I'll get back to you with the next dev blog. It's been 3 weeks since the last dev blog and a lot has happened since then. This dev blog is not about the functions and programming this time, but about level design.
The last few weeks the map has been worked on at full speed. And today I want to show you the progress. But before I show you any more details, I'll explain very briefly how this came about.
Since we have already switched to Unreal Engine 5, we also considered how this should be implemented with the map. Due to the switch to the new engine, the old map with the content could unfortunately not be taken over. There were 2 options to consider.
Either you would have taken the old map and filled it with new content, or you would have invested a little more time and created a new map. The decision fell on the new map and that's what today's dev blog is about.
Here are a few details and dates to give you a better idea.
The old map had about 16 square kilometers and up to 12 claims were planned. The largest claim was claim 7 and was about 100x100m in size.
Now the data for the new card. The new map will have approximately 68 square kilometers and 14 claims are already planned, but each claim is still divided into parcels. Each plot is 100x100m and there are already over 600 plots in total. Compared to the old map, it would be over 600 claims. I think you can see a clear difference.
The length of the roads that have already been laid is currently over 25 kilometers and the rivers are over 21 kilometers long. There will also be a port, a train station and many more places. This also includes an old gold mining town.
And another info, the whole map is using voxels, means it would be theoretically possible to dig everywhere and do terraforming.
An important part that plays a big role is the issue of performance.
And I can tell you, the performance is just great. On this large 68 square kilometer map, the performance is significantly better compared to a map of 500 x 500 meters in the same engine. Both cards have the same comparison value, relatively empty condition. The landing time on the new large map is less than 10 seconds.
This was also tested in the team, so here is some information. With a "Geforce 1660 Super" graphics card you can achieve an average FPS of 75 FPS on "High" graphics settings and this graphics card is one of the older models from 2019. This means that you can also play comfortably on older graphics cards.
I think pictures say more than any long text, so here are a few pictures.
All images are a preview of what is to come but is still subject to change. The map is a work in progress and not complete.
The image below shows the size of the card. Below the lake is about the size of the old map.
Here you can see the view of the city. The train station and the port will be on the other side of the river.
This picture shows the offshore area, which can also be used later. In this area alone there are over 200 pitches waiting for you.
There are very large rivers, even some with islands.
Of course, the desert area should not be missing, that's where the "desert mining" takes place.
Now the following pictures from different views and maybe you can see a spoiler for an upcoming feature.
You can always check the current status in the Unreal Engine 5 Roadmap.
Link to UE5 Roadmap: https://trello.com/b/k0nYI1tG/roadmap-ue5
After a successful test on the experimental version, this version will appear on stable a few weeks later. After that, additional functions and mechanics will be integrated in each update.
If you want to be part of the further development, I recommend the live stream on Twitch. The streams take place regularly from Monday to Friday, the language is basically German. However, you can also ask questions in English, which I will be happy to answer.
https://www.twitch.tv/goldhuntermp
Well, that should have been it for today.
If you have any further questions or feedback, feel free to write in comments or with us on Discord.
https://discord.gg/goldhunter