Hello Everybody. I hope you are all doing well. It has been a while since I last posted an update on Panther VR. A lot of stuff happened the last few months, including some that are not so fun. I’ve missed the community surrounding Panther VR, and it's good to finally have the ti
Hello Everybody.
I hope you are all doing well. It has been a while since I last posted an update on Panther VR. A lot of stuff happened the last few months, including some that are not so fun. I’ve missed the community surrounding Panther VR, and it's good to finally have the time to write another update. However, this update is also one of the hardest I’ve ever written. Since it is also the one that brings some heavy news.
The end of Wolfdog
It may not come as a surprise that the last few years have been a hard one. The moment we started Panther, we were at a pretty stable moment. We finished our work on our previous game (Skyworld) and we had big plans for Panther VR. The future of VR looked bright and business was going well. We launched the crowdfunding campaign for Panther VR, and it was well received. We had some funding to work on the first version, and we received a lot of support from the community and people around me.
But then Covid struck. It was something that somebody could expect. While I can count myself lucky as it did not affect the health of the people around me, including myself, it still took a massive hit on our production. It botched up our initial release moment and put the game in a difficult position. It was another massive blow to the game. The amazing support from our community, family and friends kept us going. I wanted to make a game that you all would love to play. So, we started a full rework with a new regeneration of headsets, software, knowledge, and funding.
Things did start to get better for Panther VR. We made some big improvements to the game with some huge updates. The quality of the game improved, and it started to look more like the game we had envisioned. We fixed a lot of issues and added a lot of new content. The new progression update would finally made it a full gaming experience. With some leftover funds, we could afford some help during the earlier updates, but after that, it was just me left as a single developer. I was too stubborn to drop the development of the game and I wanted to finish this personal project at all cost.
Unfortunately, these costs were bigger than expected. Due to dwindling funding, I had to resort to work-for-hire jobs to keep it going. While it did help for some time, it also gave me way less time to work on the game. And since I’m the only developer working on this project, it stretched out development time from what could take weeks to months.
The development went on for a while like that, but combined with some personal issues last year, it put me against a wall. Funding was depleted and time to develop the game was sometimes ever rarer. I did everything in my power to avoid it, but last month I came to the conclusion that it could no longer continue like this. The cost of living has greatly increased in the last months. This life is no longer viable for my health and living situation. That is why, with great sadness, I’m closing down Wolfdog Interactive. It is a tough decision to make, but it is the only one I can make at this time.
What will happen to Panther VR?
The closure of the studio also marks the end of my time as a developer. Unfortunately, this also ends the professional development of Panther VR. It pains me to even write it, as I’m still too stubborn to let it go. But the professional development is taking such a huge emotional and financial toll on my life, that it is not worth it anymore to continue it as a job. It would give anything to give you all a game that Panther could have been. I’m truly devastated that we did not reach that point with Wolfdog and with all the support we've gathered over the years.
However, since the professional development is officially stopping, I might still continue with the game at some point in the future when life allows me to do that. Deep down, I'm still in love with Panther, and the community that surrounds it, but it's so hard to see how I can continue in this way. The VR part it taking up so much time, that picking up the development for VR is a giant barrier to pass. Maybe a non-VR version will be the way to go forward again. Only time can tell.
The end of Wolfdog also means that there won't be any future projects. (Not that we were planning any). I'm also taking a step back from game development in general. We will close downs all social media pages, including our company website. We will leave the discord channel and email online, since some community members are still using them, and we still want to provide support for the people who are still playing the game.
Since I can't make any more development process in the short future, I find it only fair to reduce the price of Panther VR in according to what is already present. Sales will also go up to lower the price even further.
However,
How it came to be
To properly close off this chapter, I wanted to share with you why I needed to make this decision. Hopefully, it can give you an insight in what occurred. I'm always aiming to be as transparent and open as possible, so I hope that this would add to that. And maybe our experience can help another (VR)game developer, who might encounter similar problems.
Please don’t see this as a way to put the blame on something else. I will take full responsibly for the mistakes we might have made during our journey. We are all human and we are ever learning. But I want to put some things in perspective, since the life of a developer can be shrouded in mystery. It always starts by looking at yourself and your mistakes and miscalculations that you make on the way. Maybe the project was too big to begin with, our money could be better spent, or things could have been developed differently. It may be some, it may be all. It is always easier to look back at those moments. But I'm still proud of what we made, and I can honestly tell you that I have done everything that we can to make it work.
Main reason 1 - Funding
The biggest reason is funding. I’ve started making games as a hobby, but at some point are adults who need to pay bills. So, I was lucky enough to turn my hobby into work. The upside of this is that your work is awesome, but the downside is that you always need to make an earning from games to stay alive. While this was not a struggle in the beginning, it became increasingly harder with the stagnation of the VR market. We made a decent earning with side projects, and the initial funding of Panther VR gave us a bit of breathing room. But it turns out that making games can be very expensive. So much that it drained our funding harder than expected. To put things in perspective: we did not make a single cent of profit on Panther VR. The income on the game, which is already low as it is, only decreased the cost of the investment. Somehow we kept afloat for a while (still don't know how), but last year it reached a tipping point in which it would never be profitable to work on Panther VR. Only our passion and community support kept it going. Now it was never my main goal to be rich. I just wanted to make a game that I'm passioned about and share that with the world. But I was hoping, as a bare minimum, that the project could at least help me with the cost of living. Unfortunately, it never did.
Main reason 2 - (PC)VR is not going well
I’m still passionate about VR. I had the honor to work with Valve and Vertigo Games on one of the first VR games to be made for the first generation of VR headsets. I enjoy working with VR, and the initial people and influencers surrounding the VR community were amazing. I saw a bright future for VR and was happy to be a part of it. The game industry is already overcrowded, but VR was a part that was ready to be explored and to grow with. For a while, this went perfect. Sales went up, and the community was flourishing.
But as some of you might know, things are not looking like that anymore. VR is still not hitting the marks as was expected, and it does not look bright for the future as well. Sales are not increasing in a steady line. This is not only for us, but I hear the same stories from befriended VR developers. While VR usage has increased on paper, it does convey to an increase in sale. I also need to share that developing for VR is also more difficult than working on a normal game. Building mechanics for VR requires way more time and effort. While I did love to explore those new mechanics, it was not always as fun as it sounded.
It does not help at all that there are countless VR headsets out there. All with their own unique controller and input systems. This makes it even harder to build and test a game. Everything you build needs to work and be tested on a dozen of different expensive headsets. This is very difficult as a single developer with limited time and budget. And if your game does not work on all those countless headsets, pc setups and virtual desktops, it does not bode well for your game. I fully understand that people are upset when it does not properly work on their unique setup, but as a small developer, it took an unreasonable amount of work and time to make it perfect for everyone. I am not positive that this will change in the future.
I truly had fun working on our games. But I noticed, that during the last month, these negative aspects of the VR market took away all the fun and passion for VR. I’m happy for all the other developers who made it this far, and I wish all the best for VR and its community. But I know that a lot of (small) developers are struggling more than they care to admit.
Thank you all
I look back on an awesome journey with some wonderful people. Even though the last years were though, it gave me also one of the best experiences in life. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some amazing people and felt the love of a supportive community. But there comes an end to everything, and this came faster than I would have wanted it to be.
I would want to thank everyone involved in the development of the game. Big thank to friends and family who supported me since the beginning. I’m also very grateful for the wonderful community that surrounded the game over the years. They mean more to me than they might think. <3
If you have any questions regarding this news or the game, please feel free to ask. I will try to answer them all.
With that, I wish you all the best in life. Stay healthy and happy.
Hi everyone, The summer is almost coming to an end, and we hope you all had a great time. After a strange couple of years, it was refreshing to have a kind of normal summer again, and we took some short time off to replenish our energy. But progress on Panther VR keeps moving on,
Hi everyone,
The summer is almost coming to an end, and we hope you all had a great time. After a strange couple of years, it was refreshing to have a kind of normal summer again, and we took some short time off to replenish our energy. But progress on Panther VR keeps moving on, and so it is time for a new dev blog. This time we are talking about making improvements to the game. It is fun to add new stuff (and there will be a lot in 0.1.3) but looking at what is already there is also important. We took some time during this new update to polish some content. The feeling of a game depends a lot on how things feel and work. And creating that extra layer of attention to details and feeling is essential.
That is why we are talking about improvement and polish. With an upgrade to physics and interaction, Improvements to AI and guards and adding an extra layer of love to sounds, performance increases and replayability.
Development and Future of Panther VR
With this new dev blog we want to show you that we are still working on Panther VR despite taking a bit longer for this update. We really value your support and patience. We also believe that it is for the best to tell you more about this development process and why things are taking a bit longer. That is why I'm pulling away the curtain on this process so far and what you can expect from Panther VR in the future. We want to be fully honest with you all, and we are so grateful to have such an amazing community. You can read more about it in our special Development Update.
PLEASE NOTE: The content in this blog is a preview of what is to come, and can not be found in the live version of the game just yet. It will be added when the next Progression update (0.1.3) is released.
Let start with the new improvements to the physics system. Interaction with physics is important to the feel of a VR game. That is why we improved the hand physics for the player. In the last update, you are not able yet to physically interact with the world. It was not possible to touch or move objects with holding them, and your hand would move through the wall. It made feel the world less present.
With the new physics improvements, you are now able to push and interact with objects while moving your hands. They will now also interact with walls and larger objects, giving you a more immersive experience.
Overall physics improvements
With the changes to the physics systems comes a lot of different overall improvements as well. Doors interaction, which you encounter regularly, are now massively improved. They now slide way more smooth, and feel way better as an interaction. Item and overall collision with the world is improved. The same goes for rag doll physics for the guards. They now fall more naturally and collide better with themselves and the environment.
Details
Hands now physically interacts with items
Hands now physically interacts with environment
Improvements to rag doll physics
Improvements to door physics
Improvements to object colliders.
Fixed several physics based bugs
AI Improvements
A good thief cannot properly do its jobs without a good security guard. They already had a massive rework in our 0.1.2 update. However, after some play testing and great feedback from the community, we made some more improvements. We tweaked their AI behavior and made some new adjustments to make them smarter and more aware.
There are some changed on how they will spot the player, and how they communicate with each other. We increased their perception, while in turn giving you a short margin or error before they start detection you. They will react better to gunfire, sounds, and movement. We fixed some pathfinding issues. We also improved their overall feeling. Polishing their voices over the radio, add more depth to takedowns with screams and extra effects.
Guardnames
With their improvements, we also wanted to make them feel more unique. That is why we added a small name tags, giving each guard their own unique identification. These names will be generated in each new mission.
This is where we want some amazing name ideas from our community. If you have a great surname you want us to put in the game, hit us up on the Panther VR discord. So that next time you play Panther VR with the 0.1.3 update, you can take down a guard with your name on it. :D
Join the Panther VR discord and submit your name for a guard. Panther VR Discord! .
Details
Overall Improvement of AI.
Fixed Pathfinding issues.
Making guard more aware of each other and the player.
Added a margin of error before they spot you.
Polished guard take-downs and voice lines.
Add guard name tags.
Performance improvements
Keeping a game running smooth is always important, but even more for VR. We want to keep that frame rate as high as possible throughout the game. The heists of Panther VR take place in a large open level. They are fun to explore, but also a challenge to optimize. We have revisited our optimizations systems and made some new improvements to them. There is a now a short loading time at the mission briefing, allowing the game to properly generate and optimize the mission. This short process is already showing some great Performance improvements during a mission.
Together with the new physics and AI fixes, the performance should be increased throughout the game.
Details
Increased overall performance
Added a load screen before the mission
Fixed several issues that reduced performance
Improved randomization
New spawning system
Replayability is a big goal for Panther VR. While we currently just have one heist location (with more on their way) all locations are fully randomized and unique each time you play. This was already the case in previous updates, but we made some great improvements to randomization, including our spawning system. We now have more and better control on where items and security spawns. This makes the level way more balanced and unique.
More replayability
We also greatly increase the items you can find, and with the new Thief scan from the last dev update, exploration feels more natural and rewarding. Security system and guard routes will now spawn in better locations and will connect more to your objectives. Some doorways and vents will now also be blocked, forcing the player to take new routes and choices to get to their objective.
While there is currently only one heist level, it is fully ramdomized on each play. New objective locatioms, spawn locations, escape location and guards routes. With this generation system this heist already has over 500.000 unique ways to generate. This amount is even larger with unique loot, weapon, security systems, and obstacle spawning.
Things that are randomly Generated each time you play
Mainobjective Location
Side objective Locations
Start Location
Escape Location
Guard Routes
Locked Doors
Obstacles [NEW in 0.1.3]
Securty Camera Locations
Router Locations
LaserFence Locations
Loot Locations
Lockboxes Locations
Explosives Locations [NEW in 0.1.3]
Health and ammo station locations
Melee weapon location
Security Station - Cameras Location [NEW in 0.1.3]
Security Station - Laserfence Location [NEW in 0.1.3]
Last update we talked about the new Thief scan. By pressing a button, you can scan your surroundings. This scan also briefly show where your objectives are located. We wanted to improve the information and guidance on what you are doing and what needs to be done next. This is why we added a new message system that helps you figure out what to do.
These new messages will pop up on completing an objective. This way you can keep better track of your progress. Here is a short preview on how that looks. You can also still acces the details in your pause menu.
As a thief, you are sneaking around a lot, but when you might find yourselves a gun fight. When bullets are exchanged, stuff will be destroyed. With this new update, we added some new destruction to the game. Screens and other items will be damaged when shot, and bullet impact will react according to what they hit. Water spills from containers and gas leaks from pipes. All adds to the immersion in the world.
Details
Added destruction for items
Unique Hit effects for enviroments
Sound Improvements and Bug fixes
Sound and Music
During our improvement process, we also took the time to upgrade our sounds. We added some new Ambient sounds to the heist, with a clear distinction between inside and outside. Gun shots sound differently indoors, and guards sounds better over the radio. Music volume is now adjusted based on what is happening, and the world feels overall more alive.
Bug fixes
And while are working on everything listed above, we fixed a huge list of bugs and issues, making the overall feel of the game smoother and better. Here is a compiled list of fixes.
Details
Fixed issues with security cameras not working
Fixed Pathfinding issue
Fixed issue where items fall through the floor
Fixed issue where rooms are not rendered correctly
Fixed issue where multiple routers spawn in a room
Fixed issue where loot spawn in wrong direction
Fixed Turning issues on Pimax
Fixed issues with grabbing the Main objective
Fixed backpack issues
Fixed that guards despawn with no cause
Fixed issue with weapon slots
Fixed issue where you could not pick up items on high ledges
Fixed reloading issues
Adressing input issues
I want to take this dev blog to also address some of the input issues we are experiencing. Panther VR is made for all kinds of headsets and inputs, and would run them on initial release. During the last updates and with time, it seems that there are some reoccurring input issues with some headsets, mainly with Windows mixed Reality headsets, and Virtual Desktop. All other headsets should work as expected.
We are still looking for a fix to iron out all input issues. We have an update to the input systems in our pipeline that should resolve the latest issues with certain headsets. We are sorry for those who really want to play the game but might have failed to do so due to this input issues. In the meantime, please read the following. Otherwise, keep Panther VR on your wishlist, and we will notify you on a future fix. :)
Windows mixed reality
As some of you know, this is a strange issue. It worked in the beginning, but suddenly it stopped. We already made several attempts to fix this, but since support for WMR is hard to find, it proved to be a bigger problem than we expected. Currently, WMR is not supported for Panther VR, but hopefully this issue will be fixed.
Virtual Desktop for Quest 2
Virtual desktop does actually work for Panther VR. However, there seems to be increasing more issues with input. If you are using VD and you are stuck in the main menu, then there is something wrong between VD and Panther VR.
Virtual Desktop is a third party software connection between you and the game. It is like playing a game on an emulator. We cannot provide proper support for this, but we want to resolve this issue as well. We hope that with the update to the input system, this issues will be resolved as well. But if you're encountering this issue, please check out our Virtual desktop guide for possible fix for you.
We are really looking forward to your reactions to this new Update. While it is taking a bit longer, we truly think that it will be a great step forward to Panther VR and the stealthgame we all want to see. :D
- Jesse
Roadmap
For more information about upcoming content, updates, and the latest fixes and features, you can check out our roadmap.
Discord
If you haven't already, don't forget to join the Panther VR Discord! Share your comments and suggestion with us and the community!
Socials
For more information about current and future updates, from Panther VR and other Wolfdog Interactive games, follow our Socials!
Hi everyone, Hope you are all doing well. Usually I’m writing a dev blog full of new content and features for the new update. But in this special blog, I want to talk about the development of Panther VR and what the future might look like. It is a post I want to write for a long
Hi everyone,
Hope you are all doing well. Usually I’m writing a dev blog full of new content and features for the new update. But in this special blog, I want to talk about the development of Panther VR and what the future might look like.
It is a post I want to write for a long time, but also one that is a bit scary. I always try to be open to others as I can be, but doing it on the internet can feel a bit vulnerable. However, with such an amazing community and people looking forward to the future of Panther, I think it is only fair to show more behind the curtain of the development of Panther VR. I think that being honest and open can only be better for the future of Panther VR.
