- Biolum 1.2 is live! - 30 June 2022
Biolum (1.2.3748.3765) Release Notes We have a first update ready for you which will solve some major OpenXR compatibility issues across different headsets. Added: "Headset is disconnected" message Hold menu or secondary button (Index Knuckles controllers) to open Quit menu Changed: Updated internal OpenXR 1.3.1 Aim pointer now on both hands to select menu items Fixed: Hand offset for Valve Index users with knuckles controllers, so hand pose feels natural Screenspace Ambient Occlusion in Stereo mode Application is now closing clean on disconnecting headset instead of freezing (unity bug fixed with OpenXR 1.3.1 Issue ID 1379929) Player.log won't be spammed anymore with disconnected headset issues (unity bug fixed with OpenXR 1.3.1 Issue ID 1379929)
- BIOLUM - OUT NOW - 2 December 2021
We are thrilled to announce the release of Biolum, the project we have put so much into and are so proud to share with you all today. This VR experience is the brainchild of a group of passionate creators, developers, and producers who have painstakingly brought to life a story we hope you enjoy as much as we do! You too can now experience the mysteries of the ocean depths by diving into the world of BIOLUM! Give us your thoughts in the comments and don’t forget to leave us a review on the page! We are here for any issues or questions, so don’t hesitate to write to us in the community hub. We always love to hear from you :) The BIOLUM Team
- BIOLUM OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE: DECEMBER 2nd - 25 November 2021
Hello Biolum enthusiasts, are you as excited as we are for the release? It is just around the corner and we can't wait to share our experience with you. The Biolum world plunges us into the depths of the deep ocean. Ordinarily pitch black, the Biolum universe is glowing with light and life. And so to get an idea of what this universe is like, we are sharing with you a part of this undersea adventure. Click below for a pre-release sneak peak! https://sketchfab.com/models/0f47d322bd69488bb2a10ce0aed5fddc/embed If Sketchfab does not load, please use this link:The World of BIOLUM Explore and share with your friends. Dive into the cosmic unknown, you never know what you'll find… And of course, we will be here next week on December 2nd at 9:00am PST for the official release!
- AN INSIDE LOOK - 12 November 2021
Hello all bioluminescence enthusiasts! Are you ready to dive into the science of Biolum? Hold your breath because the ethereal beauty of earth’s lesser explored areas, bioluminescent flora and fauna are still a mystery to many. You might not know this, but fireflies are an example of the bioluminescence we witness on land. They’re reputable for their synchronous light displays, a chemical reaction occurring within their bodies in order to attract a mate. They are often found in open fields or in forests near water and have long been a source of fascination for biologists, but they’re easier to access in comparison to other forms of bioluminescent life, those that exist in the depths of the deep sea. Down in the inky blackness of the ocean, where the light begins to dwindle, the underwater crannies and caves are home to a wealth of bioluminescent diversity that has been barely touched. S…
- Beta 0.9 is live! - 7 November 2021
Biolum (0.9.3531.5f30680) Release Notes Tubeworm-Puzzle is ready and is waiting for your action! Individual presets can be now selected in a multi-language menu with settings for graphics quality and display contrast to optimize your experience. Known Issues we are working on the distance to grab the kelp in Sc4, as it appears to be too far away from the player activating flocks with a specific component causes them to sometimes call a reference error light probe group malform warning in log Added localization of ingame menu menu presets for graphics modes: quality or performance menu presets with display contrast of 3 major different headset types; detection of connected device, but contrast can be individually adjusted via slider Changed improved scene loading with asynchronous methods, smoother transitions and lower loading times menu design with collapsed settings tab to minimize sc…
- Beta 0.8 is live! - 30 October 2021
Biolum (0.8.3452.1c10f07) Release Notes Spearnose-Puzzle is now interactive! Also we redesigned the intro settings menu and prepared for upcoming feature to choose performance and visual settings depending on your headset. French voices got an quality update as well. Known Issues Tubeworm Puzzle is not blocking player settings menu currently only displays language selection, text in English we are working on the distance to grab the kelp in Sc4, as it appears to be too far away from the player activating flocks with a specific component causes them to sometimes call a reference error Changed intro menu redesign French dialogue Eva got more clear radio effect hands have now idle animations Spearnose-Puzzle now waits for player interaction to stretch his arm towards the fishes, including fallback and cooldown timers Spearnose-Puzzle swarm movement aligns to circular shape updated Lightmap…
