This update, as with every update but PARTICULARLY this one, will probably have some big bugs that I've missed. If you're lucky enough to be the first to spot one, please let me know using ingame bug reporter so I can race to push the inevitable hotfix before anyone else notices. Early Access Gaming.

It's been a while! Yet again!

The last update back in June was a general infrastructure overhaul and mass of bugfixes. I've got my eye on a number of gameplay improvements and new content which I've been working on, but before that can happen there were two big things I really wanted to get working.

The first is something I've wanted for ages, and which I need for the new campaign work - a fully-featured, easy-to-use ingame scenario editor in the spirit of my favourite games from the 90s and 2000s. You can read more about the scenario editor in the last news post. Essentially, I rebuilt the old clunky 3D editor from the ground up, turning it into a 2D map-based editor which is much, much, much faster, easier to use and has fully-integrated workshop support, starting today.

Right now. It works right now and you can and should create and upload some missions immediately.

There's an ingame text guide to show you the ropes, but I know that's not everyone's bag so I also made a 20-minute video tutorial you can follow along here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4Si15HIvKoHere's some of the things the editor can do:

• Create triggers, scripted events and logic flows to drive NPC behaviour, both allied and enemy.

• Drive missions through objectives which can be interact with the logic flow to create narrative-driven scenarios.

• Record, link and hook-up voice lines entirely in-editor, so you can write Ace Combat-style combat soap operas with your friends and share them with the world.

It's lacking in some more complex features and the megamap itself also still needs work, but since I'll continue to use the tool myself, players will benefit from any new features as I add them.

I hope you have fun with the editor - I suffered really enjoyed building it and I can't wait to see what you all come up with!

The second feature is probably one of the most-requested feature requests I receive. VR cockpit games usually don't support both HOTAS and motion controls, for good reason - it's a design and technical nightmare and introduces a huge amount of complexity for supporting different hardware setups. Experienced devs know that the payoff isn't worth the effort and it's better to spend your time elsewhere.

Luckily for all you flight simulator sickos, I'm not a clever man and I spent the last month and a half rewriting the input system to support any generic device. It's not 100% perfect yet: there will be gaps and bugs while I gather wider data on the devices people are using, and it'll take time to iron out all the weird ways different joysticks, throttles and gamepads interact with the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuX_5dPfWmMOVRLRD now supports HOTAS, keyboard & mouse, gamepads and motion controls, all at once, both in VR and flatscreen mode. If you want, you can setup a throttle and joystick, use those for some inputs, keyboard for others and your virtual cockpit controls for everything else. You maniac.

In-cockpit controls will scan through all their associated actions and take the most significant input from an 'active' control - so an IRL joystick can override an ingame joystick, but you can also set your throttle to 50% IRL, leave it at that, and then adjust it ingame without any of these values conflicting with each other. This is the intended (and currently observed) behaviour, so report a bug if you see anything different.

The setup was tested with a Logitech X56 HOTAS, so if you have that or something similar then it should work pretty well out of the box. You can rebind everything in the main menu, or through a (slightly awkward) mid-game menu so it's easier to get a feel for things as you change them.

Note: there are some known issues with this system so far - some sticks have mini-sticks attached to them, and these often send their data as separate X and Y values, so it's hard to bind them properly. I'm investigating this, and a few similar issues, and will hopefully have a fix soon.

I cannot stress enough how beta this is - please be free and easy with your bug reports (and your patience) because I'd like to support as many HOTAS setups as I can!

And also - if anyone manages to get OVRLRD working with a Steel Battalion controller please inform me immediately.

• I fixed a bunch of quite bad bugs in career mode and campaign. Sorry.

• You can now rename individual OVRLRD platforms in career mode, for Nuzlocke-style trauma.

• There have been changes to data serialization - this means if you experience odd issues, they may be fixed by deleting OVRLRD's appdata folder. This is located in
  [c]C:\\Users\\YOURUSERNAME\\AppData\\LocalLow\\heisenbug[/c]

To celebrate my enormous relief at finally being able to go back to programming gameplay improvements instead of literally wrestling with joysticks, OVRLRD is 20% off for the next 14 days.

Here's how!

1. Leave a review! For a solo developer, positive reviews have an immediate and significant impact on sales of the game, meaning more stability for the developer and faster, better development!

2. If you know a community that would really love OVRLRD, post a link there and tell them it's under active development by a deranged programmer who will never stop.