So if you want to hear more about the game itself and new content, then check out the new blog, but if you are interested in a personal but maybe long story then please read on.
Before we can talk about the present and future, let’s talk about how it all began. I started making games as a hobby, and I had the incredible opportunity to grow it professionally. I rolled into VR by accident when it just started out, making one of the first showcase demos for the HTC VIVE in 2014 together with Vertigo Games. That demo grew to become a full VR game called Skyworld. We had some amazing fun making it, but after that we mainly became focused on work for hire. We helped out with several projects, including Arizona Sunshine, After the Fall. However, the passion to make a new game always stayed.
Since I am a massive fan of stealth games like Metal Gear Solid, Dishonored and Hitman, the idea to make a Stealth game for VR grew. That is why we started on Panther VR. Perhaps a big project for such a small team, but when you really want to make something that you like, it is hard to say no.
We made a showcase demo of Panther VR and started a Kickstarter campaign for it. We reached our goal and an incredible community started to form around the game. The funding gave us some extra time to work out the game a bit more, next to our work for hire jobs, and we started working on a first release.
But then, Corona happened. We already set a release date with the Upload VR summer showcase, but the first lockdowns hit us hard. Not only our work for hire took some big hits, but also the development on Panther VR suffered a lot. We tried our best, worked every moment of our free time to hit that first release, however even that was not enough. We gained a lot of publicity during the first release, but the game was not nearly what we wanted it to be. Although we still had some incredible feedback and support, some reaction were also though, yet still fair.
This period was not the best one in my life. The lockdown and covid took a great toll on my mental and physical state. Seeing a game bomb so hard on first release after you put all your love and effort into it was really difficult. People deserve a proper game, and knowing that you can deliver that, but was not able to do, really sucks. I was not proud of the first release, and knowing that it might have damaged future success of Panther VR, a game made out of a passion for stealth, drove me almost mad. I’m also not the person to give up on something. I listened to all the feedback that release gave me. The ongoing support and love from the community and loved ones surrounding me kept me going. We started started to work on a better version of Panther VR.
Our work for hire kept going on the side, and we worked on a big rework and update of Panther VR. We release 2 massive updates that completely changed the look and feel of Panther VR, to a version of the game that I can be proud of again. It lifted me from a dark time, and made me look forward to the future with more happiness.
Present
This brings us to the present. I’m still working on Panther VR and the next update is getting closer and closer. It is great to see that people are still enjoying the game and are looking forward to what is to come. I love showing some progress in the dev blogs, and believe that Panther VR can only exist with the community that surrounds it.
Why is it taking so long?
While the dev blogs shows a lot of progress to the game, I know that one question might still remain: why is it taking so long!? Well, this is also why I’m writing this post, to show you how the development is taking place and why updates are taking a bit longer than people might expect. I might have talking about it before, but with new people joining the community I think it is for the best to talk about it again.
Small team
Wolfdog Interactive might feel like a big company, but we always stayed small. It mostly consisted of just 2 people, surrounded by the support of other amazing friends. That team grew bigger and smaller over time, but always stayed small.
Rework
With the rough first launch that Panther had, the best thing we could do was to almost start over again. We reworked nearly everything. We updated all systems behind the scenes, redesigned the AI and game design, wrote a lot of new code and polished a lot of art. This updates are taking a lot of time, but are also necessary to build a solid foundation for the future of the game. This rework is still taking place with upcoming 0.1.3 update.
Funding
This might be one of the difficult things for most developers to talk about, but also one that I think should be discussed in light of being honest and open. We make games for fun. Nothing feels better than to see someone enjoy a game you made. I think most developers can vouch for that. However, we still need food and a place to live. Making games take a lot of time, and proper funding will free up more time to work on a game. The funding from the Kickstarter gave us a breathing moment to focus way more time on Panther VR. But the moment that dried out, we mainly got our funding from work for hire jobs on the side and income from Panther VR on Steam. This meant that we also needed to shift our time to work on the side instead of working full time on Panther VR.
This might be the hardest part to share, but as you might expect: VR games are not the best way to earn big time. While VR grew over time, sales are always harder to make if the amount of VR users is low compared to regular gamers. There are plenty of success stories of course. Just look at the amazing Beat Saber, Blade and Sorcery and other bigger names. But our rough first launch and choice of genre puts us in a different position. Being a smaller indie dev, with no funding for marketing. does not make it any easier.
To this day, the profits we made on Panther VR are not the biggest, but the work we are doing on the side is what it is keeping the game alive. When you are building a game out of passion, funding is not the most important part, yet it can put a strain on the time you are able to spent on it.
This might be a biggest reason why things are slower than usual. I really love to work on Panther VR, but it can only be done if I also do work on the side, which in turn takes up time of its own. So a lot of free time is spent on Panther VR to at least keep some development going. Hopefully that will change in the future.
Future
Speaking about the future, let's talk about what is to come for Panther VR. Next up on the horizon in the 0.1.3 Progression update. It is nearly done and almost ready for testing. This is the third in line of the larger, bigger rework updates. You can read more about the update in these posts:
At this time, I cannot say when the update 0.1.3 will go live. It will depend on the community testing and what might still need to be fixed. One thing we learned from our initial release is not to force and update. It will be ready when the time comes. I hope soon, because I’m really proud of the work so far on the 0.1.3 update.
So what will happen to Panther VR after the next update. Let's take the main concern away: this is not a blog talking about quitting. I still believe in the future of the game, and my work will still continue. :D But depending on how things go, and how much time will be available next to other jobs, I cannot predict the timespan. However, I want to discuss some possible options for Panther VR in the future.
Quest Standalone
Let's start with the most obvious and requested one: Quest 2 standalone. Since I just wrote about the lack of funding, a move to the Quest might be a good way to go. And I agree with that! The bad news is that that jump is not so easy to make then it sounds. The Quest has way less power than PC VR, so converting a game to the Quest is not easy. Luckily, the visual of Panther VR are made with that in mind, and we can tell that we have made a first working prototype of Panther VR for standalone. It does not run on acceptable fps just yet, but with work and time can be optimized to be played on the Quest. Still, this will take some extra time (already on short supply). Even then is very difficult to land on the official Quest store, however Side Quest might always be an option.
Non-VR
One other option I’m thinking about more and more is to make a non-vr version for the game. A version you can play and enjoy without a headset. I truly believe that Panther (VR) also has a future without VR, and opening the game up to the rest of the world, who does not own a headset, might just be the thing we need. Since the game is also designed for VR, we are not going to remove or replace VR, but it will help in the development of the game. Please don’t take it wrong, I love VR. I’ve made games for VR since the beginning. But making a game VR adds an extra difficulty level during the development process. There are so many things to take into consideration. And with the fast amount of new headsets, firmware, and engine updates overtime, the development of VR games can take a lot of extra time.
We also have a smaller prototype working for non-VR. We even test Panther VR during development in Non for convenience, and it still feels like a fun game to play. The next updates will still be for VR, but a non-VR version might be a thing in the future.
Smaller updates
That brings us to the last part. We already shared that the 0.1.3 will be last rework update. Once that goes live, we will share a new roadmap for the future with new content and update. While bigger and longer development times were necessary for these large updates, we are shifting to smaller updates after the 0.1.3. With fewer time available for Panther VR, we think that small and faster updates with just one or 2 new features are better for the ecosystem of the game. This in comparison to one massive update with a lot of content like we did so far.
New Content
The most important thing that everyone wants to see is new content. First up on the list are new levels. I can share that we are also working on a new level, but more are to follow in the future. Same goes for new weapons, gadgets, weapon attachements/upgrades, new security and many more. We also have some plans for new gamemodes. These new gamemodse will add a new level of depth and replayability to the to the game.
Conclusion
Well, that was a lot of information. It might be a lot to read, but I just wanted to get it of my chest. For those who made it this far, thank you so much for your time. I truly hope that I gave you a better understanding of what we are doing and why things are as you see now.
We want to thank you all for your amazing support and patience. I would not have made it so far without the love and care from those around me. Let's look back on all the fun we made so far, and look forward to a bright future for Panther VR.
Love you all
- Jesse
Love to chat
If you have any question about Panther VR, or the development, I love to hear it. I'm always open for feedback, suggestion and ideas. I will always try to give a responds back, and I will always respect what people will have to say. Just asking to keep things respecfull aswell. We are all humans and I think that we all want to see an amazing Stealth game :D. <3
Roadmap
For more information about upcoming content, updates, and the latest fixes and features, you can check out our roadmap.
Discord
If you haven't already, don't forget to join the Panther VR Discord! Share your comments and suggestion with us and the community!
Socials
For more information about current and future updates, from Panther VR and other Wolfdog Interactive games, follow our Socials!
Hi everyone, Our development so far Hope you are doing okay? It has been a while since we last posted, so it is time for an another Dev blog! :D We have been working hard on the progression (0.1.3) update. It contains a lot of new stuff and content. (way more that we planned) The
Hi everyone,
Our development so far
Hope you are doing okay? It has been a while since we last posted, so it is time for an another Dev blog! :D We have been working hard on the progression (0.1.3) update. It contains a lot of new stuff and content. (way more that we planned) The biggest part of the development time consist of adding new future-proof systems behind the scenes. For a while, the update was in an "under construction state", meaning that all the system will still separate and not fully playable yet. Luckily, we are finally heading into a phase where things are connecting with each other, and the final results of the progression system are slowly coming together.
This mean that we are also able so show some more progress in this new dev blog. Before we dive into the new progression system (Sneak peek at the end), we will share some more information about the new weapons, and the new Thief scan (Panther Vision) system, and the new Security Consoles.
We can once again add a bit more depth to Panther VR with the addition of new weapons! From a new handgun to some larger weapons, you will now be able to choose what you take with you on your mission. Take aim with the sniper, or blast your way in with the shotgun.
If you don't want to shoot your way in, try out the new Thief scan. Reveal the locations of your objective and see where you found important items. Search for the new security consoles and download the locations of Security systems to give you a heads-up on the next room. It will all be explained in this new dev blog!
PLEASE NOTE: The content in this blog is a preview of what is to come, and can not be found in the live version of the game just yet. It will be added when the next Progression update (0.1.3) is released.
First up is our new Revolver. The Slagter revolver is a more powerful handgun that deals more damage than the normal pistol. However, this increase in strength comes with a lower magazine size, larger knock back and a slower reload time. You can still reload the revolver with a full clip, but this weapon comes with its own unique reloading mechanic. Before you can insert a new magazine, you need to open the chamber and remove the old clip. The weapon also makes more noise than the Silenced Pistol, so it is better suited for combat situations instead of stealth.
You can use the revolver as a one-handed weapon for more speed, but holding it with 2 hands gives more accuracy in return. Since this is a small weapon, you can store the revolver in your holsters.
Our next new weapon is the Shotgun. The Krauger shotgun is a tactical pump action gun, that can quickly take down heavy enemies. Each slug fires a spread of deadly pellets into your target. It deals a great amount of damage up close, but loses out in longer range fights. The high damage output comes with a slow reload time. You need to pump the weapons after each shot, and the very limited capacity forces you to insert a new clip after just a few shots.
The Krauger is also the first new large weapon, meaning that you can only bring one on your mission. You can still fire the shotgun with one hand, but you need both for a fast reload. The shotgun is a very loud weapon, so it's not advisable in to use while sneaking around.
Next up is my personal favorite new weapon: the Sniper. The Lehrer is a deadly long range weapon that can be used for taking down a guard while you stay safe and sound on your vantage point. The sniper comes equipped with a large scope. You can take some long distance precision shots at guards, security cameras or other targets.
The bullets have a really fast travel time and high damage output, but hitting a target, especially a moving one, can take some practice. You also need to reload the rifle after each shot, and the magazine has a limited amount of bullets. Since it is still VR, you can always use the rifle with one hand, and hit a guards up close. (if you keep missing the long range shots)
Besides adding some new weapons to play with, we also gave an update to the the old ones. We made a visual update for the pistol and the rifle to keep in more in line with the new weapons. In addition to the art update, we also changed the ammo counter. This now shows you an exact amount instead of just the bars. We also changed the feel of the weapons, included more details to the recoil, and added new particles affects. We also changed all the sounds of the weapons, and fired shots now sound differently in closed spaces in comparison to outside.
Dual wielding
We will discuss the new inventory and progression system in a later dev blog. But we can reveal that in with the new update, you are able to choose your own weapons to take with you on your mission. This makes it possible to bring multiple pistols, giving you the ability to dual wield. Why not try a combination of the pistol and the new revolver?
We changed up the holographic sight on our weapons. It should now look and function as its real life counterpart. The target is now a proper projection, so you can only see it through the sight. This also makes the weapon more accurate if you aim it right.
Attachments (future update)
The look and feel of a weapon depends a lot on its attachments. We can say for certain that there will be an attachment system in the included in the game. But seeing how much time this progression update is taking already, we have decided to move the weapon customization system to a later update. But fear not! We are giving the current weapons their owns unique feel and play style with their own unique attachments for the time being. We do see a future for the game in which you can customize your own weapons and pick your own attachments. Adding silencers or sights to each of your weapons and changing up their stats and feel. So yeah, we do want to see that in the game!
That being said. You will need to unlock the new weapons in the progression. More on that soon!
New - Shooting Range
With all the new weapons and updated old ones, it would be a shame if you are not able to test them out before setting out on a mission. We have been very busy with the hideout, and one of the new additions will be the shooting range. This range gives you the ability to try them out and see how much damage they do. (Also works great for testing the weapons for development purpose).
It would not be a proper Panther VR devblog without showing you a new mechanic. It also a mechanic I wanted to seeIntroducing the Thief Scan or “Panther Vision” as it was called during development. With this new mechanic, you are now able to start a scan of your surroundings
Exploration
The scan starts fairly basic. In the (old) current live version, you are always able to see a marker to your objective location. With the new update, these markers are now “hidden’ and can only be seen for a short amount of time with a Thief Scan. Since the Thief scan takes a short time to recharge (or you can choose not to use it), It gives more room for exploration in the game, instead of just always blindly following the markers to your objective *.
If you discover important objects, like Healing stations, ammo lockers or locked doors, they will now be added to your scan as well. This means that if you start your scan, you will be able to see their locations through walls and objects for a short time as well.
So what about guards and cameras? Well, we don’t want to make the game too easy. This is why guards will never show up on the scan. You are still able to tag them like you used to. For cameras however, we have another new feature that might help with that.
DEVELOPER COMMENT: *Exploration is one of the key parts of Panther VR. We are working on ways to increase the sense of exploration. With the addition of Thief Scan, we want to add a new level to your exploration experience, without the feeling of being lost. We hope that with remove the mission markers outside the scan, we are forcing the player to explore a bit more.
We do have some plans on the shelf that might change that a bit more in the future. We would love to see a point in the game where the object locations are unknown, and you need to track them down by following clues you find around the location. We would love to hear your thoughts on this!
Also introducing: the new Security Consoles. These Msec Security console will spawn randomly across the map, and act as master controller for their respective systems. You can find two separate versions. There will be a Camera Console, which controls all the cameras in the locations, and you can find the Laser Fence Terminal, which controls all the laser fences and security routers.
Once you located one of the consoles, you can hold your hacking devices against the screen to download all the locations of their dedicated systems. Once your upload is complete, the locations of the cameras (Camera Console) or laser fences (Laser fence Terminal) will be added to your Thief Scan.
These locations will be revealed for a short time during your Thief Scan. This give you an opportunity to plan out your approach and will give you a slight advantage on what is to come in the next room. However, you will first need to find these consoles, before the cameras or laser fences are revealed to you. Time to explore, Panther!
Your input!
We would love to hear your input on exploration, the Thief Scan and the Security Consoles. We want to hear your suggestions or ideas! :D
Sneak Peek Progession system
While we are making great strides with the progression system, we are still not fully ready to showcase it. However, there is always room for a sneak peek. With this time: a quick look at the expansion of the armory, adding all kinds of new stuff to do in your hideout. More on this soon! :D
CONCLUSION
We are really looking forward to your reactions to this new Hacking System. We want to give players the tools to create their own path and adventure and we think this is another step in the right direction. We can't wait for you to test it out!
- Jesse
Roadmap
For more information about upcoming content, updates, and the latest fixes and features, you can check out our roadmap.
Discord
If you haven't already, don't forget to join the Panther VR Discord! Share your comments and suggestion with us and the community!
Socials
For more information about current and future updates, from Panther VR and other Wolfdog Interactive games, follow our Socials!
Hi everyone, Some words before the blog. We hope you are all safe and sound. It has been some strange couple of years, and last week's events made it even stranger. Like everyone else, we are also hoping for the best and that things will return to normal as soon as possible. We a
Hi everyone,
Some words before the blog.
We hope you are all safe and sound. It has been some strange couple of years, and last week's events made it even stranger. Like everyone else, we are also hoping for the best and that things will return to normal as soon as possible. We are against any act of violence and we wish that everyone involved remains safe and in good health. We hope to share positivity, love, and care in any way that we can.
