- Where does this road lead? - 19 April 2019
I've been trying to figure out what to do with Nock for quite a while now. I got my Vive shortly after release, and almost immediately I was hooked. Before I knew it, I was building this game. I had a lot of fun putting Nock together, and I'm really happy with a lot of the things I was able to bring to life in it. In particular, I really like the archery mechanics and lighting, which I think still hold up pretty well to this day. Things were really different in the VR world at the end of 2016. As an industry, we were still figuring out what worked and what could really be done. Fast forward to 2019, and the landscape has changed a lot. There's a lot more content, and we've nailed down a lot of the basics. What was standout fare in the Vive launch era is pretty unremarkable today. And I think that's great. As a VR developer and gamer, I'm super excited for where we're headed. I can't wai…
- Update 11 - Locomotion - 2 July 2017
Update 11 is live. Yes, that's right, the long-awaited locomotion update is here! I've added three locomotion variants, and a comfort feature called FoV Reduction. Here are the details: New Locomotion Methods Touchpad: This is touchpad locomotion similar to what you'd see in other games like Onward. Touch the touchpad to walk in any direction. Move your thumb, or turn the controller, to change direction. The farther from the center you touch, the faster you move. Touch to walk, push down to run. Armswinger: Another popular locomotion method, for this you push down on the touchpad and move your controllers up and down. You'll move in whichever direction you're pointing. The faster you move the controllers, the faster you move. This allows a lot of control, and feels very natural with a bit of practice. Moving your head up and down adds to your movement too (though it's not necessary). He…
- Update 11 - Locomotion - 2 July 2017
Update 11 is live. Yes, that's right, the long-awaited locomotion update is here! I've added three locomotion variants, and a comfort feature called FoV Reduction. Here are the details: New Locomotion Methods Touchpad: This is touchpad locomotion similar to what you'd see in other games like Onward. Touch the touchpad to walk in any direction. Move your thumb, or turn the controller, to change direction. The farther from the center you touch, the faster you move. Touch to walk, push down to run. Armswinger: Another popular locomotion method, for this you push down on the touchpad and move your controllers up and down. You'll move in whichever direction you're pointing. The faster you move the controllers, the faster you move. This allows a lot of control, and feels very natural with a bit of practice. Moving your head up and down adds to your movement too (though it's not necessary). He…
- Update 10 - 2 April 2017
Update 10 is live. This update is mostly bugfixes. Several bugs (may introduced in update 9 - oops!) have been fixed. I now know to test things extra thoroughly after API updates. ːsteamfacepalmː Details Upgraded to SteamVR 1.2.1 Decoys should no longer spawn for a single frame and disappear Decoys and arrows won't fade out while still being held Goblin sling stones hit the player again (they'll be much harder now - sorry!) Teleporting in combat isn't free anymore Menus are working properly again Dropped DirectX 9 support (everything is DX11 now) Enabled error reports for enhanced troubleshooting Thanks to those who reported issues so I could fix them. Hope you enjoy!
- Update 10 - 2 April 2017
Update 10 is live. This update is mostly bugfixes. Several bugs (may introduced in update 9 - oops!) have been fixed. I now know to test things extra thoroughly after API updates. ːsteamfacepalmː Details Upgraded to SteamVR 1.2.1 Decoys should no longer spawn for a single frame and disappear Decoys and arrows won't fade out while still being held Goblin sling stones hit the player again (they'll be much harder now - sorry!) Teleporting in combat isn't free anymore Menus are working properly again Dropped DirectX 9 support (everything is DX11 now) Enabled error reports for enhanced troubleshooting Thanks to those who reported issues so I could fix them. Hope you enjoy!
- Update 9 - 9 March 2017
Update 9 is live! Now with less decimal places! Devlog: https://youtu.be/7ifFAC8PaDM Details: This update brings a new activity - the practice range! The practice range is accessible from the main level, and becomes available once you're finished the tutorial. Brush up on your archery skills while you try for a new high score, or just practice bouncing arrows off the floor into a goblin's face. Whatever you decide to do, the practice range will give you a chance to see the creatures of Nock: Hidden Arrow in a new light. As always, I'd love to hear what you think. Try it out and let me know what I can do to make it better!
- Update 9 - 9 March 2017
Update 9 is live! Now with less decimal places! Devlog: https://youtu.be/7ifFAC8PaDM Details: This update brings a new activity - the practice range! The practice range is accessible from the main level, and becomes available once you're finished the tutorial. Brush up on your archery skills while you try for a new high score, or just practice bouncing arrows off the floor into a goblin's face. Whatever you decide to do, the practice range will give you a chance to see the creatures of Nock: Hidden Arrow in a new light. As always, I'd love to hear what you think. Try it out and let me know what I can do to make it better!
