Builders Of Egypt News

* Fixed language display in the main menu

More fixes coming soon.

Version 1.5 has now officially left the test branch and is LIVE on the main branch for everyone!
This is a major milestone for Builders of Egypt, as the entire game now runs on Unreal Engine 5.6.

IMPORTANT: From this version onward, Builders of Egypt requires a graphics card supporting DirectX 12. If your hardware does not support DX12, please use the legacy branch (details below).



Version 1.5 is the result of a complete migration to Unreal Engine 5.6, bringing a wide range of improvements.

Highlights include:

• Better LOD handling - smoother transitions, no more abrupt "popping" or missing detail.
  
• Lighting powered by Lumen - more natural and dynamic global illumination. Shadows are sharper, light bounces from surfaces, and scenes look more cohesive.
  
• Resource savings thanks to Nanite - extremely detailed 3D models at a fraction of the cost, reducing GPU load, especially in large cities and complex maps.
  
• Virtual Textures - all materials in the game now use virtual textures, resulting in significant VRAM savings.
  
• Enhanced object culling - better scene management, smoother gameplay.
  
• Selected textures updated and refined.
  
• Numerous bugfixes and performance optimizations.
  

This update also introduced support for DLSS, which may provide a performance boost on supported hardware. While it doesn’t solve every bottleneck (some are still rooted in code logic rather than graphics), it can help especially on weaker GPUs.



Please note: Due to the scale of this update, some players may need to reinstall the game to avoid technical issues.
Your Save Games from earlier versions should work, but this cannot be fully guaranteed because of the engine migration. We recommend making a backup of your save files before continuing.



The previous version of the game, based on Unreal Engine 4.25, has now retired to a dedicated legacy branch.
This option is available for players who, for any reason, cannot or do not want to switch to UE 5.6 (for example, due to lack of DX12 support).

To switch to the legacy version:

1. Right-click on Builders of Egypt in your Steam library.
   
   
2. Select Properties, then go to the Betas tab.
   
   
3. In the dropdown, select: legacy_4_25_4
   
   
4. Steam will download and install the previous version.
   

The legacy branch will remain available indefinitely, but will no longer receive updates or fixes.






With the engine migration complete, our main focus will be on:

1. fixing smaller bugs that may still appear after the transition,
   
   
2. optimizing NPC performance, which has been one of the most demanding areas.
   

In the old engine, optimization options were extremely limited. Now, with UE 5.6, we already reduced frame creation cost from several dozen ms to just ~1 ms in crowded cities during test builds. This is very promising, but it requires a full rework of NPC systems.

Currently, performance drops are most noticeable when there is a high concentration of inhabitants in advanced cities. I already have a solution in mind, which I hope to implement with the next update. This will be a complex but crucial step toward making large settlements run much smoother.



While the migration to Unreal Engine 5.6 has solved many longstanding problems and opened up new possibilities, there are still areas requiring optimization, especially in the game’s core logic and systems. Your feedback is invaluable in tracking down and resolving these lingering issues, so please continue to share your experiences on the forums.

This update marks a huge milestone for Builders of Egypt, and sets the stage for bringing the game up to contemporary standards, with new features and improvements coming in the near future.

Thank you for your patience, your support, and for being part of the BoE community!
See you on the Nile!

IMPORTANT: This update requires a graphics card supporting DirectX 12!
With this release, Builders of Egypt now fully relies on DirectX 12. If your hardware does not support DX12, you will not be able to play the new version.

Please note: This update is currently available on a separate patch_test branch. It will remain there for about two weeks as a transition period, during which we will be conducting intensive tests. After that, version 1.5 will become the new default on the main branch. The exact date of this switch will be announced after the testing period.

These two weeks are especially important for tracking down and fixing minor issues that may arise from:

• a different philosophy of UI development in UE 5.6,
  
  
• the complete overhaul of all game materials to use virtual textures (resulting in huge VRAM savings),
  
  
• improvements in performance, shading and lighting using Lumen.
  

Please note: While Lumen delivers spectacular results, it can put a heavy load on your GPU. In the next update, we plan to add an option to disable Lumen for players who prefer performance over maximum visual effects.



If you want to experience all the new engine features, optimizations, and changes ahead of the main release, you can easily switch to the test branch:

1. Right-click on Builders of Egypt in your Steam library.
   
   
2. Select Properties, then go to the Betas tab.
   
   
3. In the dropdown, select: patch_test
   
   
4. Steam will download and install the latest test version.
   

Once the transition period is over, this version will become the new default on the main branch.

After the two-week transition period, the previous version based on Unreal Engine 4.25.4 will “retire” to a dedicated legacy branch.
It will remain available for anyone who, for any reason, does not want or cannot switch to Unreal Engine 5.6 (for example, due to hardware limitations or lack of DirectX 12 support).
You’ll still be able to access and play the older version, but please note it will no longer receive updates or new fixes.

