Here is the latest progress update on 2.X and some other general work from our team. For those new, 2.X is the next generation of the Virt-a-Mate (VaM) program. Since the last post 2 months ago in mid-December announcing the 1st 2.X tech alpha release, we have been working on the following:
General
The bulk of what I worked on since the last update falls in this area. This is what makes the game work, and is the most critical part to get right as it affects 2 of the 4 major 2.X goals: improved usability and improved performance. Unfortunately this area is not very glamorous and can only be described with words at this time.
Thank you for your support!
Meshed and Team
General
- I personally took a 2 week break for the holidays to recharge after the hard push it took to get the first 2.X tech alpha released in mid-December. This project is an endless amount of work, so this break was important for me to avoid burnout. I don't really like to stop working because I feel obligated to provide Patreon backers with timely benefits, but I can see I clearly need to pace myself to ensure the long-term success of the 2.X project. It is also quite stressful to me right now because 2.X is in a place where regular releases cannot be delivered. Once we achieve most of what is outlined below in the Core Systems section, it should be possible to release more alphas or betas to backers on a more regular basis. Thank you for understanding while we work to get there!
- We did some business housekeeping. We hired a new community manager. Please welcome @VaMRainey to the team! @RossNutkinChan, our previous community manager, had to step down due to an increasingly busy work life. Thank you @RossNutkinChan for all your amazing contributions over the years since the very first days of VaM! https://hub.virtamate.com/threads/i...-mate-community-thank-you-and-farewell.15704/
- @VaMDeV started the new VaM_Stream live streams featuring community creators! https://hub.virtamate.com/threads/announcing-vam_stream.15330/ We have had 4 amazing streams so far. Please check out the stream archives on the Hub if you missed them: https://hub.virtamate.com/resources/authors/vamdev.6/ The streams happen live on Discord, so please connect to Discord through Patreon to check them out if you are interested. Also, if you are a creator who would like to stream, please contact @VaMDeV to be considered.
- @RenVR has been working on official skin textures for 2.X that will be included in the releases! @RenVR is the highest rated skin texture creator on the Hub! His 1.X skin textures are amazing, and we can't wait to see what comes from this 2.X collaboration! Check out some of RenVR's 1.X work on the Hub: https://hub.virtamate.com/members/renvr.1141/#resources and Patreon https://www.patreon.com/RenVR
The bulk of what I worked on since the last update falls in this area. This is what makes the game work, and is the most critical part to get right as it affects 2 of the 4 major 2.X goals: improved usability and improved performance. Unfortunately this area is not very glamorous and can only be described with words at this time.
- Parameter system : Parameters are what drive every feature in the game. This system builds on the 1.X parameter system, but is adding powerful features like undo/redo and real-time recording for easy animation of any parameter in the game. This will make it easy to animate things like expression and finger pose morphs with analog controller input and capture that for later playback. Animation of parameters can bring everything to life in the game. This work is well underway.
- Atom system : Atoms in VaM are defined as objects in the game that can be added or manipulated. While this atom system is similar to 1.X, 2.X will offer custom community atoms. We are working on the atom creation system that will be openly shared with the community. This will pave the way to endless community created content that will work in VaM just as well as the built-in content. A good portion of this system has been completed.
- Dynamic UI : Usability is one of the key areas we want to improve. The new UI system is all new and will be dynamically generated. This will make it much easier to refine the UI over time for optimal usability, but it also opens the door to custom UIs that the community can define. Creators who want to optimize their creation workflows will be able to do so. There will also be new UI skin system that can be changed easily. This allows having multiple UI modes depending on what is needed or preferred. Want a simple UI to just play around without clutter? That will be an option. Need a custom UI to help make lots of looks quickly? That will also be an option. The possibilities are endless! This work is well underway and ties in closely to the parameter system.
Thank you for your support!
Meshed and Team
