Hey gang!

In case you've missed it on Steam, here's an overview of some of the ongoing development Super VHS is seeing.

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Too long, didn't read?
 - inventory system
 - remastered exterior
 - reworked camera and fps controls
 - warehouse layout accuracy improvements/fixes
 - vhs mode
 - plinketto board upgrades
 - new items and props
 - bug fixes

Video 1: sometimes the lights go out
Video 2: mike's old ghost hunting equipment

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JUNE 2023
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2344680/view/3662037536287614664

- added flashlight
- added VHS camera mode
- fixed missing Plinketto signage
- fixed (I think) bottle throwing bug (they'd freeze in midair and never throw)
- fixed warehouse layout innaccuracies

I've also been spending a lot of time recently rebuilding the character/camera movement and feel. Everything from FOV and sensitivity, to movement speed, camera roll & shake, audio cue timing, and lens distortions. Trying to avoid feeling like that default Unreal Engine FPS thing. In particular, since there's now a VHS camera and VHS mode, I've been focusing on getting that to really feel tactile and realistic, not just like a filter over the regular mode.

So our perspective shifts up and right (like it's shoulder mounted), we have real user time + date, time spent in VHS mode ("recording"), real camera movements I tracked from my own footage, 4:3, reduced audio quality, zoom autofocus seeking, custom audio cues, and more. It's been tricky, but starting to feel really good. Still lots of balancing to do, particularly with how realistic (i.e bad) to make the visual quality vs usability/enjoyment.

Outside of that, I've also been working on things that I cannot talk about because they're spoilers :)

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2344680/view/3716088341997707871

Inventory System

There's now a basic inventory system functional in-game. Very old school and nothing complex - there's a few items you'll collect and need along the way so these are stored and can be recalled/used whenever you need them.

Reworked Exterior Snow Environment

The snow environment outside the warehouse was previously just a flat plane and skybox. it's now a full snow mountain landscape, with 5 square kilometers (3 miles) of gentle ridges and hills. Same vibe, just not as terribly executed. Who knows whats out there!

new landscape in-editor (WIP)

rendered in game, warehouse circled in red

Plinketto Board Upgrades

The tapes on the Plinketto board can now be easily swapped with any others you find - just aim at an empty spot while holding a tape and press drop to smoothly glide it into place. Additionally, when you drop the ball the UI tells you what tape you landed on. No more needing to jump back down to see. I also fixed the music audio bug that would randomly occur when dropping the ball.

Speaking of picking up stuff - all items now smoothly teleport to the player instead of instantly snapping into place. Feels better.

New Props & Items!

JVC GR-C1 Camcorder

Can't have a VHS mode without a VHS camera. While researching this camera I found examples of its onscreen typeface in the manual, so I recreated a version which you can download here. Of course this is also the in-game font used for the camera display. This is a hyper-faithful recreation of the real thing, famous for appearing in Back to the Future.

camera in game

ACR FA-5 Flashlight

These flashlights were used by NASA astronauts during the Apollo era. The warehouse is old and sometimes the lights go out, so you'll be glad you have one.

flashlight in game

CG render

SB7 Spirit Box

I think this is part of Mike's old ghost hunting equipment stash. It's basically a radio that rapidly cycles through stations. Spooky!

SB7 in game

Somerset Lantern

Another option for seeing in the dark. Free* copy of the game to anyone who knows what TV series you can find these lanterns in.

Lantern in game

JANET VHS Tape

A somewhat unusual tape has appeared. This one is an exact replica of a rare, real world item. Another free* copy of the game to anyone who knows what this is!

cg render

As always, you can follow me or the game on twitter if you'd like more frequent updates or to chat about any ideas etc

Thanks for reading! More updates soon!

* jk all copies of the game are free