OVRLRD News

It's been a while! I've been busy preparing for the Early Access launch, and one big thing I wanted to get in before then is this: OVRLRD's custom scenario editor!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

It's very unusual to release a content editor like this as part of a game demo. I'm doing it for a few reasons:

• I'm a solo developer and it's very tricky to hunt down bugs in a content creation tool, so I need help stress-testing it;
  
• There's a lot of technical considerations to do with Steam Workshop integration that I can't assess properly without the involvement of many users;
  
• It's fun and cool and I want people to play with it!
  

The editor is pretty fully-featured, and it uses almost all the same systems I use to create OVRLRD. It runs in desktop mode for ease-of-use, so just select 'Scenario Editor' on the main menu, take off your headset and get creating!



The help section is a work-in-progress. We're all gonna figure out the best ways to work with the editor together. Join the discord to get help, show off your creations and give your feedback!

Uploading to Steam Workshop: the demo version of OVRLRD is hooked up to a demo version of the Steam Workshop! Due to the way Steam works, a game cannot share content between the workshops of a game and its demo. This means if you want to download scenarios, you must use THIS link:

https://steamcommunity.com/app/2393270/workshop/

...to reach the OVRLRD Demo workshop, and not the OVRLRD main workshop.

Once Early Access drops, I plan to shutter the demo workshop. I'll do my best to migrate custom content to the full version, but you should backup your work if you're really proud of it! There is a button in the editor that will open your local custom mission folder so you can backup and share your files manually.

The editor is in an early stage of development, so feedback is crucial! It will continue to improve and expand alongside the main game, with support for more features and better usability. Let me know what you think!

Also, I built a new progressive destruction system for buildings. More news to follow soon.

---

If you run into bugs, or you have an idea for how OVRLRD could be better, join the discord! We have forums for reporting bugs and making suggestions, as well as discussion areas where operator can share piloting tips, squad strategies and just hang out talking about big robots.

Thanks again for all your support, and for giving OVRLRD a go! Full changelog follows:



[h2]ADDITIONS[/h2]

• Added scenario editor and custom mission support!
  
• Added helmet pop-up messaging system to improve player situational awareness
  
• Added new progressive destruction system for buildings
  
• Added new structure types
  
• Added Steam Workshop support for custom missions (EXPERIMENTAL)
  

[h2]CHANGES[/h2]

• Redesigned main menu
  
• Monitor power buttons now light up first for ease of use
  
• Mech feet now only stomp things while in motion
  
• Reduced chaotic behaviour of skirmish terrain generator
  
• Improved visuals of weapon cam helmet feed
  

[h2]FIXES[/h2]

• Fixed a visual issue with building rubble spawning
  
• Several iterative improvements to enemy mech AI
  
• Fixed a number of issues with mech leg animation
  
• Improved texture blending at terrain seams
  
• Fixed an issue where menu options got cut off mid-game
  
• Fixed an issue where beam weapons spammed aim kickback
  
• Fixed an issue where beam weapons would not strike helicopters
  
• Fixed an issue where switches were hard to flip while moving at high speed
  
• Fixed an issue where player could get stuck on terrain bumps
  

[h2]KNOWN ISSUES (Working on it!)[/h2]

• Sometimes, very rarely, the shaders will be completely broken on startup, with invisible terrain.
  
• Restarting the game fixes this.
  
• Having a gamepad plugged in may suppress VR controller input. Unplug your gamepad if you get stuck in the menus!
  
• Knuckles controllers can only pinch-grip controls when the hand is otherwise fully open.
  
• Grouped weapons must all be aimed independently before activating group-fire.
  
• Vive controllers may not allow you to change weapons.
  
• Resupply helicopters will sometimes drop crates just out of reach of immobilised mechs, to taunt them
  
• If you die, the post-death spectator mode places your hands slightly too far away from your IRL wrists.
  

That's all for now, operators. Enjoy the update, and tell your friends and favourite streamers about OVRLRD!

Welcome back OVRLRD operators! Work continues apace on building the definitive VR mech simulator. I've got some new stuff, some fixes, and a trailer for ya.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

As always, scroll down for the full patch notes, but here's the important bits:

• Vive wands should now work properly! Previously they failed to track. This is embarrassing but it's fixed now.
  
