[p]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.[/p]

Color System Upgrade (AgX Tonemapping)

[p]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.[/p][p][/p]

HUD & UI Uncluttering

[p]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.[/p][p]The children have an improved, curved under-HUD for their health and status bars.[/p][p][/p]

Enemy Scale & Readability

[p]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.[/p][p]Additionally, several visual effects have had their intensity and size reduced. I am still adjusting the VFX as of right now.[/p][p][/p]

UI Audio Polish

[p]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.[/p][p][/p]

Performance & Optimization

[p]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.[/p][p]Stay tuned for more information![/p][p][/p][p]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.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p]