[Major Update] v0.2.1 – Stability, Scalability & Core System Improvements!

[p]This update is a major foundational update focused on long-term stability, performance, and scalability. While many of the changes are under the hood, they directly improve gameplay smoothness, reliability, and allow the game to safely expand with larger worlds, more enemies, and more systems in future updates.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]🌍 World Streaming & Spawning[/h2][p](Major System Rewrite)[/p][h3]Previous Behaviour[/h3][p]Previously, all world objects (trees, zombies, props, environment objects, etc.) were spawned and active across the entire map at all times.[/p][p]On large worlds made up of multiple terrain tiles, this resulted in:[/p]

• [p]Hundreds of AI agents running simultaneously[/p]
• [p]Audio sources playing from far outside the player’s range[/p]
• [p]Physics, navigation, and animation systems updating even when objects were not visible[/p]
• [p]Severe performance degradation as world size increased[/p]

[p]This caused:[/p]

• [p]Significant FPS drops[/p]
• [p]Movement stuttering[/p]
• [p]“Invisible” enemies attacking or making sound[/p]
• [p]Poor scalability for larger maps[/p]

[h3]New Behaviour[/h3][p]A terrain-tile–based world streaming system has been implemented.[/p][p]World objects are now:[/p]

• [p]Spawned once[/p]
• [p]Disabled by default[/p]
• [p]Only enabled when the player is within an activation range[/p]

[p]When the player moves away from an area, objects are fully disabled, including:[/p]

• [p]AI logic[/p]
• [p]NavMesh agents[/p]
• [p]Animations[/p]
• [p]Audio sources[/p]
• [p]Collisions and physics[/p]

[h3]Results[/h3]

• [p]Enemies can no longer attack or make sound while far away[/p]
• [p]No background CPU usage from unseen objects[/p]
• [p]Massive FPS improvements on large maps[/p]
• [p]The game behaves as if the world is much smaller, even though it isn’t[/p]

[p]This change alone removes a major performance bottleneck and enables significantly larger and denser worlds.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]🧠 Enemy AI Improvements[/h2][h3]Core Changes[/h3][p]Enemy spawning and lifecycle logic has been fully reworked to ensure:[/p]

• [p]Correct placement on terrain[/p]
• [p]Proper scale handling (fixes microscopic or invisible enemies)[/p]
• [p]Enemies only run AI logic when near the player[/p]

[p]AI systems are now tightly coupled with the world streaming system, ensuring:[/p]

• [p]No AI updates when enemies are inactive[/p]
• [p]No “ghost” enemies interacting with the player[/p]
• [p]No off-screen navigation or pathfinding costs[/p]

[h3]New Enemy Variant[/h3]

• [p]Crawler Zombies
  Low-profile enemies that are harder to detect and add tension during exploration.[/p]

[h3]Why This Matters[/h3]

• [p]Prevents unfair or confusing combat encounters[/p]
• [p]Eliminates enemies attacking from outside the player’s awareness[/p]
• [p]Allows many more enemies to exist in the world without destroying performance[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]🌲 Environment & Terrain Handling[/h2][h3]Multi-Terrain Optimisation[/h3][p]The world consists of many connected terrain tiles. Previously, systems treated each tile independently, leading to duplicated logic and unnecessary processing.[/p][h3]Improvements[/h3]

• [p]All terrain tiles are now treated as one connected world[/p]
• [p]Spawning logic automatically detects and distributes objects across all terrains[/p]
• [p]World objects are streamed per terrain tile, not globally[/p]

[h3]Result[/h3]

• [p]Easier to maintain and expand large maps[/p]
• [p]Faster runtime performance[/p]
• [p]Much better scalability for future world content[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]🌧️ Weather & Atmosphere Systems[/h2][h3]New Features[/h3]

• [p]Added dynamic rain and lightning effects[/p]
• [p]Weather effects are now tightly integrated with:[/p]
  • [p]Time of day[/p]
  • [p]Weather state[/p]
  • [p]Environmental systems[/p]