• New 'Starling' interceptor mech with high-performance locomotor.
  
• Support for human-scaled NPCs! Watch your step, and keep an ear out for RPGs.
  
• Significantly improved terrain and sky visuals.
  

The ULC STARLING is a lightly-armored, high-speed interceptor platform. With only two module hardpoints and limited survivability, you'll need to take full advantage of its blistering top speeds to stay alive. Push the throttle to 90% to be the fastest thing on the battlefield, and push it to 100% to evade missiles, shells and target acquisition.

The STARLING is best deployed with laser weaponry and a radar module - track your opponents from afar and burn them alive without ever letting them land a shot.

Watch yourself though - the STARLING has a jutting, exposed cockpit for improved visibility. It is vulnerable to killshots from the front and sides, so make good use of your mobility and flexibility to stay moving. Beware the vertical-first gimbal configuration, allowing for greater tracking of air units, but disorienting for inexperienced pilots.

One more thing - the STARLING is a prototype and its design may change in further iterations. Inform your local Maulkin Rep if you have any feedback.





Humans have arrived on the OVRLRD battlefield - watch your step! they can easily be crushed underfoot or dispatched from a distance with explosive weaponry. Beware though, if they think they can damage you they'll open fire with small arms and RPGs. Proceed with caution.

That's all for now! I'm busy building out the first episode of the OVRLRD campaign which will drop on release, along with some other surprises. Have fun, operators, and don't forget to drop into the discord with your feedback. Help me make OVRLRD the definitive VR mech simulator.

---

If you run into bugs, or you have an idea for how OVRLRD could be better, join the discord! We have forums for reporting bugs and making suggestions, as well as discussion areas where operator can share piloting tips, squad strategies and just hang out talking about big robots.

Thanks again for all your support, and for giving OVRLRD a go! Full changelog follows:



[h2]ADDITIONS[/h2]

• Added humans! OVRLRD now supports human-scaled NPCs. Infantry and civilians can be stomped and will flee or fight.
  
• Added ULC-Starling interception platform! The Starling is a light, fast mech with a non-standard gimbal setup.
  

[h2]CHANGES[/h2]

• Improved helicopter AI, add strafing and terrain pop-up behaviours
  
• Significantly improved terrain visuals
  
• Improved tree billboard rendering (some trees may still appear weirdly bright at a distance, investigating)
  
• Improved sky rendering, add clouds
  
• Improved thermal camera rendering effect
  
• Improved cockpit lighting
  
• Replaced ugly chair in cockpit
  

[h2]FIXES[/h2]

• Fixed an issue where Vive wands were failing to track
  
• Fixed issues with explosions not correctly getting blocked by damageable parts
  
• Fixed audio not muting on loading screen, fix railgun not available, fix broken skirmish map display
  
• Fixed explosions failing to damage things after a few pooling resurrections
  
• Fixed helicopters slowing down when approaching targets
  
• Fixed mechs firing constantly if weapon changes
  
• Fixed an issue where KILLDART railgun was not available to equip
  
• Fixed an issue where hangar loadouts would behave strangely when swapping mechs (this system needs more improvement)
  

[h2]KNOWN ISSUES (Working on it!)[/h2]

• Sometimes, very rarely, the shaders will be completely broken on startup, with invisible terrain.
  
• Restarting the game fixes this.
  
• Having a gamepad plugged in may suppress VR controller input. Unplug your gamepad if you get stuck in the menus!
  
• Knuckles controllers can only pinch-grip controls when the hand is otherwise fully open.
  
• Grouped weapons must all be aimed independently before activating group-fire.
  
• Vive controllers may not allow you to change weapons.
  
• Resupply helicopters will sometimes drop crates just out of reach of immobilised mechs, to taunt them
  
• If you die, the post-death spectator mode places your hands slightly too far away from your IRL wrists.
  

That's all for now, operators. Enjoy the update, and tell your friends and favourite streamers about OVRLRD!

Morning, operators - some news.

Building a game solo means that sometimes things slip through the cracks. I rely on users to report issues when they arise, which means it can take a while for me to notice when something's not working.