To play on the legacy branch after the transition period, follow these steps:

1. Right-click on Builders of Egypt in your Steam library.
   
   
2. Select Properties, then go to the Betas tab.
   
   
3. In the dropdown, select: legacy_4_25_4
   
   
4. Steam will download and install the previous version.
   

Version 1.5 is the direct result of migrating Builders of Egypt to Unreal Engine 5.6. This upgrade brings a wide range of improvements - starting with much better LOD management, enhanced lighting, and culling, and ending with numerous bugfixes and overall performance boosts.
This update opens the door to modern, "civilized" gaming with contemporary solutions, and the first of those is support for DLSS, offering a potential performance boost, especially for players with lower-end graphics cards.

However, in the case of Builders of Egypt, DLSS won't work miracles - most of the performance issues have been (and to some extent still are) rooted more in the code itself than in unoptimized graphics. Still, it’s another tool in your hands and might help, especially on older hardware.

Key improvements:

• Better LOD handling - smoother transitions, no more abrupt "popping" or missing detail.
  
  
• Lighting powered by Lumen - the new real-time global illumination system brings more realistic and natural lighting. Shadows are sharper and more accurate, light bounces from surfaces, and the entire world feels more cohesive and believable. You’ll notice improved contrast, softer ambient lighting, and much more accurate shadows on buildings, trees, and all environment details - especially as the time of day changes.
  
  
• Resource savings thanks to Nanite - a breakthrough virtualized geometry technology lets us use extremely detailed 3D models without overloading your GPU or CPU, even when your city grows to enormous sizes. In practice, this means less strain on your computer and better performance - especially in big cities or on highly detailed maps.
  
  
• Complete material overhaul - virtual textures now used for all materials, which means huge VRAM savings, especially on large and detailed maps.
  
  
• Enhanced object culling - more efficient scene management helps to keep performance smooth in all scenarios.
  
  
• Selected textures have been updated and refined, making the visual experience even more appealing.
  
  
• Numerous bugfixes and performance tweaks across the board.

Please note: Due to the scale of this update, a full reinstallation of the game may be required for some users to avoid technical issues.
Your Save Games from previous versions should work, but this is not officially guaranteed due to major changes in the engine and game structure. If you encounter any problems with your saves, please let us know on the forums.

We recommend making a backup of your save files before launching the updated version for the first time.

Now that the migration is done, the next step is to address any bugs that may have appeared or resurfaced due to the engine switch. But most importantly, our main long-term focus is finally improving the performance of all NPCs.
In the previous engine version, we had virtually no way to optimize this area - there were simply no good tools or options available. Now, while options are still somewhat limited, we do have new possibilities, and we fully intend to use them.

For the test branch, we have already achieved a frame creation cost of just 1 ms (down from an average of several dozen ms in very crowded cities in the old version). This is very encouraging, but it will require a full rework of everything NPC-related. It’s a big undertaking, so we’ll need some more time to deliver comprehensive improvements.



While the migration to Unreal Engine 5.6 has solved many longstanding problems and opened up new possibilities, there are still areas requiring optimization, especially in the game’s core logic and systems. Your feedback is invaluable in tracking down and resolving these lingering issues, so please continue to share your experiences on the forums.

This update marks a huge milestone for Builders of Egypt, and sets the stage for bringing the game up to contemporary standards, with new features and improvements coming in the near future.

Thank you for your patience, your support, and for being part of the BoE community!
See you on the Nile!

Dear Builders,

First of all, I want to sincerely apologize for the long silence on my side. I decided to step back and return only when I had real, substantial progress to show, rather than keeping you updated on every small step. I believe this approach is more honest – after all, you want to see tangible changes in the game, not just words. Today, I finally have something worth sharing.



After many months of hard work, Builders of Egypt has been migrated to the latest Unreal Engine 5.5.4. This isn’t just a switch to new technology – it’s a real leap forward that affects every aspect of the game.

Stability and Performance
One of the biggest advantages is a significant boost in overall stability. A lot of persistent crashes, memory management issues, and performance drops are simply gone. The game loads faster, handles large maps and bustling cities much better, and optimization now lets you get the most out of even older hardware. This does not mean that all the problems have magically solved themselves, but we have a giant step in the right direction.

Better Details and Visual Quality
The rebuild of core graphic systems allowed me to finally solve well-known issues with models "popping in" and disappearing details. Every element of the scene is now displayed naturally, no matter how large your settlement grows. On top of that, I’ve significantly improved texture quality, material fidelity, and lighting effects – everything to make the world of ancient Egypt even more immersive and authentic. The effects of the new lighting can be seen in the screenshots.

Modern Foundation for Future Development
Moving to the new engine means the game is now ready to embrace all the modern solutions and features that I previously had to skip due to technical limitations. Now there’s a robust, up-to-date foundation for future updates – in graphics, audio, and beyond.



Adapting the UI
One significant part of this migration has been the need to adjust the existing interface, originally built for the old engine, to meet the requirements of Unreal Engine 5. In this area, a lot has changed on the Unreal Engine side, so adapting the current UI to the new standards and systems is still an ongoing process. There’s quite a bit of work ahead to make sure all elements of the interface work correctly, look consistent, and take advantage of the improvements made possible by the engine upgrade. This will remain a focus in the coming weeks, and your feedback will be especially valuable during testing.