It is a strange feeling to live our lives and continue with work as normal while events are evolving in the world. We started making games to make people feel better and happier in their lives, so it hurts to see the sadness and danger unfold in the world. We can only hope that besides doing what we can do for each other on a personal level, we can also bring some joy and happiness with our work on this game.
We wish everyone the best in the world, be kind to each other and stay safe
For peace <3
The update so far
So let's share with you all what we have been working on and what is in store for the next update. The first two updates were focused on reworking the core mechanics of the game. Now that has been greatly improved (besides some bugs that will be fixed), it is now time to look at new content and to create more depth to the game, elevating it more to a full experience. You may also have noticed that we tend to release larger updates to the game, with a lot of new content, changes, and reworks. Updates like these take up a lot of time to build, and being a team of 2 does not make it any faster. However, we are doing the best we can to make update 0.1.3 an amazing addition to the potential of this game.
Since the first day after the release of update 0.1.2, we have been hard at work on the next update. As the name suggests, we are now focussing on the progression systems of the game. We are adding a large system behind the curtains to support a level system, unlocking/customizing weapons, upgrading your gear/skills, and we are also exploring possibilities for new heist missions and game modes for future updates. So a lot of work has been put into this new big progression system which is the main feat of the upcoming update. This system still needs a bit more work and testing before we can showcase some new progressions features. [Besides giving a small sneak peek below ;)]
However, we have also been working on the side on some “minor” new features and content, and we would love to show off some of those new additions in the dev blog: this time we want to share the new Hacking system with you!
PLEASE NOTE: The content in this blog is a preview of what is to come, and can not be found in the live version of the game just yet. It will be added when the next Progression update (0.1.3) is released.
Since the release of the game, we are getting a lot of suggestions and requests from the community. Among those requests were suggestions for a Hacking mechanic. Being a thief surrounded by security systems begging to be hacked, it was a logical next step to introduce this system to Panther VR. We take great value in suggestions and ideas from the community so that is why we started working on this new Hacking mechanic.
The new system introduces a new hacking device, that just like the syringe, is part of your base gear. It can be found on the wrist slot on the other hand. The hacking devices can be used quickly with one hand and give the player an opportunity to hack security systems and other electronics. The screen on the device shows information about the current target, and what options are available to choose from. Just grab the device from your wrist, aim at the target and hold the trigger to initiate the hack. After a short upload time, your hack will be executed and the targeted device will obey.
You will always start a mission with a full charge. The device will hold a certain amount of charges (which can be upgraded in the new progression system) and each hack has its own cost depending on how powerful it is. It will also be possible to find batteries during a mission that will provide you with additional charges. It is the perfect tool for any thief and a great new addition to your arsenal.
There is already a list of devices that you will be able to hack, and the list will grow in future updates. Let's start with the most common one that you might encounter during your mission. Security cameras are widespread across each location and can spot you at any time.
The best way to get rid of them before hacking was just to straight-up shoot/destroy them. This option is still possible, but destroyed devices would always leave a trace. Now, with this new hacking device, you can silently hack and disable a camera without any trace. Just point at the camera and upload the hack until the camera is disabled.
Next up are those pesky laser fences. They can now also be disabled by hacking them. You can choose to hack a router to shut them all down in a room, or you can now also target them individually with a smaller hack.
This brings us also to something new. It is possible to choose between a couple of options on a single device. Just press the Primary action button (reload button) to switch between the available options. In the case of the laser fence you can choose between these:
Option 1: Shutdown laser fence [2 Charges]
Option 2: Convert Laser fence to do damage to guards [3 Charges]
With the second option, you are able to turn security devices against the guards. Convert the laser fence to your side and you will be able to walk right through the lasers, but now the guards will take a nasty blow when they walk through the gate. These options will create new methods and combinations to lure guards into their own demise.
Another obstacle that you will encounter during your heist are locked doors with keycard readers. You could only unlock those doors by finding the right keycard, or “bypass” the readers by destroying them. With the new hacking device, it is now also possible to hack them from a distance. Not only is this a lot safer, but it unlocks the door without leaving a trace.
Keycards
With the hacking device you can also store keycards you find during your heist. Just insert them into your device and you are now able to unlock the doors with the same encryption by simply holding your device against the reader. With the keycard encryption downloaded to the device, all hacking actions on the door with the same clearance level are now completely free of charge.
With this new mechanic, you can hack even more devices than security systems. We already added some new mechanical devices that you can find around the level that can aid you during your heist. Here are two devices as an example, and more will follow in the future.
Distractions
Use your surroundings to create a distraction for guards. Hack a radio or a TV to create noise and a temporary distraction for the guards, giving you a better opportunity to sneak by.
Eliminations
It is also possible to use the environment as a weapon against the guards. You can now hack fuse boxes for a nasty surprise. The initial hack will lure a curious guard closer, and when they get close enough they will be zapped by a jolt of electricity.
More to follow with your suggestions.
We would love to add more of these hacking opportunities inside each level. So we would love to hear your ideas and suggestions on what might be fun or a cool device to hack!
With the addition of the new interaction you can have with your hacking device, we are also looking for other different ways you might interact with the world. We would love to see a game and a world that feels like a sandbox for a stealth player. This means more interaction with the environment and the world around you. Adding interaction that makes it feel more alive and adding to the opportunities to create your own route and story. That is why we are also adding some new world interactions, and more to follow in the future.
Birds
You can now find groups of birds on the outside and roofs. These birds flock together and can form a new obstacle to overcome. Getting too close might trigger the birds to fly away, which creates a lot of extra noise that the guards might hear. However, you can also use them to your advantage, shooting them from afar might create the distraction that you have been looking for.
Fire extinguisher
There were already some fire extinguishers scattered across the levels, but now you can also interact with them. Shoot the extinguisher to create a nasty explosion and a blanket of fog. The burst will knock closeby guards unconscious, so it's a creative way to maintain your no-kill streak, while also getting rid of a group of guards.
Your input!
Just as with the hacking mechanics, we would love to hear your input on what should be more intractable in the world. We want to hear your suggestions or ideas! :D
Sneak Peek Progession system
Here is a short peek at the new progression system. Added new loot and resources for crafting and potential new weapons and skins. More on that in a later Dev post!
CONCLUSION
We are really looking forward to your reactions to this new Hacking System. We want to give players the tools to create their own path and adventure and we think this is another step in the right direction. We can't wait for you to test it out!
- Jesse
Roadmap
For more information about upcoming content, updates, and the latest fixes and features, you can check out our roadmap.
Discord
If you haven't already, don't forget to join the Panther VR Discord! Share your comments and suggestion with us and the community!
Socials
For more information about current and future updates, from Panther VR and other Wolfdog Interactive games, follow our Socials!
Hi, We have some hotfixes that address the biggest reported issues and suggestions from the community and testing. It includes some major reloading and controller movement setup issues. Another smaller hotfix (0.1.2d) coming next week. We hope you enjoy! :D - Jesse HOTFIX 0.1.2c
Hi,
We have some hotfixes that address the biggest reported issues and suggestions from the community and testing. It includes some major reloading and controller movement setup issues.
Another smaller hotfix (0.1.2d) coming next week.
We hope you enjoy! :D
- Jesse
HOTFIX 0.1.2c
(ADDED 27-03-21)
Fixed White ring around some headset borders
Major Reloading issues fixes
Fixed Fog on spectator Cam
Fixed Extra Drifting issues with Controller Movement Setup
Fixed misalignment Vivewands and Index controllers
Fixed Performance issues while on stairs and airvents
Fixed Guard saying "who is that" after death
Fixed some tutorial issues
Fixed Door spawning in the Vault door
Assualt team now Despawns after alert
HOTFIX 0.1.2b
(ADDED 21/10/2021)
Fixed Issues with reloading on the Index Controller
Fixed Drifting issues with Controller Movement Setup
Added Grappling hook icons
Magazine in the weapon will now highlight
Added extra Description in the tutorial
LaserFence zap will alert Guards
Fixed Wooden crate is very difficult to open
Fixed Items falls through the floor
Fixed Traces left count wrong in the End screen
Fixed Error when guard find a body or cam in the tutorial
Fixed issue that Non-lethal takedowns count towards total kills
Collision issues on certain floors
Bumpy staircase in Lab
Whiteboard markers drop on the ground when placed in a slot
Consider Leaving a Review
Being a small indie dev, the visibility of a game is one of the hardest things to achieve. So if you like what you see so far, or if you want to see some things change: it would be really amazing to us if you consider leaving a review on steam. Be honest and true to what you think of the game of course. Thanks in advance! <3
Discord
If you haven't already, don't forget to join the Panther VR Discord! Share your comments and suggestion with us and the community!
Socials
For more information about current and future updates, from Panther VR and other Wolfdog Interactive games, follow our Socials!
A much-needed rework for Panther VR! Hope you are all doing great! With great pleasure and after a lot of work. We finally can give you the new Security update 0.1.2 for Panther VR. The last interaction update brought a lot of reworks and mechanics that changed the basic feel of
A much-needed rework for Panther VR!
Hope you are all doing great! With great pleasure and after a lot of work. We finally can give you the new Security update 0.1.2 for Panther VR. The last interaction update brought a lot of reworks and mechanics that changed the basic feel of the game, but this Security update will be even bigger. This new update does include a massive rework on stealth and Alert systems, big Guards AI/interaction improvements that fully transform the whole experience of the game to the next level. These new features will enhance stealth gameplay and will make your decisions even more interesting and important. No longer will your game “end’ when you are detected. You can now always break line of sight and guards will no longer be all-seeing entities, making it possible to reset, learn and continue playing after a mistake.
Manage your health with the new Health system. Try to make the most out of your sneaking skills with the new Lockpicking system and by completing the new Stealth bonus objectives. Takedown guards with a Dartgun with the new Non-lethal system and hide them away in the new Lockers and crates before they trace you down with the new Point of interest system.
As you might hear there are some big changes includes in this update that we are excited about. It did take some extra work and time to make. But we truly believe that Panther VR is getting closer and closer to the game that we envisioned, and this update is the next big step. With the next update on the horizon (Progression) there will be even more to look forward to like new weapons, mechanics, levels, and a full progression system with levels, resources, and unlocks.
We can’t wait to hear what you think of this!
Enjoy!
-Jesse
Why did it take longer than expected?
We already shared these points last time, but we think it is always important to share with you why things might progress slower than other games. One thing is sure: we are very dedicated to this project so we will keep going till the end. It is a big project build by fans of stealth, we want the best just like you, but we have limited time with 2 people working on it. Not even mention the small number of resources we can spend on this. We can only hope that you will take this into consideration. Help us to support the game by getting a copy on steam, or just by spreading the word or joining the community.
Future Content
Changes in Roadmap
We are changing up our timeline to increase our focus on the goal of the game. While most of the systems are in place, we are still missing a progression system to make it all worth it. That is why we are moving the Progression update forward instead of the contracts update.
New Levels
We are getting some questions about when or if we will be adding new Levels. We have some good news: that new levels/game modes will be added in the coming updates. The main reason why we haven’t added any levels yet is that we wanted to focus (our already limited time) on the core mechanics of the game. If the core is not up to standard then the game is still lacking, even with 100 different levels. So we focus our effort on getting the core mechanics right in this main level, and with the random level generation that is already present, this level is different and unique each time you play.
We want to add many more levels and game modes to the game. First up will be contracts mode: a randomly generated “dungeon” like system, just like you might see in our other game, VR Dungeon Knight. So we can’t wait to show you more. We also want to look at more open levels like the one that is present in the game.
Coming up next: 0.1.3 Progression Update
The progression update will add a lot of new stuff to the game that lets you unlock by completing missions and gaining exp/money. We have some new weapons and customization coming up to spice up your gameplay. Level up and spend points to unlock new abilities. Collect data drives and new items to upgrade weapons and gadgets. And track all your stats to see if you are the ultimate thief.
Progression and level up system
Data drives and new collectibles
New Weapons and customization
Skill and abilities
Stats and tracking
More to come!
Preview of the new weapons in update 0.1.3
Added: New Alert/Stealth System [REWORK]
At the core of the Security update lies the Reworked alert and stealth system. It is a full redesign of the old systems that brings familiar stealth mechanics to Panther VR. This system is the core of the game, so we think this is one of the most important and game-changing reworks we did to this date. In order to highlight what is new in the update let’s take a look at the old version.
Old system
In the old system, stealth was really fragile, unforgiving, and linear. You start the mission in full stealth with guards unaware of your initial presents. This is where it went right, but the moment you were seen by a guard or camera, it goes to red alert and it ends there. All the guards despawned and SWAT stormed the place, making it impossible to return to a stealth game, essentially ending the loop. Guards and SWAT never truly lost you out of sight and tracked you down like an all-seeing entity. The tiniest mistake (or bug) could mean a failure to the mission.
New System
A proper stealth game should have a loop that can reset itself and always give the player the ability to break the line of sight and re-enter stealth. This is exactly what we did in this new rework. As you can see in the schematics below, we added a whole new layer of depth to the alert system and made sure it has the possibility to reset the loop.
Alert does not stay forever anymore and instead of SWAT and special Assault team will be sent in to support the remaining guards. If the security forces lose sight of the player for some time, the Alert status will be lowered to Searching. In this state, all guards will remain vigilant. Once they spot the player again, the alert will be raised to Red, but if they still cannot find you after a set time, the loop will be reset and guards will return to their normal patrols.
Watch
We’ve also added a watch on the left hand (can be switched) to indicate the current Alert status of the Level, and how long it will take before the status will be lowered. In combination with other visual and audio queues, you can always track the alert status of the Level and Guards
Functionality:
Ability to rehide
Allert system can reset
Break line of sight
Guards and Overall Alert status are separated
Open in new tab to see old system:
Open in new tab to see new system:
Added: New Guards and AI system
Besides the Alert and Stealth system, guards will also be receiving a full makeover. We have completely rebuild the AI system adding more depth and intelligence to the guards. They are more aware of their surroundings and they will work together in combat and detection. We have reworked their detection system: you can distract them with sound, they will investigate your presents and traces and they will call for backup if needed, which might be answered by the new Assualt team.
In addition to their behavior, we also changed their appearance and gave them a voice. We have improved their visual looks and each guard is now uniquely generated and has more personality than before.
More to come
Keep in mind that making an AI system is the most difficult part of any game. This update will be a complete 180 of what it was, but bugs and issues might still happen. You see it even in the biggest of games where enemies might get stuck. AI in an open world can experience an unlimited amount of variables and options. We tried to iron out the most obvious ones, but know that we will always keep improving the AI in a future update. So help us out by reporting any issues you might find.
Details:
Whole new AI system
More interaction with guards
Seperate alert sytem
Visuall overhaul
Random ppearance dom
Added Voicelines
Added: Point of Interest/ Last seen Location
New to this Security update is the addition of the Point of Interest system. This system serves as an extension to the AI system and works as a visual indicator for the player. During the heist, the player can leave traces behind, and leaving as many traces as possible is important for a thief. Now you can easily track what might be of interest to guards and how they are going to respond to them. Now those broken cameras and bodies you leave behind have consequences for your results in the mission. The Point of interest includes the following parts:
Last seen location
A must-have for stealth games and finally present is the Last seen Player location. This marker will show the last seen/know location of you for the guards. This location will also be present and will serve as a place of higher investigation for guards. Keep in mind that both guards and cameras will share and create a last known location when you are in their sights. If you are in combat the Last seen location will be the point where you broke the line of sight.
Noise Distraction
Distracting a guard by making noise has made its comeback to the game. By throwing items, shooting the wall, or by running, you create noise that might be further investigated by a nearby guard.
Trace indicators
When you leave a body or broken security system behind, you also leave traces that can be found by guards. These traces are now indicated by a red or yellow icon. Yellow traces like security sytem will put a guard in an investigative position, but finding a body will even raise the alarm. Event messages show up when a body or broken system has been found by security forces.
Added: New Health Sytem
This update brings some big changes to the Health system. While you used to automatically self-heal over time without taking damage, this rework brings a set health pool and the ability to heal yourself with a syringe, healing stations, and items. This new system brings a whole new approach to the game, making the player much more vulnerable and increases the value of stealth.
You can view your health status on your new wristband. When you take damage from guards, security systems, etc, your health will not auto regenerate over time. You will need to heal yourself.
One of the different ways you can heal yourself is with the use of a syringe. The syringe is always part of your basic kit and has its own new slot located on your arm with the watch. You can grab the syringe with an empty hand. Once held you can stab the syringe in your other hand or straight up in your body/chest to heal yourself. The syringe will have a limited amount of charges. However, those charges can be recharged at a healing station.
With this update, it is now possible to make Non-lethal takedowns. Whack guards on the head with a melee weapon and they will fall unconscious on the floor. Unconscious guards will show Zzz above their head, and they do not count towards your kill amount. You still need to hide you, knockout guard, before they are found by other guards.
Melee weapons
You can use blunt weapons (orange), like a baseball bat, a crowbar, or a pipe for a non-lethal takedown. Sharp weapons (red), like knives, scissors, and axes will still kill guards. It is now also possible to whip a guard with the butt of your pistol or rifle.
