Under a Desert Sun: Seekers of the Cursed Vessel - Major update demo and beta

[p]Hey everyone![/p][p]All recent updates — both technology improvements and content additions — have now been pushed to the demo build as well.[/p][p]This means the demo now reflects the current direction of the game much more closely, including the large performance improvements, system rewrites, and gameplay updates that were previously only available in the beta branch.[/p][p]And speaking of the beta branch…[/p][p]We really need more beta testers![/p][p]If you want to see the next chapters of Under a Desert Sun early and help shape the game while it’s still being built, come help test! Feedback at this stage is incredibly valuable.[/p][p]Now, here are the full patch notes for this update.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]Expanded Voice Acting[/h2][p]All voice acting currently implemented up until the end of the demo / current beta story progression has now been integrated.[/p][p]This means all currently playable story content now includes its intended voice acting.[/p][p]More voice acting will be added as development of the story continues.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]Improved Voice Acting System[/h2][p]The voice acting system has been reworked to support multiple variations of the same dialogue line.[/p][p]Characters can now randomly use different recorded versions of the same line, helping conversations feel more natural and slightly different across playthroughs.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]Smarter Voice Playback[/h2][p]The voice system now distinguishes between different types of dialogue:[/p]

• [p]Story-driven dialogue always plays at neutral pitch to preserve tone and performance.[/p]
• [p]Reactive or incidental dialogue can use subtle pitch variation, adding diversity to character reactions.[/p]

[p]This helps keep narrative moments consistent while making incidental dialogue feel more alive.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]Quest Marker Improvements[/h2][p]The quest marker system has been reworked to provide:[/p]

• [p]More accurate objective tracking[/p]
• [p]Smoother path visualization[/p]
• [p]Clearer guidance when navigating quests[/p]

[p]This should make following quests through the world easier and more reliable.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]Bugfix[/h2][p]Bugfix: Fixed a bug where players could leave the area without picking up the special weapon, potentially breaking the questline.[/p][hr][/hr][p]The demo now also includes the full technology update that was previously introduced in the beta branch.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]Major Performance Improvements[/h2][p]Performance optimization has been a big focus recently as development moves toward Early Access.[/p][p]The goal is to ensure the game runs smoothly across a wide range of hardware — especially on lower-end systems such as the Steam Deck, which serves as the baseline test machine.[/p][p]Thanks to several technology upgrades, performance has improved significantly.[/p][p]The game now runs consistently above 40 FPS on Steam Deck without FSR, and in many areas performance reaches above 60 FPS.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]Rewritten Culling System[/h2][p]Because the game uses a top-down ARPG camera, traditional view culling does not work as effectively as it does in first-person games.[/p][p]Previously I disabled entire sections of the world based on player position. While effective, this sometimes caused small performance hitches.[/p][p]The system has now been rewritten to:[/p]

• [p]Keep object hierarchies active[/p]
• [p]Disable only renderers and sound emitters when needed[/p]

[p]This results in smoother gameplay while still maintaining strong performance gains.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]Smart Light Management[/h2][p]Lighting can be one of the heavier performance costs in scenes with many light sources.[/p][p]A new system now dynamically enables and disables lights based on player vicinity, reducing unnecessary lighting calculations.[/p][p]This improvement played a major role in stabilizing frame rates across the game world.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]FSR 3.1 Support[/h2][p]FSR 3.1 is now fully implemented.[/p][p]Players can enable it to gain additional performance headroom, particularly on lower-end hardware or higher resolutions.[/p][p]To properly support this, the entire UI rendering system was rewritten so the interface remains crisp and readable even when upscaling is active.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]Additional Optimizations[/h2][p]Several technical improvements were made across the project:[/p]

• [p]Reduced unnecessary high texture resolutions[/p]
• [p]Reduced shadow map sizes[/p]
• [p]Improved batching and occlusion data[/p]
• [p]Reduced bone complexity on dead bodies[/p]
• [p]Disabled real-time shadows on small clutter objects[/p]

[p]These changes reduce GPU load and improve frame stability.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]Quality of Life Improvements[/h2][p]Several smaller improvements were also added:[/p]

• [p]Improved minimap performance[/p]
• [p]Added visual polish to the Skill Deck panel[/p]
• [p]Characters in the load screen are now sorted by level (highest → lowest)[/p]

[hr][/hr][p]Because these improvements directly affect how the game feels and performs, they have now been backported to the demo branch.[/p][p]This ensures the demo reflects the current direction and technical quality of the full game as development continues.[/p][hr][/hr][p]If you want to see the next chapters of the game early, help test new systems, and give feedback during development:[/p][p]Join the Discord here:
[/p][p]https://discord.gg/g5fK7Df[/p][p][/p][p]Or try the demo on Steam:
[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p][/p]