The first update of 2018 is now live for Linux and Windows bringing a new infected model, level changes and performance improvements.
New Infected
The infected character in Estranged has been something I’ve been wanting to change for a long time. The model in use was too different from Act I, and didn’t properly suit the story.
In today’s update, there is a completely new infected model. I have also revamped the introductory sequence in the sewer level - I would recommend playing from that level if you’d like to experience the revamped character.
There are still things that need improving, but visually this infected is much closer to my vision for Act II.
Forest Overhaul, Sewer Changes
As I highlighted above, the sewer level has been revamped for the infected character changes, and the forest level has had a large visual overhaul (above). There are also changes to the outside of the lab (keycard area).
Performance Improvements
This update uses a different type of renderer inside unreal called the forward renderer, which Epic created to deliver a higher framerate and sharper visuals for VR titles. Since Estranged doesn’t leverage anything that specifically requires the deferred renderer, I have switched to the forward renderer on all platforms.
On my development machine and lower-end laptop I see improvements of up to 33% in terms of frame rate, however this depends entirely on the hardware and the settings such as resolution. I’m confident that everyone will see some kind of frame rate improvement with this update.
Advanced Graphics Settings
There is now a screen which you can access to change the anti-aliasing technique, disable motion blur, screen fringe, depth of field and vignette.
These are for more advanced users that aren’t fond of these effects. The menu can be accessed via Options > Graphics > Advanced.
Integrated Crash Dump Uploader
If Estranged crashes, the next time you start it on Windows it will ask if you’d like to upload the crash dump for analysis. It has previously been a difficult manual process to get hold of these for debugging, and they’re crucial for fixing fatal bugs in Estranged.
As ever, please let us know what you think. The in-game feedback feature gives you the ability to attach a screenshot to your message, but the forums are a good place too. You can also reach out directly to alan [at] alanedwardes (dot) com.
Thanks for playing!
Alan