- AN INSIDE LOOK: BIOLUM - 28 October 2021
Hey there! Welcome to the mysterious world of Biolum. Over the next few weeks building up to the release, we wanted to share with you some of the background of Biolum, for all of you early fans who are as excited about deep sea thrillers as we are! So let's dive in with informative articles, discussions, interviews, and more! To start, what is Biolum? With the voices of Dune’s Charlotte Rampling and The Expanse’s Dominique Tipper, Biolum is the brainchild of writer/director Abel Kohen, and co-author Jon Rowe. The team at Biolum has brought together some of the best industry talent and created an underwater experience unlike any other. Produced by Igal Kohen (IKO), Katharina Weser (Reynard Films) and Paul Kirsten (prefrontal cortex), you’ll act as Rachael, a skilled diver. Voiced by Dominique Tipper, Rachael has been recruited by Professor Eva Tessier, a lead scientist and bioluminescenc…
- Beta 0.7 is live! - 25 October 2021
Biolum (0.7.3392.accd76e) Release Notes Multilanguage is here! Biolum can now be played with English, French or Chinese voices. Additionally we focused on the Global Illumination and the preparation for graphical presets for the variety of VR-devices. Known Issues we are still working on lighting as its gotten too dark we are working on the distance to grab the kelp in Sc3, as it appears to be too far away from the player player log lists a reference error when some flocks get activated the Sc8 Puzzle sometimes causes the fish to interact in a visually unintended way Added added multilanguage system with full dialogue sets in English, French and Chinese added menu system (and interaction) in start screen to choose these languages from re-added the Volumetric Fogs on each vegetation islands as they were temporarily deactivated added font Noto Sans with Chinese character set (Open Font li…
- Biolum VR Beta 0.6 is there! - 14 October 2021
Biolum VR (0.6.3220.0fa6499) Release Notes In this Update we concentrated mostly on increasing performance. In the last build we saw huge hiccups and were having big frame drops throughout the experience. For the long term we needed to swap to a higher Engine Version as well. With that, we can better answer technical issues to come. Known Issues currently iterating on the best lightmap solutions, there might still be some issues currently adjusting timings and interaction in Sc6 Puzzle and Sc8 Puzzle, yet using a fallback version of both in this build we are aware of fish swarms sometimes swimming through geometry (Sc3, Sc8, Sc10) we are aware that the player get abruptly rotated (by 20°) in Sc12, while getting dragged by the Glimmung Added with the swap to a newer engine, we are now using a newer input system, which allows us to respond better to different VR devices - so we upgraded t…
- Weekly Update #13 - 26 March 2020
Changes: Set dressing (custom lighting, biolum, scattering) Sound mix updates Big improvements of previous integrations Known Issues: Look on HTC Vive is very different (colors and posteffects) Blacksmoker: some alpha layering and lighting issues with glimmung Controls (Oculus Rift S): Left Trigger: Acceleration Right Trigger: Torchlight Left Grip: Menu Right Grip + A / B or period / minus on keyboard: teleporting to next / prev control point C: toggle creature layer V: Toggle Veg Layer B: Toggle Bioluminiscence
- Weekly Update #12 - 23 March 2020
Changes: Updated narrow cave layout Updated bioluminescene shader Added Volumelight system for plant isles Added detailed tube worm models Added debug teleport system Added recorded dialogues (English) Added complete audio layout (sound effects, background, ambient music, actor voice effects) Integration of ECS subscenes and boid system Improved overall performance Fixed torchlight activation Fixed visbility of Blacksmoker particles Known Issues: Volume is not yet streamlined Thruster has a little stop bug Contrast on HTC Vive headset is very different Geometry issues in new cave models New cavemodels don’t have the new biolum shader (is only visible on glimmungs den) Fish swarm avoidances issues Torchlight volume effect has visual glitches Player movement is too fast in some areas (dialogues starting to early) Blacksmoker: some alpha layering and lighting issues with creatures Controls…
- Weekly Update #11 - 23 March 2020
Changes Added new Rattail Animation Setdressing with Volume Lights and plants Update dialogues Added Ambient Light System bound on rail Known Issues Intro dialogue doesn't start automatically, please push the trigger to go a little forward. Tunnel #2 has to be shortened and less steep Timing and rail appearance at entrance and in swarm cave Overall performance
- Weekly Update #10 - 25 January 2020
This update is mainly about content for the last scene. It adds new fishes, a new cave layout and a new Rattail animation. Changes New Rattail animation New cave layout for final scene Boid simulation on fishes (next step is ECS uprade) Known Issues Intro dialogue doesn't start automatically, please push the trigger to go a little forward.