Due to the lack of access to a professional QA team, the new version of the game will soon be available on a dedicated experimental branch on Steam, open to everyone interested. I’m counting on your help and involvement – every opinion, suggestion, or bug report is invaluable and truly shapes the future of Builders of Egypt.




In short – I may have been silent, but I certainly wasn’t idle and even more so, the project is not dead yet. Rather than share tiny updates, I wanted to return with a real, major change. Builders of Egypt with this new technology is a solid foundation for future growth: more stability, greater comfort, and a whole new range of possibilities that simply weren’t there before.

Thank you for your patience, support, and all the motivation you give me.
See you on the Nile!

Jacek
Creator of Builders of Egypt

[h3]Builders, here comes the March update![/h3]

It's been a while since the last update, but as promised – here’s the big March update. The weekly patches have been temporarily put on hold because… well, I decided to overhaul the game’s code. More details on this madness below.

[h3]Why a code overhaul?[/h3]

Let’s not sugarcoat it – the game has a lot of quality issues, and we all know it. Many players don’t enjoy it, and there are many reasons for that. Some mechanics were never fully developed, some ideas remained unfinished, and others simply don’t add enough value. All of this resulted in a chaotic mix of different functions that have been tweaked over time but were never properly restructured.

As you can imagine, fixing anything in such an environment was a nightmare, so I made the decision to rewrite most of the code from scratch – this time, the right way.

The worst parts of the code have already been rewritten and are included in this update. This primarily concerns Stockpile, Granary, and Bazaar, as well as most systems related to resource management. The result? The code is now 2x to... 19x faster and more optimized. That’s a significant difference, and you should already feel the impact, especially in larger cities. Of course, this doesn’t completely solve the game’s performance issues – they are complex – but removing inefficient code is a solid step in the right direction. This also dramatically improves the stability of the game and the correctness of the parameters when loading the save game.

[h3]What am I aiming for?[/h3]

I won’t promise miracles. Strategy Labs has shut down, and nothing will change that. But as long as I’m here, I’ll fight until the end. My goal is to improve the game’s ratings – a tough task, but I hope that with each update, at least some of you will reconsider your opinion.

The game has many problems, and most of them can only be fixed by restructuring large parts of it. Thanks to this update, I can finally add new features to Stockpile, Granary, and Bazaar – something that was previously impossible due to how the code was written. Now, I can implement sorting with minimal effort, which was unachievable before. And this is just the beginning – more features are already in the pipeline.


All these changes are leading to a bigger goal – a potential engine upgrade.

[h3]Why change the engine?[/h3]

Because some of the game’s biggest issues come from the fact that it's running on the now outdated Unreal Engine 4.25. Many of the plugins I rely on are no longer supported, and their bugs will never be fixed. Upgrading Unreal Engine is always risky (the "if it works, don’t touch it" rule), but in this case, a lot of things… just don’t work.

At this point, I have nothing to lose, so I’m going to give this path a try.

Thank you to everyone who is still here and supporting the project. The fight continues! 🚀
[hr][/hr]
[h3]Now, let's get into the update details![/h3]

For two reasons, this patch will initially be available on the test branch.

[h3]Why the test branch?[/h3]

1. Massive code changes and save game compatibility
The scale of the code overhaul means partial incompatibility with existing save games. The entire system handling goods management has been rewritten, so after loading an old save, Stockpile, Granary, and Bazaar will be empty. Additionally, the trader may have incorrect values when loading a save, potentially causing unexpected issues.
So, it’s best to finish your mission before updating or start fresh.


2. I’m the only one left testing the game
Unfortunately, I no longer have access to QA, so I’m testing everything myself. Until I’m 200% sure everything is stable (which I’m not yet), the update will remain on the test branch. In view of this, my request for understanding of any bugs that cause regression against the default version - everything will be fixed asap.

3. How to enable this update? You need to change in steam game properties from default to patch_test. There is also a branch there with the previous version of the game should something go wrong.


[h3]Changes in this update:[/h3]

• Added 4 quick-access shortcuts to selected locations on the map. Press Ctrl + 1/2/3/4 to set a location for quick access.
  
  
• Click on the map to teleport to that location (works when zoom on the minimap is disabled).
  
  
• Added sorting for goods in the player’s goods panel, Stockpile, Granary, and Bazaar.
  
  
• Fixed several trader-related issues.
  
  
• Fixed most issues related to goods, such as not being able to send sandstone when requested by another city.
  
  
• Increased the number of goods purchased by traders.
  
  
• Modified some land availability colors (still in progress).
  
  
• Changed Stockpile behavior – "Collect" and "Export" no longer exclude each other. (Experimental, testing to see if this feels better.)

These are the major changes – I won’t list the small ones because time is better spent working on the next features! Next in line, in addition to the UI changes, are fixes to the monuments (I've been getting a lot of save game lately - thanks everyone!) and a complete overhaul of the notification system, another programming horror story that has been dragging on since the very beginning of the game.

Take care, and see you in the next update! ❤️