Info about Vermillion - VR Painting:

Official game description:
NEW! Generate a paint-by-numbers template including matching colors on your palette from any image you find in the browser or your PC. Painting has never been more accessible!  
It’s time to discover your inner artist! With Vermillion, you get a fully equipped oil painting studio in your home, without any of the mess. Ready for the unrivaled sense of accomplishment from creating your first painting? Learn with your favorite YouTube artists using the built-in web browser, generate paint-by-numbers templates from any image, or even better - learn to paint from (new) friends in multiplayer!  
Up to four people can paint together in the studio. Share palettes, work together on each other's canvas, teach a class, or have an old-fashioned paint night.  
Vermillion features realistic wet-on-wet color mixing, undo, layers, and a wide range of simulated brushes. Developed with the feedback of both traditional and digital artists, you're sure to get the fun of oil painting without any of the frustration.  
Once done, mount your masterpiece in your studio, or easily share it as an image. You can also create a beautifully varnished 3D model export for your VR home.
**FEATURES:**
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**Paint by numbers**  
You can now generate a paint by numbers template from your own images and any image you find online! Vermillion will generate the outlines, which you can show above or below the paint on the canvas. The palette will be automatically filled with the required colors, between 2 and 20. You can change how detailed you want the outlines to be. You can isolate outlines to one color at a time, so you can very easily apply the right color in the right area. Painting has never been more accessible!  
**Paint in other games**  
Ever dreamed of painting the mountains of Skyrim, or your favorite VRChat world? Vermillion can run as a SteamVR overlay, allowing you to paint inside any other VR game!  
**Multiplayer**  
Paint together with up to three of your friends, or new friends you meet in public rooms. Cross platform with Quest 2. Compatible with the overlay mode, so you can paint together inside other VR games. Note that the overlay only exists within Vermillion - other players not inside your Vermillion multiplayer session can not see your painting equipment.  
**Realistic color mixing**  
Vermillion allows you to blend colors as you would with real paints. Dip your brush into multiple colors, and mix a new color by whisking the brush on the palette - and yes, yellow and blue make green!  
**Integrated web browser with canvas projector**  
Never painted before? No problem! The easel has a web browser right next to it, allowing you to paint along with your favorite artists on YouTube for the first time without needing physical equipment, and giving you convenient access to the internet's vast library of learning resources and reference material.  
Vermillion comes with an hour long in-game paint-along teaching you how to paint a cute robin - you'll hardly believe what you are capable of!  
The browser can even be projected onto the canvas, so you can easily trace your reference. You can also display local images on the browser.  
**Mount your paintings**  
You can mount your paintings in the virtual studios, so you can enjoy your previous work while painting your next piece.  
**Designed for wet-on-wet painting**  
Vermillion is made for wet-on-wet painting. It mixes color not only on the palette, but also on the canvas, allowing you to create perfectly smooth gradients with just a few strokes. Use a dry brush to blend colors further, or to move paint around to create a variety of effects from reflections to grass.  
**Layers**  
While Vermillion is made to be the ultimate wet-on-wet experience, sometimes you just need to paint on another layer for detail work. Which is why it's fortunate that there is support for four separate layers that you can merge and re-order!  
**Fine control over every mark**  
Exert fine-grained control over your brushwork through the pressure with which you press the brush into the surface. Use the hand steadying tool to compensate for the lack of a physical canvas to rest your hand against.  
**Distinct brushes**  
From the two inch brush all the way down to the rigger, there's a brush for every occasion.  
**Sharable**  
You can export your finished painting as a 3D model to use in your VR home, share through Sketchfab, or use in social VR applications. Vermillion also offers up to 8k image export of your finished piece, which can be used for canvas prints!  
**Made for streamers**  
With a controllable spectator camera to offer great views of the process while streaming or recording, as well as full LIV support, you'll be sure to create amazing content.  
Paintings in the trailer and screenshots by David Kühnel, Chad Munn, Gladski, and Markus Franz.

