Hey everyone, Kağan here.
I hope you're all doing well. I wanted to share some updates about Swarm Grinder and what's been happening behind the scenes.
Recently, our team went through some big changes, and I'm now the only developer working on Swarm Grinder. It's been a lot to manage since my last post, but I'm commited to continuing to improve and expand Swarm Grinder.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team is carrying on with Tears Apart. If you're looking for news on that end, don't worry, they'll also be in touch.
Initially, the Swarm Grinder team was made up of nine incredibly passionate and talented individuals. As the founder of Last Bite Games, I loved the energy and creativity they brought to the project, and I think that their work is a testament to their dedication. This was our first game to bring to you all, and despite the challenges, the team created something truly special. I'm honored to continue building on their foundation.
Over the past three weeks, I’ve been diving deep into Swarm Grinder and its systems, tackling optimization challenges to improve the gameplay experience.
As a result, today I’ve delivered some performance improvements and a few smaller changes to enhance the overall experience. Don’t forget, I’ll quickly add to these changes—this is just getting started.
Here what’s included in the update:
- Fixed localization issues in the modding menu.
- Fixed some UI text issues in the main menu.
- Most importantly, I tackled a major optimization issue. The ProcessCellMatrix method alone took 102ms on a low-end CPU. After the fix, it’s down to just 32ms!
I’m confident updates on this month addresses optimization problems on macOS 100%, and now I’m focusing players with low-end CPUs on Windows. My main goal, though, is making Swarm Grinder run smoothly on Steam Deck. Having access to a MacBook Air with M1 chip really helped with macOS optimizations, and I’ll find a way to get a Steam Deck to ensure I can focus on that too!
I’ve also been reading your recent reviews and comments—just as I was getting ready to write this post, I saw how positive the response has been. Honestly, it took me by surprise! I’ve been fixing things quietly without much communication, but seeing so many of you see these changes and mention on comments made me realize I should’ve shared more updates. I’ll be replying to as many of you as I can, so let’s keep the discussions going—I’m here and listening.
Lastly, let me tell you a bit about the kind of developer I am.
I’m the kind of developer who gets called in when the project is almost done, and suddenly—bam!—something critical goes wrong. Maybe it’s a compiler error buried in some obscure third-party code sitting at the heart of your game’s systems. That’s when I step in, fueled by determination (and a lot of coffee), and work tirelessly until it’s fixed—no matter how long it takes. And yes, I’ll find that one line of code buried deep that nobody bothered to document.
I’ve got 141 Git repositories and a stack of Unity projects under my belt. Some have been sold, others are still running with publishers. Before Last Bite Games, I worked on nearly 50 game projects for other companies. A lot of you probably get it—I’ve got a dark side in my past.
But that’s what I do. I’ll dive into the madness, fix the impossible, and keep pushing forward.
With all that out of my mind.
For future updates, yes—I’ll constantly be rolling out UX fixes and optimization updates. But I know you’re looking for content. So, I’m planning to allocate time from optimization to developing new game modes that don't have the same optimization challenges. This way, I can give you fresh experiences while still improving the core of the game.
Thank you again for all your comments and feedbacks.