This week I realised that the damage model for OVRLRD was completely broken. This update includes some critical fixes for that, which will basically fix all combat to be fun instead of frustrating.

tl;dr: If you've tried OVRLRD before and found you were constantly dying and it wasn't fun, then now is a great time to try again! Skip down to the changelog for details.

In essence, explosions in OVRLRD deal damage to surrounding things in a radius. If a mech is caught in an explosion, parts that are closer to the explosion's core will receive more damage than parts that are further away. Parts can also be shielded from the explosion if other parts are in the way.

For example, if a missile explodes to your left, it may knock out your left leg but only lightly damage your right leg.

If a critical part - like your torso - is caught in the explosion, then damage will also be applied to the mech's core. If this core value reaches zero, your mech will destabilise and explode. The bug was miscalculating this damage and instantly setting the core value to a much lower point than intended.

This meant that if any critical part received even 1 unit of damage, your mech was likely to go critical immediately. Additionally, the damage display MFD feed was not interpreting this data correctly, causing further confusion.

These bugs are fixed now. Combat feels very different - it's still a high-lethality prospect, but you have more of a chance to protect yourself. Fighting enemy mechs also feels different - you are now properly rewarded for precision strikes, and it's easier to disable them without destroying them.

I also fixed a bug that was preventing you from blasting weapons off enemy mechs, so you can now do that too.

CUSTOM AND BUILT-IN VOICE PACKS

Woo! Take that ya bloody fruit shop-owner!

My loving homage to a certain Australian Kiwi marksman was getting a bit grating. With the help of some volunteers, I've added over 800 new voice lines to the game. This is partially for fun, but also makes it much easier to tell what your squad is doing and where.

You can add your own custom voice lines by dropping a folder of appropriately-named .ogg files into OVRLRD\OVRLRD_Data\StreamingAssets\barks\. Check the existing folders in that directory for examples of appropriate filenames. Voices are selected at random and you're currently more likely to hear custom voices in Battlefield skirmish mode.

This feature is unsupported and just for fun at the moment! It will have proper Workshop support at a later time.

CHANGELOG

• Fixed two issues (details below) which meant explosions would almost insta-kill any mech.
  
• Fixed an issue where the mech damage display would always list either fully OK or fully critical for all parts.
  
• Fixed an issue where explosions would register part damage incorrectly.
  
• Added railgun (for fun - may not work well just yet).
  
• Broke the map preview on the skirmish screen (sorry! Will fix soon).
  
• Improved reporting on post-mortem screen.
  
• Fixed a bug to do with the drone display not working right.
  
• Added 800 new voice lines, added toggle to disable combat barks.
  
• Added pulsing light to cockpit to help you find your way in the dark.
  
• Fixed some issues with tree generation in skirmish.
  
• Fixed weapons and legs not being blown off properly.
  

If you run into bugs, or you have an idea for how OVRLRD could be better, join the discord! We have forums for reporting bugs and making suggestions, as well as discussion areas where operator can share piloting tips, squad strategies and just hang out talking about big robots.

That's all for now, operators. Enjoy the update, and tell your friends and favourite streamers about OVRLRD!

It's been a while! Welcome new and old OVRLRD operators! Our discord has been revamped and is much more usable now - join our burgeoning community to chat about OVRLRD, mechs, VR games or get some pointers if you've been having trouble piloting your platform.

There's a lot of changes in this update. The full patch notes are below, but here's the short version:

• Remodelled cockpit interiors!
  
• New 'Albatross' fire support mech with super heavy weaponry for striking targets at >1km range.
  
• Better support and weapons for long-range engagements.
  
• New configurable procedurally-generated skirmish missions with multiple gamemodes.
  
• Hundreds of bugfixes, AI and performance improvements.
  
• Dynamic time-of-day system.
  
• Torso and arms for player avatar (you can toggle this off).
  
• Quest 3 SteamVR support.
  

If you've previously tried to give OVRLRD a go but got stuck behind a weird bug, this is a great time to try again!

As you know, OVRLRD is a solo project and the community is helping guide development through the demo in advance of Early Access. This means it has a bit more jank and a few more bugs than more polished indie projects, but I think it's worth it to try and get the definitive VR mech simulator experience up and running.