Fists
In case you run out of bullets or anything else for that matter, you can now also use your fists as weapons. It might take a few punches, but it can work as a last resort to take a guard out.
Dart gun
To help you with Non-lethal takedown you will now be granted access to use the Dartgun. More information about this weapon is further down in this post.
Added: End/score screen
One of the many reworks in the update will be focused on the end screen and scoring system. A true stealth game can only work if there are enough incentives to play the game in a stealthy matter. Before this was not the case. The goal was to get the case, in any way possible, and running and shooting was the best and easy way to do this. That is why we changed up the scoring system and added extra additional objectives that will reward you extra bonus exp and money if you take a stealth approach. There are a set amount of new objectives that give you badges on completion and you will earn a final score in the form of a medal.
Bonus objectives
Secondary Objectives - Complete all secondary objectives
No Alarms raised - Set no alarms off
Never detected - Never be fully detected by security
No kills - Don’t kill any guards
Leave no Trace - Don’t leave any bodies or broken security systems behind to be discovered.
Ghost - Complete all 5 Bonus objectives
Added: Slow-motion Mode
This update also sees the return of slow-motion or bullet time. With the press of the right secondary action button, you can slow down time for a limited amount of energy. In slow-motion everything will be slower except for your hand movement, giving you more time to aim for that perfect headshot, or take down multiple guards in quick succession. New to slow-motion is that it takes up suit energy. Which can be tracked by a new tracker on your right wrist. After use it takes some time to recharge your bullet-time ability, so use it wisely.
Details
New BulletTime/Slow-motion mode
Start slow motion with the Secondary Action button on the right controler
Takes up Suit energy and has a cooldown time
Added: Various Improvements
One thing we did in addition to the rework was a small update to the visuals of the game. We updated the shaders, lighting, textures, and materials for the game. This visual update adds more depth to the environment and brings an extra touch of realism to the style of the game. Here are some screenshots which show the difference in style. We are looking forward to improving it even more in a future update.
Details
Visual Improvements
Finally fixed Throwing items
Fixed an issue with controller direction input
Interface polish
Weapon handling improvements
Ability to dual hold a pistol
Adjusted belt location/ easier to pick stuff up from the ground
Performance increases
Smoothing of doors/Airvents
Propane tanks interaction
Heist level Changes and improvements
Added: Dartgun [GADGET]
We are adding one of our personal favorite stealth-game gadgets: the Dartgun. This dart gun serves as a non-lethal gadget to silently take down guards. This air pressured devices fires a sleep dart to tranquilize a guard of your choice. Since it is a gadget that uses very specialized ammunition you can only use a set amount from the beginning of the mission. (This amount will be upgradeable in a later update) Guards hit by this dart will fall asleep and don’t count as a kill. Simply reload the Dartgun by pulling back the slide, and keep the dart drop-off rate and travel time in account when picking a target.
Gadget Stats:
Fires non-lethal sleep darts
A certain amount of bullets to use in each mission
Slower travel time and bullet drop-off
Needs to be reloaded after every shot
Added: Lockpicking [MECHANIC]
A stealth game would not be complete without lockpicking. It was one of the first things we had in our Kickstarter Demo, but now is returning with the 0.1.2 update! With this new mechanic, the player will be able to pick locks with their new lockpick set. These locks can be found on strongboxes, which spawn randomly around the whole level.
Just walk up to a lockbox and grab the lockpick to start the lockpicking. Now it is up to the player to find the right spot by twisting and turning the Lockpick. Once you find the hotspot with audio/visual/rumble cues, you can press the trigger to unlock the lock and open the strongbox. However be careful with the lockpick, if you go too fast you might miss the right spot, and your lockpick will break.
We also want to make sure that lockpick will always be optional, as like every stealth option in the game. You are not required to pick these strong boxes, but you will be well rewarded if you succeed.
With the new Stealth and AI system, it will always be possible to hide from enemy sight. In order to provide you with new ways to sneak away, we are introducing lockers and crates. Scattered around the level you can find these (very convenient) empty crates and lockers. Which are also the right size to hide an infiltrating agent or a guard’s body inside. So make use of these crates and lockers and take your stealth game to the next level.
Details:
Added Lockers and crates on set locations
Use it to hide from guards
Or use it to hide bodies and other items
Don’t get seen while entering the lockers (They are not bulletproof)
Added: Ammo Lockers [ITEM]
Ammo can be very important sometimes. In the previous version of the game, it was very difficult to find new ammo once you run out. That is why we are also adding Ammo lockers to the game. These lockers can randomly be found around the heist location and always contain ammo for your weapon. You can lock pick these Ammo lockers to gain access to new ammo. In case you are in a real hurry (say firefight), you can always shoot your way in. This is not recommended in stealth since an alarm will sound when you breach this locker with force.
Besides using the syringe, there are also other ways to heal yourself. One of these methods is to look for a Healing Station. These stations will randomly spawn across the heist locations. They are fully unlocked and accessible to the player and will open automatically once in range. The Station contains one full healing charge. You can start the healing process by grabbing the lever inside of the machine. The machine will start healing you over time until it's empty.
You can stop the process at any time, and you will be even able to use your other hand to shoot guards while healing up. The station will display your personal stats in combination with its own charge level. Once the healing station is empty it will automatically close and can not be used again.
Details:
Find healing station around the Heist locations
Heal yourself directly with the healing stations
Charge your syringe at the healing station for later use
Changed: Security Guard [GUARD]
Most of the changes of the guard are in its AI system (See AI system). They are a lot smarter and will have more physical interaction with the player and their environment. We also made big visual changes to their appearance and they are now fully unique and randomized. With this new overhaul, it will now be possible to greatly increase the number of guards during a mission; From only a maximum of 10 guards in the old version to a new amount of 30 40 guards.
Details:
A big increase in the number of guards: from 10 (old) to around 30 a 40.
Descreased damage
Randomized visual appearance
New Voice lines
Changed: Heavy Guard [GUARD]
Every change for the normal Security Guard will also apply to the Heavy Guard. We increased change you can find a Heavy guard, and once again increased their health. This makes them even more dangerous.
Details:
Same changes as Security Guards
Increased health
Increase spawn amount
Added: Assault Team [GUARD]
New to the roster is the Assault team. These special intervention officers will assist the on-site Muller Security forces in case of a security breach. Once an intruder has been located, the guards will call for backup. The alarm is raised and an assault team will be dispatched to investigate and terminate all potential intruders. These Assualt teams will come in a team of 2 and will carry automatic weapons and increase armor. They are trained to flush out intruders and will keep searching around until everything is confirmed to be all clear. They will continue their search on a Search Alert Level. If an assault team is killed, a new one will be sent in as their replacement.
Details:
Added Assault team as backup on Alert/search
Will replace the SWAT on normal Alert
High damage with Assualt rifles
High armor
Changed: SWAT [POLICE]
With the Security update, SWAT will play a smaller role in security. The security forces are now a lot more self-sufficient with the addition of theThe Assault teams and the increase of on-site guards and security systems. This means that the SWAT will only come into play when you start a Welding breach on the vault door. Since a detection/ red alert from a guard does not end your stealth game anymore, the SWAT now serves as a last resort effort to stop the breach.
Details:
SWAT only arrives when you breach the door
Increased Health and damage
Developer Comment: While SWAT is a good Endgame mechanic for those who want to force their way into the vault, we love to see some changes in how they work and when they arrive. This will be changed in the next update. Making SWAT the final option, only when you start welding the door. We also love to see a more stealth approach when SWAT arrives at the scene. They can now always find you. Stealth and hiding should be an option in the future.
Bug Fixes
Fixed Issues with the objective case
Fixed Issues with item physics
Fixed Issues in the Tutorial
Fixed various Grappling hook issues
Fixed Hard to reach items on floor
Fixed Rifle reloading issues
Fixed Pistol reloading issues
Fixed Drone endless jumping
Fixed Climbing issues
Fixed Issues with controller direction movements
Fixed broken Image effects
HOTFIX 0.1.2c
(ADDED 27-03-21)
Major Reloading issues fixes
Fixed Fog on spectator Cam
Fixed Extra Drifting issues with Controller Movement Setup
Fixed misalignment Vivewands and Index controllers
Fixed Performance issues while on stairs and airvents
Fixed Guard saying "who is that" after death
Fixed some tutorial issues
Fixed Door spawning in the Vault door
Assualt team now Despawns after alert
HOTFIX 0.1.2b
(ADDED 21/10/2021)
Fixed Issues with reloading on the Index Controller
Fixed Drifting issues with Controller Movement Setup
Added Grappling hook icons
Magazine in the weapon will now highlight
Added extra Description in the tutorial
LaserFence zap will alert Guards
Fixed Wooden crate is very difficult to open
Fixed Items falls through the floor
Fixed Traces left count wrong in the End screen
Fixed Error when guard find a body or cam in the tutorial
Fixed issue that Non-lethal takedowns count towards total kills
Collision issues on certain floors
Bumpy staircase in Lab
Whiteboard markers drop on the ground when placed in a slot
Special Thanks for testers
In the last couple of weeks, we got some amazing help from the community to test out the new features and mechanics. They gave some great feedback and helped us track down and fix a big list of bugs and issues. So special thanks to our amazing community testers.
We will continue community testing for future updates. If you want to join this amazing group of people and help us test out new content, join our discord and let us know!
Consider Leaving a Review
Being a small indie dev, the visibility of a game is one of the hardest things to achieve. So if you like what you see so far, or if you want to see some things change: it would be really amazing to us if you consider leaving a review on steam. Be honest and true to what you think of the game of course. Thanks in advance! <3
Discord
If you haven't already, don't forget to join the Panther VR Discord! Share your comments and suggestion with us and the community!
Socials
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Hi everyone, Hope you are all doing fine! After a strange chaotic year with hard lockdowns and working from home, things are slowly returning (a bit) to normal in our country. We are still hard at work on the new Security update 0.1.2. Last time we shared some information about t
Hi everyone,
Hope you are all doing fine! After a strange chaotic year with hard lockdowns and working from home, things are slowly returning (a bit) to normal in our country. We are still hard at work on the new Security update 0.1.2. Last time we shared some information about the new lockpicking system. The largest changes we are making for this new update are on the detection system and the Guards/SWAT AI. We can’t wait to share more about these game-changing reworks, but I'm afraid it still needs some time in the oven. It is going to be worth it tho!
So we have some other cool stuff to share in the meantime. Once again it is time to tell you about a rework we did on an existing system. It is one of my personal favorites so far and it will have a big impact on how the game plays out: the new Health system!
PLEASE NOTE: The content in this blog is a preview of what is to come, and can not be found in the live version of the game just yet. It will be added when the next update (0.1.2) is released.
Before we begin, let's bring up how the current/old system works. There was always a health present system in the game, but it was not so obviously present. The player had a set amount of health (which was not visible to the player) and could receive damage from guards and SWAT. The old system worked with regeneration. If you did not receive any damage for a set amount of time, your health would regenerate to full. While it worked in the beginning, it felt very easy to get into a fight. It made it more appealing to start a fight than to sneak past a guard. You would only die if you would get hit in quick succession, and even after you won the firefight, it had not any big impact on the rest of your game, since you automatically heal up to full. This method basically gave you unlimited health.
The new system fully changes how your health works. The player still has a set amount of health, but it will not automatically regenerate over time. Every time the player takes damage, it will stay until the player heals themselves at a certain point. This also means that we will be adding different methods for the player to heal. This new health system will greatly change the way you need to play the game. Your health is now limited for each heist, so every time you get hit will have consequences for the rest of your mission. Every time you get into a combat situation, you now need to keep an eye on both your health and ammo.
We will share more about the upcoming Guards and SWAT rework in the following dev posts, but we can already share that, in the 0.1.2 update, it will be possible to lose sight during a fight. This means that you will be able to rehide again from guards and Swat once the alarm has been raised. This will give the player a big window of opportunity to restock on ammo and health and to get ready for the next possible flight.
Panther VR is at its core a stealth-focused game, and we think that giving the player a more limited amount of health, with a combination of healing, increases the motivation to focus more on a stealthy approach. The amount of health and healing the player receives will be more than enough to support the firefights after getting spotted, and it will always give the option to use a more violent approach, but hiding becomes way more powerful.
With the new health system comes also a better visualization of your health. The player will have their watch back which includes information about their health. You can find this information located on the wrist. It currently shows 2 bars. The top one is your current health, and the second one is your available healing. Your health bar will be green if you are at and near full health. It will turn orange if you are wounded, and red if you are critical/near death.
One of the different ways you can heal yourself is with the use of a syringe. The syringe is always part of your basic kit and has its own new slot located on your arm with the watch. You can grab the syringe with an empty hand. Once held you can stab the syringe in your other hand or straight up in your body/chest to heal yourself.
So how does healing work with the syringe? The syringe holds charges that the player can use to heal themselves. Each charge contains enough to heal the player to full. And the amount of charge that is not used, will remain there for later use. In the example video, the syringe only contains one charge. In this case, if the player has only 60% health, and 100% charge, you will only use up 40% charge to heal you up to full.
Once the syringe is used you can release it to return it to your arm. Keep in mind that once the syringe has been used, it will need to recharge for several seconds before it can be used again. So you have to pick the right moment to choose
Besides using the syringe, there are also other ways to heal yourself. One of these methods is to look for a Healing Station. These stations will randomly spawn across the heist locations. They are fully unlocked and accessible to the player and will open automatically once in range. The Station contains one full healing charge. You can start the healing process by grabbing the lever inside of the machine. The machine will start healing you over time until it's empty.
You can stop the process at any time, and you will be even able to use your other hand to shoot guards while healing up. The station will display your personal stats in combination with its own charge level. Once the healing station is empty it will automatically close and can not be used again.
We are also adding a new loot item. The First aid can be found around the level, and will instantly heal the player for 25%. So search around in drawers and lockers for a nice health bonus. For now, we start with only the first aid kit. But more items can/will be added in future updates.
If you take some damage and use up your syringe, there comes a point that you might be running out of healing. This is where overheal comes into play. When your syringe is not fully stocked you can refill its charges with the healing station and first aid kits. For now, this will only happen if you are fully healed. All excess healing will fill up your syringe for later use. With this feature, you can restock at the healing station or save the first aid kits for later use.
CONCLUSION
We are really looking forward to your reactions to this new health System. Our goal is to make stealth more valuable while also making the combat more tactical. We've already played heist with the new system, and it already feels like you are going to need a whole new approach to the game. We can't wait to test it out!
- Jesse
Roadmap
For more information about upcoming content, updates, and latest fixes and features, you can check out our roadmap.
Discord
If you haven't already, don't forget to join the Panther VR Discord! Share your comments and suggestion with us and the community!
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Hi everyone, Hope you are all doing fine! We can look back to the first update 0.1.1 with great pleasure and pride. We received a lot of positive feedback and support from the community on our first big update. This shows that we are on the right track and makes us even more moti
Hi everyone,
Hope you are all doing fine! We can look back to the first update 0.1.1 with great pleasure and pride. We received a lot of positive feedback and support from the community on our first big update. This shows that we are on the right track and makes us even more motivated and eager to bring you new content and updates. The community keeps growing and can't get enough of your feedback and suggestions!
Now with the first update behind us it is time to look for the next one. We are hard at work on the 0.1.2 update, and we can’t wait to show you some stuff we have been working on.
The next update will mainly focus on the full rework of the guards and detection system. This will take some time to fully implement, but we are also working on new content on the side that will also arrive to the game with the next update. However, since we laid out a more solid base with the 0.1.1 update, the next update can be expected way sooner this time around!
So before we show you more on the guards, we will move to one of our new mechanics to the game, one that was already present in the Kickstarter Demo: Lockpicking!
PLEASE NOTE: The content in this blog is a preview of what is to come, and can not be found in the live version of the game just yet. It will be added when the next update (0.1.2) is released.
A stealth game would not be complete without lockpicking. It was one of the first things we had in our Kickstarter Demo, but now is returning with the 0.1.2 update! With this new mechanic, the player will be able to pick locks with their new lockpick set. These locks can be found on strongboxes, which spawn randomly around the whole level.
In the live version of the game, you can find valuable loot all over the level, but it would make more sense that people are locking away their valuables in safe locations. So with this new mechanic you can lock pick these strongboxes to gain access to higher value loot, while lower value loot can still be found more scarlessly around the level.
There were a lot of things to consider while developing the Lockpicking mechanic. We are looking for a fine balance between realism, functionality, replayability and fun. That is how we came up with what you see in this post. So let me share with you how it works.
First the player needs to walk up to a lock. If the player has any lockpicks in their inventory can start the process by grabbing the lockpick. Now it is up to the player to find the right spot by twisting and turning the Lockpick. Once you find the hotspot with audio/visual/rumble cues, you can press the trigger to unlock the lock and open the strongbox. However be careful with the lockpick, if you go too fast you might miss the right spot, and your lockpick will break.
We also want to make sure that lockpick will always be optional, as like every stealth option in the game. You are not required to pick these strong boxes, but you will be well rewarded if you succeed.
