based on the realization that this game is *hard*, which in itself is a good thing, but some people are motivated by competition and they shouldn't have to play for hours before getting a chance to compete. That said, I still recommend playing through all the levels first, because they include helpful tutorials explaining the strengths and weaknesses of each enemy and the tactics needed to beat them. Can you beat my high score of 185?
That's it for updates for now. I am spending most of my development time lately working on an RTS game in VR, but would like to keep Willowisp VR a priority. To ensure any changes I make are actually for the better, however, I could really use your feedback. So my question to you all is: what would you like to see next? Better artwork? Intermediate difficulty setting? Whether you own the full game, the demo, or just have Willowisp VR on your wishlist, please comment on this announcement or one of the community threads on what you think would make this game better. If your suggestion is within the scope of the project and seems like it reflects the interests of other players, let me know and I'll do my best to implement it!
Try before you buy: free demo game added to store!
But to heck with that, this game is fun and I want people to play it! And while $5 is a fantastic price for a game with endless replayability (I stopped counting at 100 hours for myself), I recognize that the difference between free and not-free is huge on a psychological level.
That's why I have just released a free demo version of Willowisp VR. Works like a standard demo on steam: if you haven't bought the game, from the store page, there should be a button on the right that says "download demo". If you buy the full version, the game will upgrade and the demo will disappear.
The demo version includes levels 1-4 from the Story Mode, but levels 5-10 and all endless mode options are permanently locked out. Level 4 includes enough of the game's core mechanics to give you a rough idea of what the game is about, including: red/blue enemies, bombs, and mirrors to see attacks from all sides.
Giving away too much, however, wouldn't be fair to the people who purchased the full version--hence the level-locking. Once you get the hang of Willowisp VR, level 4 is actually pretty easy to beat. Levels 5-9 take the game's core mechanic and adds whole dimensions of depth, including trackers (a simple idea that totally changes the gameplay dynamics), purple enemies, armored enemies, and, of course...the boss. The full version also unlocks the endless modes, including a demo game perfect for sharing with friends and a survival game where you can compete for a spot on the leader-boards.
Oculus Touch (with 360 degree roomscale) now supported!
This actually came as a bit of a surprise to me. To keep things simple starting out, I had developed Willowisp VR exclusively for the Vive, with the intention of adding additional code to support Oculus later on. Prior to even starting on that expansion, however, I received feedback from user testing that the game already worked on the Oculus Touch--the gameplay, the UI controls, even the dynamic island resizing! That said, if any of you see any issues at all with the game, please let me know on the forums and I will address it as soon as possible.
Some deeper online research revealed that some cross-compatibility is built in to OpenVR, provided that the prefabs are organized a certain way (which mine just happened to be) and the game does not include certain controls/features (which do not apply to Willowisp VR). Needless to say, this was quite a pleasant surprise.
Speaking of pleasant surprises, for those of you who already have the game, I look forward to seeing your names on the Leaderboards!
Get in the game! Mixed Reality support added to Willowisp VR
What does it mean for a Willowisp VR to "support" mixed reality? Two things, first, there are a few technical steps a game has to implement in order for it to be possible to bring up the 4-quadrant display necessary for mixed reality filming. Second, there are several features in the default settings of Willowisp that would interfere with mixed reality filming--specifically the dynamic fog being in the foreground obscuring the live feed and the cartoon head covering your real head. From the main screen, if you select Options, and then set Mixed Reality to Enabled, the game will remove the cartoon head and switch the fog to a type that does not cause interference.
If you film a Mixed Reality video of Willowisp VR, please feel free to link to it on the discussion boards, I'd love to see it!
Party Time! Demo mode added to Willowisp VR
From the opening screen, the Demo challenge can be found by selecting Endless, then Demo. It is essentially a version of the survival challenge that is easier, slower paced, and has a defined goal of 200 points. Unlike the story mode, which introduces one new game mechanic per level, Demo (and Survival) introduces each mechanic when the player reaches a threshold score.
Please note, however, that Demo does not include animated tutorials like the Story mode because (1) there would be too many and (2) it is designed for situations where the player has someone to explain the game to them as they play (or has read the instruction manual). If you have just bought the game and are playing for the first time, I recommend starting with Story Mode.