I’ve just released an update for my VR release – The Caretaker, a VR experience inspired by The Shining, following feedback from users. It’s currently being validated by the Oculus team, but temporary download links can be found here. Thanks to everyone who’s taken the time to check it out; I’ve been so pleased to see the positive reaction. Download the latest version of The Caretaker here, or read on for the change list.
- Improved control scheme – In the initial release, the camera rotation was detached from the player model, which led to some strange rotation issues when navigating the level. This has been fixed, and now the user can direct their movement toward the HMD’s orientation.
- Added rotation comfort mode. First person movement is pretty difficult to get right, and one of the elements which can cause nausea is yaw rotation. I’ve added a ratcheted “comfort mode” of the type seen in Windlands. This will rotate the player in 15 degree increments rather than smoothly, which can help improve comfort levels. To toggle this, hit C in-game, or the Right gamepad face button (B on an Xbox controller).
- Allowed controller / mouse pitch control if HMD is not enabled (better non VR playthroughs).
- Added player footsteps. To improve immersion, I’ve added player footstep audio to this release, which change dependent on speed of movement and the material the player is walking on.
- Added locked door audio for better feedback to the user.
- Updated to Unreal Engine 4.10, Oculus Runtimes 0.8.
- Added spookiness!
- Improved reliability of the end of the experience.
- Added more corridor detailing; new meshes.
- Improved wall artwork.
- Various minor tweaks and bug-fixes.
- Reduced overall size – 1.3gb to 700mb uncompressed, by removing unnecessary resources.
Download the latest version of The Caretaker here.