The lockpick mechanic is fast to learn. As long as you stay out of sight during the lockpick you should be able to break open an easy lock with some ease. However you will find different and more difficult strongboxes and lock around the level. The strong boxes will come in 3 different levels, each harder to crack and with more precious loot inside.
These strong boxes are not the only thing you can lockpick in the game. In the current version of the game it can be very difficult to find new ammo once you run out. That is why we are also adding Ammo lockers to the game. These lockers can randomly be found around the heist location and always contain ammo for your weapon. You can lock pick these Ammo lockers to gain access to new ammo. But in case you are in a real hurry (say firefight) you can always shoot your way in. This is not recommended in stealth since an alarm will sound when you breach this locker with force.
We are also adding an extra inventory to store your lockpicks. You can always check in you backpack how much you are carrying. Lockpick automatically moves into the locks, but you need to keep an eye on your lockpick amount if you want to break into multiple Lockers. Before you start your mission you can stock up on lockpicks, but there is always a possibility to find a new lockpick during your heist. You can put them in your backpack to refill your lockpicks. Gameplay testing and community input is required to determine a fair amount of lockpicks for the player.
We are also adding extra Loot Markers to drawers or lockers that may contain loot. This will help to find location where you might find loot, and will also indicate if you already robbed it clean from anything valuable.
CONCLUSION
We hope you like what you see so far. We would love to hear what you think about the new mechanic and what kind of things you would like to see lockpicked. The 0.1.2 update will be filled with new content like this, and can’t wait to show to the next mechanic that we are working on besides the guard. We can only share that there will be some big changes to health coming up! More on this in our next dev blog!
- Jesse
Roadmap
For more information about upcoming content, updates, and latest fixes and features, you can check out our roadmap.
Discord
If you haven't already, don't forget to join the Panther VR Discord! Share your comments and suggestion with us and the community!
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IMPORTANT A fix for Windows mixed Reality support is stil coming. Due to the difficulty of the issue it takes a little bit more time. HOTFIX 0.1.1c (ADDED 26-03-21) Fixed Vive Wand/virtual desktop hand rotations issues Added buttons for Vive wand to open options and deploy drone
IMPORTANT
A fix for Windows mixed Reality support is stil coming. Due to the difficulty of the issue it takes a little bit more time.
HOTFIX 0.1.1c
(ADDED 26-03-21)
Fixed Vive Wand/virtual desktop hand rotations issues
Added buttons for Vive wand to open options and deploy drone
Fixed hand location (all headsets)
Replaced Control scheme Visuals with new one
Fixed Particles Explosion
Fixed Exp system
Fixed issues where you could not pick up an item
Added Toggle grip for weapons in Options/controls
Fixed finger animation and hand movement issues
Smaller holster colliders
Fixed misplaced Text in Options menu
Buttons now work on press instead of release
Not possible anymore to grab empty clips from your ammo belt.
Various Level fixes
Various Text fixes
Discord
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A New start for Panther VR! Hi Everyone, It has been a strange year for us all. The world is still different than it was one year ago, but after months of hard work, we can finally reveal the new and first update (0.1.1) for Panther VR! The Interaction update includes a lot of sy
A New start for Panther VR!
Hi Everyone,
It has been a strange year for us all. The world is still different than it was one year ago, but after months of hard work, we can finally reveal the new and first update (0.1.1) for Panther VR! The Interaction update includes a lot of system reworks, fixes, performance updates, and even some new features and mechanics! It has been quite the ride for our 2 man team these past few months, but we are proud of what we have achieved and we can’t wait to see what you think!
Panther VR is still our passion project and we have so many ideas for the future of the game, like new mechanics, levels, weapons, gadgets, security systems, etc. We would love to maybe explore the possibility of co-op or to bring the game to the Quest. (but that is a future talk for now). So you must imagine that 2020 started great after the Kickstarter for Panther VR! While we were extremely grateful that we could start working on this project, the whole Covid situation quickly changed that forecast. It put a big strain on our workforce and budget. The whole situation forced our hand to bring Panther VR to Steam Early Access last year.
While we were happy that we could finally bring Panther VR to the public last year, the release left us with a bad taste. We were not satisfied with the state and quality of the game on our first EA release, and it did not bring to life what we had in mind for the game. Sure, the general gameplay was present, but the controller and interaction (the basic foundation of a VR game) was broken and incomplete. So we quickly made a plan for ourselves after that initial release.
Instead of working on a new update to add more content to an incomplete foundation, we wanted to start over with a clean slate as you would say. To bring Panther to a higher quality level for VR as you would see in current VR titles. So we began a long journey to remake Panther to a level that we are proud of, and is worthy of our amazing community. While Covid did not make things easier for us, and it took more time than expected, we pushed onward and we are ready to give you this first update for Panther VR!
The interaction update brings a full rework of the interaction with the world around you, with new and improved hands and animation. Move, run, crouch, and vault with the new Movement system. Store items and gadgets in your backpack, and weapons on your belt with the new Inventory system. Reload your weapons with the new physical reloading and ammo system. Get yourself started in the game with the new introduction and tutorial level. Plus many more: like performance increases, Spectator camera, and new headset supports including Quest 2 for PC.
We want to thank you all for your patience and amazing support for this project. This first update will be a new start for Panther VR! It has so much potential and we believe in an amazing future for this project! 2021 will be a lot better with more amazing new content and updates after this fresh new update!
Have fun!
-Wolfdog Team
Why did it take longer than expected?
- Covid Situation
The lockdowns and curfews took a big toll on our development process. The whole dev process was forced on a pause for almost a month, and when we were finally able to work from home, it did not make things a lot easier.
I myself tested positive for covid in late October and was forced into complete isolation for almost a month. I’m really grateful that my symptoms were not so severe, but recovery took some time.
- Total rework of everything we got
We removed the old interaction system, and build and integrated a new one from the ground up. Work that was necessary for the future of the game. We could not build the whole game on the old broken system, so a new system was required for future updates and we added some new mechanics in the process as well. In Addition to the big rework, we also updated the engine of the game.
- Small team of 2 People
our team only consists of 2 people. While we have a lot of people surrounding and supporting us, the real work comes down to just the two of us. (including me) We broke down the plans into “smaller’ steps in our roadmap. But even these smaller steps take a lot of time with 2. Especially the huge amount of rework we did for this new update.
- Some side jobs
We are not a large company with unlimited resources. So we needed to do some small side jobs to keep working on this passion project possible. There are still bills that need to be paid. We wish could work full time on this project, and we still hope that this will change in the future. :)
Now that this first update is up and running we can finally focus on the future of Panther VR. Since the moment we started this project our list of stuff and content we wanted to see for this game kept growing. And with this new foundation to the game, we can start to look at that long list and bring new content and mechanics to the game! Our goal is to bring more frequent updates to Panther VR this year!
Next update: 0.1.2 Security Update
After we did a full rework on the interaction, there is still one big part of the game that we would love to change up. The guard AI and the way the different detection levels are handled are on the top of your priority list. The guards in the current version of the game are still using an old and dumbed-down AI system. In this next update, we want to rework how detection works, making guards more independent by bringing out their own search parties and giving the option to return a full alert back to normal with different and more steps between not detected and full alert. More information about this in an upcoming dev blog!
AI Rework Guards and SWAT
New Detection system
New Weapons and gadgets
Return of Lockers and lockpicking!
More to come!
Added: Interaction System [REWORK]
Interaction is core for any VR game. That is was missing the most in the first version of Panther VR. That is why we did a full overhaul of the interactions system. We removed the old clunky arms and replaced them with responsive hands.
One of the biggest changes however is the item interaction. You are now able to fully grasp the items you pick up. Every item has its unique pose while grabbing, so no more floating items or strangely placed fingers. We’ve also added full physics to each item, so you will be able to knock stuff over or build small towers out of soda cans. It is still possible to grab objects once your hands are near them, but we also reworked the ranged system as well. Complimented by a GUI and hover over the indicator, items will now float smoothly into your hands once you grab them from a distance.
Functionality:
Operations Center: Select missions (more functions added in future updates)
Introducing: the Backpack! The Backpack serves as a physical inventory system in which you can store items, melee weapons, and Loot. The Backpack is located behind your head and can be grabbed by holding down the grip button.
Inside your Backpack you can find a certain amount of slots for Items and melee weapons, sorted into different tabs. You can bring all small items with you, including Melee weapons and loot. So next time you come across a guard, there might be something very useful in your backpack.
We also included a Quick store and Auto store function for the backpack. When you grab the backpack, you can also put items in the auto slot at the top which are automatically stored in the first empty slot. For even more convenience you can also use the Quick store function. Without holding the backpack, you can just grab and put an item behind your head to automatically store it in your backpack!
Details:
Added Backpack as inventory behind your head
Store Items and loot in different tabs
Quick store items directly in the backpack by holding it behind your head
We have reworked our movement systems to smooth out the old system, and we added additional systems like running, vaulting, and crouching. Making it easier to navigate around.
Running
We now added the option to sprint. YOu can move faster by pushing both the thumbstick forward. At this time you can sprint indefinitely and without making a sound. But this will change in the future.
Vaulting
You can now vault over or jump on waist height objects. It uses the same controls as running, making it also possible to quickly vault over stuff while running.
Crouching
In addition, to actually physically crouching down, we also added the option to press to auto crouch. This will lower the player to crouch height, making it easier to move through air vent or to hide behind cover, without crouching yourself. You can press on the thumbstick to crouch down.
Based on our own experience in the game and on a lot of feedback from the community we decided to give this system a full overhaul. While the old system was more fast-paced, we are moving to a more “realistic approach” with a physical weapons system. All your weapons will be stored on your body/belt and the quick select system will be removed from the game. We have added 2 belt slots (left/right) for small firearms, and a large weapon slot on your back/ You can quickly draw and store your gun and Rifle.
Next up is physical reloading and handling. Then you need to grab a new clip from your ammo belt (instead of moving the weapon to your belt) and physically put the new mag in your weapon. Once inserted, you need to pull back the slide of your weapons to put a bullet in the chamber. You can eject a mag or cock your gun whenever you want.
Details
Store small weapons on hip and large on back (Removed old system)
In the old version of Panther, you were instantly thrown into the game without any information whatsoever on what to do or who you are. That is why we are adding a Tutorial level. This level serves as an introduction to the story and the game for first-time players.
When you start the game for the first time after this update, you will go through the introduction. This consist of the following things:
First-time Setup
We have added a first-time setup screen in order to select your movement preference for the game. This will make the available options more present and will let you choose how you want to play the game. It is an easy and quick setup with information on different playstyles. You can change everything later in the options menu.
Story Introduction
Next up is the story introduction. We have a lot of ideas and lore ready for the Panther VR universe. We hope that this introduction will set the stage for who you are in the game, and introduces your fellow team members and characters.
Tutorial Level
There will also be a tutorial/training session that will teach you all about the current mechanics of the game. Each step will learn how you use your weapons, how security works, and how to complete a mission. So that when you start your first heist, you know what to expect! This also introduces you to our new ingame character: Z, the Hacker of the Crew (voiced by Joe Goffney)
Added: Spectator Camera
Streaming, sharing and content creation are a big part of the VR community. However direct capture from a VR game can feel clunky and zoomed in. That is why we added a spectator camera to the game. You can find this new feature in our new options menu. Once this is turned on, the camera on your pc screen will change to a better FOV and also includes a smoothing for head movement. This will make the footage on-screen much better to look at or to capture for youtube or twitch. We set an optimal setting for the game, but you can freely adjust the FOV and smoothness level.
Details
Added Spectator Camera for Content capture
Added: Options Menu
We also revamped the options menu. We gave it a fresh new design and look, and added more functionality. First, you needed to point towards your watch to open the menu, but now you just need to hold the secondary action button on your off-hand controller. We added new tabs for different categories like audio, movement options, and spectator options. More options and tabs will be added in later updates.
Details
New look for Options
Now accessible with off-hand secondary button
Added options for Movement, Spectator, Audio and Controls
One thing we did in addition to the rework was a small update to the visuals of the game. We updated the shaders, lighting, textures, and materials for the game. This visual update adds more depth to the environment and brings an extra touch of realism to the style of the game. Here are some screenshots which show the difference in style. We are looking forward to improving it even more in a future update.
The Gohl works fully with physical interaction. You can eject the mag with the action button, then grab a new magazine from your belt and insert it in the gun. Pull back the slide on the weapons to complete the reload. We also added an ammo counter on the side of the gun and the magazines. You can store your gun in one of the small weapons slots on your belts.
Weapon changes:
Added Physical Reloading
Added Ammo counter on side
Added 2 New slots on belt to store small weapon
Changed: FELDT M33 [WEAPON]
The Feldt also works fully with physical interaction. You can eject the mag with the action button, then grab a new magazine from your belt and insert it in the gun. Pull back the slide on the weapons to complete the reload. We also added an ammo counter on the side of the gun and the magazines. You can store your rifle in the large weapon slot on your back.
Weapon changes:
Increased Ammo count to 20
Added Physical Reloading
Added Ammo counter on side
Added New slot on back to store a Large weapon
Added more recoil when shooting with one hand
Changed: Grappling Hook [GADGET]
We ironed out some bugs with the grappling hook, making it more reliable on use. You can still use the grappling hook to connect a rope to a grappling point.
Gadget changes:
Fixed Issue where it shoot a rope through the wall
Removed flying bug on grappling hook
Added a gadget slot in the Backpack
Developer Comment: We have some big plans for the grappling hook for a future update. Making it more useful in different situations. We would love to see a grappling hook which can be used to connect ropes to different locations, object, and even guards.
Changed: Scout Drone [GADGET]
We made some adjustments to the drone pad that controls the drone. You still need 2 hands to control the drone, but you don't need to hold them together anymore. The pad consists now of 2 Controllers stuck together. Grab one of the controllers with the other hand to start the drone control. A screen will appear next to the controller on the first hand.
Gadget changes:
Changed the drone pad visually
Don't need to hold the hand together anymore
Added controls information to screen
Increased drone speed
Added: Loot Markers [COLLECT]
Exploration and looting will be a big part of Panther VR. One that we want to expand greatly in the future. For now, we added extra visual cues to show what items are important to loot and take with you. You can find this glow on Loot, special items, and ammo.
Details:
Added Green Markers for loot
Added purple Markers for special items like keycards
Added colored markers for ammo types
Developer Comment: We are looking for a way to possibly add a tab for gameplay options to the game in an upcoming update. This gives you the possibility to turn off these markers to give yourself an extra challenge.
Added: More (Non)Lethal Weapons [ITEM]
After the introduction of the Wrench and the (fan favorite) screwdriver, we could not wait to add more melee weapons to the game. So we are adding the first wave of new melee weapons to use in the game. These are both lethal and nonlethal weapons and they can be found all over the level.
It is also now possible to hold small knifelike weapons with the blade pointing downwards. Making it easier to stab guards from behind (or front). You can also store weapons in your backpack to bring them along for later use.
Details:
Added New Lethal Weapons (Scissors, Axe, Boxcutter, Kitchen knife)
Added New NonLethal Weapons (Baseball Bat, Measurestick, hammer, Crowbar)
Now possible to store melee weapons in your backpack
You can hold small weapons in both directions
Added: Ammo cases [ITEMS]
With the addition of the new physical weapon interaction system, we are also adding Ammo cases to the game. You can find these ammo cases all around the levels. Put these ammo cases in your backpack or directly in your ammo belt to refill your ammunition. Ammo is shared for each weapon type. Meaning that if at a later point, we added a different rifle, it will share the same ammo with the Feldt.
Details:
Added Ammo Boxes for Pistol ammo
Added Ammo Boxes for Rifle ammo
Put ammo box in backpack or ammobelt to refill ammo
Now that we have a new interaction system, it would also be nice to find more items to interact with. That is why we also added less important items to play around with. Cups, mugs, a tape roll, and other random stuff you can find around the heist locations and hideout. These props will make the world feel more alive and interactive. More interaction will be added in later updates.
Details:
Find random props around the leve
Try the basket ball in the hideout
Changed: Objective Locations [MISSION]
The EA release introduced the player to our mission structure. You always need to steal the main objective that is locked away in a secured Vault. You can choose to complete 2 side objectives in order to unlock the main objective or force your way in by welding the vault open.
In the first and only level that is currently available (new levels coming up), The main vault could always be found in one location, and the secondary locations could only be found in a handful of random locations. With this update, we made it possible that the Vault will spawn in different locations. We also added a large number of new locations for the secondary objective to spawn.
These changes will increase the replayability greatly, making each heist, feel different.
Details:
New Random Main objective locations
New Random Side objective locations
Increased replayability
Changed: Security Guard [GUARD]
The guard will see some changes in this update. We can to the conclusion that the guards were mainly responsible for the frame drops and performance issues. That is why we skinned them down to increase performance. This change will make it possible to increase the number of guards present in the game. This number will be calibrated carefully over future updates.
We also made some adjustments to where you can find a guard in the scene. We added a huge amount of new patrol routes. Guard will also be more present around objective locations. Since we want to focus more on stealth, we made it less easy for the guards to call in SWAT.
