Aaron Bellamy 2024-08-09 Aaron Bellamy 2024-08-09

Development Blog

Read the latest news in the development of Fortune on the Frontier, an asymmetrical VR game for the Meta Quest and SteamVR.

Author: Shaun Bellamy, President & Creative Director

It’s Summer on the Frontier! Thank you everyone who joined us at Game Con Canada in Edmonton. We had a blast visiting with players as well as fellow local game studios (shout out to Dragonfly Games and Scorpion Studios!)

I’m Shaun, President and Creative Director at High Level Studios, and today I am excited to share our progress on the development of Fortune on the Frontier.

Graphics

Over the past few months, we have focused on elevating our visual style for FOTF. I am a huge fan of the realistic environments created by our team. I feel that this grounded approach will heighten our action-oriented gameplay and effectively immerse players in our world. This can be a challenge in VR, but our team is developing specialized shaders to allow for enhanced shadows, textures, and depth while maximizing FPS on the MetaQuest. I feel like we have struck an amazing balance between visual fidelity and performance. It was a welcome surprise to see so many players that wanted to explore the environment and take-in this unique setting.

Early twentieth century mines offer a compelling contrast between the natural world and the encroachment of man-made structures. Competing textures of rock, processed wood, and metal create a sense of depth, especially within VR. The inclusion of man-made structures has allowed us to create a “jungle gym” type gameplay, where players are free to climb and explore using any surface they could reasonably grab on to. We are building these environments to offer plenty of replayability for exploration as well speed running opportunities.

We have also begun the creation of complex animations for water-based physics traps. While I can’t get into specifics without spoiling the adventure, these animations will help to create a thrilling final act for their respective levels.

Our lead environment artist, Zack, is responsible for many of the textures, shaders, and environmental elements present in FOTF. Zack will share his tips and tricks that we have utilized to create compelling visuals inside of VR. Stay tuned to our social media to read his insights in an upcoming blog.

I’m excited to see how you navigate through these levels in the not-to-distant future (read more for details…)

Gameplay

Creating thrilling gameplay is core to the development of FOTF. We want players in VR and on smart devices to feel the adrenaline of a daring adventure while enjoying satisfying interactions in the world.

Animal-Type Interactions

At Game Con Canada, we received valuable feedback on the smart device gameplay loop and found that players gravitated most towards the bird trap. To summarize, the smart device player would take control of a sparrow, fly it around the level to gather energy, and try to divebomb the VR player to knock them off a ledge. It created a fun dynamic between players and the feedback was clear, we need more animal-type interactions! Our updated approach to gameplay includes at least one animal-type interaction in each level. Our next animal-type interaction will be the elusive gopher, followed by the cunning mountain lion. Share what animals you would like to control in the game!

Exploration-focused Single Player Campaign

We were surprised how many players enjoyed casually exploring the demo. Although the multiplayer gameplay does provide an engaging competitive experience, we wanted to provide an option for players to take their time and enjoy FOTF solo.

To provide concise, 20-30 minute, adventures for our VR players we decided to take an approach inspired by an older game, Star Fox 64.

For those that are unfamiliar, Star Fox 64 featured a level selection system based on the performance of the player. Players who performed well in the level would gain access to alternate paths that offered different levels and, depending on the path taken, would conclude with a unique ending. In FOTF, we have created a similar system where the VR player will gain access to different levels, and endings, based on their performance on the final trap of the room. If they are unsuccessful on the final trap, players will proceed through a separate exit. I’m excited for this system as it offers unique branching paths, creating either a relaxing casual experience or an adrenaline-charged challenge. Make sure to try all of the different routes to experience a variety of dramatic conclusions!

Plans for the Future

Single Player Demo

We want to make games that are fun to play. Your feedback has made this possible both at Game Con Canada and at the High Level Innovation Conference. Your participation at these events gave us tremendous insight on what you find fun in VR and what improvements provide the greatest benefit to players.

We hope that you will continue to provide your feedback as we release our single player demo this Fall 2024. We are focusing on a handful of levels that players can really sink their teeth into. The initial demo will be available on Meta Quest VR, but we are hopeful to release it on SteamVR as well.

Your Support

Projects from independent studios do not exist without your support. We are thrilled to have you with us as we strive to achieve our vision of creating immersive and interactive experiences for VR players as well as their friends and family on smart devices.

Thank you for your support. Help us create a truly memorable game by sharing your ideas for traps, mechanics, and more as well as your feedback. Reach out to us through our social media and contact page and make your voice heard.

This development blog provides behind-the-scenes updates on the project and our journey to release. Please note that all references to dates and features are subject to change. Game development is an ever-changing process and we hope that these updates will spark new ideas and opportunities for you to share your thoughts and suggestions for the project. Our goal is to create an experience that redefines virtual reality + smart device gaming. We are excited to share this journey with you.

Aaron Bellamy 2024-05-17 Aaron Bellamy 2024-05-17

Development Blog

Read the latest news in the development of Fortune on the Frontier, an asymmetrical VR game for the Meta Quest and SteamVR.

Welcome to the inaugural blog of Fortune on the Frontier! This development blog provides behind-the-scenes updates on the project and our journey to release. Please note that all references to dates and features are subject to change. Game development is an ever-changing process and we hope that these updates will spark new ideas and opportunities for you to share your thoughts and suggestions for the project. Our goal is to create an experience that redefines virtual reality + smart device gaming. We are excited to share this journey with you.

This first public demonstration of FOTF took place at the High Level Innovation Conference in Lethbridge Alberta. Thank you to everyone that attended and provided feedback on the project. We look forward to incorporating your ideas in the coming months.

