Great weekend to everyone! I have been very busy this month, so sorry for the lack of posts. Here is a new version of the game featuring several performance improvements and a total color system overhaul.
Color System Upgrade (AgX Tonemapping)
The previous version of the game used a tonemapper known as ACES. I have now replaced it with another one named AgX, which enhances the shadows and details, giving the game a unique punch. If some areas look dark, that is completely intentional—I am not obsessed with showing every single little detail at the cost of atmosphere.
HUD & UI Uncluttering
The game also features improvements to the HUD. I removed several input mappings from the UI to unclutter the screen. I might decrease these even more as I continue development.
The children have an improved, curved under-HUD for their health and status bars.
Enemy Scale & Readability
You will notice that I have increased the size of the enemies. Inspired by several RTS and MMO games, I decided to increase the enemy scale to improve readability. This makes it much easier to locate enemies and quickly figure out what is happening during chaotic combat.
Additionally, several visual effects have had their intensity and size reduced. I am still adjusting the VFX as of right now.
UI Audio Polish
The Main Menu and buttons have received new sound effects for hovering and pressing, replacing the old placeholder audio to give menu interactions more punch.
Performance & Optimization
Several backend modifications have successfully increased performance. I will keep optimizing assets and tweaking the engine options to improve it further. Unreal Engine is a great engine, but it can be poorly documented when it comes to proper optimization. I am making sure LION becomes one of those rare, beautifully optimized UE5 games.
Stay tuned for more information!
I’ll be sharing more details of the new worlds as I complete them. Right now, they are being blocked out and still look a bit primitive, but some sections are really taking form! Here is a sneak peek at a few of them: Malvoria and the Elysium Gardens.