If you run into bugs, or you have an idea for how OVRLRD could be better, join the discord! We have forums for reporting bugs and making suggestions, as well as discussion areas where operator can share piloting tips, squad strategies and just hang out talking about big robots.

Thanks again for all your support, and for giving OVRLRD a go! Full changelog follows:



[h2]ADDITIONS[/h2]

• Added a skirmish menu to allow you to configure your own free missions.
  
• Currently-supported mission types are:
  
• 4v4 mech combat (team deathmatch)
  
• Holdout (infinite wave survival)
  
• Search and Destroy (destroy marked buildings)
  
• Battlefield (territory control)
  
• Added the Albatross, a heavy-duty mech dedicated to fire support roles.
  
• Added HILDA and TRISHA, two heavy modules that can only be used with the Albatross.
  
• HILDA is a heavy artillery piece. TRISHA is a tv-guided missile.
  
• Added 'Scenarios'
• while the campaign is in progress, try these missions designed to teach you specific styles of play.
  
• Added a true time-of-day system, with improved lighting and performance.
  
• Added HMMWV NPCs: fast-moving and agile 4x4 vehicles with mounted machine guns.
  
• Player now has a torso and arms with full IK.
  
• You can toggle this off and return to hands-only in the settings menu.
  
• Addded a profile editing system with custom avatar colours.
  
• Added basic stat tracking on a per-profile basis.
  
• Spectator cam is now visible so you can pose for selfies!
  
• Take high-res screenshots using the Menu button on your controller.
  
• Post-death mode will now show an indicator of who shot you and where from.
  
• Added Quest 3 SteamVR support.
  

[h2]CHANGES[/h2]

• Cockpit interiors have been completely remodelled by a 3D artist.
  
• Significantly improved cockpit rendering performance.
  
• Using jump jets will now build heat in the locomotor system.
  
• The TGP display now dynamically calculates bullet drop per-weapon and adjusts the reticule to help you compensate for it.
  
• Previously these markings were estimates and did not help to hit targets at range.
  
• Random skirmish maps now have more detailed and interesting terrain.
  
• Chunked splatmap overlays to improve detail and performance of terrain decals.
  
• Added better effects for mech footprints and weapon impacts on terrain.
  
• Cliffs now use triplanar mapped textures to avoid stretching.
  

[h2]FIXES[/h2]

• Fixed ground vehicles getting stuck on sloped terrain.
  
• Fixed post-death mode not rendering player ragdoll.
  
• Fixed post-death mode not rendering laser pointers properly.
  
• Fixed many issues with NPC navigation AI.
  
• Fixed an issue where NPC OVRLRDs would constantly attempt to flank enemies by running straight through them.
  
• Fixed an issue where NPCs were not properly prioritising roads when calculating a navigation path.
  

[h2]KNOWN ISSUES (Working on it!)[/h2]

• Sometimes, very rarely, the shaders will be completely broken on startup, with invisible terrain.
  
• Restarting the game fixes this.
  
• Having a gamepad plugged in may suppress VR controller input. Unplug your gamepad if you get stuck in the menus!
  
• Knuckles controllers can only pinch-grip controls when the hand is otherwise fully open.
  
• Grouped weapons must all be aimed independently before activating group-fire.
  
• Vive controllers may not allow you to change weapons.
  
• Resupply helicopters will sometimes drop crates just out of reach of immobilised mechs, to taunt them
  
• If you die, the post-death spectator mode places your hands slightly too far away from your IRL wrists.
  

That's all for now, operators. Enjoy the update, and tell your friends and favourite streamers about OVRLRD!

A note: welcome to all the new OVRLRD operators who found us in Steam VR Fest! You can join our community on Discord to chat about OVRLRD or get some pointers if you've been having trouble piloting your mech.

OVRLRD is not out in Early Access just yet, but the demo will remain live permanently. This is kind of a preview of what the EA campaign will be like. OVRLRD is a complex game that will take a lot of tweaking to get right, and the demo will be updated alongside the main game build to field-test these tweaks and make sure it's fully operational by the time EA lands.

Early Access will be just that - a chance to help fine-tune the broader mechanics and content of the game a while ahead of release. So, tell your friends to try it out, because the demo's free and always will be!

