A series of Early Access updates to Compound have brought a handful of fun new weapons to the game’s 8-bit rougelike gameplay, culminating in a “massive overhaul” which introduces new enemies and offers SteamVR Input for custom input binding between controllers.
With sole developer Bevan “NotDead” McKechnie recently transitioning to working full time on the project, we’ve seen a string of Early Access updates in the last few months which have collectively brought several new weapons, a new environment, and various tweaks to gameplay.
Image courtesy Bevan McKechnie
New weapons include the Assault Rifle which McKechnie describes as a “sidegrade” over the existing SMG. “It’s very accurate, especially when fired in small bursts. The longer you hold down the trigger, the less accurate it will be, but the first shot or two will also be perfectly accurate. The assault rifle also features holographic sights. Much better than the SMG at medium to long ranges, but still loses to the SMG in raw DPS (damage per second) at close range,” he wrote in the update.
Image courtesy Bevan McKechnie
There’s also the Bouncer Shotgun, “At first, it might seem underpowered, but with mastery it becomes a versatile weapon at all ranges.
Image courtesy Bevan McKechnie
And the Laser Rifle which has “incredible damage output at the cost of a very slow reaction time. Hold the trigger to start charging the weapon. When the charge is full it will unleash a devastating barrage of laser fire. Shares ammunition with the railgun.”
Image courtesy Bevan McKechnie
And for those times when you need some explosive power, there’s the Rocket Launcher. “As you can probably guess, the rocket launcher fires an explosive projectile that travels in a straight line and explodes on impact. Splash damage can be used to great effect.” The same patch also brought a new holographic sight to the Railgun.
As before, the four new weapons each have their own unique sounds, loading, and reloading mechanics which bring intrigue to their operation. The Laser Rifle in particular has a wonderful charging sound effect just before it releases its deadly barrage, while the bullpup design of the Bouncer Shotgun forces you to reload in a way that feels different than the other magazine-fed weapons. The Rocket Launcher packs a punch but reloading isn’t something you’ll want to do in the heat of battle as you’ll need to tilt it far forward and stick a new rocket in the back before reshouldering and taking aim.
Following the weapon updates, V0.1.14 brought a new “Executive” map environment, and a more detailed city skybox.
Released just last week, McKechnie says that V0.2.0 represents a “massive overhaul.” First and foremost the update adds a new Railgun Stalker enemy which will deal big damage if you can’t dodge or get out of line of sight. There’s also a new variant of the Drone enemy, the Rapid Fire Attack Drone, which has rapid fire machine guns. In this update players can also dual wield weapons.
Image courtesy Bevan McKechnie
Part of the “massive overhaul” in V0.2.0 comes under the hood, as Compound has been upgraded to SteamVR 2.0 API, which brings support for upcoming hardware like Valve’s Knuckles controllers, and allows users to adjust inputs on existing controllers as they see fit thanks to the SteamVR Input system. That means that you can go to the Devices menu under SteamVR and click Controller Input Binding to decide which inputs you want to use on your controller and how they will interact with the game.
McKechnie says that V0.2.0 required a rewrite of much of the code-base, and while that took some time, it will make it easier to add new features as development continues, “especially weapons.”
Over the last two and a half years we’ve gotten a lot of VR shooters. From zombie-slaying adventures and sci-fi romps through the stars, to hardcore military simulations and hunting dinosaurs on a lonely island, there’s been something for just about everybody.
Now with quite a few promising VR shooters on the horizon we’ve decided to round up our list of the very best 15 VR shooters that you can play right now on Rift, Vive, PSVR, and Windows VR headsets while you get ready for the next wave of intense FPS action.
All entries are listed alphabetically, any past entries that may have been removed are listed at the bottom before the “Coming Soon” section.
Arizona Sunshine(Rift, Vive, PSVR, and Windows VR)
Vertigo Games’ zombie-killing adventure, Arizona Sunshine, is still the best game featuring the walking undead. It’s got a solid campaign, cooperative multiplayer, and an addictive horde mode. Everything is ultra-polished and it’s just a joy to play. Can’t recommend this one enough.