Release date: Jul 26, 2021

Categories: Virtual Reality, Painting Gameplay, Art Creation, Multiplayer, Relaxing Gameplay, Simulation, Educational Game


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $18.00 - $22.00
  - Reasoning: Reviews consistently state the game is worth its full price; one review explicitly mentions paying $20 as the full price. No negative price feedback exists, and users emphasize value relative to real-world painting costs. The range centers on $20, with a small buffer to reflect typical discount expectations and the absence of any suggested higher or lower price points.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: N/A
  - Session length: 2.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides multiple actual session durations: one user reported almost 2 hours after the tutorial, another had a 1-hour session, and a third reported painting for an hour. While longer sessions are mentioned (e.g., '6 hours'), the most concrete and frequent reports center around 1–2 hours, leading to an estimated typical session length of 2 hours. No evidence supports game completion, story completion, or endgame metrics.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Vermillion delivers immediate enjoyment from the first tutorial onward, with no learning curve or friction; players describe it as fun and accessible even for beginners.
  - Stance: Fun immediately
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: N/A
  - Unlock drivers: N/A
  - Conditions: having a VR headset; completing the brief initial tutorial
- Player Archetypes:
  - Therapeutic Relaxation Seeker (buy)
    - Motivation: Stress relief and mental well-being through creative flow.
    - Playstyle: Guided painting with relaxing ambiance, often following Bob Ross tutorials at a slow pace.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: service disabled Veteran
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Beginner Hobbyist (buy)
    - Motivation: To experience oil painting without real-world cost or cleanup, and to create something personally meaningful despite low skill.
    - Playstyle: Experimenting with mixing colors and following simplified tutorials, often showing results to friends and family.
    - Experience: newcomer
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: noob; not a real artist
    - Reference games: N/A
  - VR Dev Supporter (buy)
    - Motivation: Supporting a solo VR developer and encouraging continued improvement of creative tools.
    - Playstyle: Exploring the app's features, engaging with the community, and providing constructive feedback to support ongoing development.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Licensing Skeptic (no buy)
    - Motivation: To assess the tool's suitability for industry use, but licensing restrictions prevent endorsement.
    - Playstyle: Evaluating the software's legal terms before committing, comparing to professional alternatives.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- No mess or supply cost (weight 0.56): The app eliminates the need for physical supplies, cleanup, and costs. It is seen as an affordable and mess-free alternative to real painting.
- Beginner and non-artist friendly (weight 0.52): The app is very easy to learn and accessible, allowing even non-artists or beginners to create satisfying paintings. It lowers the barrier to entry for painting.
- Intuitive brush controls (weight 0.52): The brush mechanics include stable strokes, instant cleaning, various brush types, and intuitive rotation and grip. The haptic feedback and audio are also praised.
- Realistic oil paint simulation (weight 0.51): The simulation features extremely realistic brushstrokes, paint mixing, and oil paint physics. Users feel it closely mimics real canvas painting.
- Immersive VR experience (weight 0.35): The VR experience is highly immersive and considered one of the best VR applications available. It provides a relaxing and passionate workspace.
- Integrated YouTube tutorials (weight 0.28): An in-game browser allows users to follow YouTube tutorials, including Bob Ross videos, while painting. This enhances the learning experience.
- Full art software features (weight 0.18): The app functions as full art software and supports high-resolution exports up to 8k. This allows users to print their work.

