DEV BITES #01

Dev Bites - Issue One

Welcome to our first issue of dev bites, where we will keep you posted on the development process and what is coming in the next major update and future updates from BloodEater Games.

Overview

• Performance pass
  
  • CPU optimisations
    
  • GPU optimisations
    
• Police Department visual pass
  
  • Before and after
    
• Character animation industry veteran
  
• Launch sale ends
  

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[h2]GPU Optimisations[/h2]
Players who have been experiencing game performance issues are typically bound on the GPU. We have already taken several steps in an attempt to improve GPU performance.

Firstly, we’ve tightened up control of several light-casting objects, meaning that the lights (and of course, shadows) will not be processed unless actually visible to the player.

One of the most significant changes affects our use of the Lumen lighting system. Previously, all players, regardless of their system capabilities, would be forced to use Lumen for Global Illumination (GI). This is an expensive lighting method only really meant for systems able to handle it. There were options to change the GI method, but an issue meant that Lumen would always be turned on. This issue has now been fixed and the default GI method is now no longer set to use Lumen. Players are welcome to turn these lighting features on, but we no longer expect all players to have them turned on by default.

An ongoing task we are working on is improving the efficiency of our assets, especially textures. The texture resolution of many assets is higher than it needed to be. This can affect GPU performance as well as bloating the overall size of the game. We are yet to see the effect this will have on performance but anticipate an improvement once the process is finished.

Some assets are being replaced entirely, in favor of both better looking and more efficient assets. For example, the floor of the Sheriff’s Department is significantly better optimized while also more detailed.


[h2]CPU Optimisations[/h2]
We are in the process of running many tests to find various optimisations within the game code, which will hopefully lead to generally improved performance for anyone bound on their game-thread. From what we have seen, hosts often suffer from slightly higher CPU performance costs, meaning any game thread improvements will likely benefit hosting players the most.

Many of these improvements involve ensuring that gameplay elements activate only when they are needed, instead of continually running.

One of the more significant changes affecting game-thread render times is the logic responsible for highlighting nearby objects. Finding and sorting through all the gameplay objects in a local area can be an expensive process, so this method has been changed completely so as to reduce the number of calculations required.



Now the base layout and area of the police/sheriff department has been tested by the public, it is now time to start to add the detail to coincide with our performance pass.



The game was released with bare minimum models in the first area to test the waters for layout. Typically adding more to a location can drop performance and increase draws from the CPU to the GPU, but with a good instancing method, texture crunching and being conservative with what items cast shadows, we are able to add hundreds more assets to a scene while also improving performance.



One of the reasons the police department is now getting an update is because of our focus developing the second stage of the Alaska map that took priority when coming out of the first stages of our playtest. Now we are officially in early access, we can now give the first section the polish that is deserved and required.



The new update will bring a better use of dead space. Before this was just an open area with an object in the middle with no real feeling of the area that was once used as a workspace. Now with the evidence of firefights with the Sanguivore, reading publications scattered around and fallen ceiling panels, the sense that something has gone down is evident.



We have also started to introduce more complex objects that players will need to navigate through and pass to evade the threat of the Sanguivore, with updated visuals to the existing ones that required the players to crouch through.



Each room will be given its own look in relation to the type of work that went on in the area. New waiting areas have been added and workstations are now furnished with photos of family members and the stationery required to complete day to day jobs.




We’re keen to fill in the blanks when it comes to animation - and our animators have been hard at work creating several important missing assets. As of today, we now have a full suite of new animations for all hiding places (including desks).

Additionally, we’re pleased to welcome a new animator joining the team with experience from AAA studios who will begin tackling several missing player interaction animations.


Optimisation and visual improvements are still a work in progress on all fronts but progress so far has been good. We intend to have an update out at the start of next week including the changes mentioned above as well as several other general gameplay fixes and features.


We also just wanted to let everyone know that the launch sale is about to finish in less than 24 hours! For anyone interested in snagging the game at a 20% off from Steam, please head over the store page.

Thank you to everyone who supported us during our Early Access launch weekend. The team has had a great time watching streamers from across the world run the gauntlet. For everyone interested in getting closer to the community, remember to join our discord at bloodeater.games/discord