Hello operators! It's been a while, because I've been hammering away at a huge infrastructure overhaul that has cleared the path towards Early Access. It's taken literally months, but the codebase is cleaner, performance is better, cross-platform support is much improved and I've built foundations for a bunch of exciting new features I can't wait to release.

The changelog is pretty big, but the most significant changes are:

• Better performance and improved visuals in many situations
  
• Randomly-generated skirmish maps for 4v4 botmatches
  
• Jump-jets for fun navigation around this possibly-challenging scenery
  
• Squadmate command and outfitting system
  
• Improved NPC AI
  
• New MFD UI system with 16 buttons per display
  
• New midgame menu for changing settings and recentering - press X on the controller
  

This update paves the way for more unlockable mechs and cockpits, a 'freelancer' mode in addition to the main campaign, more advanced systems interaction inside the mech, and support for very large outdoor maps.

Another important note: WMR and Oculus users no longer need to use separate beta branches, simply select your preferred runtime as a game launch option when starting OVRLRD. The relevant command line arguments are: -steamvr, -oculus, -wmr, and -novr. However, for Quest users I strongly recommend using the new free Steam Link app for Quest and launching OVRLRD as a SteamVR app. (This will be the default behaviour if you just launch OVRLRD through the SteamVR UI.) Please post on the community page or in the discord if you experience any issues with this, and I'll do my best to help!

I'm hoping that it will also make the demo much more replayable (and streamable!) since you can now order squadmates around a randomly generated environment to evade, detect and defeat an aggressive enemy OVRLRD squad who will switch up their tactics each game. The demo may seem similar to old versions on the surface, but these new systems add a new tactical layer to combat that should emerge as players become more experienced.

So, without further ado, the changelog!



[h2]ADDITIONS[/h2]

• Added new skirmish mode with randomly-generated terrain, buildings, foliage and weather.
  
• Added new weather effects for fog, rain and snow. Currently only affects visibility.
  
• Added procedural road system to add more detail and nuance to maps, demonstrated in skirmish mode.
  
• Added jump-jets. Fire these with the trigger on the left joystick to traverse difficult terrain.
  
• Added target analysis display for detailed damage and status condition info on enemy mechs.
  
• Added a comms display which shows detailed information about any squadmates you may have.
  
• You can also use the comms display to give basic 'follow', 'wait', 'move' and 'roam' orders.
  
• You can also cycle through Rules of Engagement (ROE) using this screen, to prevent your units opening fire immediately.
  
• Added a radio to the cockpit. While the radio is grabbed, press a button to cycle through squadmates.
  
• While holding the radio, squeeze the trigger to enter command mode.
  
• Point somewhere with your off hand and release the trigger to give a move order.
  
• Squadmates can be outfitted with liveries and weapons along with the player, allowing them to use missiles, beams and more.
  
• WARNING: squadmates are not very good at averting friendly fire yet so... be careful giving them howitzers.
  
• Added first-pass NPC bark system, allowing your squadmates to announce their status and respond to orders.
  
• Added radar modules. Standard will tag targets automatically within range. Ground-penetrating will tag targets without line-of-sight.
  
• Modularised weapon system allowing NPC mechs to use multiple weapons.
  
• Added proper mid-game menu with general control rebinding support for keyboard and HOTAS (very experimental!)
  
• New midgame menu has proper UI and access to ingame options, so you can tweak your preferences while playing.
  
• Added toggles for tree rendering and physics. Disable these for an extra FPS boost if your rig is struggling.
  
• Overhauled water shader and visual effects so that you can actually tell if you're underwater.
  
• Destroyed mechs now ragdoll realistically with the correct meshes, and their limbs may blow apart.
  
• Replaced the old mech destruction effect with a much better one.
  
• You now have a chance to blast legs completely off a mech, ragdolling and disabling it instantly.
  
• Added shockwave effects for significant explosions - these flatten trees and level buildings as they expand.
  
• Added a loading screen to prevent motion sickness when changing scenes.
  
• Added basic event logging to the Message Log MFD channel, useful for debugging or figuring out what just happened.
  
• Added visual and audio effects for walking across ground and water. Deep water now affects movement speed.
  

[h2]CHANGES[/h2]

• Added buttons to each MFD, allowing for direct interaction with the monitor UI.
  