3. Tell your favourite streamer that you'd like to see them give OVRLRD a try! A single stream is sometimes all it takes for a project to break out and find its audience.

4. Join our discord and invite your friends! If they're nice:

Join the discord

ADDITIONS

- Beta version of Scenario Editor.

- Beta Scenario Editor now has workshop upload support. Please upload your missions but don't be mad if they break!

- Beta version of control rebinding with HOTAS support.

- Individual platforms in career mode can now be renamed in a new UI for nuzlocke-style trauma.

CHANGES

- EDITOR: Improved layout in a number of places.

- First version of improved beam weapon FX.

FIXES

- Fixed an issue where campaign missions would spawn you in XZY position instead of XYZ position, often catapulting you into a black hole and killing you.

- Fixed HOTAS support with access to actual hardware. It should now correctly register input from throttles and sticks.

- Fixed an issue where mechs could get stuck in 'ragdoll recovery mode' and become incapable of motion.

- Fixed an issue where you could not command allied NPCs in career mode.

- Fixed an issue where 'destroy all enemies' objectives would miscount enemies and never complete.

- Fixed an issue with target analysis screen text rendering.

- Fixed an issue where quitting career mode from the HQ would not save changes made since returning from a mission.

- Fixed some missing bindings from the previous HOTAS preview support.

- Fixed an issue where freelance mode would only generate one mission.

- Fixed an issue where platforms and operators would not have persistent history for NPCs.

- Fixed an issue where entering Boot Camp would instantly kill you.

- Fixed an issue where the 'startup' objective type would display weird bunched-up status text.

- Fixed an issue where toggles rendered incorrectly in menus.

- Fixed an issue with grass rendering in the sky on Zaliznyy.

- Fixed some fatal issues that were breaking campaign and skirmish loading.

- EDITOR: Fixed a number of usability issues and bugs with the Scenario Editor.

- EDITOR: Fixed an issue which caused certain settings on objectives, events and effectors to revert when you selected an entity from the picker.

- EDITOR: Fixed an issue where changing the active microphone in the dialogue recording menu would break literally everything.

KNOWN ISSUES (Working on it!)

- Some HOTAS mini-joysticks will only register X or Y motion at a time in the binding menu. I am working on a fix for this.

- Sometimes the cockpit calibrator doesn't save joystick positions.

- Rarely, you may get very bad performance on the skirmish/career map. If this happens, reducing draw distance and increasing it again may fix it.

- Some UI elements that appear on MFDs may become 'pinked out', replaced with solid blocks of pink. Please let me know if you see this.

- The 'Basic' graphics option may cause secondary cameras (such as the TGP weapon camera) to stop rendering.

- Explosions and footprints may, on some maps, create snow or grass.

- Some controllers may not track. If your controllers are not supported, notify me and send an error log and I will add them!

- If you die, the post-death spectator mode places your hands slightly too far away from your IRL wrists.

- Sometimes, very rarely, the shaders will be completely broken on startup, with invisible terrain.

-Restarting the game fixes this.

Don't forget to join the discord!

OVRLRD OFFICIAL DISCORD

Chaotic Twin-Stick Combat
Shoot, slash, headbutt, and blast through demon swarms with weapons that evolve from basic firepower to full infernal nonsense.

Hellmets With Powers
Find and equip cursed helmets that completely change your playstyle—movement, damage, utility, and survival all shift with each Hellmet.

Seven Circles to Conquer
Descend through portals from circle to circle, each layer introducing new enemies, hazards, modifiers, and rules.

High Mobility
Dash, jump, bash, roll, shield, sprint—stay moving or die. Every circle demands aggressive evasion and precise execution.

Unlockable Characters & Arsenal
Earn resources to unlock new characters, weapons, abilities, and upgrades that expand your toolbox and reshape how each run plays.

Boss-Driven Progression
Every circle ends in a boss fight that forces you to adapt, learn, and improvise under pressure.

Stylized Retro Pixel Art
Punchy, readable, and explosive visuals give the chaos clarity and weight.

Prepare to plunge deeper, fight harder, and swap helmets faster as hell escalates around you. Seven circles stand between you and the Ultimate Lord of the Underworld—gear up, dive in, and bring the pain.

Hello everyone!

It's been a while since I've posted any development updates on the game, but I already have a lot to share. The game has been significantly improved in terms of inventory and icon design, as well as improved shooting and interaction with inventory and equipment.