Your eyes are not deceiving you: that video above is actually what Compound, a 2018 VR shooter, looks like. It’s honestly like you’ve set foot inside of a classic 90s-era PC FPS like Wolfenstein or Quake. From our preview: “[Compound] recaptures the revelatory 3D thrills of sneaking around Castle Wolfenstein, hugging a pixelated wall and quickly poking around a corner for a few pot shots at unsuspecting enemies, opening a door and leaping in fright at the sight of an armed goon opening fire, or the relief that comes with discovering a cache of health. But there’s renewed enthusiasm in unearthing the core of the first-person shooter that takes Compound far further than a faithful love letter.”
Farpoint was released as the flagship title for Sony’s PSVR Aim Controller and it does a great job of showcasing the device. We wouldn’t recommend playing it without the controller, in fact. What you’ll get is a decent campaign, 1v1 PvP maps, solo challenge maps, and co-op wave-based maps to play with a friend. It’s a lot of content and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a VR shooter that just feels better to play than Farpoint.
I’ll just quote my review here: “Firewall Zero Hour defies the odds by delivering a multiplayer-focused VR shooter that actually lives up to its potential. If you don’t have a PS Aim controller yet, then you should buy one for this game even though it technically supports DualShock 4 as well. If you don’t have a PSVR headset yet, then you should buy one for this game. With a few improvements and additions, First Contact could turn what is already a must-have PSVR game into a genre-defining one.”
Imagine if you took the ship management aspects out of something like FTL then married it with a procedurally generated roguelike with a Star Trek Away Team-style skin. That’s basically From Other Suns. It’s a blast on co-op and is basically infinitely replayable.
This is about the closest you’re gonna get to something like Borderlands in VR right now. The drop-in, drop-out co-op works great, missions are fun and replayable, and there’s a ton of stuff to unlock in terms of guns, weapon mods, and cosmetic items. The movement features a mixture of free locomotion, teleporting, and excellent floaty jumps. Oh — and there’s PvP!
Hunting dinosaurs is terrifying, but it’s also fun. That’s the underlying premise that Island 359 was founded on. Think of it as a survival shooter that drops you into a jungle and asks you to hunt deadly dinos for survival. With a lot of weapons and game modes to pick from, it’s the kind of VR game that keeps on giving.
While still technically in Early Access, this was really the original hardcore VR shooter to put competitive FPS games on the map for the immersive medium. It’s got excellent mechanics, a strikingly realistic gameplay feel, and it does a great job of making you really feel like you’re in the middle of a war. Highly recommended.
Pavlov is what you get when someone looks at a game like Onward and says, “What if that, but a little less hardcore?” That’s the long and short of it. Pavlov is basically Counter-Strike VR and it totally works.
About a year and a half after its release, this is still hands-down the scariest experience I’ve had in VR to date. Everything from the slow-building narrative, perfect shooter-based gameplay, gorgeously grotesque world, and horrifying violence make this a must-play for all PSVR owners.
If Raw Data and Robo Recall are a bit too tame for you, then Sairento may be able to scratch that itch. It’s got more high-flying action, time-slowing powers, and an excellent mixture of ninja elements to make you both look and feel like a badass superhero.
Serious Sam 3 VR: BFE (Rift, Vive, and Windows VR)
Croteam’s Serious Sam series is one of the longest-running pure adrenaline-based action shooter franchises on the market. It’s all about pure action with tons of enemies on-screen and lots of back-pedaling. Serious Sam 3 VR cuts no corners and even features online multiplayer.
Stand Out: VR Battle Royale(Rift, Vive, and Windows VR)
I don’t like rip-offs. That’s a blanket statement that covers my feelings on the topic…for the most part. In the case of Stand Out: VR Battle Royale I’m willing to make an exception. For all intents and purposes, this game is a rip-off of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) by taking that exact premise, art style, and even many minor rules and mechanics, and just adapting it for VR. In fact, even the logo looks about the same. It’s shameless, but damn if it isn’t a ton of fun despite the lack of polish.
Calling Superhot a shooter isn’t really accurate, but we had to include it on this list since it does feature lots of guns. In Superhot time only moves when you do, so it’s actually more of a puzzle game as you figure out how to take out all enemies without getting hit in this cerebral thriller.
This was a launch title for the PSVR and remains as one of the platform’s very best in terms of fun you can have behind a pair of dual-wielded guns. It’s actually just one 3-4 hour long roller coaster ride full of jump scares and bad guys waiting to be filled with lead. Beyond featuring some of the best sound design we’ve seen in a horror title yet, it’s also just a treat to play through.