Graphics

Key to the development of VR projects is the ability to optimize all game assets to run smoothly inside of a VR headset. As we are developing for the Meta Quest 2 as a baseline, we approach every piece of the project with an optimization-first mentality. This means all textures, models, and characters are developed to balance realism with efficiency.

Cool Water. Nice Cave.

Look at this water! Fully optimized for VR and it even comes with a whirlpool setting?? A hint of treacherous traps to come… (special thanks to our environment artist for making this possible!)

We have also begun creating passageways where we explore the use of light, shadows, and depth available to us in VR. Below are some initial screenshots of the opening passageways in the mine. Our approach is to create a grounded, realistic space that the player can be fully immersed in. We are excited to show you how out visual style evolves in the coming months.

Passageway into the mine. (*In-engine screenshot*)

Immersive Menus

A pet peeve of ours are menus that don’t feel in-world, especially in VR. That is why our team developed a newspaper inspired menu to help players feel immersed in the time period.

Initial newspaper menu and animations.

Early Character Development

We completed our first realization of the Body Type 1 VR player character including rigging and animation. Our goal is to allow customization of the character through different selections of clothing obtained as a result of your adventures. We have also completed 3D modelling of the Body Type 2 VR player character and are preparing rigging and animation.

Our objective is to allow the player to customize the clothing options of their character. Instead of providing all of the options upfront, players unlock cosmetics by completing levels and challenges.

Body Type 1 – Character Model

Body Type 2 – Character Model

Gameplay

FOTF is an asymmetrical VR platformer and smart device strategy game. We brought a playable demo to the High Level Innovation Conference to hear from you, helping us refine the experience.

Our Pillars

Immersive movement (No, not teleporting)
Let’s be real for a moment. Teleporting in VR is not natural or immersive. How am I supposed to feel the rush of running down a hallway if I’m just popping in and out of existence?
Teleporting in VR is an effort to reduce motion sickness. But we have designed a system that we are confident will render teleporting obsolete. The VR player uses their arm movements to dictate the direction and speed of the character. While testing this system with a combination of novice and veteran VR players, we found it drastically reduced motion sickness. It also allows the VR player to move much more quickly in the game, allowing for strategic utilization of momentum. Now you can feel the excitement of sprinting across a collapsing platform or the calm serenity of strolling through an abandoned rocky cavern.
Thrilling action. Grounded reality.
We’ve all seen the fantastic traps that heroes in adventure movies have faced. From rolling boulders to collapsing chambers, we are striving to recreate that excitement for VR players. That being said, the rules of the world have to make sense to create excitement. Our approach is to create that excitement by simulating realistic environments, paired with believable movement and physics, that reflect the danger present. We are chomping at the bit to share what is in store for you, but part of the thrill is not knowing what to expect. You will just need to discover them for yourself!
Adventure crafted by you.
What makes FOTF stand out is how the VR player and smart device players interact with each other. This is not a preprogrammed adventure, the smart device player decides which path is taken by the VR player, which traps are available, and how they are used to bring the adventure to a dramatic end. FOTF pits the VR player and smart device players against each other, each trying to overwhelm the other with a show of skill and strategy. No two adventures are alike and you’ll have to continuously one-up each other to claim victory.

Upcoming Features

In response to the feedback given by players at the High Level Innovation conference, we are developing the following features to build upon the excitement experienced by the VR players and expand the gameplay of the smart device players.

Easy Grab and Pull - We are making the detection of climbable edges more forgiving, allowing players to quickly scramble up ladders, along edges, and more. Subtle visual queues have been added to allow the VR player to quickly see what is climbable. The result is a faster paced experience that places the emphasis on quick thinking rather than precise hand placement.
Accessibility - We are integrating a sitting mode and height adjustment feature that will allow players of all heights to reach obstacles without having to strain themselves. Our goal is to create an experience that everyone can enjoy and to eliminate barriers for our players.
More Traps - While the most exciting part of the experience was triggering deadly traps, all players expressed a desire to have more options to take down the VR player. That is why we are doubling the amount of traps for our demonstration as well as adding in new playable characters for the smart device players in the form of environmental obstacles and fauna.
Built-in Tutorial - We have developed a quick tutorial to allow both the VR player and smart device players to start on the right foot. VR players will be taught the fundamentals of movement including walking, running, and climbing. Smart device players will be taught how to navigate through each level, gather energy, and trigger a variety of traps. The tutorial takes place at the entrance of the mine and will set the tone of the adventure to follow. No floating textboxes required.
Dynamic Music Score - Fun fact, our founder and creative director, Shaun Bellamy, is also a composer. He will be developing a music score that brings a cinematic feel to the experience. The music will automatically ramp up and down based on the actions of player, recreating the thrill known in iconic movie scores. Our favorite games have memorable soundtracks and we are so excited to bring our own style of music composition to FOTF.

All of the above improvements will be featured at Games Con in Edmonton, Alberta. Be sure to drop-by our booth June 14-16 to play the new and improved demo for yourself.

Engine

The ability for VR headsets and smart devices to affect each other in a real-time VR experience is core to FOTF. For the past several months, we have focused on achieving our requirements for networking and replication. The result is a smooth and immersive experience for the VR player as well as the smart device users. FOTF utilizes a variety of cameras and viewports that require accurate replication for the character, traps, and levels. It was a long road, but we have completed our first version of this modified technology and featured it at the High Level Innovation Conference.

Our next steps include the integration of the level generator to allow the adventure to change based on the choices of the smart device players. Our goal is to eliminate loading screens wherever possible to ensure the experience is never disrupted.

Your Support

Projects from independant studios do not exist without your support. We are thrilled to have you with us as we strive to achieve our vision of creating immersive and interactive experiences for VR players as well as their friends and family on smart devices.