Update 1.7.0

Update 1.7.0 is now available for all to play and we are super excited to finally bring forth this change to you. We tweaked a bunch of the internal system of how the game works, enhancing and ensuring that playing music in VR is easier than ever, while at the same time adding a new mechanic, to make VR performing music more dynamic and expressive.

We don't have a chance to get into detail with every change that was made, as many of these were made in order to bring new functionality, as well, as to adjust various elements that in the end affect how you sound in the game. To get started, everyone playing the new update for the first time will have to go through the tutorial to ensure proper understanding of the new mechanics. The tutorial is a first iteration, so please let us know your feedback so we can further adjust the new player experience.

New Gameplay Mechanics

We introduced the Punch mechanic into the game. Your musical guns have one pair of shields, one in front and behind. When you move your hand fast enough to hit these shields, you trigger a Punch Shot. If you do this without your gun being 'linked' to a note, you will play a 'Dead Note'. You can add this whenever you want to add flavor to your performance. We also reworked the Dead Note, to be a horizontal line, no longer associated with a specific note, to better reflect the intention of this mechanic.

If your gun is 'linked' to a note. Meaning, you are sustaining a note, then when you punch your shield it will trigger a re-shoot of your gun into the same note. This allows you to play the same note repeatedly very quickly without having to lift your fingers from the trigger. Notes that should be punched, have a horizontal line across them. Punching these notes, rather than shooting them normally yields double the points.

There is a final gameplay element, not implemented, but that we have planed, that will bring the Punch mechanic to it's final evolution. Join our Discord server to be up to date on our plans and revelations about upcoming changes, as well as access to Beta branches to try upcoming changes.

New Instrument Tone System

We've reworked the Electric Guitar sound. It is much more enveloping and more powerful than before. Experiment with this new sound during your play to find how you can transform songs into a unique performance.

We also added an Automatic tone change system. Certain songs (Anara Pack currently) are programmed with 'ideal' tones for certain parts of the song, So, as you play from voice lead to guitar parts, now your sound will change accordingly. You can override this Automatic Tone System by simply choosing one of the 4 tones currently available using the Thumbstick of your controller on any hand. If you want to go back to Automatic, simply select 'Auto' in the tone wheel using your thumbstick, and your sound will return to the suggested tone for the part you are playing.

Whenever you start to play a new song, the game will forcibly change your Instrument Tone to the Automatic tone.

New Crowd System

Finally, how can you feel like a rockstar if there isn't anyone out there to cheer you on? We've added a new crowd system. 5 cute little aliens, which will jump to the music as you play.

This system is still early in development, as such the response, and movement of the crowd is very limited in range and only available in the Anara pack songs. We are looking to add more variability in the way the crowd can move, cheer, jeer, and love you. Join our Discord to get updated on how we are progressing, as well as access to beta branches to try upcoming changes.

Other Changes

Some other changes are the adjustment and enhancements to the Note Bend system, so overall it should feel much easier to follow a bend and require less energy from the player to perform. We adjusted the default volume mixing levels, to give preference to the song, while still being able to hear yourself. And many fixes and bug squashing that we have lost track of many of these.

We also had are temporarily remove 2 worlds Electric Lava and Arcade wave, as we need time to add the crowd system to those worlds properly, so they can match the vision of what Musical Range is. We still have much work to do, we have to go through and update the song catalog to use the new features, but we think it is important to not disable songs, so players can have more content to play, so we just ask for some patience while we bring the old songs up to par.

We hope you enjoy the update and let us know your thoughts. Motanum