Hi everyone,
Hope you are all still safe and sound. It has been some hectic and eventful months for all of us. While it has been a while that we posted a dev post, we are very eager to share with you some more information about our progress and status!
In the previous dev blogs, we discussed some new features and mechanics we are adding to the game with the new update. However in this new dev blog, we will share some more insight into the development process of the new update, and why it is taking longer than expected. We will also share some more information about the 0.1.1 update that is coming up soon, and to wrap it all up, we have some small new stuff to show and tease!
First of all, let’s talk about the development process of the new update. Since the release in July, we have been working really hard on the first big update. While we received a lot of positive feedback and suggestions since the release, we personally were not fully satisfied with the status of the game. 2020 already started as a mess, and the whole covid situation forced our hands to aim for an Early Access release in July. While we did everything we could to wrap things up for EA release, it still did not meet our high demands we set for ourselves and the community. So immediately after release, we set up a roadmap and a plan to work toward that version of Panther VR that we all want to see. We can tell with full certainty that we are still fully motivated to reach that goal, and the 0.1.1 update will be the first big step in the right direction! However, reaching that goal will take some time and it’s that development time I want to talk about. Because why is the new update taking so long?
We will share some points about our process that will hopefully answer that question.
Why is the Update taking longer than expected?
Covid-19
So let’s start with the elephant in the room: the covid situation. While we are very lucky that everybody close to us is still healthy, and we also hope that everyone reading this and their relatives are also safe and sound. The whole of 2020 has been a year with a lot of downsides. The lockdowns took a big toll on our development process. The whole dev process was forced on a pause for almost a month, and when we were finally able to work from home, it did not make things a lot easier. Working on a game project is a very creative process, and working separately does not improve the situation.
If that wasn’t enough, I myself tested positive for covid in late October and was forced into complete isolation for 2 weeks. I’m really grateful that my symptoms were not so severe, but let just say that my bed was my best friend for that period. I’m fully recovered now, and really glad that I did not spread the virus to anyone else. So while we had a bit of a setback this year with covid, it never broke our spirit and we still kept working on the game.
Big first update
One of the main reasons we were not satisfied with the 0.1.0 version of Panther VR is the interaction system. The hands were really awkward, there was no real interaction with the world. Items float in your hands and the fingers did not even move right. And let’s not start about the horrible inflatable noodle arms. Needless to say, it was time for a good rework. So that is what we did. We removed the old interaction system, and build and integrated a new one from the ground up. This completely broke the player’s character and everything that the player could interact with: guards, security, etc. Meaning that almost every system in the game has to be partially reworked as well. You might imagine that took a lot of extra work. Work that was necessary for the future of the game. We could not build the whole game on the old broken system, so a new system was required for future updates and we added some new mechanics in the process as well. While it took a lot of extra time, we are very happy with the results we also shared in previous dev posts. It gives a whole new feeling to the game and brings Panther VR to a level you might expect of current VR games.
In Addition to the big rework, we also updated the engine of the game. When the production of Panther VR started, we built it in an older version of the Unity engine. During the dev process, they made a large update to that engine with a lot of improvements to VR optimization. This rework allowed us to update the engine as well. This update process broke the whole VR implementation to that game, and that needed some rework as well. It should improve the FPS for a lot of systems and it will implement support for all major HMDs.
Small Team
While the update required a lot of work, we can do so much each month with the team we have. We wanted to work with a bigger team on Panther VR, but due to Covid and limited resources, our team only consists of 2 people. While we have a lot of people surrounding and supporting us, the real work comes down to just the two of us. (including me) We still have some big plans for Panther VR, and we are still looking at options to expand our production size. In the meantime, we broke down the plans into “smaller’ steps in our roadmap. But even these smaller steps take a lot of time with 2. Especially the huge amount of rework we did for this new update. We can only hope that the next updates will proceed faster and will feature fewer amounts of pandemics.
So hopefully that shines a light on why it took a bit longer than expected. If we had a bigger team, we would have loved to give you the update a lot sooner. But we want to make sure that we are doing things the right way. And while it will take some extra time and a few more updates to get Panther VR where we want it to be, I’m sure it will be worth the wait!
Upcoming update
Speaking of the new update. We can also share that we are getting really close now. In a matter of days, we will be looking into a way for the community to test out the new features before we are putting it live to the public. Our community and their feedback and suggestions have always been a massive support for us, and we really want to involve you in this next big step. In the coming days, we will share some more information on the discord only, on how you can join the community testing of the new update! So if you haven’t already, come and join the official Panther VR discord.
New Content
New Visuals
We also want to share some new features and stuff for the upcoming update. One thing we did in addition to the rework was a small update to the visuals of the game. We updated the shaders, lighting, textures, and materials for the game. This visual update adds more depth to the environment and brings an extra touch of realism to the style of the game. Here are some screenshots which show the difference in style. We are looking forward to improving it even more in the future update. Let us know
what you think of it!
Old
New
Open in new tab to see full result:
Melee Weapons
Since the first trailer of Panther VR, the screwdrivers have been a fan favorite to take down guards. With the improvement of the interaction system, we thought it might be time to add some more toys to play with. That is why with the addition of the wrench and screwdriver, we are adding some more melee weapons into the game. Slap them on the head with a crowbar or a hammer, or stab them in the guts with scissors or a kitchen knife. You will be able to find more different weapons around the level to use on unsuspecting guards. How these will react on guards, as in nonlethal or lethal, will be improved upon in the 0.1.2 update.
Tease
There will also be something different added in this new update, which we share some more information on once it goes live! Here is a small sneak peek of what is to come.
That was all we wanted to share in this new dev post. Our apologies for the wall of text, but we really wanted to give you an insight into what is happening. We can’t wait to let you try out the new update, and we get even more excited about what all the future updates will bring to the game! Stay strong all and speak to you soon!
- Jesse
Roadmap
For more information about upcoming content, updates, and the latest fixes and features, you can check out our roadmap.
Discord
If you haven't already, don't forget to join the Panther VR Discord! Share your comments and suggestion with us and the community!
Socials
For more information about current and future updates, from Panther VR and other Wolfdog Interactive games, follow our Socials!
Developer page
Check out and follow our Steam Developer page for more news on our VR Titles. Wolfdog Interactive Developer Page.
Thanks
Thanks for all the support and feedback from our amazing community. This update is made possible by you guys!