[h3]UI Restoration[/h3]

• [p]The date and time-of-day display has been restored to the top-right UI[/p]
• [p]This system had previously been disabled during earlier refactors[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]🖥️ User Interface Improvements[/h2][h3]Status UI[/h3][p]Health, stamina, hunger, and thirst UI have been redesigned with:[/p]

• [p]A unified visual style[/p]
• [p]Cleaner layout[/p]
• [p]Improved readability[/p]
• [p]Easier extensibility for future mechanics[/p]

[p]All UI text has now been fully converted to TextMeshPro, fixing:[/p]

• [p]Text not appearing in-game[/p]
• [p]Scene/Game view mismatches[/p]
• [p]Inconsistent font scaling across resolutions[/p]

[h3]Main Menu[/h3]

• [p]Updated for improved consistency and readability[/p]
• [p]Better visual alignment with the in-game UI style[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]⚙️ Graphics, Display & Resolution Fixes[/h2][h3]Resolution Handling[/h3][p]Fixed an issue where:[/p]

• [p]Only a single resolution (e.g. 1024×768) was available[/p]
• [p]Fullscreen behaved inconsistently across systems[/p]

[p]Common resolutions are now manually supported even if Unity fails to auto-report them, resulting in:[/p]

• [p]More reliable fullscreen behaviour[/p]
• [p]Better compatibility across hardware configurations[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]⚰️ Death & Inventory System Changes[/h2][h3]Full Inventory Drop on Death[/h3][p]When the player dies, all inventory items are now dropped into the world, including:[/p]

• [p]Backpack contents[/p]
• [p]Hotbar items[/p]
• [p]Holstered weapons and tools[/p]

[p]Dropped items:[/p]

• [p]Are not destroyed[/p]
• [p]Can be recovered after respawn[/p]
• [p]Use the same logic as manual item drops for consistency[/p]

[h3]Why This Matters[/h3]

• [p]Fixes cases where items were unintentionally lost on death[/p]
• [p]Creates clearer and more consistent death consequences[/p]
• [p]Lays groundwork for future mechanics such as corpse runs and risk–reward survival[/p]

[p]This behaviour triggers only on death and does not affect normal gameplay or saving/loading.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]🛏️ Respawn System Upgrade – Sleeping Bag Priority[/h2][h3]Dynamic Respawn Point Detection[/h3][p]The respawn system now dynamically checks for player-built respawn points (e.g. sleeping bags).[/p]

• [p]If any object tagged Respawner exists:[/p]
  • [p]The player respawns at one of those locations[/p]
• [p]If no respawner objects are present:[/p]
  • [p]The game falls back to standard world spawn points[/p]

[h3]Additional Details[/h3]

• [p]Sleeping bags are detected dynamically[/p]
• [p]Newly placed sleeping bags are recognised automatically[/p]
• [p]Removed or destroyed sleeping bags are no longer used[/p]
• [p]No scene reload or manual refresh required[/p]

[h3]Why This Matters[/h3]

• [p]Players can meaningfully control their respawn location[/p]
• [p]Supports base-building and long-term survival strategies[/p]
• [p]Fully compatible with large, streamed worlds[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]📈 XP & Level Progression Overview[/h2][h3]How Leveling Works[/h3]

• [p]Maximum level: 100[/p]
• [p]Each level requires more XP than the last[/p]
• [p]Early levels are fast and rewarding[/p]
• [p]Later levels take longer and represent experience[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]Progression Breakdown[/h3][p]Levels 1–10[/p]

• [p]Fast leveling[/p]
• [p]Learn the game and unlock core basics[/p]

[p]Levels 10–30[/p]

• [p]Steady progression[/p]
• [p]Normal survival gameplay[/p]

[p]Levels 30–60[/p]

• [p]Slower leveling[/p]
• [p]Levels reflect experience, not grinding[/p]

[p]Levels 60–100[/p]

• [p]Long-term prestige levels[/p]
• [p]For dedicated survivors[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]Important Notes[/h3]

