Unity TranceParent [v0.7.0] [TranceParentDev]

[TranceParentDev]

Thanks for the great Feedback and sorry for the delay in response! A lot of the features that you're having issues with are relatively new features. I'll break up my reply to make sure I cover everything.

- stacking 2 fader effects on one layer works strangely. I'd expect it to make the layer at base opacity when both faders are at 100%, and 0% opaque when both faders are at 0, but it seems like there's a war going on between them, where one works at the start, and then the other fader takes over and disregards the first one. Ideally, I want one fader to gently but quickly pulse the image between 90% and 100%, and the other slowly fade it in and out between 0% and 100%.
- the fader effect seems to reset with each image change
- fader "override opacity" option does nothing, to either the layer opacity or app opacity.
- 50% opacity layer on top of 100% opacity one makes the 100% opaque layer partially transparent
- 50% layer opacity with 100% app opacity is more opaque than 100% layer opacity with 50% app opacity when they should be the same, might be connected with the above bug. I want layer opacity to behave like app opacity btw, since app opacity feels smoother and gives better results/control.

So the fader applies it's effect to the layer's opacity field, because of this, any combinations adding multiple faders or interacting with the opacity at all, it will will override each other and act up. This is a limitation with the way its implemented and it would be a lot more complex to implement it another way as transparency of the layer is really only controlled in one place.

As for the fader effect resetting with each image, this is what override opacity is supposed to prevent, it may very well be bugged, I'll see what I can do to fix it.

App Opacity is its own feature and is not at all tied into the opacity of the layers. It applies its opacity to the entire app window. Due to it effecting the entire application window, it isn't aware of the individual layers so it can't really effect those layers. Also making individual layers work like this is already able to be done, by clicking the circle icon on the right side of the setting that lets you just slide the opacity to a percent rather than a range.

- when trying to show a file that can't be displayed, it shows a white screen instead of skipping to the next one
- as mentioned before, some files can't be displayed. Since there's no way to know which file it was in big galleries, it's hard to know what to exclude/report as a bug. An error log file which stores the names of files with issues would be nice.

The files that can't be displayed 9/10 times are encoded with VP9 which is very common with webm files. I've tried to put in ways to catch this and skip the file however, the way Unity handles these errors does not seem to allow me to catch them properly. You can however create a batch file that converts all of your files into compatible codecs recursively. I might be able to build a script for this at some point, but there are plenty of guides online for it too. Here is a list of supported formats and codecs:

You must be registered to see the links

- hangs when exiting (If it runs for too long, or maybe goes through too many different images/movies. Short runs even with the big folders close normally)
- using the transparent app option, there's an invisible bar along the top of the screen that's not clickthrough aside from the app logo.
- When I load one of my save files, one of the layers doesn't cycle. I can switch it manually, turn it off and on again to switch the first image, change cycle length, change the folder, but it's just stuck on the first image it loads while the other layer cycles just fine.
- Alignment in horizontal split option does nothing. 100% position moves the image completely outside the screen instead of sticking it to the other edge.

These are known issues on my list of bugs to fix, thanks for sharing them though, it makes me prioritize them more since other people are pointing out its a problem

Feature suggestions:

- ability to move the app logo button in transparent app mode

- since it's made for use with existing galleries, the ability to select/exclude file types would be nice, especially with the "include subfolders" option added recently

- fade between images option, with customizable speed

- for glitch effects, opacity and strength should be separate bars (I want more opaque/visible distortion, but to have its sway less extreme)

- different opacity blend option, like multiply in Photoshop. The current transparency option makes light, sub-30% opacity images on even moderately light backgrounds look extremely bright and washes out a lot of detail on both the image and the background (though this might be a result of the opacity bug mentioned earlier). Main thing I care about is to be able to discern the background/desktop well without making the image that's on top practically invisible. Not sure if it would help for every image, but galleries with mostly bright images would benefit from a different blend option than those with mostly dark ones.

- keyboard shortcuts. To increase/decrease app transparency, to turn clickthrough on/off, to enable/disable all layers, to enable/disable the logo button, to open the menu, to enable/disable shortcuts, all configurable, and make sure you allow alt+ctrl+shift combos.

- fader could use more customization in general. Maybe "time to stay at lowest/highest opacity" or "delay before fade in/out" options would be enough to allow periodically flashing the layer on screen or periodically fading the layer out to show the layer below, though faster fade in/outs would be a bonus.

- make the fader opacity work off of layer opacity, where 100% fader opacity is whatever the current layer opacity is. Currently, it's impossible to use the random layer opacity option along with a fader.

- the ability to select a single file for a layer instead of a whole folder (useful for video and music)

- I get what you tried to do with the colorize lite effect, but I feel like it would be more useful as a tint-type layer. you could then fade it in and out separately to other layers, and be able to fade between colors over time as well. maybe add a spiral effect option to it so it tints the image in different colors in a spiral pattern rather than spiraling the images themselves.

- expand the horizontal split option. You seem to already have everything in place to be able to resize the layer however you like and place it wherever you want on the screen, so implement the UI to do exactly that, so it's possible to have a small video playing in a corner of the screen, or a tower of 4 different layers on the right 20% of the screen. Instead of "horizontal split" make it just "layer size/position" with "vertical size" "horizontal size" "vertical position" "horizontal position" options.

- a "duplicate layer" option (to help quickly setting up similar layers in different positions)

- personally, I'd find it interesting to be able to include multiple folders in one layer, and have them pull files from different folders at different rates (for example, one folder has 10 files and another has 100, but if you set the first folder selection rate at x10, half of the shown images would be from the first folder and half would be from the second).