(9/11/18 Update): This is a living, ever-evolving list. As of September 11, 2018, we’ve bumped Raw Data, Robo Recall, and Killing Floor: Incursion off of the list to make room for Stand Out: VR Battle Royale, Firewall Zero Hour, and Compound.
Coming Soon
Zero Killed (September 26th, Rift and Vive)
PC VR users already have Onward and Pavlov and PSVR users now have Firewall Zero Hour, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for more realistic military shooters out there. This one is shaping up to be a mixture of Rainbow Six and Counter-Strike with tactical combat that still leans heavily on fast and intense gameplay. We’ll have impressions of this one very soon on the site.
Evasion (October 9th, Rift, Vive, and PSVR)
There are lots of single player-focused shooters on this list and the handful of multiplayer ones are mostly all about slow-paced tactical warfare — but not Evasion. Described as part co-op VR shooter and part “bullet hell” game, this one is all about staying mobile, leveraging your class abilities, and dodging enemy fire. The PSVR edition will support the Aim controller as well so this is one worth keeping your eye on.
Echo Combat (2018, Rift Exclusive)
Since it’s already gone through Open Beta, we imagine it’s not far off from release. Echo Combat takes the innovative movement system from Lone Echo and Echo Arena and marries it with Overwatch-style payload-moving FPS action.
Space Junkies (2018, Rift, Vive, and Windows VR)
Having just come off of a Closed Beta last weekend, Space Junkies is likely not far off from release either. This one feels a bit like the VR spiritual successor to Unreal Tournament with lots of zero-G jetpack flying action.
Defector (2018, Rift Exclusive)
If you’ve ever wanted to feel like the star of your own Mission Impossible film, then Defector could be the perfect game. Like, seriously. That’s what this is.
Zero Caliber (Early 2019)
We don’t know much about this one yet, but it already is on our list of most-anticipated VR shooters for sure. The art direction is beautiful and the co-op action looks like a great implementation of the sci-fi setting.
We undoubtedly missed some of your favorite VR shooters. Let us know what they are down in the comments below!
If you enjoy playing first-person shooter (FPS) titles in virtual reality (VR) then you might be interested in knowing about a title by the name of COMPOUND. Developed by Bevan McKechnie, the title is a randomly generated rogue-lite videogame that offers free-roaming shooter action within an immersive, retro gaming inspired world. Most recently, the developer has released a new update that brings with new maps, music and more.
Developer Bevan McKechnie is creating the title on his own and started working on COMPOUND back in 2016. Having released it into Early Access on stream back in May of this year the title has quickly earned a ‘very positive’ review rating from players who are enjoying the FPS action. At first glace it is clear to see where the inspired for the title has come from in the form of classic FPS videogames. McKechnie writes on the Steam page that the idea came from wanting to move away from the ‘wave shooter’ formula that is common with many indie VR titles and try to create a full FPS experience, built from the ground up for room-scale VR.
The title has a number of locomotion options available for players to use as they run, shoot, duck and doge in this intense VR FPS title that is different on every run. It is said to be a tough-as-nails experience that offers as much of a challenge as it does entertainment. The newest update released earlier this week adds a new map type dubbed ‘Chemical Processing’. This new environment will still be filled with the same enemies players are use to for the moment but it will quickly fill with new ones soon. Alongside this is the addition of a new music track for the current map.
Easily the biggest part of this update for COMPOUND is the news that developer McKechnie is now able to develop the title full time. Writing on the update page, they explain: “As many may know, up until now I’ve been working on COMPOUND after work and on weekends. Recently I handed in my resignation at my day job to work on COMPOUND full time!! A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has purchased the early access version of COMPOUND and allowed me to realize my childhood dream of being a real game developer. Thank you so much!”
They continued by adding: “The long delay since the last update was due to the fact I had a lot of extra IRL work preparing things for my replacement. I still have to work for about another month, but once the hand-over is complete COMPOUND development should get a huge boost. Thank you again for believing in me! I promise to make the best game I can, to proper completion.”
