🛠️ Early Access Launch — Welcome to Hiraeth!

[p]I had planned a longer announcement to celebrate the launch, but the truth is: I’m still deep in development and simply don’t have the time. I hope you’ll agree that steady progress and a stable Early Access build are more important than a fancy post.[/p][p]Just yesterday, on launch day, I released the first patch — and another one might drop tomorrow. Right now, my main focus is tackling a new issue: FPS drops.[/p][h2]🎯 Performance Improvements[/h2][p]Over the past few months, performance was looking great. Unfortunately, the final builds leading up to Early Access introduced some issues. I went a bit overboard with settings — and with so many interdependent systems, it’s not a simple fix. But I’m already working on it, and performance will soon return to previous levels.[/p][p]On my RTX 2060, the game ran smoothly, and on stronger cards, even better. That’s the experience I’m aiming to restore.[/p][p]Hiraeth uses cutting-edge Unreal Engine 5.5 features: Ray Tracing, Nanite, World Partition, Lumen. It’s unlikely to run well on older GPUs. I may consider a version optimized for lower-end hardware in the future, but that’s not part of the current roadmap — and it might not be necessary at all.[/p][h2]🗺️ Roadmap for 2025[/h2][p]The current version includes many features added just recently — which is impressive, considering the project has been in development for 3 years. Here are a few highlights:[/p]

• [p]Skill leveling and progression (added this summer)[/p]
• [p]Inventory with drag & drop (since May)[/p]
• [p]Mini-games: hacking, lockpicking, repair (coming this summer)[/p]
• [p]Steam achievements — implemented during the demo phase, less than a month ago[/p]

[p]Updates are released regularly, and most issues with these features are nearly resolved. Soon, they’ll be running smoothly.[/p][h3]🔫 What’s Next in 2025?[/h3]

• [p]Weapons will be refined — both in terms of handling and overall mechanics. Melee weapons will be added shortly after (or possibly even before).[/p]
• [p]The design of Nesoi Island will be finalized — including surface and underwater areas. New caves will be added, and previously inaccessible buildings will be opened.[/p]
• [p]This year, I plan to introduce the first vehicle and a brand-new region: Ahra Prime — with a different environment and unique biomes.[/p]
• [p]New gameplay elements are also on the horizon: the first quests and mission systems will be introduced, along with interactive tasks and objectives. I’m also exploring the addition of player-controlled farming and building power systems — features that could open up entirely new layers of immersion and strategy.[/p]

[h3]🤝 True Early Access — Solo Developer[/h3][p]Hiraeth is a genuine Early Access title developed by a solo dev. If more players join the journey, I’ll be able to bring others on board to help — which would ease the workload and speed up development.[/p][p]Today’s post is just a brief look at what’s ahead. For more details, join the Discord event this Sunday — I’ll be sharing updates and answering questions live. Check the event link for your local time.
[/p][p]Thanks for being here and supporting the project.
Warm regards,
Paweł — creator of Hiraeth[/p][p][/p][p][/p]