Hello from the Creator of Sulo the Sidekick

Ruby Ursus

Ruby Ursus

Ruby Ursus | Sulo the Sidekick 🐻
Approved Game Owner
8
3
Hi everyone! I'm Ruby Ursus from Finland, the creator of Sulo the Sidekick. Some of you might have already seen a sneak peek, thanks to cpvr's post.

I joined this forum because I want to hear feedback from the real experts, you! As passionate virtual pet fans, your insights can help me shape Sulo the Sidekick into the best possible version. I've been working on the game since Christmas 2024, and while it's still in an early phase, development is progressing extremely well. A closed alpha/beta test will launch later this spring, and the release date will be announced in the future. The Steam page is already live if you’d like to wishlist it here:

I’ll admit! I’m not a longtime virtual pet expert, but I did have a Tamagotchi as a kid! My background is in game development and mechanical design. I’m currently in my second year of studying game development, focusing on programming this year after specializing in visual game design last year. Sulo the Sidekick will be my first commercial game as a solo developer, but I’ve worked on 10 games over the past two years. One of them is already on Steam, and three are available on Itch.io. You can check them out here.

In addition to game development, I have over 10 years of R&D experience as a mechanical design engineer. That firsthand experience with work-life balance inspired a core aspect of Sulo the Sidekick.

I’m looking forward to meeting you all and hearing your thoughts on how to make Sulo the Sidekick even better!

Best regards,
Ruby Ursus

Sulo_Wave.webp
 
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cpvr said:
Hey @Ruby Ursus, welcome to VPL! It’s great to have you on board.😁

What originally got you started in game development?
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Thanks! I'm really excited to be here.

I started my journey into game development through my work as a mechanical design engineer. I find VR/AR/XR glasses incredibly useful in the early stages of development, especially for large-scale products. They help identify issues that might be harder to spot on a screen, allowing problems to be addressed before a physical prototype is built.

The challenge, however, is that to fully leverage AR/VR/XR glasses, game development skills are essential. Wanting to be a trailblazer in the field, I took a couple of years of study leave to learn the necessary skills. Along the way, I discovered that making games is actually really fun! It allows me to unleash my creativity without the constraints of real-world limitations, and I love the fact that I can handle almost everything myself.
 
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Reactions: cpvr
Ruby Ursus said:
Thanks! I'm really excited to be here.

I started my journey into game development through my work as a mechanical design engineer. I find VR/AR/XR glasses incredibly useful in the early stages of development, especially for large-scale products. They help identify issues that might be harder to spot on a screen, allowing problems to be addressed before a physical prototype is built.

The challenge, however, is that to fully leverage AR/VR/XR glasses, game development skills are essential. Wanting to be a trailblazer in the field, I took a couple of years of study leave to learn the necessary skills. Along the way, I discovered that making games is actually really fun! It allows me to unleash my creativity without the constraints of real-world limitations, and I love the fact that I can handle almost everything myself.
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You’re welcome! That’s really cool, it’s interesting how mechanical design led you into game development. I can definitely see how VR, AR, and XR could be a game-changer for prototyping. Catching issues early must save a ton of time and effort.


Game development seems like a completely different kind of creative freedom compared to engineering. Do you think you’ll keep focusing on VR for engineering, or are you leaning more toward making full-fledged games now?



Also, do you think VR gaming is going to take off anytime soon? There are some exciting games coming, but it still feels like it hasn’t quite hit the mainstream like PC, mobile, or console gaming. What’s your take on that?
 
cpvr said:
You’re welcome! That’s really cool, it’s interesting how mechanical design led you into game development. I can definitely see how VR, AR, and XR could be a game-changer for prototyping. Catching issues early must save a ton of time and effort.


Game development seems like a completely different kind of creative freedom compared to engineering. Do you think you’ll keep focusing on VR for engineering, or are you leaning more toward making full-fledged games now?



Also, do you think VR gaming is going to take off anytime soon? There are some exciting games coming, but it still feels like it hasn’t quite hit the mainstream like PC, mobile, or console gaming. What’s your take on that?
Click to expand...
It does save a lot of money, time and effort, but I also really love the tech itself! For me, it felt like magic when I first got to try HoloLens (RIP). Seeing a 3D model in real size, added to the real world, and being able to touch it was like woah! Like being in Minority Report.

It's a tough question what I will do when my study leave is over. I do like being a mechanical designer, but making games gives me more freedom and the possibility to express myself, as I'm not part of a bigger machine. But if my livelihood depended on the games I make, I'm not sure if my stomach could handle that... A lot depends on how the wishlist for Sulo starts growing.

I hope that VR gaming will take off, but personally, I'm more excited about AR/XR! I believe that everyone will have AR/XR glasses one day, and then gaming will also take off—just like what happened with mobile gaming. I would love to try the XREAL Air 2 Pro glasses to see how far we are from that in the current consumer market!
 
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