- Update 0.1.1.1 - 19 January 2017
Update 0.1.1.1 is live! Devlog: https://youtu.be/PHlm4IMYCq0 Details: Movement changes. Unlimited teleporting when exploring. Movement limited in combat, especially if you enter melee range. This should make exploration feel more free, and combat feel a bit more tense and interesting. Arrow tracers. Optional trajectory prediction lets you see where your arrows will go. Options are off/on/on demand. Enable in the menu if you want it. New enemy type (Finally!) Ranged goblins give a sort of archers duel experience and give you more to think about if you're in combat with a mix of melee and ranged enemies at the same time. As always, please let me know what you think. I want to make Nock the best game I can, and your feedback helps a lot. Cheers!
- Update 0.1.1.1 - 19 January 2017
Update 0.1.1.1 is live! Devlog: https://youtu.be/PHlm4IMYCq0 Details: Movement changes. Unlimited teleporting when exploring. Movement limited in combat, especially if you enter melee range. This should make exploration feel more free, and combat feel a bit more tense and interesting. Arrow tracers. Optional trajectory prediction lets you see where your arrows will go. Options are off/on/on demand. Enable in the menu if you want it. New enemy type (Finally!) Ranged goblins give a sort of archers duel experience and give you more to think about if you're in combat with a mix of melee and ranged enemies at the same time. As always, please let me know what you think. I want to make Nock the best game I can, and your feedback helps a lot. Cheers!
- Update 0.1.1.0 - 11 January 2017
Update 0.1.1.0 is live! Check out the update video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENWho3cjUJA Details: AI has been completely rewritten. Moved from behaviour trees to Utility AI. The most noticeable difference so far is enemies are a lot smarter about how they approach. As a result, they're a lot harder to hit when they're aware of you. Smaller enemies tend to be more maneuverable and harder to hit as a result. You have to work for your headshots now. Overall this change makes stealth a more attractive option in many cases. The new AI is still a bit rough. Please report any oddities you encounter in your adventures. Enemy numbers have been reduced in Outskirts and Foothold to compensate for their increased difficulty. Ingress has been removed from the campaign, as I think the sudden shift from adventure to unforgiving dont-be-seen pure stealth gameplay was a bit harsh. For those…
- Update 0.1.1.0 - 11 January 2017
Update 0.1.1.0 is live! Check out the update video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENWho3cjUJA Details: AI has been completely rewritten. Moved from behaviour trees to Utility AI. The most noticeable difference so far is enemies are a lot smarter about how they approach. As a result, they're a lot harder to hit when they're aware of you. Smaller enemies tend to be more maneuverable and harder to hit as a result. You have to work for your headshots now. Overall this change makes stealth a more attractive option in many cases. The new AI is still a bit rough. Please report any oddities you encounter in your adventures. Enemy numbers have been reduced in Outskirts and Foothold to compensate for their increased difficulty. Ingress has been removed from the campaign, as I think the sudden shift from adventure to unforgiving dont-be-seen pure stealth gameplay was a bit harsh. For those…
- Update 0.1.0.4 - 24 December 2016
Update 0.1.0.4 is live! Here's the update video: https://youtu.be/FL1L9IzkfFI I've mostly been working on background AI stuff this week. While that doesn't bring any visible changes, I do have a few things for you. Details: Combat music. When you enter combat now, action music spools up. Play in your own game trailer! Volume controls for this will be coming in a future update. Improved grab zones for bows, arrows, and decoys. This should feel much more natural now. If you have any troubles grabbing these objects, please let me know! Improved haptic feedback for bow and arrow. The feedback you get will vary in strength with how fast you pull, and how far you've drawn the string back. I welcome feedback on how this feels. Haptic feedback for levers (and, later, other objects). You'll now feel it when you pull levers. As with the improved bow feel, this will vary with how fast you pull. Th…
- Update 0.1.0.4 - 24 December 2016
Update 0.1.0.4 is live! Here's the update video: https://youtu.be/FL1L9IzkfFI I've mostly been working on background AI stuff this week. While that doesn't bring any visible changes, I do have a few things for you. Details: Combat music. When you enter combat now, action music spools up. Play in your own game trailer! Volume controls for this will be coming in a future update. Improved grab zones for bows, arrows, and decoys. This should feel much more natural now. If you have any troubles grabbing these objects, please let me know! Improved haptic feedback for bow and arrow. The feedback you get will vary in strength with how fast you pull, and how far you've drawn the string back. I welcome feedback on how this feels. Haptic feedback for levers (and, later, other objects). You'll now feel it when you pull levers. As with the improved bow feel, this will vary with how fast you pull. Th…
- Update 0.1.0.3 - 17 December 2016
Update 0.1.0.3 is here! Here's the devlog: https://youtu.be/42y3bGG8UlM Details: New play mode Free Play - allows you to play whichever missions you want without completing the story. Choose your favourite mission types. Completely replaced hit detection system. Meshes are used for collision instead of hitboxes. Much more accurate, and allows better handling for things like hitting flesh vs armor. Ricochets! Send me your craziest trick shots. New monster: The minotaur. Much tougher than orcs and goblins. Look for them in Foothold and Not Another Wave Shooter. That's what we've got for this week. Next week I'm going to start an AI overhaul, which will be the first step toward more interesting monster behaviour than "run toward hunter and swing."