Common complaints:
- Insecure broken browser (weight 0.16): The in-game browser shows a security warning and fails to load popular sites like YouTube, Teachable, Google accounts, or Twitch, making it unusable for login or content viewing.
- Index controller issues (weight 0.12): Index controller support is buggy. Touchpads are ignored, brushes switch accidentally, and the game crashes when using Index knuckles with a Quest 3, though it works fine with Quest controllers.
- Unfair EULA art rights (weight 0.12): The EULA grants the developer royalty-free access to user artworks, and users who value owning their creations find this policy unacceptable and are leaving the app.
- Crashes cause data loss (weight 0.12): The game crashes or forces exits which lead to lost progress or corrupted save files. Users report losing an hour of work or having their save file become unusable.
- Few layers unnatural brush (weight 0.11): The 4-layer limit is too restrictive for complex projects, and brush interaction with the canvas feels unnatural, making detailed painting hard to get used to.
- No easel surface feedback (weight 0.11): Without physical easel surface feedback in VR, drawing precision drops, and users dislike having to adapt to phantom painting without wrist or arm support.
- Awkward layer system (weight 0.11): The layer system is awkward to navigate and use, especially when combined with undo/merge glitches, making complex layer management frustrating.
- Frustrating movement systems (weight 0.11): The seated movement system is frustrating and kills enjoyment, while the general movement system is functional but awkward and limiting, hindering creative flow.
- Paint does not dry well (weight 0.11): Paint does not dry, making layer building difficult, and colors mix messily on the canvas, requiring delicate stroke work to avoid blurring details.
- Missing finger painting and colored pencil (weight 0.11): Missing finger painting for smooth blending and no colored pencil tool for sketching limits creative expression and core artistic functions.
- Limited paint methods (weight 0.1): Only traditional brush paint methods are available, limiting artistic styles, while users hope for updates to include techniques like flicking a toothbrush or crumpled paper towel.
- Few environments and rooms (weight 0.1): The available in-game rooms and environments are very limited, reducing variety and the space available for painting projects.
- Workshop environment crashes (weight 0.07): Loading custom workshop environments triggers crashes, preventing users from using community-created content.
- Quitting results in crash (weight 0.07): Quitting the application leaves it in a crash state, likely requiring a forced shutdown or causing instability on relaunch.
- Layer glitch after undo (weight 0.07): Using undo or merge functions on the layer system causes glitches, breaking the layer structure and making project editing difficult.
- Missing menu pointers (weight 0.07): Menu pointers disappear, leaving users unable to navigate menus, which frustrates the core painting workflow.
- Jittery tracking for details (weight 0.07): Controller tracking becomes jittery during fine, slow brush strokes, making precise detail work nearly impossible and causing frustration.
- Missing position lock (weight 0.06): The app lacks a lock for the standing position and for easel/brush stand placement, meaning users have to reset positioning constantly during a session.
- Accidental jump on brush switch (weight 0.06): When users try to switch brushes, the app triggers an accidental jump or teleport, disrupting painting and causing disorientation.

Gameplay feedback:
- Paint with Bob Ross tutorials (weight 0.58): Users can paint alongside built-in Bob Ross tutorials within the VR environment. This enables learning and recreating his techniques without physical supplies.
- VR oil painting simulator (weight 0.43): The app is a VR painting simulator that mimics real canvas and oil painting, featuring an in-game browser for Bob Ross tutorials. It provides an immersive experience for practicing and expressing creativity.
- Realistic color and paint mixing (weight 0.35): The app includes color mixing on a palette that behaves like real life, allowing for accurate and realistic blending. This adds depth to the painting simulation.
- Undo brush strokes functionality (weight 0.21): The app provides an undo feature to reverse brush strokes. This allows users to correct mistakes easily during painting.
- Brush pressure and angle simulation (weight 0.19): Brush simulation includes pressure and angle sensitivity, as well as paint loading mechanics. These physics affect how paint is applied to the canvas.
- Custom paint by numbers creation (weight 0.1): Users can create custom paint-by-numbers templates from their own images. The system breaks down pictures into numbered colors for guided painting.
- Adjustable brush sizes (weight 0.1): The ability to adjust brush sizes directly affects how users paint. This feature is important for detailed work or broad strokes.
- Layers for non-destructive painting (weight 0.1): Layers enable non-destructive painting, allowing users to work on different elements separately. This is a standard feature in digital art tools.
- Wet-on-wet paint blending (weight 0.1): Wet-on-wet blending keeps paint from drying, enabling continuous blending without waiting. This technique is key for Bob Ross-style painting.
- Palette mixing and brush cleaning (weight 0.1): Users can mix and save custom paint colors on the palette, as well as clean brushes. These features support efficient workflow and color management.
- Paint along with video guides (weight 0.1): The app allows painting along with video guides, supporting tutorials or personal recording. This facilitates step-by-step learning.
- Easel usable in other VR games (weight 0.1): The easel can be used inside other VR games as a tool. This integrates the painting experience into broader VR environments.
- Customizable easel and canvas position (weight 0.1): The canvas and easel position can be customized to various orientations, such as upside down or flat. This flexibility accommodates different user preferences.
- Quest 2 support via Virtual Desktop (weight 0.09): The app is compatible with Quest 2 using Virtual Desktop, allowing wireless VR use. This expands accessibility for standalone headset users.
- Manual brush cleaning methods (weight 0.09): Brush cleaning can be done manually with a twisting motion or by using a button. This mimics real cleaning methods for realism.

