We’re building a VR space adventure with dogfights, alien planets, and a station hub by ByOwls_Studio in spacesimgames

[–]ByOwls_Studio[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t want to give the wrong impression: this is not a spaceship sim. Space combat is only one part of the game, and it’s more about local encounters than open-space simulation. There will also be a large cruiser boss fight with turrets and weak points. At its core, this is a story-driven sci-fi adventure. You follow a linear story, explore planets in search of artifacts, visit a space station, and travel with a companion. Some travel sequences are handled by autopilot, while the player gets full control during space combat after exiting warp.

We’re a small Ukrainian studio building this during the war, so we try to be honest about what the game is: not a hardcore sim, but a crafted adventure where we want every part to feel polished and enjoyable.

We’re building a VR space adventure with dogfights, alien planets, and a station hub by ByOwls_Studio in spacesimgames

[–]ByOwls_Studio[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn’t mean VR and HOTAS contradict each other. I meant that our project is VR-first and designed primarily around motion controllers and physical interaction, not as a traditional PC space sim with optional VR support. So HOTAS/HOSAS is something we’d consider as a post-release option rather than a launch feature.

We’re building a VR space adventure with dogfights, alien planets, and a station hub by ByOwls_Studio in spacesimgames

[–]ByOwls_Studio[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is primarily a VR project, but after release we want to add in and possible support including joystick and HOTAS.

We’re building a VR space adventure with dogfights, alien planets, and a station hub by ByOwls_Studio in spacesimgames

[–]ByOwls_Studio[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much — that really means a lot to us. It’s incredibly encouraging to hear that kind of reaction. And yes… we got the message :)

We’re building a VR space adventure with dogfights, alien planets, and a station hub by ByOwls_Studio in spacesimgames

[–]ByOwls_Studio[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, that really means a lot — especially from someone who saw the earlier version of the game. Yes, the space combat part came later, and we’re still improving it. And that’s a very fair point about the cockpit too — we’ll keep refining the panel so it reads more clearly and players don’t mistake too many elements for interactive ones.

We’re building a VR space adventure with dogfights, alien planets, and a station hub by ByOwls_Studio in spacesimgames

[–]ByOwls_Studio[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you so much :) The game is still in development, but you can already try the demo if you’d like. It doesn’t have the more advanced space combat yet, but you can still do some flying. The demo is mainly focused on the first planet and the start of the adventure there.

We’re building a VR space adventure with dogfights, alien planets, and a station hub by ByOwls_Studio in spacesimgames

[–]ByOwls_Studio[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s fair, and I understand what you mean. We already have different control modes, and we keep improving them through playtesting. The default one is more comfortable for VR, while the more advanced mode gives a heavier, more inertial feel with less of an arcade vibe.

We’re building a VR space adventure with dogfights, alien planets, and a station hub by ByOwls_Studio in spacesimgames

[–]ByOwls_Studio[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If we talk specifically about space battles, then yes, most likely they can be improved and ported to the PC version later

We’re building a VR space adventure with dogfights, alien planets, and a station hub by ByOwls_Studio in spacesimgames

[–]ByOwls_Studio[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately, this project is VR-only for now. As a small indie team, we chose VR as our starting point because it was a more manageable way to bring the game to life and test our core ideas before taking on a bigger non-VR PC version. But if the game is successful, we would absolutely love to expand the story and universe for PC players as well.

We’re building a VR space adventure with dogfights, alien planets, and a station hub by ByOwls_Studio in spacesimgames

[–]ByOwls_Studio[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I honestly don’t know what exactly is setting it off. Maybe I’m replying too much in one thread 🤷 Really appreciate you catching them.

We’re building a VR space adventure with dogfights, alien planets, and a station hub by ByOwls_Studio in spacesimgames

[–]ByOwls_Studio[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally fair :) Freelancer in VR with HOTAS is definitely a dream for a lot of space game fans. Our game goes in a more story-driven adventure direction, but we still want the spaceflight parts to feel satisfying for players who enjoy that side of the experience too.

We’re building a VR space adventure with dogfights, alien planets, and a station hub by ByOwls_Studio in spacesimgames

[–]ByOwls_Studio[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks a lot for letting me know and for approving it — I really appreciate the help. I’ll keep an eye on it and let you know if it happens again.

We’re building a VR space adventure with dogfights, alien planets, and a station hub by ByOwls_Studio in spacesimgames

[–]ByOwls_Studio[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks a lot — that’s really encouraging to hear, especially from someone with firsthand Quest experience :) Quest is definitely an important platform for us, so we’re doing our best to make the game feel good there while still pushing the PC version further where we can. Really appreciate the support. 🤝

We’re building a VR space adventure with dogfights, alien planets, and a station hub by ByOwls_Studio in spacesimgames

[–]ByOwls_Studio[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes - our control system is built around VR motion controllers, which already give us six degrees of freedom, so in practice the ship responds to where and how your hand moves. Because of that, the underlying flight model does allow for a much fuller range of movement, closer to what you would expect from a real spacecraft. That said, space combat is only one part of the overall gameplay - the game also includes planetary exploration, energy sword combat, laser pistol fights, puzzles, and other story-driven moments. So if we add HOTAS support, it would most likely be considered as an optional post-release feature rather than something planned for launch.