- Weekly Update #9 - 16 January 2020
This update is mostly about discussing environment layout and timing. Creatures, bioluminescence and vegetation layers are disabled by default (can be reenabled by ingame menu and shortcuts). Because of the emptiness and darkness (torchlight is disabled too) there is a temporarily global light added for better visibility. It adds also a fogcontroller based on splineposition to get a unique look for every place. Fixes Fish swarm is affected by player forcefield again Tunnels have vegetation now (if you toggle it) Assets with correct assigned materials and lighting Scanners are lot of slower now Scanners are more quiet now Changes Temporary deactivated vegetation / creatures / biolumiscenes for performance reasons You can toggle it with pressing "c", "v", "b" on the keyboard or via ingame VR menu (left grip) Added advanced fps (toggle with "F5") Torchlight is deactivated Preanimated glimm…
- Weekly Update #8 - 13 December 2019
This update is mostly about timing and pacing. It adds all (generated) dialogue lines, adjusted for timing throughout the experience, as well as a couple of "events" along the player's including the Rattail Encounter, Environment Scans and the Glimmung Encounter. Fixes intro height should now be correct, no more need to jump for the play button Changes Environment brightness has been increased Swarm Cave has been replaced with the new model from Abel Glimmung's Den is now much brighter Glimmung light has an animation/falloff towards the player to be both visible very far away and not blown out up close Glimmung has been replaced with a newer Version from Fauns / Albyon with a quick rig from pfc to allow for arm and mouth motion lots of new vegetation scattered across Glimmung's Den (Scene 12) in correct world scale Known Issues light portals still glitch sometimes and disappear abruptly…
- Weekly Update #7 - 9 December 2019
Changes Added Black Smoker Replaced Glimmung with a new version from Fauns Added voice dialog between Rachael and Eva (generated audio) adjusted HUD Spline fade-out adjusted marine snow adjust entrance animation (fitted to dialog) removed buggy lightportal between entrance and rattail cave
- Weekly Update #6 - 30 November 2019
Changes Added Intro scene Fauns Glimmung added with basic animation path Glimmung Environment Cave updated Two new types of swarm fish in Swarm Cave (removed previous Rattail swarm) Plant distribution changed to be less uniform Spline distance fade-out adjusted (fades out further away) Adjusted marine snow size and count Adjusted tube worm thickness/size and added base emission Darker lighting for Glimmung encounter HUD map smaller Helmet rotation locked by default Cave entrance path is less vertical New bioluminescent shader for everything to have synchronous bioluminescent glow between rocks, plants, fish. Very WIP - currently does not look very organic Known Issues Light Portals sometimes disappear with a popping effect instead of smoothly fading out Bioluminescent Noise Function looks like spotlights in some areas
- Weekly Update #5 - 23 November 2019
Changes in this build: Cave layout updated (Scene 3. Scene 5, Scene 12) Rattail Fish encounter at Scene 3 First iteration of scattered infected plants and props in Scene 5 Spline trail distance fade (preventing distance flicker and going through head/camera) Various HUD changes (placeholder removed, smaller map, dot grid barely visible, removed tracking) Helmet LEDs improved Marine snow particles increased size overall Increased movement speed in certain areas (Scene 3 and Scene 5) General performance improvements
- Weekly Update #4 - 16 November 2019
In this Update, we adjusted the locomotion scheme and HUD based on tester feedback and played with some new HUD elements. Additionally, there's a new end scene with updated Glimmung scenery. Full list of changes: Removed / reduced VR space rotation Added helmet LEDs animation First version of Rat-Tail tracking overlay Spline path travel speed tweaked (variations for testing in different caves) Distance to spline tweakeable Fixed helmet rotation toggle in grip menu Added end scene Hologram shader added Secondary scanner effect added
- Weekly Update #3 - 9 November 2019
This update encompasses first versions of all four prototype levels. They can be selected from the Grip Menu. 2,3, and 4 are "waypoints" inside the large cave, 1 is a separate scene for now. Prototype Level 1 is included as a separate scene (use the grip button to open the menu and select the leftmost option - Level 1/Rattail Fish - to load the level 1 scene). For Prototype level 2 we have iterations on the HUD and warnings graphics, spline path, helmet behaviour and interior as well as a first versions of environment scanning. For Prototype level 3 we have the ability to swim through all the caves using the Soft Rail technique. For Prototype level 4 we have a procedurally animated close-encounter of our huge creature. First design of the helmet model (including interior). HUD sketches and prototypes (3D map, scanning effect which can be used with the right trigger, collision and danger…