The title is still in Early Access but with the newest update there is a good amount of content to be found within COMPOUND. As the development now moves to full time, players can expect more updates in the coming months as McKechnie goes all out of creating the best experience possible for players.
COMPOUND is available now on Steam Early Access for £14.99 (GBP) with support for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift. You can see a trailer for the title below and for all the latest, keep reading VRFocus.
Released in Early Access last month, Bevan McKechnie’s Compound is already one of our favorite VR shooters of the year, and it sounds like there are more good things to come.
Compound received one of its first big updates this week. McKechnie added a new map type to the roguelike shooter named Chemical Processing. It doesn’t change much; it’s still filled with the same enemies you see in the game’s existing environments, but the developer does say that new enemies will be added into the area in future updates. There’s a new music track too, but that’s pretty much it for the updates.
Perhaps the bigger story, though, is that McKechnie is now working on Compound full time. The developer had previously been working on the game in his spare time while keeping up a normal job, but recently handed in his resignation.
“A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has purchased the early access version of COMPOUND and allowed me to realize my childhood dream of being a real game developer,” the developer wrote. “Thank you so much! The long delay since the last update was due to the fact I had a lot of extra IRL work preparing things for my replacement. I still have to work for about another month, but once the hand-over is complete COMPOUND development should get a huge boost.”
COMPOUND, an indie VR shooter that launched in Early Access back in May, has received a new update adding a new map type and new music, with new enemies planned for future updates. The game’s sole developer has announced that he’s quitting his day job to develop Compound full time.
As Compound’s sole developer, Bevan “NotDead” McKechnie has painted the game’s unique retro textures pixel by pixel, not to mention crafted the all the levels, weapons, items, enemies, sounds, and systems. He’s been working on the title in his spare time since 2016, and it seems his persistence and talent is paying off. The Early Access version of Compound, which launched back in May, has garnered an impressive 98% positive review rating from Steam users, putting in up there with some of the platform’s top VR games. Here’s a look at the Early Access launch trailer if you’re unfamiliar with Compound’s unique take on VR FPS.
In the latest announcement, McKechnie says he’s quitting his day job to develop Compound full time, indicating that players should expect to see accelerated development as the game continues to evolve:
As many may know, up until now I’ve been working on COMPOUND after work and on weekends. Recently I handed in my resignation at my day job to work on COMPOUND full time!! A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has purchased the early access version of COMPOUND and allowed me to realize my childhood dream of being a real game developer. Thank you so much! The long delay since the last update was due to the fact I had a lot of extra IRL work preparing things for my replacement. I still have to work for about another month, but once the hand-over is complete COMPOUND development should get a huge boost. Thank you again for believing in me! I promise to make the best game I can, to proper completion.
The announcement comes alongside a new patch, V0.1.5, which adds a new map type, the ‘Chemical Processing’ location, which McKechnie says will be filled with new enemy types in a future update. Planned enemies include the Stalker, a mech-looking enemy, and the Suicide Drone, which we can only imagine will try to rush the player and blow them up. The update also adds a new music track to the game’s ‘Profit Management’ location.
Prior updates following the Early Access launch have added a new weapon (the grenade launcher) and a bevy of tweaks to improve controls, locomotion, enemy AI, and performance.
Per the quote above, McKechnie says he’s still got another month with his current employer before starting full time development of Compound; we’ll be looking forward to an increased pace of updates to this unique VR shooter.
Whether you want to immerse yourself in one of the most topical TV shows out right now from HBO, rack up headshots with your bow and arrow skills, or venture into the neon-soaked nostalgia trip of a 90s era shooter, there’s something for just about everyone this week.
What if you could teleport yourself inside the monitor screen of a 90s era FPS in the vein of Wolfenstein and classic DOOM? That’s exactly what Compound does, complete with pixelated graphics and everything. But don’t let the simplistic art style fool you: this is actually one of VR’s smartest shooters to date.
If I could use VR to venture into the world of some of my favorite TV shows, I’d be a very happy man. Luckily, Silicon Valley is one of those shows for me and this VR experience lets you visit the iconic hacker hostel that’s prominently featured in Seasons 1-4 of the hit HBO dramedy and features hundreds of things to interact with.
