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Cloudhead have announced the release of version 2.0 of their early access preview for backers of the The Gallery: Six Elements Kickstarter.

Those of you who backed the Kickstarter campaign for The Gallery: The Six Elements, which, believe it or not, hit its target way back in April 2013, have received a late Christmas gift. Version 2.0 of the Early Access ‘taster’ Exploration School has been released, now with more spit and polish. Here’s the skinny on what’s new:

  • Clarified crane puzzle flow in the warehouse with additional hints and cues. (Get to the sewer people! :) )
  • Added PDF instruction page dealing with proper pre-game setup and calibration prep.
  • Resolved raycasting issue with paintballs. No longer penetrate walls.
  • Fixed random tablet pop-up bug after returning from Dungeonman VR.
  • Fixed intermittent tablet spawning at feet issue.
  • Fixed theater soundtrack playing in areas outside of hangout room.
  • Added quick center calibration button to account for intermittent drift (please see Instruction PDF).
  • Resolved climbing wall intermittently throwing players backward.
  • Fixed intermittent arm freezing upon spawning in sewer.
  • Resolved multiple “in hand” pickups conflicts.
  • Increased tablet tip display times.
  • Pickaxe can be picked up after dropping.
  • Objects set ablaze faster.
  • Music cue tweaks in sewer.
  • Fixed lightbake in sewer.
  • Resolved collision issue on pipe crossing.
  • Added drainpipe sounds to bathroom.
  • Added missing lockdoor sounds to sewer.

We first got our hands on The Gallery back in July and had a blast with the cutting-edge use of the Razer Hydra, despite some wobbly ladder climbing mechanics. This is what I had to say about it back then:

The Gallery takes a bravely realistic stance on your avatar’s physicality. That is to say, interaction with objects in the environment (and indeed the environment with you) are handled with very little ‘auto assist’. If you reach out and miss a spray can by a few pixels, you won’t pick it up. Much more interestingly, the same is true for that old gaming chestnut, ladders. CloudHead have held true to their intentions of making Razer Hydra integration much more than just a tacked on idiom. When you climb ladders in The Gallery you REALLY climb them — using each wand to guide and clasp each rung and then pull the wand towards you, again in the same way you would in real life.

It’s fair to say that things have progressed apace since then going by community feedback since the original Exploration School release. Once we’ve had a chance to give it a try we’ll get a breakdown of our thoughts.

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In the mean time, you can still support the development of The Gallery and get access to this and future Early Access bonuses by heading over to Cloudhead’s site and pre-ordering the game now.

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Paul James
Based in the UK, Paul has been immersed in interactive entertainment for the best part of 27 years and has followed advances in gaming with a passionate fervour. His obsession with graphical fidelity over the years has had him branded a ‘graphics whore’ (which he views as the highest compliment) more than once and he holds a particular candle for the dream of the ultimate immersive gaming experience. Having followed and been disappointed by the original VR explosion of the 90s, he then founded RiftVR.com to follow the new and exciting prospect of the rebirth of VR in products like the Oculus Rift. Paul joined forces with Ben to help build the new Road to VR in preparation for what he sees as VR’s coming of age over the next few years.