These are some great suggestions, some of which are already on my todo list, others will be added for sure!

Thank you so much again for your feedback!

 

[TranceParentDev]

Just released version 0.7.0:


So with this build I really wanted to fix a lot of issues with the Media Layer and its lags, delays and bugs, so I completely reworked this layer and optimized it quite a bit. Additionally I fixed several of the annoying bugs that have been pestering me and probably others. Lastly 2 new effects were added, Ripple and Mesmerize.
Oh also a cache button was added, but use it with care, it will load the entire contents of the folder into cache and this can lock up your machine if it contains lots of files or large files. I will figure out a way to make this less problematic in future builds, but I wanted to add in something that made it smoother to play images and videos.
Change Log:

• New Cache toggle added to media layers
• Space now toggles Preview mode rather than requiring you to hold it
• While the Layer Manager is open the other UI buttons are now hidden
• Added a new Ripple Effect for Hypno Enthusiasts
• Added a new Mesmerize Effect for Hypno Enthusiasts
• When loading files in media layers, no longer show a white screen
• Complete re-code of the media layer to clean up and greatly optimize it. It should now allow faster image cycling as well
• Adjusted the cycle time ranges to 0.1 second - 30 seconds
• Changed how cycling effects the effects system to ensure it doesn't reset each cycle
• The app should now close properly when you click the X or press alt + F4
• Fixed bugs with layers not cycling images or getting frozen
• Fixed bugs with hot keys interrupting typing in Text layers and Text Promps
• Fixed bugs with the up, down, left and right arrow keys not working with loaded save files
• Changed the "Warning" message color for notifications to a yellow color (from white)
• Pressing space no longer interacts with the UI elements as it was causing it to turn off a layer when you want to preview it

 

[demidemon]

This is better than I expected. Sadly I'm too noob in hypnosis and felt like I'm only making the files worse than the original. I can totally see ppl making good stuff for themselves.

This is a great software but I won't call this a game tbh. like I won't call unity a game, but a tool to make games. Of course you can argue that the process of making hypno or developing game itself is a game. I'm just not comfortable with the idea that any software/tools could slap in a leveling/achievement system and be posted on the game section.

 

[KSVreset]

Just released version 0.7.0:

Very interesting program for those weird gooners who like to make games harder by distracting themselves with trippy videos. The random changing, effects, and (shifting!) transparent overlay work a lot nicer than just having regular videos and random galleries on the side. $20 is about half an hour of work, and I just spent over an hour tinkering with it to check it out, so I'm happy to support when the next version comes out. In the meanwhile, what's the limit on the F95 code? I assume it works in some limited capacity, since you used an F95-specific code instead of just sharing the regular Patreon one.

 

[TranceParentDev]

Very interesting program for those weird gooners who like to make games harder by distracting themselves with trippy videos. The random changing, effects, and (shifting!) transparent overlay work a lot nicer than just having regular videos and random galleries on the side. $20 is about half an hour of work, and I just spent over an hour tinkering with it to check it out, so I'm happy to support when the next version comes out. In the meanwhile, what's the limit on the F95 code? I assume it works in some limited capacity, since you used an F95-specific code instead of just sharing the regular Patreon one.

Thanks! There was no limits applied to the f95 code, it just allows me to expire it differently than the other codes. Like when new versions come out, I might temporarily disable it so that people who pay get access first, then enable it again later.

 

[KSVreset]

That's reasonable. I appreciate that this is a very niche type of program, so you gotta do what you gotta do to make it happen and get paid for it. I do have one particular concern for its eventual release version. Since the app phones home every time it's launched to validate the code, there is some risk of losing access to it after the validation server is done and gone with, so will the code system be removed on release? What's the timeframe for full release, and do you have a roadmap or hopeful to-do list for upcoming features?

ALSO! I was just tinkering with it and noticed that the text layer (beautiful implementation, by the way. I love how it sprinkles the text all around and has an option to avoid the center) sometimes intercepts clicks and steals focus from the game I was trying to play. Pretty jarring stuff.

 

[TranceParentDev]

Hello KSVreset, thank you again for amazing feedback and support.

The codes and validation will be removed in the final version, I have no intention of DRM or any of that. Additionally, before I let the code validation server go down, I'll release a version without the validation to ensure its never a problem. I have an internal roadmap, but in order to have a timeframe I need time. Its simply not making enough to provide that time currently, so I'll be releasing fixes and updates as I get the chance. There are loads of features I want to add including:

Shared / Remote controlled sessions
Effects Layer Type (things that don't require media to do things)
Content Pack File formats (compresses all media and layer data into one file that can be shared and opened with the app)
Web Content Loading (from things like dropbox, google drive, or maybe even pulling images from a social media feed)
Transitions
Discord Integrations (showing you're using the app if desired, links for people to join or watch sessions)

Eventually I'd be interested in maybe doing a content shop where people can make sessions and content and share / sell it through the app, but this has a lot of legal red tape I'm worried about so its way way off.

--------
Thanks for the feedback about the text layer, I'll fix the bug with it being clickable with the next build, which I will try to get done in the next week or two. This month has been a nightmare for me, worst 2 weeks of my life.

 

[KSVreset]

Very cool to hear about the planned features and lack of DRM. I just do solo sessions so I'm looking forward to the effects and transitions, but all the social features have potential to add a lot of life/replayability to community groups.

Sorry to hear about your rough month. When it rains it pours, huh?

 

[TranceParentDev]

It certainly does. I'm working on some bug fixes and changes today. I'll try to have the update released this week with the fixes to the text layers being click able in click through mode. Might throw in a few other surprises if I get the chance!