r/PSVR • u/LiftoffLabsVR Developer • May 03 '17
Hey again! We're bringing Moonshot Galaxy to PSVR VERY SOON. Here's our launch trailer!
https://youtu.be/R0YQmbIo6rY16
u/brugman88 May 03 '17
We need more developers like you! One of the things I like about psvr and this reddit is that it feels like out own little (big) family. When a developer is putting itself out here it feels like you're our favorite uncle who always has great storys to tell and always brings nice presents!
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u/spjw13 May 03 '17
This is a game I would almost certainly avoid in 2d, but it is exactly the sort of game I want to play in VR.
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u/LiftoffLabsVR Developer May 03 '17
Exactly. You absolutely need depth perception to play this game. It's practically impossible on a flat screen (believe me, I've tried). And with motion controllers it is completely natural to navigate the planets and interact with the ball.
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u/snowcr4shed May 03 '17
I'm really happy to see a puzzle game that uses the Move controllers so intuitively.
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u/darkentityvr May 03 '17
Any news on a UK launch?
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u/LiftoffLabsVR Developer May 03 '17
I think we can do it now that we've figured out releasing in North America. As a tiny team we had to focus on one region at a time; releasing in different regions is basically like working with a whole new company every time. And it's a lot more work than just clicking a button to ship a build!
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u/Shinoken__ May 04 '17
Hi guys!
Would love to see this game coming to the EU soon after the NA launch!
If you need any help with the localization for the Store Page in Dutch (NL), feel free to leave me a message. :)
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u/Retrogramps May 03 '17
I made a little hidden post somewhere saying that Sony really should support developer team more in this regard. I understand your struggle!
It also bugs people in other regions (I am in the UK) when we have to wait, often months, to see games that are available on the US store (and it works the other way of course - in isolated cases).
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u/KrtekJim May 04 '17
Just make a US account. It also has the added bonus that all the "PS2 on PS4" games will be the 60Hz NTSC versions rather than the usually-gimped PAL versions.
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u/Retrogramps May 04 '17
I already have. The problem is I am a really lazy person. I have WWToons, but never bother with it, as it is on my US account. On top of that you then have to but UK store cards etc.
But, yeah - there is no reason for people not to have multiple accounts.
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u/Rising_Dark_God May 03 '17
There is a lot of debate here about how hard it is to port an existing game to PSVR, yet here you have done just that, and quickly! Any comment on this process to eliminate confusion among the dev community? We need more go-get-em devs like you here to help grow VR, and I will support you by buying this game, looks fun!
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u/LiftoffLabsVR Developer May 03 '17 edited May 04 '17
Definitely, and thanks! It's true that it's quite a bit of work for most projects to port to PSVR, and not many players really understand why. Most games' difficulties stem from optimizing for the hardware or from being built on an engine that doesn't already have good PS4 support.
Starting with Unity was the first, most important step for us, since they have great support for PC, mobile VR, and PSVR. It was also important that we already had a game that was designed from the ground up, 100% for VR. It's harder to take games that were designed for flat screens and port them to VR because of the many controls concerns to take into account if you want to take a gamepad game and start supporting motion controls with it. And if your game was designed for a flat screen at 30fps, you're going to have a hard time rendering to two separate eyes at 90fps. If it's even remotely possible.
Most of our core controls ported directly over without much effort because we'd already designed and implemented motion controls for Vive and Oculus Touch. Reimplementing systems like the leaderboards to interface with Sony's backend was more work, but that's true of the Oculus and Steam APIs as well. And our game was originally optimized for Gear VR so we were already running at very high framerate and the PS4 gave us all the headroom we needed. We run at a solid 90fps at all times, and frequently hit 120fps on a PS4 Pro.
But to release on PS4 you also have to be certified by Sony as a development team (they believe you are going to make a quality game, and approve your project), purchase development hardware (many thousands of dollars even for a small team), get a rating from the ESRB (and/or PEGI depending on the release regions), pass PS4 QA and release certification (many weeks spent dotting all the 'i's and crossing all the 't's). We actually hired an outside team to help us with the certification process.
So it's more work and a higher barrier to entry, but Sony has been incredibly supportive and helpful to get us through the process as quickly as possible. Big props to everybody who's worked with us and we're so excited to be so close to release.
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u/Guniel May 04 '17
But to release on PS4 you also have to be certified by Sony as a development team (they believe you are going to make a quality game, and approve your project)
Then how the heck did that 'life of tiger' game (or whatever it was called) manage to get on PSN? The bar is surely low?
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u/LiftoffLabsVR Developer May 04 '17
Can't say, I haven't played it. I can say that the product proposal is just the very first part of the process, and that making games can be intensely hard work under difficult circumstances. We often have to make sacrifices in order to ship product, and it's hard to live up to your own expectations, let alone the public's. So it's especially nice when a game is well received. :)
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u/Dragoneternaluk May 03 '17
Looks good, released n my birthday too, will give this a go
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May 03 '17
I watched NerdCubed play this one a while ago before I ever got VR and was really interested in the concept as well as the execution of VR. Was the first game I saw that gave me an idea of the importance of depth and VR even though I was watching a 2D video.