Performance notes:
- PC crash issues (weight 0.06): Players on PC, particularly those with a 7900XT GPU, have reported crashes. This suggests potential compatibility issues between the game and specific graphics hardware.
- Quest 3 controller crashes (weight 0.06): Crashes have been experienced when using Index knuckles on Quest 3. This indicates a specific integration problem with certain VR controllers on this headset.
- Brush palette framerate drop (weight 0.06): When moving the brush towards the palette, framerate drops occur. This points to a specific performance problem in a common game interaction.
- Older PC driver issues (weight 0.06): Older computers may encounter issues due to outdated or incompatible video drivers. This suggests a need for better driver support or legacy hardware testing.
- Good optimization found (weight 0.05): Some players find the game runs smoothly, indicating that optimization is successful on certain hardware configurations. This is a positive note about performance.

Recommendations:
- Great for beginners and VR artists (weight 0.97): The app is a low-cost, high-quality way to learn oil painting techniques like wet-on-wet, especially appealing to Bob Ross fans, beginners, and VR users. It offers a relaxing, immersive experience with realistic mixing and brushwork.
- Perfect entry point for oil painting (weight 0.43): Multiple reviews explicitly call it an ideal starting point for oil painting, citing its low cost and forgiving digital environment. It removes barriers like cleanup and expensive supplies.
- Excellent value for money (weight 0.39): Reviewers consistently state the app is worth its price, offering good value due to infinite virtual supplies and a polished painting experience. It is seen as a bargain compared to real-world art costs.
- Bob Ross fans will love it (weight 0.3): Bob Ross fans appreciate the ability to paint along without mess, using virtual canvases and brushes. The app captures the joy of his style in a clean, accessible form.
- High replay value and engagement (weight 0.2): Many users express a desire to play repeatedly, use it as a go-to creative outlet, or show it off to friends. It fosters a long-term engagement with painting.
- Enjoyable for social painting sessions (weight 0.1): Some reviews highlight social use, such as painting with friends or family, suggesting multiplayer or shared experiences add to its appeal.

