Letter from the Director: Entering Early Access
It's incredible to think how far OrbusVR has come.
Just eighteen months ago, I got my first VR headset, and dove into the worlds and experiences that had been created by some of the first VR devs. Games like Fantastic Contraption and The Lab, which left me with only one feeling: WOW! Those experiences led me to decide that I had to create the thing that I most wanted to see on this amazing new platform. It started as just a little tech demo of an idea I had for drawing runes in-air to cast spells. And from there it grew. Team members joined us from around the world, and a community formed around the game; supporting it, helping to fund it, and making it much better than it could have been if it were only a single effort.
And now we've made the long journey from Stress Test, to Kickstarter campaign, to Alpha and Beta, and finally we've arrived at the destination we've all looked forward to for so long: the true start of the game! No more resetting character progress, a much more stable game client and server, new art and environments to bring us even more into the world, and a community full of friends to share it with. Take a moment to cheer a little in front of your computer screen: we did it! You helped make this happen. I hope you are as proud and hopeful of what we've created as I am.
There's still a lot left to be done. End-game dungeons, shard dungeons, and Raids. The Act 3 conclusion to the epic tale you'll experience on your way from Level 1 to 20. There's still bugs to be found, things that aren't fully fleshed out as much as we'd like, and places where some polish is still needed. It is, after all, Early Access. But when you look at what the game already has to offer, from the combat classes, to the ten square kilometers of world to explore, to the interesting and unique enemies, the crafting and fishing, the story and the questing...this isn't just a tech demo or a half-finished idea, this is truly the first complete MMO designed for virtual reality. I consider myself incredibly lucky to be a part of that effort; and I thank you, team members and community alike, for taking this journey together and contributing toward making this long-held dream a reality.
As we enter this next phase, I have only two requests.
The first, just continue to be a great community. You've been welcoming to new players, collaborative with our Dev Team, and passionate about the game and what it means to you. I hope that as we grow and expand, you'll help to keep the community a friendly, positive place for all the new people who will be joining us.
The second, help us spread the word about what we've done here together. We want as many people as possible to join this community, and to experience this game. The more players there are, the more full the world will be, and the more resources we'll have to keep improving this game in the future. So I humbly ask that if you've enjoyed your time in OrbusVR thus far, please take the time to write up a review of the game, or tell people about it on social media, or bug your favorite streamer to check it out.
We've come a long way together, but I have to say that I'm most excited to see where we'll go from here. And I can't wait to continue that journey with you and our entire community.
I'll see you in-game,
Riley Dutton
Director, OrbusVR
Early Access Q&A
Here's a quick, handy guide to common questions and answers as we enter Early Access.
I haven't bought the game yet but I want to! What should I do?
At this point you will need to wait until the game is released into Early Access on Steam and the Oculus Store on December 15th. At that time you can purchase the game and jump right in!
I already bought the game! What should I do?
If you've previously purchased the game (either via our website directly or via the Kickstarter campaign), you are eligible to participate in our Early Access Head Start, which will begin on December 13th at 12 PM (Noon) US Central Time and last for 24 hours (Countdown).
After that, the game servers will go down until the official start of Early Access on December 15th.
How do I participate in the Head Start?
First, please make sure that your account is set up correctly. Just login to your account and go to your My Account page. It should say "You are eligible to participate in the Early Access head start".
If it does not and you think this is a mistake, please contact us at [email protected] so we can get it fixed for you!
The Head Start will use the current custom-made Launcher, which was used previously during the Beta testing phase. You do not need a Steam or Oculus key to use this Launcher, just your email and password. Once the game enters Early Access on December 15th, you will need to register your copy of the game on Steam or Oculus, and then you will launch the game from there to continue playing.
We'll provide more details on this in a future post specifically about Head Start tomorrow.
How do I get my Steam or Oculus key?
If you already bought the game, you are eligible to receive either a Steam OR Oculus key which will unlock a copy of the game for you on your preferred store. We will send out an email with instructions on claiming your key right after the Head Start ends on December 14th.
Note that the Steam version of the game is the same exact version you have been using in the Beta, it supports both SteamVR/OpenVR and the native Oculus SDK. The Oculus version of the game only supports the Oculus SDK. (That's their requirement, not ours). Other than that, it's the exact same game, so just choose whichever store is your preference.
Will I still have access to my character from the Alpha or Beta?
All existing accounts in the game have been reset such that they have up to one existing character saved (the oldest character in terms of creation date). That character exists only to act as a name reservation. Everything about it (inventory, quests, friends lists, fellowships, etc.) has been reset.
If you wish to change your character's appearance but keep the same name, simply delete that character and then make a new one with the same name when you log in for the first time.
How do I get my backer rewards?
There is an NPC in Highsteppe who you will speak to and who will grant your character any rewards for which you are eligible, such as your Backer cape, pet Dragon (if you are a Kickstarter backer), and the prior Tester and Super Leveler achievement (and cape).
You can speak to this NPC on each character that you make to receive these rewards, as they are account-wide. So even if for some reason you delete your character and make a new one, you can still get your rewards again.
How many characters can I make on my account?
We are allowing you to create up to two characters on your account right now. The idea behind this is that it allows you to create your primary character and then also a guest character which could be used by a friend or significant other, or just to show off the game to someone else. Which we highly encourage you to do :-)
In the future we will have a paid upgrade available so that you can unlock additional character slots if you desire. Although of course it's worth noting that since you can play every class on the same character, there is no reason why you need more than one character to play the game.
I have a question that's not answered here, what should I do?
You can always drop by our Community Forums and post your question there. One of our helpful staff members will be along shortly to help you out.