Hi! I’m one of the users who unofficially translates and posts VRChat’s official information, such as release notes and Developer Updates, into Japanese.
The recent Steam Audio update made me painfully aware that, despite its long beta period, very little information reached general users.
Of course, developers and creators — users particularly affected by updates — should actively follow Developer Updates and announcements on the official Discord, but realistically, users who only appear within VRChat or on X (Twitter) (and also on threads or bluesky?) would likely hardly notice.
Therefore, I propose the following idea:
Allow users to opt-in for updates notifications or viewing them within the VRChat client. (I know the OpenBeta Group exists, but since some users have already reached their group limit, this should be a non-group method)
Adding to “Live Now” page is also ok.
Announce updates via the official X (Twitter), threads, bluesky account. (Ideal because easy to share)
The term “updates” here includes not only Live Releases, but also Open Beta Releases and Public Beta Releases.
In either case, there is no need to provide detailed information or explanations of the update contents.
The minimum requirement would be excerpts or summaries of contents likely to have relatively large impact.
This should make it easier for users to notice updates than now.
I’m unsure. The “normal” user, even if is not aware of all the updates, probably doesn’t want to be flooded with all the updates posts and even more open beta updates.
The work done with the YouTube videos feels already good in my opinion and is easily shareable through discord or other social media like x and others. Is this issue an accessibility specific to the JP community possibly?
Considering JP-specific factors, since many people upload their own avatars, the probability of being affected by updates is somewhat higher (though users themselves may not be aware of this).
Even without that, I believe there should be ways to view update information in-game and others.
If it’s not in-game, users are unlikely to notice it.
Well, the problem with in-game information is that it’s difficult to read for non-English users…
(Of course, notifications shouldn’t be forced. Otherwise, notifications would flood users.)
Well, the YouTube videos you mentioned are from Developer Updates or when updates released from Beta to Live, right?
These have the following issues:
Videos generally aren’t an ideal source of information.
You need to watch the entire video to get sufficient information.
Text can be skimmed, and translation is easier.
Translation is required since we’re not in an English-speaking region. While automatic subtitles exist, users are unlikely to actively watch them.
Users might not even consider YouTube as a source for update information in the first place.
Also, users should have opportunities to notice usual releases, so current videos alone are insufficient.
There’s no need to provide details. For the minimum external announcement I propose, it should simply state that an update has been made, mention key points that users may be affected, and include a link to the release notes.
I see your point, while i agree, if the format is an issue, updates are posted on the forum as well. As for information sources, people make videos about updates, make posts on social media, there is lots of information.
That being said i agree that having posts within the game would be a good idea. For that i saw two canny about it
Uh… Does “the forum” mean here? Does “updates are posted on the forum” you mentioned mean the Developer Updates?
Developer Updates posted on this forum in text format are really helpful for users like me who actively gather information.
I feel like Japanese videos and articles about VRChat updates aren’t very common.
Of course, I think I could find them if I looked hard enough, but I feel like they’re rare except for major live releases.
Does the English community actively post about update information?
I think Canny about in-game informations you mentioned are good.