Leaving Tech Demo Status
Interactive Gun Range has been in “Tech Demo” status for a long time. I could never get the laser detection quite as accurate as I wanted it. I wasn’t happy with the need to desaturate and darken the screen, which reduced graphics quality. But the biggest factor was getting cancer, which caused me to not be able to work at all.
Fortunately, my medical treatments have been working well enough for me to work again. I turned losing my job into a positive thing, taking the opportunity to work on Interactive Gun Range full time. Over the last several months I have effectively rewritten the entire code base, using a new technical approach to calibration. The new approach seems to be working quite well. No false positives after running overnight, no memory leaks, and no false negatives over several dozen shots.
In addition, I have taken the time to revamp the website. The biggest improvement is there is now a store with items I have personally tested, verified work, and with explanations as to why I selected those items. I did try to provide cheaper options where possible, but cheaper items are often cheaper for a reason. I had to return about 2/3rds of the items I ordered so I am happy with and confident that what is offered will work. Previously, I largely left it up to the users to buy their own hardware and I feel that contributed to a lower success rate.
In just a few days I’ll be releasing the new and improved version on Steam first, followed by the Apple App Store, followed by mobile phones.
Still Free For A Limited Time
The new version is still free as it is officially version 0.9 rather than 1.0. Version 1.0 will be released once there is a sufficient user base I am confident the game works for a large audience, and not just me and a few testers. Once 1.0 is released I expect to begin charging, although price and pricing method is still to be determined.
