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Kayak VR: Mirage Arcade Instructions
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Kayak VR: Mirage Arcade Instructions

The version of Kayak VR: Mirage for arcade includes features not found in the consumer version, such as:

  1. UI Mouse and keyboard controls for operators
  2. A hidden admin menu to adjust graphical and accessibility settings for operators
  3. Improved onboarding with a tutorial
  4. Allow players to set their own names in-game (for racing purposes)
  5. Ability to create a leaderboard for a specific group, so that a group can play each others’ ghost
  6. Ability to have a location wide leaderboard that all stations can contribute to

Initial Setup

  1. If you’re not using SpringboardVR or Synthesis VR:
  1. We’ll provide you with a license key for Steam and an access code for the arcade branch via email.
  2. To activate your license key open Steam (go to https://store.steampowered.com/ to download Steam) and press “+ ADD A GAME” in the bottom left corner. Kayak VR: Mirage will appear in your library.
  3. To access the arcade branch, right click on Kayak VR: Mirage and select “properties…”. Go to “BETAS” and enter the access code here and select the arcade branch.
  4. Wait for the update to complete and launch Kayak VR: Mirage.
  5. You’ll receive a message that your license is not active. Hold T to open the admin menu or press CTRL+SPACE and insert your license key here.
  1. Location code (optional)
  1. If you have multiple stations you can synchronize the leaderboards and groups by setting an identical location code for each station under Settings > Admin Settings. For example, an arcade called Lightning VR could enter Lightning_VR_1234 as their location code on every station.
    With groups synchronized, only one station has to create the group for all the stations with the same location code. Every time a new player is created it is created for that group which can be accessed by all stations.
  1. Tweaking graphics
  1. The most performance intensive level is playing the Welcome to the Jungle race in Costa Rica, so you can use this as a benchmark.
  1. Making a paddle out of a stick (optional)
  1. Under Settings > General Settings > Adjust Offsets Between Controller and Stick you can adjust for the distance between the controllers and the stick so you have a one-on-one representation of the stick in VR.
  2. See our #controller-stick-setup channel in Discord for inspiration. There’s examples of DIY, 3D printed holders and products.
  1. Accessibility (optional)
  1. If there are issues with motion sickness you can adjust settings under Settings > Accessibility. The setting that has the most effect without impacting the enjoyment of the game is setting “Turn HMD with Kayak” to smooth and setting the smoothing amount to 25. If possible, we also recommend using a fan in front of the user as this can reduce motion sickness and increase immersion. For newcomers or people prone to motion sickness the Antarctic level is the most friendly and calm environment to get started.

Racing

Group flow

  1. When the group arrives, the operator takes the following steps.
  1. Launch Kayak VR
  2. Open the admin menu by holding T for 5 seconds 
  3. Press Select Group with the mouse cursor
  4. Create or select a group. NOTE: Groups can be synchronized between stations and locations by using location code
  5. Press CTRL+SPACE to close the admin menu

  1. When the group leaves, the operator takes the following steps.
  1. Launch Kayak VR
  2. Open the admin menu by holding T for 5 seconds 
  3. Press Select Group with the mouse cursor
  4. Press No Group with the mouse cursor
  5. Press CTRL+SPACE to close the admin menu

Single Player Flow

Make sure there is no group selected from a previous session (see Group flow Step 2).

Input Overview

Keyboard and Mouse

T open / close the menu

Hold T for 5 seconds opens the menu in Admin mode

CTRL+SPACE when the menu is open toggles Admin mode

R restart current level

M calibrate HMD (if the HMD is not aligned with the Kayak)

Hold M for 3 seconds reset Kayak to last reset point (if the kayak gets stuck)

Mouse navigate the menu

Controller

A, X open / close the menu

B or Y calibrate HMD (if the HMD is not aligned with the Kayak)

Hold B or Y for 3 seconds reset Kayak to last reset point (if the kayak gets stuck)

Hold A or X for 5 seconds opens the menu in Admin mode

Known issues

The Vive Focus 3 currently displays incorrect control hints (“Press  to Start” / “Press B to calibrate” / “Hold B to reset kayak”). We recommend turning off the control hints by setting Huds (Settings > UI) to Basic and having the operator handle the navigation, calibrating and resetting using the keys and mouse from Input Overview above.

FAQ

Our FAQ that deals with possible technical issues can be found here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1683340/discussions/0/3473981814929224173/

Support and Feature Requests

If you have any questions or feature requests don’t hesitate to contact us at support@betterthanlife.io.

Useful links

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1683340

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/PDm8H7YDfy

Press kit: https://kayakvr.com/press_kit

Website: https://kayakvr.com

Developer website: https://betterthanlife.io

Guide: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2834170979

Improve your technique: https://youtu.be/edPnVU5dtMc

Roadmap / Changelog: https://trello.com/b/hSKybmxa

Twitter: https://twitter.com/btl_sandwich

YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCTlvXuo16nuocHptl7ypltw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betterthanlife.io