- Bugfix: Button System - 6 August 2018
Got some feedback that the buttons were difficult to press correctly. Should be much easier now. 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 - 7 July 2018
Some players have found Hard mode to be too difficult starting out...and no one wants to admit to needing Easy mode...so I have added a Normal mode to each level--easier than Hard, harder than Easy, as one would expect. 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 fee…
- MAJOR UPDATE: Art, Sound, and Upgrades! - 19 May 2018
Hey everyone, 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, wh…
- Updates and request for comments! - 29 December 2017
As a developer, it can be difficult to anticipate the experience of your game from the perspective of someone playing it for the first time. That's why it was really helpful to see PhilanthroPwn's video review of Willowisp VR, which is the top hit if you search for Willowisp VR on YouTube--it's well-made, check it out! The most recent round of updates are largely based on my takeaways from that video: 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 entir…
- Updates and request for comments! - 29 December 2017
As a developer, it can be difficult to anticipate the experience of your game from the perspective of someone playing it for the first time. That's why it was really helpful to see PhilanthroPwn's video review of Willowisp VR, which is the top hit if you search for Willowisp VR on YouTube--it's well-made, check it out! The most recent round of updates are largely based on my takeaways from that video: 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 entir…
- Try before you buy: free demo game added to store! - 13 December 2017
Based on the research I have seen, publishing a free demo version of a game, while appreciated by players, is usually bad for business: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QM6LoaqEnY 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. Leve…
- Try before you buy: free demo game added to store! - 13 December 2017
Based on the research I have seen, publishing a free demo version of a game, while appreciated by players, is usually bad for business: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QM6LoaqEnY 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. Leve…
- Oculus Touch (with 360 degree roomscale) now supported! - 18 November 2017
If you have Oculus Touch, are setup for 360 degree roomscale, and have been waiting to play Willowisp VR on it, the wait is over! 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…
- Oculus Touch (with 360 degree roomscale) now supported! - 18 November 2017
If you have Oculus Touch, are setup for 360 degree roomscale, and have been waiting to play Willowisp VR on it, the wait is over! 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…
- Get in the game! Mixed Reality support added to Willowisp VR - 9 November 2017
As the Mixed Reality trailer on the store page demonstrates, Willowisp VR now supports filming in mixed reality! If you have a green screen and familiar with the process of setting up mixed reality (warning: it is not easy) you can now show off your awesome skills in a way that allows people who have not experienced VR firsthand to get a sense for what it's like far better than a first-person screen-capture. 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.…
- Get in the game! Mixed Reality support added to Willowisp VR - 9 November 2017
As the Mixed Reality trailer on the store page demonstrates, Willowisp VR now supports filming in mixed reality! If you have a green screen and familiar with the process of setting up mixed reality (warning: it is not easy) you can now show off your awesome skills in a way that allows people who have not experienced VR firsthand to get a sense for what it's like far better than a first-person screen-capture. 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.…
- Party Time! Demo mode added to Willowisp VR - 9 November 2017
Having friends over and want to give them a taste of virtual reality...but torn between showing them an easy level that is accessible to newbies vs a harder level that shows off all the features of the game? Willowisp VR now includes the Demo challenge for just this purpose! 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 i…
- Party Time! Demo mode added to Willowisp VR - 9 November 2017
Having friends over and want to give them a taste of virtual reality...but torn between showing them an easy level that is accessible to newbies vs a harder level that shows off all the features of the game? Willowisp VR now includes the Demo challenge for just this purpose! 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 i…
