Full VR Support! & Major Gameplay Additions 2024 Release

Hey pilots! I started this project a year go in Jan 2024 and I haven't stopped working on Squadron: Mercenaries which now has full VR support with motion controls and a fully interactive cockpit! Yea! everything you could do with a mouse, keyboard, or gamepad, you can now do inside the cockpit in VR. Reach out, push holographic VDU buttons, and control your ship as if you’re really there, whether you're setting a nav point, managing weapons, or taunting your enemy. It’s been a massive effort. Originally just I put in a VR camera and played with the gamepad on a whim but it felt sooo good I just had to add full VR support and make it as immersive as I could.

New Features Since the Last Release

Beyond VR, I’ve made significant strides in delivering that Wing Commander meets MechWarrior Mercenaries experience I wanna get to. Here’s a breakdown of what’s new:

Instant Action Mode

I’ve added a new Instant Action mode that lets you dive right into the action. Here, you can customize your ship to match your preferred combat style. Experiment with new modules, guns, weapons, and utility items to see what loadout gives you the edge. Once your ship is ready, choose from one of three procedurally generated missions with increasing difficulty. Mission objectives can vary, including patrol, attack, defend, and escort.

Squadron Management & Communications

One of the biggest steps forward is in the squadron management gameplay. In some missions, you can pick up friendly wing members during defend or escort objectives and add them to your wing for the duration of the mission. With the new Communications system, you can also interact with enemy pilots—taunt them to draw their attention and take some heat off your allies. Managing your wing effectively can be the difference between mission success and utter chaos.

Land on the Carrier

At the end of your mission, you’ll now have the opportunity to land on the carrier. It’s a small touch, and right now it's got that "automated landing" feel of WC1/2 but nothing beats that feeling of coming back to the carrier in a beat to crap fighter.

Hazardous Environments

I’ve also introduced environmental hazards to keep things interesting. In Instant Action and mission modes, you’ll encounter various hazards, including:

• Asteroid Fields – Navigate clusters of giant asteroids, use them to dodge enemy fire, or bait them into a collision.
• Radiation Zones – Flying through radiation zones will have adverse effects on your ship’s systems, so stay alert!
• Nebulae – Nebulae mess with your sensors and targeting systems, making combat a little trickier when you’re in the thick of it.

Retro Aesthetic

Finally, I’ve overhauled the menu system and HUD to lean into the old school text mode interfaces of the WC dos era, complementing the overall retro feel of the game.

That’s all for this update! With VR, new gameplay systems, and improved mission variety, Squadron: Mercenaries is shaping up to be everything I envisioned and more. I keep losing track of time trying to get one more kill when I'm supposed to be hunting down a bug.

~
the confed be damned, 'cause the miners demand
that the beer in my cargo hold flow