Kangaroo Simulator VR (Demo) Released
My Kangaroo Simulator VR Demo is on itch.io. It was developed in VRFirst at BAU over this summer. The demo serves as a sample of what I intend for Kangaroo Simulator VR and, depending on support, there could be a Kangaroo Simulator in early access on Steam in the near-to-mid/distant future. People downloading and using the app will experience the physical exercise and get a taste of the narrative elements. I intend to make the narrative less linear in future iterations, gamify sections of the game (i.e. the toad invasion in the 2nd story), add feedback on player performance, and animate the characters.
In the meantime, my main hope is that people download and play Kangaroo Simulator VR, enjoying the experience for what it is. I’ve tested the experience multiple times and, for the lower body, it’s an eff-ing workout. Right now, there are two stories to choose from and a story-free mode. Kangaroo Simulator VR may be done standing or on a Pilates/yoga ball. Jumping or jogging may be used for locomotion. Personally, my favorite is jumping jacks (a.k.a. Star Jumps), which break kangaroo immersion somewhat but are still very good exercise. Players may only move forward, so be sure to face the right direction and get hopping.
I have to credit professional VR Developer Murat Şahin Kılıç for volunteering his time one Sunday afternoon. He did a stellar job on the Jump Mechanic in a limited amount of time. The other big helpers were Poly by Google and Free Music Archive, where I consistently found amazing music — a worthy resource/benefactor for potential donors.
And for those wanting to make their own VR app or are just interested in how a Kangaroo Simulator VR (Demo) came to be, here are the steps I took and the amount of time needed to accomplish them:
- Have the idea (Instantaneous)
- Build a Kangaroo Simulator good enough for a promotional video and record it (2 days)
- Construct and run a Kickstarter campaign that ultimately achieves 1.6% of its funding goal (40 days, 40 nights)
- Work on the project without a VR developer (3 weeks)
- Look for a VR developer (2 months)
- Find a VR developer (Instantaneous)
- Delete all previous work (Instantaneous)
- Work with VR developer (5 hours, including lunch)
- Find/Build assets, do additional scripting for the demo, write and record narrative (2 Weeks)
- Build an run! (1.5 hours, inexplicably)
Please download and try Kangaroo Simulator VR here and, while you’re at it, please some tell people about it.
But if you don’t have VR access, there is also a YouTube Jump-through here.
