v1.37.2.1 - Fixed external key installs, discrete gfx prioritization, crash fix

A new update has been released for BlastZone 2! (v1.37.2.1) This update fixes a potential crash bug for CPUs that support the FMA3 optimized code path, as well as an optimization for that code path that results in a ~1% gain in overall performance. This update also prioritizes high performance discrete graphics hardware for laptops using a hybrid graphics setup. Previously, some laptops would erroneously use the slower iGPU, which would greatly reduce game performance.A broken install issue has been resolved for some users who purchased Steam keys from outside Steam. The 64bit binaries are now part of the primary Steam repo, so all users will have them by default, unless 32 bit binaries are needed instead. Previously, both the 64bit and 32bit binaries existed in secondary repos, and some users who purchased Steam keys outside of steam wouldn't have access to those repos, making the game unable to launch. This issue has now been resolved, apologies for the inconvenience!All high quality terrain DLC has been merged into the primary repo, so the "VeryHigh" and "Extreme" quality terrain settings are always available now. These DLC packages have always been free, but were made as optional downloads to cut down on drive space, and using them had high system requirements at the time of release. However, since those DLC packages were released, the assets have been updated to use a new compressed format that greatly reduces drive usage, and have been greatly optimized so they run fast on the vast majority of systems. Some users also didn't know to download the DLC, so having it part of the main repo makes the process more convenient when downloading a new install of the game. The total game size with all content downloaded is now ~500mb, which is reasonable for modern systems. The high quality DLC repos still exist, but they are empty now. This is to ensure migration compatibility for now, but they may be removed in the future.

UPDATE: The leaderboards server went down recently, but it has now been restored! Apologies for the inconvenience!

Here are the full release notes for v1.37.2.1:

• Game rendering now prioritizes high performance discrete graphics hardware for laptops with a hybrid graphics setup

  • This greatly improves performance for hybrid graphics laptops

• Fixed a potential crash bug when running on CPUs supporting FMA3 instructions

• Improved performance for all matrix operations

  • Eliminated a data copy operation for all matrix transformations, including translation, rotation, and scaling

  • Only affects the FMA3 CPU code path

  • Improves overall performance by ~1%

• Fixed screen fade out animations occasionally being skipped or played too fast

As usual, to make sure you have the latest update, launch the game and check the lower left corner for “v1.37.2.1” or higher. Enjoy!