1. Improved inventory and equipment design.

2. Improved weapon and item icon appearance.

3. Attachments are now displayed on weapon icons.

4. Attachments can be replaced by dragging them onto weapons.

5. Implemented automatic weapon swapping when picking up weapons.

6. Implemented automatic weapon swapping when dragging weapons from the inventory to weapon slots.

7. Implemented automatic equipment swapping when picking up equipment.

8. Implemented automatic equipment swapping when dragging items from the inventory to the corresponding equipment slots.

9. Implemented a system for interacting with the vest. If there is no vest or no magazines in it, reloading takes significantly longer.

10. Implemented a breath-holding system before firing (to improve accuracy).

11. Implemented a slow-motion system.

12. Added icons displaying the type of ammo in the magazine (near the ammo count).

13. Added an icon displaying armor status.

14. Added the ability to run diagonally and sideways.

15. Added camera sway while walking and running.

Stonemaier Games presents Origin Story - a fresh and inventive take on the classic trick-taking genre. Designed for 1–5 players and lasting about an hour, the game unfolds as a story of how an ordinary person becomes either a hero or a villain.

Each player starts with a basic character and gradually builds up abilities, shaping their personal journey. The familiar trick-taking framework gains new depth through character development and role selection. Every trick you play influences not just the current round, but the long-term growth of your character.

The game spans five rounds - five chapters in your legend. Each round, players play cards of four suits that represent traits like Mind, Might, Speed, and Love (the highest suit). At the end of a round, you add a Story Card to your character board, unlocking new abilities. Managing stamina tokens becomes a key strategic layer: spend too much too early, and you may shine now but falter later.

At the start of every round, players decide their alignment - hero or villain. Heroes score points for winning tricks, while villains gain points for avoiding them. This single choice completely changes your playstyle and keeps every game feeling distinct.

By the fifth and final round, the story reaches its climax. Powerful abilities come into play, and your character’s journey - from humble beginnings to full realization - concludes with a flourish. It’s not just the end of a session, but the end of a story you’ve built from the very first card.

Origin Story is a bold reimagining of the genre, blending the dynamic rhythm of trick-taking with the depth of character development. Its simple mechanics take on new meaning as every card becomes a step in your hero’s journey.

The game masterfully conveys a sense of growth - from those first uncertain moves to the moment your character gains true power and personality. Yes, the balance between roles or events could be refined in places, but that hardly detracts from what makes the game stand out. Origin Story gives the genre new life - a sense that every action you take carries weight and contributes to a fully realized story. 

Who is destined to create their own origin:

 - For those who are familiar with trick-taking mechanics and want a deeper experience - with elements of engine-building and resource management.

- It shines best in a group of 3–5 players; there are solo/duo variants, but the main interactivity emerges with a larger group.

- It will suit fans of the superhero theme who are not expecting licensed characters but prefer to create their own story and playstyle.

Try creating your own hero or villain biography on Tabletopia and watch as one card game turns into a personal legend.

• Updated art assets and certain balancing on Mission 3

• Disabled additional functions and plugins to hopefully further offload engine

animation is shiki-shiki https://lit.link/shikix2

We’re beginning the next phase of The Riese Project — Early Access.

Add the game to your Steam wishlist:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4128150/The_Riese_Project/

We will continue developing The Riese Project within Early Access — step by step and openly.
The Prologue will remain available for you, and we’ll keep refining it technically and linguistically.
In Early Access, the story beneath the surface will start to emerge — naturally and in its own time.

Thank you for being with us.

Along with this hotfix, we’re launching a closed playtest. Some of the players who submitted applications will receive an invitation. The playtest will be available for a week, and in terms of content, this version of the game is almost identical to the Demo version.

If you’ve already played the Demo or the previous playtest, you won’t notice any changes.

This playtest is important to us primarily as an opportunity to gather gameplay statistics from new users. This information is extremely useful and necessary for development and improving the game’s quality.

Thank you for joining us!

• Added the “Cancel Movement” mechanic;

• Added skill area preview when hovering over a skill (in combat);

• Added indicators for skills that can be used more than once per turn.

• Improved the display of enemy turn order (via Alt);

• Increased the accuracy of fuel consumption calculations on the global map.

• Added missing skill icons;

• Selecting a team member via their portrait;

• Fixed numerous minor bugs.