Hi everyone!
With the Early Access launch approaching on April 7, it’s time to make some necessary changes to the current Road to Vostok demo regarding rendering and drivers.
Current Demo Recap
To provide some context, here is the state of the current demo:
The demo currently uses Vulkan as the default rendering architecture.
Vulkan has caused several driver issues, particularly for users with AMD hardware.
The demo contained few critical bugs and collision issues where players could get stuck.
The Switch to DirectX
To avoid these Vulkan-related issues at launch, the upcoming Early Access version will use DirectX as the default option. To ensure rendering and performance parity between the demo and the Early Access build, I am updating the demo to DirectX as well.
In order to implement this update, I unfortunately have to reset the demo entirely. This means overriding all game files, including existing save files.
What to Expect (Tonight at 00:00 EET)
The reset will take place tonight, and the following changes will occur:
Full Reset: Once you update the game, all preferences and save files will reset.
File Locations: Demo-related files will now be located: AppData/Roaming/Road to Vostok Demo
New Default: The demo will launch using DirectX by default.
How to force Vulkan (Linux & Compatibility)
If you are playing on Linux or simply prefer Vulkan, you can still force it with Launch Options:
Right-click Road to Vostok Demo in your Library.
Select Properties.
Under the General tab, find the Launch Options field.
Copy and paste the following: --rendering-driver vulkan --rendering-method forward_plus
Final Notes
This update also contains few minor improvements and bug fixes. However, the core content remains the same, since all my recent development focus has been entirely on the upcoming Early Access and commercial branch.
If you decide to test this updated DirectX demo, all the feedback is highly appreciated.
Key Feedback Topics:
What kind of DirectX performance (FPS) are you getting?
If you had Vulkan/AMD driver issues previously, did this update fix them?
Are there any performance spikes or rendering-related issues?
Thanks,
Antti (Developer)