Whirligig News

Hi everyone

So before Christmas I posted to say that I wanted to update the default build with the current beta and that if anyone was having problems with this version then please get in touch.

Well the version I wanted to use has been through the ringer and many of the changes I made to fix things broke things. The biggest one of these was updating to Unity 2021 (the 3D engine I use) which caused a slow down in playback for many people especially when combine with super-sampling.

So I've reverted back to Unity 2019 and updated everything else. This seems to of either kept or improved the performance so that's good.

So again the cry to arms goes out to everyone especially people who haven't tried the betas before to give this one a go and let me know if you have any problems with the update. I'm hoping there will only be minor bugs left if any (there might be bugs that are in the previous version and this one but hopefully I've not added any new ones).

The betas have been worked on for a long time now so there are lots of improvement including better desktop mirroring, improved performance, sharpening options and a load more.

If you're interested in trying the betas here is a link to a Youtube video helping to explain how to update to the latest beta and back again. It's very easy :)
https://youtu.be/z9pv-cgn4IE

I hope you like the update. If I don't get any complaints about new bugs I'll be updating the default soon. So if you do encounter problems I beg of you please let me know. The more I can get red of the better.

Apart from that I hope you are all well, looking forward to better times and if you're in the northern hemisphere the summer. If you in the southern hemisphere I hope your winter is brief and mild.

Until next time

Phil the one and only developer of Whirligig

Hi everyone

I've uploaded a new beta release 'whirligig_early_access_v.4.87'. I'll be updating the whirligig_early_access_latest_beta soon but this is a big update in sorts so I wanted to get a little feedback before committing to the larger release.

So firstly I've been wanting to update the default build for a while and the last beta update was, I was hoping, going to be the last before that update. However some people had problems and a there have been a few major updates to the Unity3D software and video plugins. In an effort to take advantage of the new tools, performance improvements and new feature I've spent the past few weeks implementing these changes.

'whirligig_early_access_v.4.87' is the first beta to have these changes and with any luck they will pave the way to more updates in the future.

Updates:
Moved to latest Unity3D engine 2020 build. The hope here is that the people at Unity3D will of improved Unity's performance and VR integration and by moving up to this version I'll be able to take advantage of that. Also this helps for future updates and means I can develop with the latest tools and benefits.

AVPro plugin update to version 2. AVPro is the plugin I use to drive the Media Foundation and DirectShow video playback support. The people at Renderhead have been working hard to release this new version of their plugin with increased performance and extra features. By moving to this AVPro v2 I can now take advantage of new features and any improvements they make. The first thing that should now work is support for videos with 3D meta data that fail to run properly before. Regarding new features, they have extra features for surround sound playback and I'm looking forward to taking advantage of these new features in coming updates. There currently is one know bug when loading videos where you will see a white flash. This should be fixed soon.

So what do I want from you?
Please let me know how this update has effected performance and playback and any other bugs you might come across. Anything I can iron out before updating the default build the better. The aim of these up and coming releases are to improve performance, improve stability and fix and underlying problems that are still there.

So any feedback is welcome. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this release :)

I want to tell you this
So I also want to push something else on you. I'm currently making an adventure game called 'Page One' and I've recently released a demo. Please swing on over there and take a look: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1356030/Page_One/

I'll be updating this demo soon as well so keep an eye out for that.

If you're interested in the development of 'Page One' I've also got a blog which you can check out here.
http://pageone-adventure.co.uk/

Whirligig has a big part to play in Page One's development and you can read all about it there :)

Hope that's everything. Everyone have a happy new year.

Until next time

Phil

Hi everyone

I'm going to split this up in to 3 sections. The beta to default, SideQuest give away and "Page One" the game.

[h3]Beta to default[/h3]
So if you are a beta user of Whirligig you'll know there have been many changes over the last year, improving speed, fixing bugs, adding features, improving none VR support. I want to take this to the default.

So what do I want from you? Firstly if you haven't tried out the betas please give the latest a go. It's version 4.86 there are loads of updates to if from the default, too much to mention. It should be more stable and run smoother. Here is a tutorial on how to try the betas, it's very easy in Steam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0g9ICfaxbU

If you're already using the betas, please update to the latest version.

Now what I need to know is, are there any deal breakers? If I update the default to the latest beta am I going to break things for people who haven't tried the betas.