- Update 0.1.0.3 - 17 December 2016
Update 0.1.0.3 is here! Here's the devlog: https://youtu.be/42y3bGG8UlM Details: New play mode Free Play - allows you to play whichever missions you want without completing the story. Choose your favourite mission types. Completely replaced hit detection system. Meshes are used for collision instead of hitboxes. Much more accurate, and allows better handling for things like hitting flesh vs armor. Ricochets! Send me your craziest trick shots. New monster: The minotaur. Much tougher than orcs and goblins. Look for them in Foothold and Not Another Wave Shooter. That's what we've got for this week. Next week I'm going to start an AI overhaul, which will be the first step toward more interesting monster behaviour than "run toward hunter and swing."
- Update 0.1.0.2 - 9 December 2016
Update 0.1.0.2 is here! Details: Changed default graphics settings for improved performance. All the same options are there, but the defaults are more sane. In particular, Ambient Occlusion is very costly in VR, so it's disabled by default for all profiles except Extreme. Campaign discoverability improvement. Once you've completed the tutorial, you'll always spawn into the level select screen facing the campaign teleporters. I'm going to completely rework the level select process (the current setup kind of sucks), but this change should help for now. Added FXAA Antialiasing (and options to disable/change quality) Added Mixed Reality support (Forward Rendering). You can enable this in the menu. Note that there are performance considerations, as forward rendering is not as efficient for large numbers of lights. Only use this if you need it. I also recommend disabling bloom when running in…
- Update 0.1.0.2 - 9 December 2016
Update 0.1.0.2 is here! Details: Changed default graphics settings for improved performance. All the same options are there, but the defaults are more sane. In particular, Ambient Occlusion is very costly in VR, so it's disabled by default for all profiles except Extreme. Campaign discoverability improvement. Once you've completed the tutorial, you'll always spawn into the level select screen facing the campaign teleporters. I'm going to completely rework the level select process (the current setup kind of sucks), but this change should help for now. Added FXAA Antialiasing (and options to disable/change quality) Added Mixed Reality support (Forward Rendering). You can enable this in the menu. Note that there are performance considerations, as forward rendering is not as efficient for large numbers of lights. Only use this if you need it. I also recommend disabling bloom when running in…
- Trello Board - 6 December 2016
This is a duplicate of a pinned post in the discussion forums The Trello board for Nock: Hidden Arrow is up. In addition to being a place you can make suggestions and whatnot, this will soon be a place you can go to see what's coming up. Please go there to vote on what you want to see next. Leave a comment if what you want isn't already listed (public comments are enabled - please use your power wisely). https://trello.com/b/TQhDbo3b/nock-hidden-arrow
- Trello Board - 6 December 2016
This is a duplicate of a pinned post in the discussion forums The Trello board for Nock: Hidden Arrow is up. In addition to being a place you can make suggestions and whatnot, this will soon be a place you can go to see what's coming up. Please go there to vote on what you want to see next. Leave a comment if what you want isn't already listed (public comments are enabled - please use your power wisely). https://trello.com/b/TQhDbo3b/nock-hidden-arrow
- Update 0.1.0.1 is live - 3 December 2016
Our first update, 0.1.0.1, is now live for all users. This is a minor patch, including a few tweaks and fixes. Update 0.1.0.1 details Fix issue with dropped weapons thrashing in walls Make levers more responsive (better tracking to hands - they felt like they were moving through molasses before) Adjust Decoy pouch colliders to accommodate more body types. Ideally you'll have an easy time grabbing decoys no matter how short/tall/skinny/huge you are. Let me know how this works! Stay tuned for more content and fixes next week!