• [p]You never lose XP[/p]
• [p]Progress carries across saves[/p]
• [p]Max level does not block gameplay[/p]
• [p]High levels represent time and skill, not pay-to-win power[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]🔮 Looking Ahead (Future Updates)[/h3][p]While leveling is currently focused on long-term progression and mastery, future updates will expand how levels are used, including:[/p]

• [p]Unlocking new crafting recipes[/p]
• [p]Gating building structures and upgrades[/p]
• [p]Scaling player stats such as:[/p]
  • [p]Health[/p]
  • [p]Stamina[/p]
  • [p]Carry weight[/p]
• [p]Supporting deeper progression systems as the game evolves[/p]

[p]Your progress now will carry forward, meaning the levels you earn today will continue to matter as new systems are introduced.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]🛠️ Bug Fixes & Stability Improvements[/h2][h3]Enemy & AI Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed invisible or extremely small enemies caused by incorrect scaling[/p]
• [p]Fixed enemies interacting with the player while out of range[/p]
• [p]Fixed AI logic running on inactive or unseen enemies[/p]
• [p]Fixed enemies playing sounds while disabled or far away[/p]
• [p]Fixed cases where enemies remained logically active after being visually removed[/p]

[h3]Performance & FPS Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed severe FPS drops caused by inactive world objects still updating[/p]
• [p]Fixed physics, navigation, and animation systems updating off-screen[/p]
• [p]Reduced unnecessary CPU usage from unseen AI and props[/p]
• [p]Improved performance scaling on large maps[/p]

[h3]World Object & Streaming Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed world objects updating when they should be inactive[/p]
• [p]Fixed collisions remaining active outside interaction range[/p]
• [p]Fixed audio playing from disabled or distant entities[/p]
• [p]Improved enable/disable consistency to prevent state desyncs[/p]

[h3]UI, Feedback & Visual Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed UI text not rendering correctly after TextMeshPro conversion[/p]
• [p]Fixed UI appearing in Scene view but not Game view[/p]
• [p]Fixed font scaling and alignment inconsistencies[/p]
• [p]Fixed on-hit blood splatter effects not triggering or fading correctly[/p]
• [p]Damage feedback visuals now reliably display when the player is hurt[/p]

[h3]General Stability[/h3]

• [p]Fixed multiple edge cases causing unpredictable behaviour in large worlds[/p]
• [p]Reduced “ghost systems” running when they should be disabled[/p]
• [p]Improved system ordering to prevent race conditions during spawn/despawn[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]🚀 Why This Update Is Important[/h2][p]While many changes in 0.2.1 are under the hood, this update lays the foundation for the future of the game by enabling:[/p]

• [p]Larger and more detailed maps[/p]
• [p]More enemies on screen[/p]
• [p]Richer environments[/p]
• [p]Better long-term performance[/p]
• [p]Fewer hard-to-trace bugs caused by unnecessary system updates[/p]

[p]This update makes future content possible without sacrificing stability.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]🔌 Multiplayer, Statistics & Challenges – Coming Next (0.2.2)[/h2][p]As part of the next update (0.2.2), we’re actively working on bringing the following systems back online and expanding them:[/p]

• [p]Multiplayer functionality[/p]
• [p]Player statistics tracking[/p]
• [p]Challenges and progression-based objectives[/p]

[p]These systems were temporarily disabled or limited during earlier core refactors and stability work. With the foundations now in place after 0.2.1, development focus is shifting toward restoring and improving these features.[/p][p]Progress earned now (including XP and levels) is designed to carry forward and integrate with these systems as they come online.
[/p][hr][/hr][p]Please report any future issues here: Steam Community Discussions[/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for standing by us during this Early Access release. We’re excited about more improvements are coming in Update 0.2.2, so stay tuned![/p][p][/p][p]🔗 Get End of Everything now on Steam[/p][p][/p][p]Kind regards,[/p][p]Happy Dayz Games
[/p]

[p]Note: As with all Early Access development, exact feature scope may evolve during testing, but these systems are a primary focus for the upcoming update.[/p]