Downgrade VR (+Desktop) by mao

made by mao for LD 40 (JAM)

Description

Every enemy you kill in this VR shooter reduces your stats. Shoot them quickly to get more points to finish the round, and finish rounds quickly to get RP (Restore Points)!

Your hitbox is on your head. Bullets will turn red if they are headed towards you.

The bars on the screen, going clockwise from the left, show: Your health, your score, the end-of-round RP bonus timer, and the streak timer.

Desktop controls: WASD/Arrow keys to move, Left Mouse to shoot, Left Shift or Right Mouse to crouch, Space to tiptoe, Esc to unfocus (hold to exit)

Update

I uploaded a new version, which contains the following important changes: - Music is no longer muffled in the main menu - Downgrades reset properly - Reduced hitbox size by a lot - Powerdown display at the top no longer clips through the wall - Available for desktop play

Both versions are available on the download page.

Notes

This game is a lot of firsts for me. First 3D game, first VR game, first game with music (even free music)...

There's a lot missing, most notably a main menu, any kind of SFX, a better font, damage feedback, and lava lamps.

I tested it with an HTC Vive; an Oculus Rift will probably work, but I haven't tested it. It is designed for room scale, but seated play still works pretty well.

Music credit

"Impact Prelude", "Ouroboros"
Kevin MacLeod ([incompetech.com])
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Windows	https://woofmao.itch.io/downgrade
HTML5 (web)	[Coming soon]
Windows	https://woofmao.itch.io/downgrade
Original URL	https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/downgrade-vr

Ratings

Given

7🗳️

10🗨️

Feedback

dirkinz

06. Dec 2017 · 00:33 UTC

Really fun! Most people won't be able to play it because it's VR but still really awesome.

🎤 mao

06. Dec 2017 · 01:43 UTC

@dirkinz Thanks! I added a desktop version so people can play it without a headset now.

DWulff

06. Dec 2017 · 05:58 UTC

I had a lot of fun with this one even not with a headset. In VR I can imagine this being even more intense for sure. All of it is very nicely done, those sound effects would have made it really satisfying to shoot things!

_for_science

10. Dec 2017 · 20:49 UTC

Nicely done. The minimalist art style works well for the bullet hell gameplay. The restore point system seems a really nice touch, but I'm not entirely sure how it worked exactly and I most certainly used it wrong. :laughing:
Is there a more in-depth explanation that I'm missing? If not you could you elaborate on that a little more? I'd certainly revisit it once I fully understand what I'm doing.

Until then that's my score... is that good/bad?
![downgrade.jpg](///raw/79c/2/z/e72d.jpg)

*On a selfish note*: As you seem to have access to a VR headset, I would love if you could try our own VR game [**Rattletrap VR**](https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/rattletrap-vr) and let us know what you think. Cheers! :thumbsup:

ArcticMattekar

10. Dec 2017 · 20:51 UTC

Played it with an Oculus Rift and it works great. I think you forgot to include the UnityPlayer.dll (but I had my own).

I like that it is designed for room-scale, especially that it is a game where I don't get VR sickness. I was a bit confused by the running bar on the top though.

My score is much worse than that of @for-science: only 337 in 2 rounds :slight_frown:

Keep it up :grinning:

🎤 mao

11. Dec 2017 · 04:44 UTC

@for-science If you got that score, you must understand it at least a little! :grinning: My best is 994 points in 5 rounds. What exactly are you confused about?

@arcticmattekar Cool, thanks for telling me it works! Are you talking about the ticker on the top, or the bar at the bottom? The ticker shows what downgrades you last received. It's mostly just there to assure you that the enemies are indeed making the game harder. The white bar beneath the score is the streak meter. Killing enemies quickly gives more points, but the bonus resets when the bar runs out all the way. I probably should've added a multiplier indicator to show that it increases your score.

Here's an [infodump](https://pastebin.com/8BbMCUvZ) with a lot of information about the RP system and some other stuff. I'll draw some images to serve as a short instruction manual tomorrow.

Space_man

11. Dec 2017 · 07:43 UTC

That was fun, enjoyed dodging around a swarm of bullets while shooting enemies. Nice to get to play a VR game from the jam! The restore points were a bit confusing, it wasn't really clear what the numbers meant and how I was affecting things by spending them.

_for_science

11. Dec 2017 · 08:45 UTC

@mao Ah I get where the downgrade system comes from now. I was mostly wondering why the numbers kept going up and didn't make the connection with enemy colors! When I played it I mostly invested a few points in Score, then some in Health and then threw the rest around randomly a little. :laughing:

I'll have to give it another try soon and try to beat my score.