PocketStrafe Beta Update - v0.2

We just pushed an update to PocketStrafe: v0.2! The update has some minor improvements, but we also discovered a bug that we are now actively working on. By the way, one of our users had success using PocketStrafe in the game Obduction! We think it looks awesome, but we don't have an Oculus Rift to try it out. Give it a shot! 

1. Improvements

Auto-lock disabled

We usually err on the side of giving as much control as possible to the user. For example, iPhone already has an option to disable auto-lock, which is necessary for our app. One of our users let us know, however, that the option is disabled for some situations, such as corporate phones. So, now, PocketStrafe disables auto-lock on your phone as long as you're on the "Put phone in pocket" screen. You don't have to worry about changing your phone-wide setting.

"About" button

We replaced the "Change Mode" button on the home screen with an "About" button. The button contains links that will help you get in contact with us or get more information. Most important, we joined twitter (@coolfont) and started a Discord server for PocketStrafe users. You can get more info about these on our Contact Us page. 

You can still change the mode as usual after you connect to a CoolFontWin PC.

Smoothness adjustment

We heard from many people that the running in place algorithm wasn't very smooth. This could be due to many factors, some outside of our control. For example, if your phone slips to the side in your pocket, if your pants have a looser fit, or if your pocket is lower/higher on your leg, these can all make the running less smooth.  In addition to these factors, some games give the character more momentum when you run, so it feels smoother than other games. 

Therefore, we added a slider to change the smoothness. Smoothness should default to 2/10 (relatively low), which corresponds to the default behavior from the previous version of PocketStrafe. So we're giving you space to increase smoothness quite a bit. Under the hood, the smoothness determines how long each detected step lasts:

  • The minimum of 0 is a 1/4 second step, 
  • the default value of 2 corresponds to 1/3 second,
  • the midpoint value of 5 corresponds to 1/2 second, and
  • the maximum value of 10 corresponds to 3/4 sec.

The downside of making smoothness too high is that it increases the chance you will still be running in-game after you've stopped in real life. Users with a slower (faster) gait will want to try increasing (decreasing) the smoothness. Try to find a sweet spot between smooth steps and excess "sliding".

Pull-to-refresh

The default pull-to-refresh is pretty buggy and jerky, so we added a shiny new version, courtesy of the awesome DRPLoadingSpinner. We think it looks pretty sweet!

Idle

App no longer goes idle in your pocket while you're in game. 

New icon

We updated our app icon to have a stronger connection to the concept of PocketStrafe while retaining the theme inherited from the CoolFont logo. Blog post on our icon design coming soon.

2. Bug: Networking Error

Under some circumstances, your PC may not be able to receive PocketStrafe data, even though it looks like you connected. If this happens, for now, try force-quitting and restarting PocketStrafe (double tap your home button, swipe up to kill the app, and restart it). We're working hard on reproducing and handling this error, but the many variables involved in networking make it a difficult task.

We recently discovered that the network socket opened on iPhone can get disconnected somehow, with an error of "Permission denied". If you have networking problems, please let us know any details you're willing to share about your network. Is it IPv4-only or IPv6 enabled? Do you have a strong WiFi signal? Also, send us your CoolFontWin log file (right click on the system try icon). We need to start narrowing down the potential causes.

 

3. Keep up with PocketStrafe!

Social media

Follow us on twitter for update news and to see PocketStrafe featured in the press.  Keep with any additional set videos or new content releases by subscribing to our YouTube page.

We have also just created a CoolFont Facebook page and will cross post relevant information between each platform. So if twitter isn't your thing give us a like on Facebook to follow PocketStrafe's development.

Last but not least, we created a Discord server for our users to communicate and give us feedback. Join it here if you'd like.

 

Mitchell, Roy, and Malcolm

beta, pocketstrafeMitchell McMillanpocketstrafe, beta, iphone, obduction