• Removed the concept of 'channels'. MFDs now have a button to access a data feed selection menu.
  
• Added zoom functionality to sensor display, allowing you to zoom the map.
  
• Sensor display now uses the 'cartography' shader option instead of just showing an aerial snapshot.
  
• Sensor display now shows a dynamic atlas grid to aid navigation.
  
• Sensor display allows you to add a 'ping' waypoint to the map, which will show up on your holohud.
  
• 'MOVE' orders given to squadmates will send them to the latest ping.
  
• Completely re-engineered and modularised the input system, finally making additional mech types possible.
  
• Improved NPC mech accuracy when firing at other mechs - reduced instances of shots going between legs.
  
• Joysticks now have a proper default deadzone, making it much easier to aim and move precisely.
  
• Mechs now bump into each other instead of phasing right through.
  
• NPC mechs will now cycle through their available weapons in combat, making use of everything they have available.
  
• Improved tutorial segments in Boot Camp, making it a proper introduction to game systems.
  
• Significantly improved mech UI rendering performance.
  
• Improved performance relating to extra sub-camera rendering.
  
• Integrated chunked falloff maps into terrain system, reducing incidences of players falling off the edge of the map.
  
• Improved performance of cockpit rendering.
  
• Optimised rendering and physics for tree objects.
  
• Improved performance of terrain decal system, fixing a GC-related micro-stutter issue.
  
• Improved label rendering - text labels inside the cockpit are now lit and shadowed correctly.
  
• Button visuals improved with normal mapping and shader-based text labels.
  
• Weapon info readout now indicates reloading progress with a fill effect.
  
• Improved visibility of HUD elements on low bitrate displays.
  
• Improved legibility of rangefinder on weapon display.
  
• Improved visuals on a number of VFX.
  
• Improved smoke column FX, allowing you to spot smoking wreckage from very long distances.
  

[h2]FIXES[/h2]

• Fixed an issue where the edges of terrain chunks had incorrect normal values, causing a lighting 'seam'.
  
• Fixed rendering issue that caused odd lighting and reflection visuals at steep viewing angles.
  
• Fixed an issue where NPC mechs in 'follow' mode would all cluster around the follow target instead of moving in formation.
  
• Fixed an issue where many visual effects such as flashes and dust clouds weren't rendering at all.
  
• Fixed an issue where trees were not correctly billboarding at range, improving performance.
  
• Fixed an issue where mech legs would float in the air on spawn.
  
• Fixed an issue where damage to NPC mech sensors would not restrict their FOV.
  
• Fixed an issue where weapons would lock-on to a point between a mech's feet, rather than center mass.
  
• Fixed an issue where NPC mech legs would rotate on the spot while standing still.
  
• Fixed an issue where NPC mechs would struggle to rotate to face their movetarget (probably caused a lot of AI issues).
  
• Fixed an issue where NPC mechs were not being physically 'kicked' by weapon impacts.
  
• Fixed an issue where NPC mechs would continue firing at nothing after a battle ended.
  
• Fixed an issue where NPCs would fail to pathfind across terrain chunk boundaries and would sprint off the map edge to their death.
  
• Fixed an issue where helicopter rotors would not render.
  
• Fixed an issue where volume changes would not persist between sessions.
  
• Fixed an issue where VR buttons would not register touch and press actions reliably.
  
• Fixed many, many, many other bugs.
  

[h2]KNOWN ISSUES (Working on it!)[/h2]

• Having a gamepad plugged in may suppress VR controller input. Unplug your gamepad if you get stuck in the menus!
  
• Some transparent particle effects like rising smoke look a bit ugly. Bear with me while I figure out a good solution for a sort order bug.
  
• Knuckles controllers can only pinch-grip controls when the hand is otherwise fully open.
  
• Grouped weapons must all be aimed independently before activating group-fire.
  
• Vive controllers may not allow you to change weapons.
  
• Resupply helicopters will sometimes drop crates just out of reach of immobilised mechs, to taunt them
  
• If you die, the post-death spectator mode places your hands slightly too far away from your IRL wrists.
  

That's all for now, operators. Enjoy the update, and tell your friends to wishlist OVRLRD!