Call For Feedback

Darknet has been out for a month, and it’s already time to start thinking about its expansion!

I had to cut a lot of cool features when I was rushing to get the game ready for the Gear VR launch. Luckily, I can still implement those features post-release. All along, the plan has been to launch Darknet, collect feedback from the early Gear VR players, and use that feedback to make the game bigger and better for the eventual PC launch on the Oculus Rift CV1.

Right now I’m in that critical feedback-collecting stage. There are dozens of improvements that I could imagine making, and it’s still early enough that my plans are flexible. So if you’ve played the game on the Gear VR, I’m asking you: what do you think I ought to change or add to the game?

(You can post your suggestions on this reddit thread, or send them however else you prefer.)

Gameplay features are probably going to be a big focus of my revisions. For instance, there have been a lot of requests for a more active and intelligent opponent in the game (like an enemy hacker or an AI), to make the game feel a little less like a static puzzle. More variety in the hacking puzzles (either through new gameplay twists or through entirely new minigames) is also a common request. What else?

I’m also interested in potential improvements to the narrative, graphics, or just about any other area. What would make you feel more like a hacker? How could the game make better use of the 3D capability of the headset? What about community features like daily challenges or leaderboards? What seems like it’s missing?

Be warned that I’ll only be able to implement a few of these potential changes. I won’t be working on Darknet full-time, let alone crunching on it like I was before launch. Darknet will grow a little larger, but it won’t double in size. I’ll also have to be careful about the difficulty of the tasks I undertake. Real-time multiplayer, for instance, is probably out of the question due to the sheer amount of work involved in doing it right.

Still, I think that a few smart, focused changes could improve the game significantly. Darknet is a tight, systems-oriented game, and for that kind of game, introducing a few new elements can add a lot of complexity.

So, what do you want to see?