Details:
More guard in each level
A lot more patrol routes
Guard will be more present around objectives
Less advanced (for now), but better for performance
Changed: Heavy Guard [GUARD]
Every change for the normal Security Guard will also apply to the Heavy Guard. We increased change you can find a Heavy guard, and we also increased their health. This makes them more dangerous.
Details:
Same changes as Security Guards
Increased health
Increase spawn amount
Changed: Security Camera [SEC SYSTEM]
There are some minor changes to the Cameras. We increased their health, so they will need some more shots before they are destroyed. We also increased the amount you can find at each level.
Details:
Increased health
Increased spawn amount
Developer Comment: The security cameras are also on our list for the next update (0.1.2) We want to fully rework how detection and cameras work. They are quite unforgiving for the player when they immediately call SWAT when they detect you. We want to change this in the future. They will also be more intelligent, like spotting bodies, etc.
Changed: Keycards [BASIC SEC]
With the addition of the inventory and interaction system, we have also changed how keycards work. In the old version, you just needed to pick up a keycard, which would instantly open all the locked doors in a level. We now made it possible to put keycards in your backpack.
You are now required to physically swipe a keycard next to a lock to unlock the door. So make sure you bring that keycard next time you find one!
Details:
Keycards can now be stored in backpack
Door need to be unlocked by swiping the keycard
Changed: SWAT [POLICE]
Every change for the normal Security Guard will also apply to the SWAT. We have also increased their health to make them tougher. We will change their AI in the next update.
Details:
Increased Health
Developer Comment: While SWAT is a good Endgame mechanic for those who want to force their way into the vault, we love to see some changes in how they work and when they arrive. This will be changed in the next update. Making SWAT the final option, only when you start welding the door. We also love to see a more stealth approach when SWAT arrives at the scene. They can now always find you. Stealth and hiding should be an option in the future.
Bug Fixes
Fixed Grappling Hook Through the wall issue
Fixed various Level misplacements
Fixed Second amount of performance issues
Fixed Floating Drone issue
Fixed Weapons Stuttering Issues
Fixed Failing Mainobjective Triggers
Fixed Hard to reach Climbing Locations
HOTFIX 0.1.1b
(ADDED 15-03-21)
Added Support for Quest on Virtual Desktop
Special Thanks for testers
The last couple of weeks we got some amazing help from the community to test out the new features and mechanics. They gave some great feedback and helped us track down and fix a big list of bugs and issues. So special thanks to these community testers: Fealix, Pepie, TjBread, HOUDINI, SLPY, Duckman, bigrips97, S1ade, madfoot3, duarc, ccdeltabeta, Ryan H, F1sivids and the goose is loose!
We will continue community testing for future updates. If you want to join these amazing group of people and helps us test out new content, join our discord and let us know!
Discord
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Hi everyone, Hope you are all still safe and sound. It has been some hectic and eventful months for all of us. While it has been a while that we posted a dev post, we are very eager to share with you some more information about our progress and status! In the previous dev blogs,
Hi everyone,
Hope you are all still safe and sound. It has been some hectic and eventful months for all of us. While it has been a while that we posted a dev post, we are very eager to share with you some more information about our progress and status!
In the previous dev blogs, we discussed some new features and mechanics we are adding to the game with the new update. However in this new dev blog, we will share some more insight into the development process of the new update, and why it is taking longer than expected. We will also share some more information about the 0.1.1 update that is coming up soon, and to wrap it all up, we have some small new stuff to show and tease!
First of all, let’s talk about the development process of the new update. Since the release in July, we have been working really hard on the first big update. While we received a lot of positive feedback and suggestions since the release, we personally were not fully satisfied with the status of the game. 2020 already started as a mess, and the whole covid situation forced our hands to aim for an Early Access release in July. While we did everything we could to wrap things up for EA release, it still did not meet our high demands we set for ourselves and the community. So immediately after release, we set up a roadmap and a plan to work toward that version of Panther VR that we all want to see. We can tell with full certainty that we are still fully motivated to reach that goal, and the 0.1.1 update will be the first big step in the right direction! However, reaching that goal will take some time and it’s that development time I want to talk about. Because why is the new update taking so long? We will share some points about our process that will hopefully answer that question.
Why is the Update taking longer than expected?
Covid-19
So let’s start with the elephant in the room: the covid situation. While we are very lucky that everybody close to us is still healthy, and we also hope that everyone reading this and their relatives are also safe and sound. The whole of 2020 has been a year with a lot of downsides. The lockdowns took a big toll on our development process. The whole dev process was forced on a pause for almost a month, and when we were finally able to work from home, it did not make things a lot easier. Working on a game project is a very creative process, and working separately does not improve the situation.
If that wasn’t enough, I myself tested positive for covid in late October and was forced into complete isolation for 2 weeks. I’m really grateful that my symptoms were not so severe, but let just say that my bed was my best friend for that period. I’m fully recovered now, and really glad that I did not spread the virus to anyone else. So while we had a bit of a setback this year with covid, it never broke our spirit and we still kept working on the game.
Big first update
One of the main reasons we were not satisfied with the 0.1.0 version of Panther VR is the interaction system. The hands were really awkward, there was no real interaction with the world. Items float in your hands and the fingers did not even move right. And let’s not start about the horrible inflatable noodle arms. Needless to say, it was time for a good rework. So that is what we did. We removed the old interaction system, and build and integrated a new one from the ground up. This completely broke the player’s character and everything that the player could interact with: guards, security, etc. Meaning that almost every system in the game has to be partially reworked as well. You might imagine that took a lot of extra work. Work that was necessary for the future of the game. We could not build the whole game on the old broken system, so a new system was required for future updates and we added some new mechanics in the process as well. While it took a lot of extra time, we are very happy with the results we also shared in previous dev posts. It gives a whole new feeling to the game and brings Panther VR to a level you might expect of current VR games.
In Addition to the big rework, we also updated the engine of the game. When the production of Panther VR started, we built it in an older version of the Unity engine. During the dev process, they made a large update to that engine with a lot of improvements to VR optimization. This rework allowed us to update the engine as well. This update process broke the whole VR implementation to that game, and that needed some rework as well. It should improve the FPS for a lot of systems and it will implement support for all major HMDs.
Small Team
While the update required a lot of work, we can do so much each month with the team we have. We wanted to work with a bigger team on Panther VR, but due to Covid and limited resources, our team only consists of 2 people. While we have a lot of people surrounding and supporting us, the real work comes down to just the two of us. (including me) We still have some big plans for Panther VR, and we are still looking at options to expand our production size. In the meantime, we broke down the plans into “smaller’ steps in our roadmap. But even these smaller steps take a lot of time with 2. Especially the huge amount of rework we did for this new update. We can only hope that the next updates will proceed faster and will feature fewer amounts of pandemics.
So hopefully that shines a light on why it took a bit longer than expected. If we had a bigger team, we would have loved to give you the update a lot sooner. But we want to make sure that we are doing things the right way. And while it will take some extra time and a few more updates to get Panther VR where we want it to be, I’m sure it will be worth the wait!
Upcoming update
Speaking of the new update. We can also share that we are getting really close now. In a matter of days, we will be looking into a way for the community to test out the new features before we are putting it live to the public. Our community and their feedback and suggestions have always been a massive support for us, and we really want to involve you in this next big step. In the coming days, we will share some more information on the discord only, on how you can join the community testing of the new update! So if you haven’t already, come and join the official Panther VR discord.
New Content
New Visuals
We also want to share some new features and stuff for the upcoming update. One thing we did in addition to the rework was a small update to the visuals of the game. We updated the shaders, lighting, textures, and materials for the game. This visual update adds more depth to the environment and brings an extra touch of realism to the style of the game. Here are some screenshots which show the difference in style. We are looking forward to improving it even more in the future update. Let us know what you think of it!
Old
New
Open in new tab to see full result:
Melee Weapons
Since the first trailer of Panther VR, the screwdrivers have been a fan favorite to take down guards. With the improvement of the interaction system, we thought it might be time to add some more toys to play with. That is why with the addition of the wrench and screwdriver, we are adding some more melee weapons into the game. Slap them on the head with a crowbar or a hammer, or stab them in the guts with scissors or a kitchen knife. You will be able to find more different weapons around the level to use on unsuspecting guards. How these will react on guards, as in nonlethal or lethal, will be improved upon in the 0.1.2 update.
Tease
There will also be something different added in this new update, which we share some more information on once it goes live! Here is a small sneak peek of what is to come.
That was all we wanted to share in this new dev post. Our apologies for the wall of text, but we really wanted to give you an insight into what is happening. We can’t wait to let you try out the new update, and we get even more excited about what all the future updates will bring to the game! Stay strong all and speak to you soon!
- Jesse
Roadmap
For more information about upcoming content, updates, and the latest fixes and features, you can check out our roadmap.
Discord
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Hi everyone, We are making a lot of progress on the first big update. While we have a lot of new features ready and working, due to the size of the update, we still need a bit more time before we can put the ready stamp on it. However, we are still super excited to share some mor
Hi everyone,
We are making a lot of progress on the first big update. While we have a lot of new features ready and working, due to the size of the update, we still need a bit more time before we can put the ready stamp on it. However, we are still super excited to share some more insights on what we are working on. Today, we share some more information about the work we did on the movement system. So let’s keep going and dive right in!
As a master Thief, moving around the heist location is key to the success of your mission. Since we have an open level and we allow the player to choose their own path, we must have a movement system that compliments your actions. We already had a base for our movement system, but after playtesting and community suggestions, we decided to add some more features and tweaks to the current system.
First up is the basis of all your movement: walking. In the current version of Panther VR you could move your character forward with a maximum and consistent speed. This old system would let you zip around cameras and guards without being noticed. That is why, in the new system, we reduced your basic movement speed, but added the option to sprint. If you push your rotation (offhand) joystick forward, you can now sprint with increased speed. This sprint helps you a lot if you want to move quickly around the level or run away from combat. The sprinting system also lays out the framework for player-created sound. Meaning, that while sprinting will get you there faster, it could also create noise for the guard and security system to hear. This noise feature is definitely on our list, but we might need to move it to update 0.1.3. (Guards update)
In combination with the Running system, we’ve also added a new vaulting system. In the current version of Panther VR, if you are standing next to a crate, it was not uncommon that you accidentally pushed your character on top of that crate. Resulting in more frustration than actual convenience. While on the other hand, small fences, where unpassable. When you push your rotation (offhand) joystick forward, you can now vault over hip height objects. Giving you way more control, over when you want to vault over fences or stand on crates. Specialty in combination with running, this system gives you freerunning feel when you quickly jump over fences and boxes.
In order to hide for guards or to get to hidden places around the level, you might need to crouch (a lot) in Panther VR. While crouching is a thing you can do IRL in VR, it might not be something you want (or able) to do all the time. That is why we also added a press to the crouch button to Panther VR. Just simply press your rotation (offhand) joystick to enable crouch, and press it again to disable. Once crouched, you can easily hide behind crates or make use of the air vents. Keep in mind that sprinting will always cancel out your crouch position
Climbing was always a big part of Panther VR. It adds an extra layer of freedom to exploration and traversal of levels. So while working on the movement system, we also smoothed out the climbing system a bit more. We removed most of the climbing bugs and we paved out the framework for more advanced climbing systems for future updates, including zip lines and more grappling hook mechanics.
We know that every player has their own preference when it comes to movement systems, and especially when it comes to turning. Some prefer snap turning, while others live for smooth options. For all those different player preferences, we want to provide options to set up your own way of playing the game. We already had an options menu in the game, which was located on the player’s watch. Now, the menu is accessible with the press of a button and has a fresh new design, with some new options to tinker with. Tailoring the game to your own preferences is a big priority for us, so expect more options for future updates.
That concludes the new additions to the movement system. Once again, we hope that you love these new additions as much as we do. Update 0.1.1 will be the first, but also a really big update for Panther VR, so we can’t wait to set it live! Let us know what you think!
- Jesse
Roadmap
For more information about upcoming content, updates, and latest fixes and features, you can check out our roadmap.
Discord
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Hi Everyone, It is time to talk more about the changes coming to the weapons interaction. As you may have noticed in our previous Dev Blogs, we are working a huge overhaul of the core mechanics. We have a full rework of the interaction system and added a physical inventory system
Hi Everyone,
It is time to talk more about the changes coming to the weapons interaction. As you may have noticed in our previous Dev Blogs, we are working a huge overhaul of the core mechanics. We have a full rework of the interaction system and added a physical inventory system in the form of a backpack. With big changes like that, weapon interaction and handling cannot stay behind. Combat is an important part of Panther VR and it deserved some extra attention as well.*
*[THIS DEVBLOG WAS ALREADY POSTED ON OUR DISCORD AND REDDIT ON 4TH OF September]
Let's start with the way you grab your weapons. In the current version of Panther VR, you needed to open a quick-select menu with a top button. This quick select menu showed you 2 weapon choices, and with the press of another button, you could switch to the gadgets. With a quick swipe to the weapon you wanted you were able to wield it in your hand. We choose this system at an early stage of development to complement the fast-paced combat of Panther VR. We thought it would be a fast way to switch weapons during combat, however, it also gives the game an arcade game feel.
Based on our own experience in the game and on a lot of feedback from the community we decided to give this system a full overhaul. While the old system was more fast-faced, we are moving to a more “realistic approach”. That is why we are introducing a physical weapons system. All your weapons will be stored on your body/belt and the quick select system will be removed from the game. We have added 2 belt slots (left/right) for small firearms and gadgets. Those who played VRDK should be familiar with this system, except we build this one specifically for Panther VR. You can quickly draw and store your pistol from your hip. It is even possible to change slots.
The rifle and large weapons work a little bit differently from the small ones. They need a large weapon slot to store them. You can find the large weapon slot on your lower back (lower front also works) just below your backpack. With a quick motion, you can swipe the rifle from your back, ready to use it! The rifle won’t fit in your belt slots. This new physical inventory system was a big community request and we can’t wait to bring it to you in the next update. It feels so much better to store them on your belt than to grab them from a quick-select menu.
The physical inventory is not the only big change to weapons, next up is physical reloading and handling. In the old system, reloading was very simple. When the gun was empty you just needed to press the button to release the mag, and then you needed to bring your gun to your belt to reload. This old system is also in for a big change. Besides the fact that the weapons are now properly in your hands, you can also interact with them.
To reload your weapons in the new system, you still only need one button to eject the mag. Then you need to grab a new clip from your ammo belt (instead of moving the weapon to your belt) and physically put the new mag in your weapon. Once inserted, you need to pull back the slide of your weapons to put a bullet in the chamber. You can eject a mag or cock your gun whenever you want. The physical system makes it even possible to choose your own reload method: Put your mag on a table, slam your gun on the mag, hit out the old mag with a new one, or throw your mag into the air and catch it with your gun. There is also a chance for weapon handling. Shooting your rifle from the hip now adds more recoil, so it is more beneficial to use them with 2 hands.
With this new physical reloading system, we also want to introduce a new system as well. In the old version, you had unlimited bullets, but we are also including ammunition with the new update. You can no longer indefinitely grab mags from your belt. Each mag takes a certain amount from your total munition count. So your bullet may run out if you are not careful. We are also adding bullet types, starting with a pistol and rifle ammo, meaning all weapons of the same type share the same ammo. For example, If we add more pistols to the game, they would all share the same bullet type. Now you may think: what will happen when I run out of ammo? Well, you can also find ammo boxes around the level to refill your ammo belt! Hopefully one day, you might even be able to “borrow” some ammo from a guard.
This concluded the Dev blog about the weapons. We would love to hear your thoughts on these new features! We are making good progress and we can't wait to get you hands on the new update!
- Jesse
Roadmap
For more information about upcoming content, updates, and latest fixes and features, you can check out our roadmap.
Discord
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Hi everyone, It is time for another dev update! Last post we showed you the new interaction system and the direction that we are taking for Panther VR. We are very great full for all the positive reactions, and we can't wait for the release of the 0.1.1 update. Until that moment,
Hi everyone,
It is time for another dev update! Last post we showed you the new interaction system and the direction that we are taking for Panther VR. We are very great full for all the positive reactions, and we can't wait for the release of the 0.1.1 update. Until that moment, we keep you updated on the progress and what is to come. This week we will share some insight into a very big addition to the game: a new inventory system!*
*[THIS DEVBLOG WAS ALREADY POSTED ON OUR DISCORD AND REDDIT ON 20TH OF AUGUST ]
In the current version of Panther VR you are able to find weapons and loot across the level. You could pick them up, but if you wanted to bring a wrench with you, you needed to hold it in your hands the whole time. Loot also just disappeared into an unknown dimension when you picked it up. These things are all about to change with the first update.
Introducing: the Backpack! The Backpack serves as a physical inventory system in which you can store items, melee weapons, and Loot. The Backpack is located behind your head and can be grabbed by holding down the grip button.
Inside your Backpack you can find a certain amount of slots for Items and melee weapons, sorted into different tabs. You can now bring your favorite screwdriver anywhere you want, stock up on some toilet paper, or create your own collection of mugs. You can bring all small items with you including Melee weapons and loot. So next time you come across a guard, there might be something very useful in your backpack.