If the successes of Vanishing Realms and Skyrim VR have taught me anything, it’s that VR needs more fantasy-themed dungeon crawling experiences. Luckily, Fadeholm is a brand new entry in the budding genre. All of the dungeons are procedurally generated so you won’t see the same layout twice and you need to manage resources like your hunger, health, and endurance to survive. We’re eager to see how this one evolves through Early Access.
Shooting a bow and arrow is still one of my favorite things to do in VR, so when a game comes along that focuses on that specifically, while wrapping it up with a strong narrative and dense world to explore, you’ve got my attention. This one is aiming to be more than just a wave shooter.
When people say VR is still in the PlayStation-era, they usually mean it figuratively; developers are still working out the language of this new medium one game at a time. Bevan McKechnie has taken that analogy quite literally, though, and in the process discovered one of VR’s most concise shooters.
Compound’s trick is to breathe new life into the basics. It recaptures the revelatory 3D thrills of sneaking around Castle Wolfenstein, hugging a pixelated wall and quickly poking around a corner for a few pot shots at unsuspecting enemies, opening a door and leaping in fright at the sight of an armed goon opening fire, or the relief that comes with discovering a cache of health. But there’s renewed enthusiasm in unearthing the core of the first-person shooter that takes Compound far further than a faithful love letter.
Its simplicity is key. In this roguelike adventure, you enter the Compound and storm its many levels of randomized enemies, clearing out each floor before progressing to the next. Each time you die you’re sent back to the start with a new layout to tackle. There’s just four weapons to pick up right now, and only two can be taken with you at a time, but McKechnie has wisely strayed away from the tiresome dual-wielding lunacy that’s informed far too many VR shooters over the past few years in favor of reigning it back to one gun at a time.
Bombastic wave-shooting is replaced with decidedly more methodical combat, then, and it feels like exactly what VR needs. Compound doesn’t want you to aimlessly wave your hands out in front and exercise your trigger finger. It instead sets a slower pace; every bullet fired by an enemy is a large glowing orb that travels at a fraction of the speed of real lead. Light on realism, yes, but incoming attacks carry more threat to them than anything thrown at you in Robo Recall. The game gives you space to breathe and, more importantly, process a firefight rather than rush to overwhelm your senses in an attempt to disguise shallow design.
Weapons take a similar approach. Each gun has its own reloading system: while the standard laser pistol has a cooldown meter, the shotgun, machine gun and railgun all require you to manually load in a clip and then press a button to ready your next round. It helps set a deliberate pace to the shootouts, and at times forces you to switch between weapons as you push your back against the wall in hopes that enemies run out before your ammo does. In these moments, Compound summons much more of that blockbuster adrenaline than many of its contemporaries can muster.
Health plays a large part in that, too. Instead of a rebounding meter, Compound gives you hit points that can be replenished by eating burgers, which can be checked on a wrist-mounted UI. Protecting yourself and the past 10 minutes of progress is always on your mind and makes your moves more considered. Rushing in to blast baddies simply isn’t an option here; instead I found myself much more aware of my space in the environment. I’d clear rooms by inching inside, back pressed to a wall and attentively scanning every inch for signs of danger. When enemies return fire, I’d zip back behind a wall and wait for the right moment to strike, rather than brazenly opening fire. There’s an immediacy and sense of threat here that brings the action to life.
And all this is from a game created by a single developer and remains in Early Access. Compound is light on content right now, with just six levels to clear, but McKechnie is promising to at least triple the size of the game over the course of pre-release. Even in these six floors though, which can be played on different difficulties, I’ve found more to appreciate here than in entire campaigns. This is a VR shooter with a rejuvenating sense of direction and an understanding of how to keep players rooted in the action. Compound may be a nostalgia-fueled love letter, but it’s got a lot to learn from.
COMPOUND is a rogue-lite VR shooter from indie developer NotDead Games that looks to bring back some of the classic feel of early FPSs like Doom (1993) and Wolfenstein 3d (1992). After a lengthy wait, the game finally launched today on Steam Early Access.
Indie dev Bevan McKechnie first showed off the concept for Compound back in October 2016, combining a decidedly retro FPS look to some not-so-retro mechanics such as ragdoll physics and a trusty hand-held gun and map.
Supporting Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, Compound first started out as a project hosted on Itch.io where NotDead hosted a playable demo, which is consequently still available for anyone looking to dive in.