Other player notes:
- Active developer and Discord community (weight 0.32): Active Discord community, developer streams painting sessions, listens to feedback, and provides quick fixes.
- VR headset and PC required (weight 0.27): VR hardware is required, and a good PC is recommended; some users play via Virtual Desktop on Quest 2.
- Paint real paintings from tutorials (weight 0.26): Beginners can create real paintings, skills transfer to physical art, and the potential for hundreds of hours of use.
- Tool not a game (weight 0.19): The app is considered a VR painting tool rather than a game, providing a creative space for art.
- Realistic physics and cozy settings (weight 0.18): Realistic paint physics simulation is paired with limited but cozy environments like a lakeside cabin or Victorian room.
- Solo developer with painting background (weight 0.18): Developed solo by Thomas van den Berge, who has expertise in both painting and VR development.
- Exportable high-resolution artwork (weight 0.18): Paintings can be exported in high resolution for prints or use in other VR games, adding value.
- Therapeutic and patient-based experience (weight 0.17): Patience is required, but the app is therapeutic for PTSD and provides personal value; one user pirated then bought it.
- Controversial EULA changes (weight 0.14): EULA previously restricted commercial use of art, then was rescinded; concerns remain about ownership.
- High user loyalty and support (weight 0.14): Users initially pirated then purchased the program, or bought it on multiple stores to support the developer.
- Planned pro version and beta improvements (weight 0.14): A pro version is planned, a beta branch improves the easel, and the app has grown significantly since beta.
- Hyper-realistic and seated-friendly alternative (weight 0.13): Compared to Tilt Brush and Painting VR, it emphasizes grounded hyper-realism and accessibility for seated players.
- Missing auto-save and exit warning (weight 0.1): No auto-save or exit warning can lead to lost progress, as a user lost an hour of painting accidentally.
- Educational and homeschooling uses (weight 0.1): Used for homeschooling and inspired one reviewer to enroll in a real art studio, highlighting educational value.
- Eyedropper and undo features (weight 0.1): Features an eyedropper to clear brushes without water and supports undo operations.
- Video overlay and browser limitations (weight 0.09): Supports video overlay for tutorials, but the built-in web browser lacks adblock functionality.
- MixedVR and WMR workarounds available (weight 0.09): MixedVR and WMR users have specific fixes (StopSignVR, OpenXR beta) to avoid grey screens and SteamVR issues.
- Varied total playtime (weight 0.09): Some users have limited play time (1 hour), while others play over 8 hours in a day, showing varied engagement.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.12): Users reported high satisfaction due to the realistic and accessible oil painting simulation, especially through Bob Ross tutorials. The intuitive controls, haptic feedback, and color mixing created a tactile, enjoyable experience without the mess or cost of real painting.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.09): Many users found the painting process fun and rewarding, even as beginners without prior artistic interest. Features like realistic simulation, lack of cleanup, and the ability to export and use paintings elsewhere contributed to the overall enjoyment.
- Excitement (weight 0.09): Excitement stemmed from the app's significant improvements and features like layers, 8K export, accurate paint mixing, and multiplayer potential. Users were eager to paint without real-world barriers and praised the developer's responsiveness.
- Frustration (weight 0.06): Frustration arose from UI issues like disappearing pointers and accidental exits without saving, as well as limits like only 4 layers and a restrictive EULA. Some users found the palette unintuitive and brush behavior unpredictable.
- Admiration (weight 0.05): Admirers highlighted the developer's dedication and the app's commitment to realistic simulation. The ongoing maturation and passion behind the project were frequently mentioned as reasons for admiration.
- Disappointment (weight 0.05): Disappointment was primarily due to the terms of service changes that affected art ownership, along with sparse features like a small canvas size and missing tools. The inconvenient layer system also detracted from the experience.
- Impressed (weight 0.04): Users were impressed by the accuracy of the oil paint simulation, which surpassed regular digital painting software. The inclusion of a web browser and export options, along with the realistic capture of fine motor skills, stood out.
- Joy (weight 0.04): Joy came from the freedom and ease of painting, such as learning with Bob Ross, using undo features, and the nostalgic feel of childhood art tools. The simple yet revolutionary grip rotation and position feature also brought joy.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.03): Enthusiasm was driven by the app exceeding expectations, making it the best VR app for some users. Many wanted to paint all day and even created tutorial videos out of enjoyment.
- Love (weight 0.03): Love for the app was expressed due to the incredible simulation and constant updates, which made painting easy and immersive for beginners. Some users experienced a rebirth of their love for painting.
- Surprise (weight 0.02): Surprise resulted from discovering that oil painting was approachable and enjoyable even without talent. The existence of a browser and the app's overall quality exceeded expectations, even winning over VR skeptics.
- Immersion (weight 0.02): Immersion was deep, with users losing track of time for hours while painting, thanks to tools that closely mimic real interactions. The craft-like experience allowed users to get lost in the process.
- Amazement (weight 0.02): Amazement came from the hyper-realistic details like paint bubbles and the comprehensive feature set. The app's functionality and brilliance left many users in awe.
- Nostalgia (weight 0.02): Nostalgia was triggered by growing up with Bob Ross and finally being able to try oil painting. The feeling mirrored returning to real painting, fulfilling long-held desires.
- Gratitude (weight 0.02): Gratitude centered on the developer's support, including fixing save files and providing quick fixes, which helped with mental health and enabled teaching. The low-cost practice opportunity also inspired thanks.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Appreciation was for the solid emulation of real painting without experience, plus features like undo, no cleanup, and a browser for videos. Users praised the full control the app offers instead of drawing automatically.
- Calmness (weight 0.02): Calmness was achieved through the meditative and serene painting process, which provided a peaceful escape.
- Relief (weight 0.02): Relief came from the absence of mess or costly supplies, and the developer addressing EULA issues and black screen problems.
- Annoyance (weight 0.02): Annoyance stemmed from accidentally changing brush grasp due to controller design and dissatisfaction with the eraser tool shape.
- Pride (weight 0.02): Pride was felt after successfully creating and exporting paintings in high resolution, and seeing friends make amazing art with no prior experience.}