Once an item is placed in your backpack, you can hover over it to show its name and type. If you see an item you need, just grab it out of your backpack, and it is ready to use!
We also included a Quick store and Auto store function to the backpack. When you grab the backpack, you can also put items in the auto slot at the top which are automatically stored in the first empty slot. For even more convenience you can also use the Quick store function. Without holding the backpack, you can just grab and put and item behind your head to automatically store it in your backpack!
All the items you can store in your backpack fall under these categories (for the time being):
Items: Stuff you can find around the level, from toilet paper to mug and office supplies. You can throw these to distract the guards, and with update 0.1.2 hopefully, you will be able to stun them, or maybe disarm them. Melee Weapons: Some items serve as a melee weapon, like a screwdriver or a wrench. These melee weapons will instantly Kill or knock out a guard. Loot: You can find valuable stuff like smartphones or wallets around the level. You can take them to your hideout to sell them for a special currency.
Keep in mind that more content and features will be added later to the game and are still conceptual, like the stun with items or maybe durability for melee weapons. The bag pack system on its basis will bring plenty of new possibilities to think of.
At this moment storing items will not have a disadvantage on your movement speed or noise. However, there will be a limited amount of storage for items and loot. In the current version, you can take as many loots as you could find, but with the backpack, you will think of what you will take back to your hideout. Your backpack will be emptied out once you return for a mission.
So there will be large storage for loot at your hideout, but this might be added in a later update. Meaning that in 0.1.1 loot in your backpack will sell automatically once the mission ends. We can't wait to add more function to items and stuff in later updates. Like using a screwdriver to unscrew an air vent, or to pick locks, etc. That is why we would love to hear ideas from the community!
We hope that these new additions show that we really want to improve the game. The backpack is a big new feature and together with the new interaction system and some stuff we are still going to show you, the game already feels like a different experience. Hopefully, it will bring Panther VR one big step closer to the stealth experience you all dream off.
This concludes our Dev blog about the new inventory system. We hope you like the progress so far, and we can't wait to show you more!
- Jesse
Roadmap
For more information about upcoming content, updates, and latest fixes and features, you can check out our roadmap.
Discord
If you haven't already, don't forget to join the Panther VR Discord! Share your comments and suggestion with us and the community!
Socials
For more information about current and future updates, from Panther VR and other Wolfdog Interactive games, follow our Socials!
Hi everyone, Hope that everyone is still feeling good. We have been hard at work on Panther VR after its release nearly a month ago. After a bit of a rocky launch, we were able to resolve the major issues with 2 big hotfixes. But now we are steaming ahead on for the first big upd
Hi everyone,
Hope that everyone is still feeling good. We have been hard at work on Panther VR after its release nearly a month ago. After a bit of a rocky launch, we were able to resolve the major issues with 2 big hotfixes. But now we are steaming ahead on for the first big update for Panther VR: the Interaction update. We can’t wait to show you some stuff that we have been working on, and what the main direction will be for the 0.1.1 update. This update will include some big changes and improvements to the game, and we will be sharing these changes in the next few weeks with small dev updates on the discord, steam forum, and Reddit. So without further ado, let’s talk about the new update and what is to come! *
*[THIS DEVBLOG WAS ALREADY POSTED ON OUR DISCORD AND REDDIT ON 5TH OF AUGUST ]
The first update will be the interaction update. While Panther VR has a level of interaction, it is very rough and does not live up to the standards of current VR games. You were only able to grab a very limited amount of items, and even if you would pick them up, they didn’t fit well in your hands. The arms felt wonky, and the finger movement (added in a hotfix) still did not feel as good as it should be. The core of VR is player interaction. You need to feel your presence in the game, by grabbing and interacting with objects the way you would expect.
That is why we decided to focus our attention on the interaction system. The old system was an evolvement of the one in VRDK. But after a year of tweaking, it became a bit of a mess and it reached its limits. That is why we are removing the old system of the game, and are building on a whole new player and interaction system. This is as much work as it sounds. Everything related to the player needs to be rebuilt or reworked, but we believe that this will greatly change and improve the overall experience of Panther VR.
In this first dev update, we are going to talk about the hands. We’ve added some gifs to this post to showcase some of the changes in the new update. First let's take a look at the Arms, or better: the lack of Arms. While we really love to see the arms, the current ones felt really clunky and were more of a distraction than an addition. This is why we decided to remove the arms from the game so that we can add them back in a later stage, but only if we can make them perfect. So from update 0.1.1, we are using hands only. We’ve remodeled, reskinned, and adjusted the size of the hands. We also added a new finger movement system for better immersion. The finger movement now directly mirrors the one you might see in Oculus home.
One of the biggest changes however is the item interaction. You are now able to fully grasp the items you pick up. Every item has its unique pose while grabbing, so no more floating items or strangely placed fingers. We’ve also added full physics to each item, so you will be able to knock stuff over or build small towers out of soda cans. It is still possible to grab objects once your hands are near them, but we also reworked the ranged system as well. Complimented by a GUI and hover over the indicator, items will now float smoothly into your hands once you grab them from a distance.
We have plenty of more stuff coming up in this new update, and we can’t wait to talk about them more in the next blog.
Thanks again for your support, You are all amazing!
- Jesse
Roadmap
For more information about upcoming content, updates, and latest fixes and features, you can check out our roadmap.
Discord
If you haven't already, don't forget to join the Panther VR Discord! Share your comments and suggestion with us and the community!
Socials
For more information about current and future updates, from Panther VR and other Wolfdog Interactive games, follow our Socials!
Hi everyone! It has been a very exciting and busy week for us. We are so happy that Panther VR has been released to the public, and we are overwhelmed with positive reactions from an amazing community that surrounds it. It's so great to see that our backers and new players are fi
Hi everyone!
It has been a very exciting and busy week for us. We are so happy that Panther VR has been released to the public, and we are overwhelmed with positive reactions from an amazing community that surrounds it. It's so great to see that our backers and new players are finally able to take a go at stealth in VR. We watch every Panther VR gameplay video and we really enjoy all the creative ways people come up to silently "borrow" the sample from the vault.
We are also aware of the issues and the state of the current version of Panther VR. We read every feedback, review, and suggestions for Panther VR, and we want to thank everyone for being honest and fair. We fully acknowledge that this very first version of Panther VR is still a bit rough around the edges, and it is something we never kept a secret. We tested the game a lot in the last couple of weeks before launch. but with a sudden increase of players, (for which we are very grateful), more glitches and bugs started floating towards the surface.
While we wished for a less rocky start from the beginning, the launch also shows that we are still an indie company. We are very happy that people are leaving feedback and reviews on the game. This means a lot to us, and We have been listening to every feedback review and suggestion. We want to show that we really care about what you guys say, so we uploaded a Hotfix that addresses some much-needed fixes, and added some community requested content.
We want to make Panther VR the best VR stealth game out there, and I have no doubt in my mind that we will reach that point when we look at the community that surrounds it. We can only hope that you are willing to join us on this amazing adventure! :3
Stay safe!
We listened to all your feedback and we worked around the clock this week to fix everything we can. From small fixes to large performance tweak, here is a breakdown of everything that has been added in these 2 weeks of fixes:
Performance
Before we go into detail on the smaller fixes, we wanted to address the most important and prevalent issue in Panther VR: the performance. We tested on a lot of different systems through the course of the ALPHA and BETA, and we thought we had fixed the biggest performance issues. But seeing the feedback and gameplay footage from some of your players, we saw that these issues are more severe than we thought. A low framerate can ruin any experience, and it will even cause more issues in Panther VR like shaky arms and hands. Our apologies for everyone who has experienced these game-breaking performance issues, and we will do everything we can to resolve these issues.
While fixing the performance is the most important thing on our list, it will also be one most time-consuming issues to fix. Luckily we added some bug fixes in today Hotfix which should fix a lot of issues on different systems, but it will take some time and updates to fully beat every performance issue.
However, you can help us to decrease this development time, by sharing your feedback and reports. If you experience low frame rates at certain parts and times, please share them with us on the Panther VR discord. The more information we have, the faster we can find a fix for them! Thanks in advance and we hope to welcome you on the discord.
HOTFIX 0.1.0f1
(ADDED 19-06-20)
Added Left-hand support in optionsYou can turn on the left-hand mode in Watch menu
Added Audio settings in options You can adjust volume levels in Watch menu
Added Arm calibration in optionsYou can calibrate your arms in Watch menu (more functions will follow)
Added small Graphics optionsYou can calibrate your graphics in Watch menu (more functions will follow)
Added finger movementYou can now move your fingers with input (more in update 0.1.1)
Added Roadmap in HideoutView the roadmap of Panther VRin the hideout
Added Temporary Tutorial Tablets in HideoutView some tips and trick in the hideout, a tutorial system is in the works
Increased Bullet speedYour bullets travel faster from all weapons
Changed Arm locationWe calibrated your arms to a better position (more in update 0.1.1)
Fixed End screen buttonYou can go back to your hideout or restart the mission on completion.
Fixed Propane tank spawnPropane tanks didn't spawn for some reason, now they are back.
HOTFIX 0.1.0f2
(ADDED 25-06-20)
Fixed Major performance issues (first step of future updates)We fixed a lot of performance issues, so it should work better on some systems, however, it will take some more fixes to fully resolve every issue)
Fixed Climbing issues Climbing should feel more stable, and you have not pushed away anymore.
Fixed Swat/guards shooting through wall issues.Guard and Swat won't shoot you thought wall anymore, they need full line of sight
Fixed Swat/guards/ still hitting you in airvent issueYou are now a bit safer in air vents.
Fixed Airvent culling issueThe world doesn't disappear anymore while climbing out of the air vents.
Fixed EXP bar in the hideoutExperience bar in hideout now shows your own level and Exp.
Fixed Missing guard walletsYou can visually and successfully pickpocket guard again
Fixed dragging guard body shaking issuesGuard body will stay stable while dragging them around
Adjusted escape location markerEscape location marker set to eye level
Adjusted detection rate and speedWe adjusted the detection rate and speed for guards, so time to step up the game!
Adjusted Difficulty levelsThe Expect difficulty setting now has increased guard and swat damage, and faster detection
Feedback
Your feedback is super important to us. For current players, let us know if these fixes have improved your experience, and for both new and old players, share your feedback suggestions and comments with us! We build our games on community feedback, so you truly have the power to change and influence this game!
Discord
If you haven't already, don't forget to join the Panther VR Discord! Share your comments and suggestion with us and the community!
Socials
For more information about current and future updates, from Panther VR and other Wolfdog Interactive games, follow our Socials!
Welcome to Panther VR Early Access! Hi Everyone, We hope you are all safe and well. With great pleasure, we want to welcome you all to the Panther VR early Access! After a successful Kickstarter campaign and months of hard work, we can finally release the first Early Access versi
Welcome to Panther VR Early Access!
Hi Everyone,
We hope you are all safe and well.
With great pleasure, we want to welcome you all to the Panther VR early Access! After a successful Kickstarter campaign and months of hard work, we can finally release the first Early Access version of Panther VR to the public.
First of all, we want to thank all of our Backers and our amazing community for testing the game and providing us with a lot of positive feedback and support. Now the time has come to release Panther VR to the public and to start our Early Access adventure together with our community. The 0.1.0 Version contains the base mechanics of the game to showcase our vision and future direction of the game. You can start a randomly generated mission from your hideout, use weapons and gadgets to evade security, go full stealth or guns blazing to get to the objective, find loot hidden all around the heist locations.
Panther VR aims to bring the stealth-action genre to VR. We want to have a high focus on sandbox mechanics. For the player to discover their own route in open levels, choose their own playstyle with different approaches, and to play with the environment, gadgets, and weapons to aid them in their heists. All current and future content is added with a sandbox in mind and is largely based on feedback and suggestions from our community.
We have huge plans for Panther VR, and a big list of content, reworks, and ideas for future updates. While we are super happy that Panther VR is finally open for the public, we also want to add, that this is still a VERY EARLY version of Panther VR. While the base game is present and we are very proud of what we have made already, it might still be a bit rough around the edges at some points and the game may contain some bugs. Please keep this in mind when buying the game, but if you do decide to check it out, it will help us out to improve the game immensely and hope you will see our vision and love for the game. If you want to help us out even more: you can share your feedback and suggestions with us in the Discord, together we can make this game into something amazing!
Thank you all so much for supporting the game and we hope you will enjoy this journey with us!
Have fun!
-Wolfdog Team
Panther VR Roadmap
This update is just the beginning of Panther VR. We have a lot of new features planned for future updates. We made a roadmap of the upcoming updates to let you know what you can expect from the first content Patches. There are currently 4 updates on this roadmap, but these are just the first of many, and the roadmap will extend in the future. Please check out our Panther VR roadmap to see what kind of new content we want to add in future updates:
Added: The Hideout [MAIN HUB]
The Guild provided your crew with their own Hideout. This secret base of operations is located in an abandoned warehouse and is repurposed with the following high tech equipment: An operation center for planning your missions, an armory for your weapons and gadgets, and a garage for your escape Vehicle. It will also be a perfect place to relax between dangerous missions.
The player Hideout will serve as the main hub of the game, you'll start your game in the hideout and it will be the location where you'll select your missions in the operation center. Since it is still an early version of the game, your hideout will only contain the mission selection screen, but many more functionalities will be included in later updates, such as a functional armory for weapon and gadget customization.
Functionality:
Operations Center: Select missions (more functions added in future updates)
Added: Facility N4 [HEIST]
Welcome to Facility N4, a research facility located between the mountains and in a dense forest. This highly secured location is the home of many secret experiments, ranging from the creation of pharmaceutical samples to the productions of weapon prototypes. Its large open laboratory is crowded with security, but the machines and canisters should provide enough cover for our agent. Gain access through the loading dock, or go straight for the Main Lobby. Make sure you don’t forget to explore the offices for useful items and loot.
Facility N4 is one of the first Heist locations in the game. Let me explain what a heist location means for the game. When you select a mission, it will take place at a heist location. These are prebuilt open-world locations. This means that the location will look the same, however, your selected mission will change a lot of variables at this level. Security will be in different locations, start and end locations will be different, loot will spawn in different locations, etc. Each heist location is also designed as a fully open level. You can always choose your own path and approach for each time you play a heist.
With the combination of level randomization, and open level design, each level will have countless combinations and approaches and a high replayability factor.
Notible level locations:
Laboratory
Loading Dock
Visitors lobby
Research offices
Added: First Heists [MISSIONS]
In a distant future, ruled by international Corporations, there is always a struggle for power. Most power can be bought with money, everything else can be stolen. This is where the “Guild” comes into place. An international secret organization of master thieves, working for the highest bidder. These companies are always interested in obtaining prototypes, samples, or top-secret documents from their competitors. That is where you come in.
You can take on missions provided by the Guild. They can be selected in the Hideout. The first missions you can play are Heists. A Heist always has one primary Objective: steal the main object. This sounds easy on paper, but the main objective is always locked in a secure room. So your first goal is to gain access to this secured room. This can be done in two distinct ways:
1) STEALTH The first is the stealth approach. You can choose to complete two secondary objectives to gain access to the vault. The first and only secondary objective currently in the game is to override power to the vault door. More variants will be added in later updates, for example: hacking a terminal. Once these secondary objectives are completed, the vault door will unlock and the main objective will be for the taking.
2) LOUD You can also choose a more direct and loud approach. Instead of completing the secondary objectives, you can also place a lasercutter on the vault door. This lasercutter will gradually cut a hole in the door, but it will also trigger the built-in security system, which will sound the alarm. To be on the lookout for incoming armed forces, and try to protect the lasercutter al all cost. When a hole is cut with your lasers, your final barrier will be gone, and the objective can be looted.
Developer Comment: While the stealth approach is always the first and suggested way to go, (netting you more rewards in later updates), the more forceful approach is also needed when the alarm is triggered in stealth approach, and you didn’t complete the secondary objectives. Once you obtained the primary objective, it is time to head to the Getaway van. Each Heist will be randomly generated and is sorted on difficulty. In the current version, there are 2 (random) generated test missions before we integrate a fully-fledged mission system in a later update.
Heist Structure:
Primary objective: Secured in Vault. Vault can be opened by completing secondary objectives (Stealth) or with a lasercutter (loud)
Secondary objective: Override power to the vault (optional)
Escape: Bring the main objective back to the Escape van.
Mission Randomization (All things random in a mission)
Start locations
Loot and item locations
Secondary Objectives locations
All security locations
Escape Locations
Added: Movement Options [SYSTEM]
Everybody has its own preference when it comes to movement in VR. That is why we already added a variety of movement options to choose from. For your main movement, you can choose between movement with the stick, or our own “Arm Swing” system. (Same as in VR Dungeon Knight). For turning you can pick between smooth turning, and snap turning and they all can be calibrated with different speeds and snap angles.