If you've moved from the the default to the beta you are very important to me. Did it break anything? If I did this would people who have an automatic update find they are confused or it's broken for them.

I want the update to go smoothly but I've held off for so long that I'm worried I've made changes that will effect people who aren't using the betas. It's totally my fault but what can you do :)

[h3]Whirligig on SideQuest give away[/h3]
So I've finally managed to get Whirligig released and working on the Quest. Currently it doesn't have DLNA support but I do hope to fix that at some point.

So what am I giving away? Well if you own Whirligig on any of the stores, Steam, Oculus or Viveport then I'll be happy to give you a free key for Whirligig on SideQuest. Just email me [email protected] and I'll send one over. This actually goes both ways so if you've just bought Whirligig on SideQuest then I'll happily offer you (although not so happily as it's cheaper on SideQuest) a key to your Store of choice.

This will be for a limited period. I haven't made any decisions how limited but expect it to be to the end of the year at least.

If you buy it on SideQuest or get a code from me and like using Whirligig on the Quest a review is always welcome :)

[h3]Page One (The Adventure Game)[/h3]
And thirdly. So I've been working on a game for a while now. A long while. Whirligig isn't just a video player. I've programmed a games engine into it. This games engine is an offshoot from Whirligig and you can download it and find out more from here:
https://pageone-adventure.co.uk/game-creator/

and the game here:
https://pageone-adventure.co.uk/page-one/
and on Steam here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1356030/Page_One/

and demo will be released soon so keep an eye out for that.

I've also posted on Reddit with much more info and a discussion is in progress. You can check that out here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/adventuregames/comments/k5bchr/im_making_an_adventure_game_myst_like_and_wonder/

I really want to make "Page One" a thing that I can release and that people will enjoy. I got into making Whirligig because I wanted to work in VR and make a game. I'd like to reignite that passion :)

[h3]And Finally[/h3]
I'd like to offer everyone who has purchased and commented offering suggestions for features and letting me know about bugs my thanks. I wasn't expecting Whirligig to sell and although I haven't made my millions from it. Everyone who has purchased it allowed me to reduce my hours at my job and work on it to improve it and hopefully making it worth using for those who like to fiddle, tweak and be overwhelmed by options.

Whirligig isn't the most polished VR video player but I think I've managed to make something that a lot of people have got pleasure out of using, from watching their favourite movies and shows to the pleasures of which we will not name.

I hope you all have a lovely holiday, I hope that life gets better for everyone in 2021 (not sure how it could get worse, although I wouldn't put money it not) and lets look to the future with the best example of hope that we can muster.

Until next time, happy watching :)

Phil

Hi all

So I've released Whirligig for the Oculus Quest on SideQuest;

https://sidequestvr.com/app/2171/whirligig-vr-media-player

and I'm offering for a limited time free codes to get it on SideQuest. Just email me [email protected] and I'll send you a code for the itch.io store that's linked to SideQuest.

If anyone of you want to take on the offer I'd really apricate feedback. I'm not currently sure if it works on the Oculus Quest 2. I've ordered one which should arrive on Sunday :) So I'll be able to test it then. If any of you have a Quest 2 and want to give it a go let me know.

Apart from that, thanks for your support over the years and hopefully I can continue to support Whirligig for the years to come.

All the best and best of health

Phil

Hi

So there are big updates and small ones in this release. Firstly I’ve spent a good while trying to optimise the code to improve performance. This isn’t something a lot of people will notice but it’s worth it to keep Whirligig running smoothly.

The second update which all should see is that I’ve reintroduced the desktop mirroring option and rearranged the implementation of both the Webcam options and the desktop mirroring.

So under explorer you now have 3 tabs at the top of the of the menu. Explorer, Desktop Mirror and webcam.

When you select desktop mirroring/Webcam you will be presented with four windows representing your selectable monitors. Choose whichever you wish to mirror/show. Webcam will only show available cameras.

These options are still work in progress so there may be bugs and expect extra options such as cropping and remembering the previous sections in the future.

I hope you like this update. Let me me if you have any problems and thanks for your continued support of Whirligig.

[edit] I found how to edit :)

This update might have introduced bugs as all updates do. I do know of at least one. The mirror option in settings/interface/monitoring no longer disables the mirror to screen. I'll fix this for the next update, which won't be long coming as I tidy up the issues with this one.

Happy watching :)