The game, the studio says on its Steam page, is a “randomized, rogue-lite, free-roaming shooter for Virtual Reality veterans.” The goal is to fight through the world’s enemies and eventually reach “the heart of The Corporation and take back what belongs to everyone.”
The current early access version, which sells for $20, contains six maps across three map types, a headquarters/training range, four weapons, five enemy types, and three difficulty settings. The game also boasts free locomotion, teleportation, and snap-turning for users with a 180-degree sensor setup.
Sole developer Bevan McKechnie says each map is “procedurally generated to provide a different experience with each play-though, and consecutive loops become progressively harder, providing quite a considerable amount of re-playability already.”
Because it’s a one-person studio, McKechnie has set up a community Trello board so players can keep an eye on what bugs and features will be addressed next.
Das Indie-VR-Projekt Compound von Entwickler Bevan McKechnie wurde bereits 2017 mit einer spielbaren Demo der Alpha des VR-Titels angekündigt. Danach wurde es jedoch ruhig um den Retro-Shooter im Pixelstil, wodurch die Fertigstellung des Spiels infrage geriet. Kürzlich gab der Entwickler jedoch ein Lebenszeichen auf Steam von sich und kündigte nicht nur ein großes Update mit jeder Menge neuen Inhalten, sondern auch eine anstehende Veröffentlichung in die Early-Access-Phase bekannt.
Compound-Update bringt zusätzliche Inhalte
Compound führt die Spieler in eine virtuelle, frei begehbare Retrowelt im Pixelstil und erinnert damit stark an eine VR-Adaption des klassischen Wolfenstein. Mit diversen Feuerwaffen ausgerüstet lauft ihr durch die Spielwelt, um bösartigen Feinden mit jeder Menge Blei den Garaus zumachen. Dabei gilt es den kompletten Körper einzubeziehen, um den gefährlichen Projektilen auszuweichen, sonst heißt es schnell “Game Over”.
Lange Zeit hörte man nichts über den Roguelike-VR-Shooter, doch jetzt gab Entwickler Bevan McKechnie ein Lebenszeichen im Forum von sich. Darin erläuterte er die stillschweigende Weiterentwicklung des Indie-Titels und bedankte sich über das Feedback der Community. Die nützlichen Tipps hat der Entwickler direkt in seine Arbeit eingebaut, wodurch ein großes Update für das Spiel ansteht.
Zu den neuen Inhalten zählen unter anderem eine doppelläufige Schrotflinte, eine Railgun, zwei weitere Karten, drei neue Arten von Gegnern und eine Menge weiterer Features und Verbesserungen. In kurzen Snippets führte er den neuen Content kurz vor, wobei dies nur einen kleinen Überblick über viele Änderungen sein soll:
Doppelläufige Schrotflinte:
Railgun:
Weitere Inhalte:
Zudem steht die Veröffentlichung einer Early-Access-Version auf Steam in den Startlöchern mit jeder Menge zusätzlichen Inhalten. Wann diese erscheint, bleibt zunächst jedoch noch abzuwarten.
Die kostenlose Demo-Version von Compound steht auf Steam für Oculus Rift und HTC Vive zum Download zur Verfügung.
COMPOUND is an intriguing VR hobby project from developer Bevan “NotDead” McKechnie which drops players into a “rogue-lite, free-roaming shooter” for VR, with a totally unique and authentic pixel-art feel. We’ve had our eyes on the game since 2017, but with no official announcements from McKechnie in nearly nine months, the fate of the title was beginning to look uncertain. A recent post from the developer assures fans that the game is still in the works, with an updated demo and Early Access launch coming soon.
In a recent post to Compound’s Steam page titled “I’m still here!,” McKechnie apologies for the months of radio silences, but assures fans that he’s “been constantly working on Compound for a while now and I’m getting very close to releasing a hugely updated demo and an Early Access version.” A series of GIFs in the post show new weapons, enemies, and environments:
New weapon: the double barreled shotgun
New weapon: the clip-loaded railgun
Two new maps, three new enemies, and lots of other new features and improvements
McKechnie says there’s “much, much more than I could show in a few gifs, but I hope you get an idea of how much Compound has been evolving.” He further says that the game’s Early Access release is “close to being ready,” and that much more content is planned between Early Access and the game’s eventual 1.0 release.