Movement options
Smooth movement: Move forward with Stick
Armswing movement: Move with forward by swinging you arms
Introducing the Gohl-s. The Gohl is the standard issue handgun for all Guild Agents. This all-round handgun is always a good choice on a mission. Especially if you equip them with the silencer, it becomes a fast, deadly and silent solution for taking down guards.
Weapon statistics:
Comes equipped with a silencer (weapons modification added in future update)
Very useful for stealth approach
Fast fire
Normal range
Added: FELDT M33 [WEAPON]
When a plan does not work out as expected and you need to engage in full combat, the Feldt will be your best friend. This Guild-issued assault rifle comes with a good fire rate and a decent-sized magazine. Equipped with Iron sights, it can be precise on a good range. This assault rifle can be held with both hands.
Weapon statistics:
Can be wielded with both hands
Very useful for Loud approach
Very Fast fire
Normal range
Added: Grappling Hook [GADGET]
A good item for traversal is important for any thief. Use the grappling hook to get yourself up too hard to reach locations. You can find hooks and ledges scattered around the heist location. Shoot a rope from a distance and climb up on the rooftops. The grappling gun grants access to new routes and different approaches.
Gadget statistics:
Shoot a climbing rope from a distance (More functions added in future update)
Opens up new routes
Added: Scout Drone [GADGET]
The more you know about your surroundings, the better. Make use of the Scout drone, and scout ahead before entering. It’s a small two-wheeled drone and comes equipped with a camera. The scouting drone can reach new places through small vents and can mark guard locations with its camera. The drone cannot be spotted by security, so it very useful for gathering intel.
Gadget statistics:
Use the drone to scout ahead (More functions added in future update)
Marks guards
Can go through small vents
Can be used to hack Security Routers
Added: Loot [COLLECT]
Exploration is key as a Thief. Take a good look around during your heist to find many useful and valuable items. I’m sure nobody will miss their valuable belongings right? Scattered around the heist locations you can find loot. Pick them up and sell them for a good profit. Some extra money, above the initial mission awards, will always come in handy.
Details:
Find randomized loot all across the level
Gain some extra cash for what you collect
Loot comes with a different value
Added: (Non)Lethal Weapons [ITEM]
Your own weapons aren't the only ones that can be useful during your heist. If you are creative enough you can use some items you find throughout the heist locations. A pointy screwdriver can be a deadly throwing weapon in the right hands, and the guard will take a good nap after a kiss to the face from a wrench. You can use items as lethal weapons to dispatch guards in creative methods. (non-lethal takedowns will be added in a future update)
Details:
Find items during a heist to use as a weapon
Use a screwdriver as a deadly throwing weapon
Hit a guard unconscious with a heavy wrench (more items will be added in a future update)
Blow up propane canisters
Added: Climbing/vents [ENVIRONMENT]
When you run into an obstacle during your heist, you might need to look for a different route. Use rain pipes, ladders, and ropes to take the high road to your objective. Large air vents may also prove useful to navigate around the location, it is also a good place to hide, for when the guards start looking around.
Details:
Use pipes, ladders and ropes to climb
Sneak inside with the use of an Airvent
Added: Cardboard Box [ITEM]
Sometimes, the best place to hide is in plain sight. We got a Solid tip from a very experienced agent that a cardboard box will do the trick. I’m sure there must be some boxes laying around you can use. The key is to stay very quiet and don’t move. The guard won’t blink an eye from a distance, but they might be suspicious from a shorter range.
Details:
Hide in a Cardboardbox
Sneaky like a snake
Don’t move!
Added: Security Guard [GUARD]
Müller international security [MSec] is responsible for the protection and security of high priority locations. They enlist and deploy trained security guards to patrol around important targets. Be on the lookout for these guards. They follow a strict patrol route, but they will also investigate anything suspicious. When they find something that confirms their suspicion they will call out for backup, or even sound the alarm. Do your best to avoid these guards, and only use force if necessary. If so, try to hide the body if you can.
Details:
Avoid detection
Patrols a set route (A.I will be reworked in future update)
Will investigate anything suspicious
Can be taken out
Added: Heavy Guard [GUARD]
When a normal Security guard doesn’t suffice, bring in the Heavy Guards. These Heavy guards are all padded up, and come equipped with bulletproof helmets, which prevents headshots. They can take a lot more damage than normal security guards, so try to avoid them at all costs. However, if you can get close enough, a well-placed screwdriver might do the trick.
Details:
Armored, can take a lot of damage
Patrols a set route
Will investigate anything suspicious
Vulnerable for melee.
Added: Security Camera [SEC SYSTEM]
Security cameras are the first line of defense. They can be found all over the location, and they always scan for anything suspicious. Close track their movement and locations, and try to stay out of their sight. They won’t detect noise, and a well-timed shot can take them out of service. However, guards aren’t so keen on finding broken security systems.
Details:
On the lookout for intruders
Won't detect noise
Added: Laserfence [BASIC SEC]
A very efficient and common security system is the Laser fence. These strategically placed fences are used to keep intruders out. Small points emit painful lasers to form a large grid, to block off a certain route. The lasers are calibrated on the presence of Guards and SWAT, which will make them immune to the effect of the lasers. However, if an intruder touches the laser grid, they will receive a painful shock, and the gate will sound a short alarm for any surrounding guards.
Details:
Blocks route for intruders
Very painfully when touched
Calibrated to Guards and Police
Added: Security Routers [BASIC SEC]
All these different security systems need a way to communicate with each other. That is where the Security routers come in to play. Every system is linked together with everything else in a room. Locate a security router in a room, and try to disable with your drone, or to destroy them with brute force. Once the routers are deactivated, the other systems in the room will pose no threat, but a sudden system failure won’t go unnoticed.
Details:
Controls all security systems in a room
Can be deactivated
Added: Keycards [BASIC SEC]
One of the best things you can do to avoid an intrusion is to lock your doors. That is why some of the doors are locked shut with a Keycard panel. These doors can only be opened with the right access. It is also possible to gain access to a locked door with a borrowed keycard. Or just look around, there is always a way to get inside.
Details:
Some doors are locked with keycard
Guards and Police can use these doors
You can gain access with the right keycard
Added: SWAT [POLICE]
When your stealthy approach proves unsuccessful, and the alarm is raised, then the Police arrive at the scene. Trained SWAT agents will storm the location and will try to neutralize any intruder insight. Once this police raid takes place, there will be no turning back to normal. Armored SWAT with a deadly assault rifle will keep coming until the player leaves a location with the escape van, or when they are killed. Try to ward off all the attackers and defend the laser cutter at all costs.
(Full rework of this action phase in a future update)
Details:
Trained and armored SWAT agents will hunt down the player
Try to escape as fast as possible, or risk being killed
They keep coming
Bug Fixes
(From BETA)
Fixed Rifle handling bug
Fixed Camera spotting through vents and doors
Fixed Guards having trouble walking on Stairs
Fixed first amount of performance issues (need more testing and feedback)
Fixed blocked drone vents
Fixed main objective pickup Glitch
HOTFIX 0.1.0f1
(ADDED 19-06-20)
Added Left-hand support in options
Added Audio settings in options
Added Arm calibration in options
Added small Graphics options
Added finger movement
Added Roadmap in Hideout
Added Tutorial Tablets in Hideout
Increased Bullet speed
Fixed Arm location
Fixed End screen button
Fixed Propane tank spawn
Discord
If you haven't already, don't forget to join the Panther VR Discord! Share your comments and suggestion with us and the community!
Socials
For more information about current and future updates, from Panther VR and other Wolfdog Interactive games, follow our Socials!
Hello everyone, Once again, we hope that you are all safe and healthy. With great joy we can share some more news on the Early Access release of Panther VR. We got a lot of positive feedback from the ALPHA and BETA, and we can't wait to share the game with the rest of the world.
Hello everyone,
Once again, we hope that you are all safe and healthy. With great joy we can share some more news on the Early Access release of Panther VR. We got a lot of positive feedback from the ALPHA and BETA, and we can't wait to share the game with the rest of the world. So without further ado, lets me explain our release schedule for Panther VR and what we have planned after release.
First of all, we want to thank you all for your patience, trust, and positivity during the COVID situation. While it still a strange time for us all, we can look back at some very exciting weeks working on the game, and we are very pleased with the results of the ALPHA and BETA. We are still working on some last fixes from the BETA, but it is nearing its Early Access stage. It just needs a little more time in the oven to smooth some mechanics out behind the scenes, but it now only a matter of days, so we are talking about: very soon.
The first Launch of a game is an important moment, one that should be taken with great care but it also brings some important opportunities. Besides making the game ready for our Kickstarter backers and the general public, it is also the time to make sure that a lot of our backers get their rewards and it gives us a new moment for marketing. We are very proud of what we created so far, so we also want to take the opportunity to make Panther VR know to a larger audience. We need a couple of days to make sure that all remaining Kickstarter Backers will receive their EA key, and that the marketing is all set to go. There is also a small optimization update we want to make to improve the performance of the game. Due to these small additions we want to propose the following release schedule that we divided for Backers and non-Backers.
For Backers
Applies if you are a Kickstarter Backer
The ALPHA and BETA has been a huge success. Thanks to the feedback, and bug report from the community, We could address and fix a lot of small community reported bugs and issues. However, one important thing still required our attention: Performance. This is why we want to collect more data on this before we release it to the public, we decided to ask the remaining Backers to help us out on with this.
This means that we will release Panther VR to all backers as soon as the build is ready to test at the end of May/ First week of June! See it as an Early Early Access version. Looking at how the backers have been waiting with a lot of excitement, we don't want to keep you guys waiting any longer. So keep an eye on your email these days for an Early Access key of Panther VR and some small instructions to help us out on the performance part. We can't wait to hear what you think, and thanks again for all your support!
Public
Applies if you aren't a Kickstarter Backer
Now that the Early access moment of Panther VR rapidly is approaching, it will be a moment that we look forward to with excitement. The build is almost ready, but we still need some extra time to test out the performance with our remaining backers before we can open it to the public. So it will be a short wait before we release Panther VR into the world. We can't share an exact date just yet, but we will be announcing the release date at the UploadVR showcase, hosted by IGN summer of Gaming on June 16th. So be sure to check it out for more information, but trust us and rest assured, you won't be disappointed with the date! ;)
Once Panther VR goes live on Early Access, it also marks the beginning of our journey. This first version will contain the core mechanics of the game, but we have a large list of new content and improvements planned for many Early Access updates to come. Think of new weapons, gadgets, maps, mission types, mechanics but also improvement of current systems, like our detection and interaction system. We will release a small roadmap with future content together with the Early Access release of Panther VR. For all the latest content updates and progress, make sure to check out our Panther VR tracking List.
With the EA Release of Panther VR coming closer and closer, we want to talk a bit more about the retail price and our future plans surrounding it.
Panther VR started its production since the start of 2018 and went through a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund a small portion of the development costs. We have a small but very dedicated team working on their dream project. The world is going through some strange and difficult times right now, but working on the game is such a relief, and seeing all your positive reactions is heartwarming to us all.
Very soon, our Early access adventure will start with the first public release of Panther VR. The game will start with a solid base, a huge list of future content, and a lot of amazing community suggestions. Looking at the current size of the game, but also at, what we think huge potential and future content we decided on the following price.
Panther VR will cost 19.99 on Steam Early Access. We hope it will be a fair price to you all. The game is still in an Early Stage right now, but every sale will help us out a great deal and will allow us to keep improving the game with new content, missions, mechanics, weapons, gadgets, and community ideas! So we truly hope that you will be able to join us in the early stage of our adventure and stick around to see Panther VR grow into something amazing.
When the game will grow with future content and updates, we will come to a point that we decide to increase the base price as well. Meaning that once the game is more fleshed out with updates, or hits it full 1.0 version (which will still be some time away), we will raise the base price to a more appropriate level. This will come in small increments, and will always come with a heads up before this happens. So joining us in an early stage of the game will have some benefits!
We cannot say this enough, but please consider joining our community on Discord! We see our community as one of the most important things in our production process. We want to hear your feedback, support, suggestions, and questions regarding Panther VR. Make the game even better and make it truly yours. We take great pride in our community and we added a lot of community requested stuff in our other game; So please join us, Agents! Links:
We hope you liked this dev update, and that it gave you some more insight into what you can expect from the upcoming Beta. If you liked this update, let us know in the comments or on discord. As always: if you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. Please don't forget to join the Panther VR Discord, and get involved with your feedback and suggestion. Thanks again!
Hello everyone, Hope you are all safe and well. Normally we release a new dev update on Kickstarter, but this time we wanted to share some news on our Steam page as well. It has been a weird time for the whole world. It shows us even more that we all need to work together and sta
Hello everyone,
Hope you are all safe and well. Normally we release a new dev update on Kickstarter, but this time we wanted to share some news on our Steam page as well. It has been a weird time for the whole world. It shows us even more that we all need to work together and stay positive for the future. While we are staying safe and following the instructions from our government, we are still fully continuing our work on Panther VR. In this update, we will tell you more about the already released Alpha Version of Panther VR and we will share some light on the current process of the game and future release dates of the Beta and Early Access versions of Panther VR.
In March we released the Alpha version of Panther VR for our Kickstarter Backers with the Operative Perk or higher. We have worked a long time for this first official public version, and we were looking forward to the launch of the Alpha. It was a great opportunity to playtest the core mechanics and to collect a lot of precious feedback from the backers.
Luckily a large majority of the Alpha backers had the opportunity to explore and test out the Alpha version of the Game. We received a lot of amazing and positive feedback and suggestions on the official Panther VR discord. We also have sent out a survey to all Alpha players to collect even more details on their experiences. They did a great job of locating remaining bugs and glitches or test out the game on different HMD, controllers and computer setups. We are listening to every suggestion to make the game even better for the Beta and Early Access version.
We also want to talk a bit more about the current COVID situation and how it has affected us and the development of Panther VR. First of all, we all hope that you are safe. The well being of our team and players is our first priority. That is why we are following the guidelines set by our government. For those who might not know, our office is located in the Netherlands, which has issued, in what they call; intelligent lockdown. This means that our office is closed down since March and that everyone is working safely from home. As of this time of writing all team members and their relatives are still healthy.
While we are still working hard from our own homes, it is far from ideal. We truly love to work on Panther VR, it is truly a passion project and after seeing the positive reaction from the Alpha, it made us even more excited for what is to come. Everyone's well being is the most important, but having such a huge passion for the game, It also pains us that the current situation has slowed down the development process.
This means that we need to delay the Beta to end of April/start of May and the Early Access version will follow shortly after that at the end of May. We really want to make something we are all proud of, and we are still doing the best we can with the limited resources we currently have. We truly hope you will understand, and we wish everyone the best in these strange times. We will get through this, and we can't wait for the game to officially go live. If you have any more questions regarding this, or if you just want to share your thoughts with us, please check out the Panther VR discord!
There might be some small delays, but we are still making a good process on the Beta. While the main purpose of the Alpha was to test out the core mechanics, the beta is the moment to expand on those ideas. Besides fixing bugs and glitches, we want to flesh out some core mechanics and test out the hideout. Our main job is to get the core of the game ready for Early Access. Once that goes live, we can start adding new content, levels, missions, weapons, gadgets etc.
Fix Alpha Bugs: The Beta will improve on the Alpha. We will try to fix a lot of Bugs/ feedback and suggestions from the Alpha.
Changes to the First Level: Based on feedback, playtesting and new content, we will update the current and first level of Panther VR.
More Level/mission randomization: We want to add more randomization to the level. New objective locations, guard routes, and new escape locations, in order to make the game feel even more different every time you play the game.
Physical interaction player: We reworked the player interaction system, to let the player physically interact with the world. This means that your hand, arms, and weapons will interact with the environment and won't clip through walls anymore. [Side Note: Some of you might have noticed it in the Alpha, but due to performance calibrations, we turned off a lot of interactable items in the level (besides the wrench, screwdrivers, and loot). In future updates, we want to add a lot of interactable items in the level to play around with. Such as drawers, mugs, bottles, fire axes, office supplies etc.]
Improvement of Laser security systems: Security routers will be added in the game that will control the laser fences. Giving you the opportunity to turn them off.
Ingame Menu: We are working on an ingame "pause" menu with a reset button and some settings to tinker with.
Adding the Hideout: The main purpose of the Beta is to test out the hideout. This hideout will serve as the main hub of the game, just like the Main Chamber does in VR Dungeon Knight. From this location, you will be able to choose your missions. More functionalities will be added in later updates, like Leveling systems, data drives, mission/contract systems, weapon load-outs, and weapon customization. Backer credits and Golden Plaque with Founders can also be found in this hideout.
We cannot say this enough, but please consider joining our community on Discord! We see our community as one of the most important things in our production process. We want to hear your feedback, support, suggestions, and questions regarding Panther VR. Make the game even better and make it truly yours. We take great pride in our community and we added a lot of community requested stuff in our other game; So please join us, Agents! Links:
We hope you liked this dev update, and that it gave you some more insight into what you can expect from the upcoming Beta. If you liked this update, let us know in the comments or on discord. As always: if you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. Please don't forget to join the Panther VR Discord, and get involved with your feedback and suggestion. Thanks again!