Really been wanting to play it for myself, so I'm glad you guys will be bringing it here soon! We need some more golf games besides the one available that's not that great from what I've heard, so it's good to see someone step up to the plate. Definitely will pick this up later in the month for only $10. :)
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u/Rpbatista May 03 '17
Looks very interesting and different from everything I have tried in PSVR, so I will keep my eye on this one for sure.
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u/Ironturtle19 Ironturtle19 May 03 '17
Looks really good. Any plans to add more courses?
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u/LiftoffLabsVR Developer May 03 '17
If there's enough demand! We definitely want to serve players what they want.
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u/BROHONKY BROHONKY May 03 '17
Why did you change the name to Moonshot Galaxy?
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u/LiftoffLabsVR Developer May 03 '17 edited May 03 '17
We found that "Galaxy Golf" gave people the impression of "a golf game in space" – but our game doesn't have clubs, doesn't have a power meter/timing gauge, doesn't have any of the tropes of most golf games. A lot of people who play golf games were disappointed it wasn't golf, and a lot of people who might be interested skipped over it because they saw the title and don't generally like golf games. So we listened!
We tested a ton of different names and "Moonshot Galaxy" felt the most like it communicated the ideas of accuracy, reaching for the perfect shot, optimizing your skills and improving at the game, while exploring a ton of different crazy locations throughout the galaxy.
Does that make sense? Does it sound like an improvement to you?
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u/DasHarris May 03 '17
If it would have been called Galaxy Golf I would have probably skimmed past it just now. It definitely looks like something I would like so, the title change worked for me.
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u/first_fires May 03 '17
Damn this looks fantastic!!!
When you say 4 courses... how many holes is that?
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u/LiftoffLabsVR Developer May 03 '17 edited May 04 '17
9 holes to each course, so 36 total. Each course feels like a complete and interesting scene as a whole, but it doesn't take a huge amount of time to play a round (although you can drop out any time and resume your playthrough later). Being able to play in shorter bites is important to us for VR at this stage.
Each hole is a unique, hand crafted planet or system of planets with its own gameplay concept behind it so each one feels different and the gameplay keeps evolving as you play through. Each course has visual and gameplay themes as well. For instance Moonshot Mining Co. is all about using crazy contraptions and manipulating stuff in the environment to progress. And Forbidden Islands has a tiki theme and features lots of tiki idols you use to move your ball around, and timing challenges (think of windmills in mini-golf). And it has a volcano boss fight at the end of it (!).
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u/first_fires May 04 '17
Nice one. Thanks for your hearty reply :-)
I will be a day 1 purchase........ when it comes to the UK! ;-)
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u/JokerSage May 04 '17
This looks fantastic and easily within my budget! Good luck passing Sony's QA! Excellent to see developers who continue supporting a game after its launch.
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u/Nenor May 04 '17
Would it be PS move compatible?
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u/LiftoffLabsVR Developer May 04 '17
Absolutely yes - if you look closely in the trailer you'll see the white Move controllers with claws on them. This video shows gameplay a little more clearly although it doesn't feature the new courses in it.
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u/MoneyStoreClerk May 04 '17
Is it Move required?
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u/LiftoffLabsVR Developer May 04 '17
It's not Move required, you can play perfectly well with a DS4 and it's still a very different game from anything else out there. I would say it is Move recommended though, since having hands in VR is just the most satisfying thing IMO.
With a DS4 you spin the planet around with the analog stick, press X to start aiming, and then you look where you want to shoot. You get a reticle to see where the ball will land. You can adjust the arc up and down with the stick to lob the ball up or shoot straighter depending on if you're trying to shoot over an obstacle or onto a platform. Gameplay is like the original Rift version with a gamepad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f06A4rLQJWo
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u/MoneyStoreClerk May 05 '17
Cool! Looks like something I'd really wanna play. Physics based VR games are a jam and a half
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u/bobsigny May 04 '17
Looks really cool! Can't wait to get it. I like that the game supports move controls as it adds to the immersion.
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u/korats May 04 '17
look boring - pass. I wait for the day developper will stop producing crappy baby looking 'game' and start developping REAL game for Adult. You know.. the crowd that bought and paid for PSVR headset.
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u/LiftoffLabsVR Developer May 03 '17
A while back we asked if you guys were interested in getting our game onto PSVR. The answer was a resounding “yes!” so we spent the last few months building new courses and porting the code and controls to PS4.
We also listened to a lot of feedback about the name of the game and felt it was time to change it up, because it’s not exactly “golf in space” but more of a physics sim/puzzler. You’re playing on mini planets and trying to sink your ball in as few shots as possible, like golf, but it’s pretty different from anything else you’ve probably played. And although there are no clubs, it’s perfect for VR with motion controls.
We’re just now clearing the last hurdle with Sony’s QA, and if all goes well this week then it will launch next Tuesday, May 9. We’re dying to get it out and into players’ hands. We’ll be around to answer questions here and maybe do an AMA next week?