In my previous post, I talked about the major struggles and small victories I faced while building the locomotive cabin level. It’s probably worth mentioning again that Dark Trip is an Escape Room-style game being developed for both PC and VR. And in VR especially, atmosphere is everything.

Since I’m a solo developer handling the level design, visual art, implementation, programming, sound, and… well, basically everything (though not without help from a colleague and friends!), not every idea works perfectly on the first try. Sometimes the flaws only become obvious later — especially after creating newer levels where the style and atmosphere feel much more refined. Going back to older content after that can be a painful experience. Some levels just stop feeling as interesting as they once did.

One of those levels was the “Generator Room.”

Overall, the level itself was decent. But the “under the pills” mode (where the player takes a mysterious substance that lets them see things hidden from them in a normal state) felt a bit underwhelming. Especially compared to the newer areas. Players noticed it too: not enough snakes, not enough horror, not enough hallucination-fueled madness.

Either way, it was time to revisit the level and push it further.

The first — and easiest — thing to tackle was the lighting. As usual, I spent far too long tweaking colors and effects trying to find the most aggressively psychedelic setup possible. In the end, I couldn’t decide which version worked best, so I simply blended several of my favorites together with smooth transitions. Honestly, I think it added exactly the right amount of insanity.

The second step was updating the wall textures. Well… “simple” is maybe the wrong word. Rotate the level, experiment in Photoshop, import it into the game, check it in VR, back to Photoshop, repeat endlessly. Technically straightforward, but incredibly time-consuming if you actually want it to look good. In the end, the walls became covered in scales and strange messages promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Third came the new environmental details. Again, not especially difficult in theory: walk through the level, feel the atmosphere, figure out what’s missing… and then create an oyster-octopus creature hanging from the ceiling. Naturally fully animated, with tentacles spreading across the ceiling, dangling down, twitching and crawling around. And while I was at it, I added more tentacles to the walls too. They poke out and move as well. There should be life everywhere.

The fourth and final piece was the sound design. Psychedelic booming noises, hissing snakes, shifting sand, distant wind… and the voice of a girl calling for a healthy lifestyle.. By the way, will you be able to understand what she says and translate it from German?

And that’s pretty much it! The “under the pills” version of the level turned out strange, oppressive, and unsettling — exactly the way I wanted it. I’m really curious to see how players react to it.

P.S. Dark Trip is currently available in Early Access on the Meta Store, so if you want to experience all this with your own eyes and ears, now’s the perfect time.
The game is also preparing for release on Steam

What do you think of this mode? Space races while drones attack you.

This version is NOT published, but you can take a look at the demo.

There is little left before launching the new version!
Thank you!

DEMO VERSION: Lunar Chrono en Meta Quest | Juegos de VR de Quest | Meta Store (es)

Hi everyone. I have been using the Q2 as a home theater for almost three years, up until yesterday

I left it connected to Wi-Fi during a movie session for an hour or two. When I picked up the headset, I immediately noticed a new wallpaper I hadn't seen before (a blank horizon with purple lighting) I couldn't continue my session, as the headset refused to play any of my movies, regardless of which app I tried.

This morning, I decided to update it to the latest OS version (the one with the new Apple-like UI) and performed a factory reset. After the setup, I noticed that I can no longer move files into the 'Downloads' directory. The headset returns the error: 'Make sure that your device is unlocked and "File Transfer" or "MTP" mode is selected,' and then it disconnects from the PC.

I experimented further and moved some lightweight 2D movies onto the headset, and they play perfectly. However, if I try to move a 3D movie in an MKV container, the Files / Gallery app just loads indefinitely. Can I fix this? I feel like I've tried everything within my knowledge

Runaway Sculptor is now LIVE on Meta Quest!

Got my Meta Quest 3 today. I have purchased Virtual desktop and have my Quest 3 connected but its unplayable due to the massive lag.

PC Specs: RTX5080, AMD RYZEN 9800X3D, 32GB Ram. PC is connect to my 5GHZ router via a ethernet cable. The Router is literally 3 feet away from me while im wearing the Meta Quest 3. I have tried everything in the settings but its an insanely laggy experience. There are no other devices connected to my wifi.

Codec: AV1 10 bit (have tried all the others). OpenXR: VDXR. I have tinkered with bitrates and it changes nothing.

I have spent the last 5 hours trying to get a smooth experience but its not working. Could it be the ethernet cable i am using from my PC to my router? I have tried 3 cables.

Starting to get a bit annoyed now!!

WorldLens VR, All-in-One Virtual Travel.

—

Hello y’all 👋

Ever since virtual reality made it possible for people to explore the entire world, users have wanted more. More immersion, more realism, a better representation of reality. I wanted it too.

For the past 3 years I’ve been working with the community to build the dream traveling experience in VR, combining all cutting-edge technologies and services into one seamless experience. And for the past year, WorldLens has slowly grown to become a top user choice. Being able to share my passion with the world (no pun intended) has truly been the greatest blessing of my life.

The next big thing has been clear to me for a long time: experiencing the hundreds of billions of panoramic images around the world in 6DoF 3D.

To make this leap possible I couldn’t rely on existing spatial data. Google uses LiDAR for street depth maps, but in the form of low resolution cube-shaped environment layouts. No terrain, no objects, nothing to really project on. It also wasn’t available for user-uploaded Community Imagery.

That is the main reason why you haven’t seen this concept come sooner.

AI was the only real way to bring this to life. However, tools were limited. To meet WorldLens’ standards, everything needed to run on standalone devices, even those with tight memory like the Quest 2, not just on more powerful platforms.

Breakthroughs made 3D generation scalable, capable of running on any VR device and compatible with all imagery types. v49 delivers the uncompressed, 8k imagery WorldLens is known for, but now faster, and with a new 3D mode.

v49 is a major update, check out the official update post for more details.

Note: This doesn’t refer to Google Earth 3D. 3D Street View is a separate feature, but both are available in WorldLens.

It is always my pleasure to listen and do my best to ensure you have the best possible experience, if you have feedback to share, just let me know!

Happy Earth Day! 🌍