It’s Now A Dev Blog

So, it has been a long while since I put anything on this website and I have decided I don’t want it to go to waste any longer.  In that spirit I am now just going to write about my current development efforts and share some fun and insightful things about whatever I am working on.  I will also share some tips on Unity and XR where it makes sense but everything will be fairly short and informal.  It will be kind of a rambling development blog. 😉

LOST LOOT Alpha Progress – Little Red Raft

Time for another status update on the game with some cool screenshots of our beloved little red raft.  Everyone who has played the Lost Loot pre-alpha has tried to use it in that version.  Unfortunately it was never functional except as a travel system to much disappointment and continuous attempts to figure out how to “use” it.  I am happy to declare that the little red raft in the alpha version is now fully functional!… Continue reading

LOST LOOT Pre-Alpha Update #3 Released!

This latest update to Lost Loot brings CV1 support and a variety of other minor improvements!  It also works beautifully with the DK2 if you are still waiting for a CV1.  Anyone who purchased at any price can simply login to itch.io and download the new version.  If not, now is the time to get it on the itch.io page.     Things have been a little slow but there will be more updates soon.  I… Continue reading

Rift Ramblings (Part 8)

Time again for some wandering thoughts on the Rift and VR.  Let’s start off with some exciting news – my Rift arrived this past Monday!  With all the shipping issues I wasn’t really sure when it would come.  It has been almost three years since I first received the DK1 and wrote about it.  What a tumultuous ride!  Thank you again Oculus and Palmer for doing something special like this for all the Kickstarter backers.… Continue reading

LOST LOOT Alpha Progress – Riley Taylor

It has been a while since posting an update on the game.  I am making good progress and excited to see it really coming alive.  Working on it part time seems to make everything take longer than I would like though.  I hope to start showing more details soon.   With the switch to miniature scale and third person there is now a main character that the game is focused around.  This has both positive and negative… Continue reading

Unite 2015 + Oculus Connect 2

I was very fortunate to be able to attend both Unite 15 and Oculus Connect 2.  Unite was is Boston, and since I live there, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of that.  Unfortunately the two conferences were one after the other and even overlapped for a day.  This made for a fun but exhausting week of Unity and VR.        There were many exciting moments throughout both events, and way… Continue reading

LOST LOOT Alpha Progress – Islands

Two years have passed since the original version of LOST LOOT was created for the 2013 VR Jam and I am now happy to report that we are officially entering Alpha territory!  I have made steady progress on a number of areas, but lets start with a few screenshots of the current build and the starting island…     These show the new island environment and our protagonist Riley Taylor, who you will learn more about… Continue reading

SVVR 2015

I didn’t really know what to expect going to SVVR. I wanted to go to the first one last year and couldn’t so I guess it was more about being there this time around and not missing out on mingling with the VR community. After all, it has been all about community the last few years and it was great to attach faces to names and see people I had met at Oculus Connect last year.     The VR community… Continue reading

VR Just Got Real

This pretty much sums up how everyone in the VR community felt on Wednesday.  Seeing an Oculus Kickstarter email arrive always makes my day.  This time I knew it was going to be something special.  I was thinking input, but better than that, an actual release date!  Yes, finally a date – Q1 2016!      Ever since Oculus Connect last fall I have always been thinking of the amazing demos with Crescent Bay and how… Continue reading

LOST LOOT Pre-Alpha Update #2 Released!

The next update to Lost Loot is now available.  This new version has taken the game in a completely different direction with a miniature world third person design that is extremely immersive and very comfortable.     A preview video…   Some screenshots… Check out the this new version and let me know how you like it.  There are many aspects that improve the overall experience that I covered in my blog post called The… Continue reading

Rift Ramblings (Part 7)

I am still working hard on the Lost Loot Pre-Alpha #2 release which will be landing very shortly.  This version switches the game to a miniature world third person design primarily for comfort.Check out my last blog entry on The quest for comfortable VR for more details about why I am making the change and what it looks like. I was lucky enough to get Cymatic Bruce from AltspaceVR to try out this new version at the Boston VR… Continue reading

The quest for comfortable VR

When I put on the Rift and play a game, I want it to feel good.  I want to be able to stay plugged in for hours and hours and become lost in another world – to explore, have adventures, do things not possible in the real world.  That is the general expectation of the average consumer and at the same time the ultimate dream of any VR enthusiast. So what happens when we have… Continue reading

LOST LOOT for the DK2!

The DK2 compatible version of Lost Loot is here!  The 0.4.3 runtime is required and it is built with the 0.4.3.1 version of the sdk.     The build is a DX11 build and should run fine using direct mode.  If you do run it in extended mode, I recommend forcing it to DX9.  I have still experienced problems using DX11 in extended mode.  There are details in the instructions on how to force it… Continue reading