Foster Ember

Welcome to the playtest! We’re excited to share a small part of what we’ve been building with you! This is an open-ended sandbox. Press the purple button to spawn new things for Ember to interact with.

NOTE: This experience is optimized for Quest 3. It runs on Quest 2, but will require more manual room setup. Depth occlusion also isn’t supported on Quest 2, and passthrough cannot be captured in screenshots or video.

If you need help troubleshooting, please reach out on our Discord.

Instructions:

• Sharing content:

  • ONLY share content to the Windup Minds Discord channel. Do not post elsewhere.

  • That said, share as much and as often as you like. We want to see what you’re excited about, and where we can improve!

• Feedback & Bug Reporting

  • Option 1: Send through the headset (Easiest)

    • Press the system menu button on the right controller.

    • Capture images or video with the buttons on the app menu screen.

      • TIP: Enable your mic to record your commentary.

    • Click on the feedback button (pencil and paper icon) to submit your feedback and any media you want us to see.

    • This will get deployed to a dashboard the team can review!

    • https://developers.meta.com/horizon/resources/playtest-feedback-best-practices/

  • Option 2: Discord - Better for direct feedback, troubleshooting and discussion!

    • Join the Windup Minds Discord channel.

    • Post your feedback, bugs, etc. in the appropriate channel:

      • #pre-alpha-questions - We can help you troubleshoot

      • #pre-alpha-bug-reports - File tickets for any bugs you might encounter

      • #pre-alpha-feedback - Suggestions and feedback

      • #pre-alpha-discussion - General playtest discussion and sharing

      • #mr-media - Share screenshots and videos

    • Feedback Form: Here is the link to our feedback form. Please keep these questions in mind as you explore with Ember. Play as often as you want, you are able to edit your feedback to reflect changes.

• Recommended Room setup:

  • Delete room data and start from a fresh scan.

  • Make sure the room is well-lit.

  • For optimal experience, the room should have a couch and a tagged table. IMPORTANT: Make sure the couch volume is adjusted so that the top of the rectangle volume aligns with the seat cushions.

  • The experience currently works in ONE room. Moving to another room and adjacent room setups may cause issues with Ember’s behavior and object anchoring.

• Audio

  • Make sure headset volume is set two bars away from maximum for best audio experience.

  • Play in a quiet room if possible. The experience uses mic input and may be triggered by background noise.

• Gameplay

  • Press the A-button to access your tool inventory. Your tools will return here after they’re dropped, so don’t worry about losing them. Press the A button again to dismiss. It will close by itself if you move away.

    • Spray can

      • Use this to collect magical floating orbs

      • Spray magic on seeds to grow plants

      • Spray magic on the dragonfly toy to charge it up

    • Brush

      • Clean off dirt that accumulates on Ember

  • Press the big purple button to spawn random new objects for Ember to enjoy. Reposition the button as you need by grabbing it and moving it around.

  • Voice response:

    • Ember responds to a few commands (currently English-only):

      • Sit

      • Come

      • “Ember”

  • Gesture response:

    • Lift your index finger from the trigger button to point

      • Point to an object or location and say “Go get it!” or “Go!” (Again, English only)

      • Known Issue: it might take a moment to register. You’ll hear a sound and see a paw print when Ember notices the point

  • Press the left menu button to pause, access these notes, or get info about how to give bugs and feedback.

Known Issues

• Ember sometimes jumps off of the couch, but remains at couch height. There’s also a possibility that she gets stuck seated on the couch and won’t move. Restart the app to resolve.

• When performing a fresh install, the game asks for spatial permissions but does not ask for mic permissions. Restart the app to see and provide mic permissions. Note: mic input is required to give Ember verbal commands.

• Ember may not help cultivate wilted flowers. This one’s on you — use your spray can to perk the flower back up!

• Rarely, the virtual hand gets stuck on the purple button. Restart the app to resolve this.

• The pointing gesture can be tricky to use. It takes a moment to register.

• Objects will auto-add themselves to Ember’s backpack. If you lose something, it might be there.

• Most issues can be resolved by restarting the app (using the system menu).

• Some issues may require clearing save data using the pause or setting menu's "Clear Data and Quit" button. Unfortunately, this will also clear your Ember.

If you have not received the pre-alpha in your headset, please reach out to us on the Discord Server. Your email address must be associated with your Meta/Oculus account.