Full Steam Ahead | Echoes of Extinction Devblog
Islander
– Project Lead
Hey Extinctioneers,
This month has mostly been about transition and momentum. With the upgrade to Unreal Engine 5.7 underway, active development inside the engine slowed slightly while Chika handled the heavy lifting on the backend side. That pause gave us time to regroup, review systems, and make sure what comes next is structured properly rather than rushed.
The Kickstarter success is still something we’re incredibly grateful for. Hitting 126% funded wasn’t just a milestone, it gave us breathing room and confidence in the direction of the project. It proved that people believe in Echoes of Extinction and what we’re building.
Because of that support, we’re now slowly starting to shift certain roles toward more consistent, full-time focus. This won’t happen overnight, but step by step we’re creating the foundation to speed up production in a sustainable way. The goal isn’t to scale recklessly — it’s to scale smart, stabilize the pipeline, and increase output without sacrificing quality.
Between the roster adjustments, new species confirmations, engine upgrades, foliage upgrades, and backend optimizations, this month has been quieter on the surface but important behind the scenes.
We’re building momentum.
[No Video this month]
FuriousSmaug
– Programmer
Hey everyone!
This month I wasn’t able to work in-engine due to the upgrade to Unreal Engine 5.7. While the project was being updated, only Chika could safely make changes before Air and I could continue work.
That said, it gave me some much-needed time to focus on backend documentation and the roster. Unfortunately, Mussusaurus and Archelon have been removed from the lineup. However, our High Warden Kickstarter supporters have begun working with me on their selected species, and I can now share that Rhabdodon and Argentinosaurus will be making their way to Akura one day as official species.
Aside from roster changes, I spent time refining future playable design direction to ensure each creature has a concrete vision for how it should perform in-game. I sent off finalized ideas and gameplay information for:
Pachycephalosaurus
Dracovenator
Nemicolopterus
This ensures the modeling team has everything they need as production begins.
Onychodus, Coelophysis, and Semionotus will also receive cleanup passes so they can be added alongside Purussaurus and the hygiene system.
I also worked with Air to search for small underground critters to support early-growth carnivores. So far, we have:
Clams
Grubs
Crayfish
Rhinoceros beetles
Potential additions (not confirmed):
Maggots
Ants
Pill bugs
AirSickLowLander
– Level Designer
Hey everyone!
While Furious and I have had to focus on things outside the project during the 5.7 update, I shifted my focus to improvements outside of direct map layout work.
I created many new plants and trees for the map, some replacements, some additions to increase biodiversity. To name a few:
Dawn redwood
Several new grasses and ferns
Lycopodium japonicum
Bird of paradise
Refreshed ginkgo models
Wetlands foliage
Lily pads
And much more
I’m also preparing to integrate PCG (Procedural Content Generation) for foliage placement, especially grass and smaller plants. I’ve been testing a PCG graph designed for performance with high foliage density at long draw distances, and the results have been excellent, roughly half the performance impact compared to before.
Additionally, I’ve been converting some foliage to skeletal foliage intended for voxel interaction, which has shown great results. Nvidia Mega Geometry is also being tested and has provided better-than-expected visuals with slight performance gains.
Looking forward to rolling these upgrades into the map soon.
Kouga
– UI/UX Designer
Hey all!
This month I worked on the tribal customization screens and drafted example classes based on community feedback when we played together, warrior, builder, herbalist, and more.
Keep in mind Tribal will not have growth.
Everything is still a big W.I.P., but the overall structure should remain consistent moving forward.
Chikangia
– Programmer
Hello everyone,
This month I’ve been focused on upgrading the project from Unreal Engine 5.4 to 5.7.
Engine upgrades are always time-consuming, but since the project is still in an early stage, the transition has been smoother than expected. So far, the upgrade process has gone well without major issues.
Unreal Engine 5.7 introduces a wide range of optimizations and new features that we fully plan to leverage. These improvements will help push performance, stability, and visual quality even further.
Minizep_Wolf
– Technical Animator
This month I've been rigging controls for Eocarcharia in Maya so our Maya animator/s can work on additional animations.
Next month I’ll be rigging Purussaurus, and I’m excited to get started on it.
HematoSalpinx
– 3D Artist
Hey y’all,
This month I worked on Semionotus, an AI creature making its debut soon. I’ve been sculpting and preparing the in-game model.
Looking forward to sharing more on this soon!
Arrived
– 3D Artist
This month I started working on parts of the tribal houses for the Meadows biome.
Dre~
– Social Media Manager
This month I’ve been heavily focused on gathering Purussaurus footage. The feedback has already been amazing, even though it’s still very early in development.
I can already start showing it off a bit — and maybe scare a few people.
I can guarantee it’s going to be very fun. Can’t wait to show more once additional features are in.
RAR
– 3D Artist
This month I continued detailing the Tropeognathus high-poly model. In our last stream, we finished touching up the final details and will soon move on to color, growth stages, and its fuzzy coat.
I’ve also started concept work on two new dinosaurs:
Dracovenator
Pachycephalosaurus
Some aspects are still rough WIP and subject to change. I’ll continue working on Dracovenator alongside Tropeo in the coming weeks, while Bohuslav will take on Pachy once the concept is finalized and approved.
Soundrynx
– Sound Designer
This month I continued working on Purussaurus sounds and expanding its sound concepts, hopefully they'll be added in game in the next upcoming builds for you guys to hear!
M_Z
– Sound Designer
This month I focused further on environmental audio, particularly large river environments and the impacts of bone breaking and swimming to enhance immersion for aquatic animals.
I’m continuing to build out living soundscapes — frogs, cicadas near lakes, and layered river sounds depending on size and flow.