Hello respected community!
While preparing for some upcoming changes (like bigger map or more simultaneous players), I've sit and spent some time on optimizations. Also reacted on some community requests on making one way road stations, fix several reported bugs (and probably adding some new ones :D), improved walk mode and drive mode usability (mostly visibility of signal from driver seat).
Performance optimizations
The biggest difference is in construction mode, where I've basically completely replaced the way how the sharp construction terrain is rendered.
For realistic mode, terrain changes its geometry based on a distance from camera. All details like for example rock mask need to be baked into the texture.
With this update, the same optimization is used also for construction terrain. In this case, the shader needs to mimic polygons and proper shading, textures etc. So I've had to replace the whole terrain shader and the way how construction terrain is rendered.
There are several other optimizations as well, so basically whole game should run a lot more smoothly. Here is the list of areas
- Construction terrain rendering performance huge improvement (terrain loding and polygons fake rendering)
- Better vehicles rendering early out
- Better shadow CSM levels rendering order / management
- Time budget for terrain tiles texture update
- Mud fading out performance improved
- Raycasting full terrain improved
- Rect list merging optimized (cause new era freeze)
- Script callback OnConstruct once per tick as maximum (cause new era freeze)
- Dirty rects update after era change
- Terrain and map objects change
- CSM Shadows ranges reacts on visibility range
Ultra zoom out
Thanks to so many successful optimizations, I was able to finally prolong view distance and introduce full zoom out distance. You can finally see the whole map, no matter what.
One-way road stops
I've added one-way road stops and modified AI to properly use them. There are still some situations, where it may not utilize one-way stations to full potential, but hope I will soon identify every last of them and solve them.
Improvements
There are several other improvements, just to mention some them
- Walk mode allows you to enter tunnels, collide with trees, proper collision with ground around buildings, sand and limestone quarry on sloped terrain and proper reaction when player falls through terrain.
- Improved physics for engine acceleration (air friction was wrongly affected by actual power, not actual speed)
- Reworked all train cameras to allow you to see the signal from cabin in most cases, also scaling down signals to further improve visibility
Fixes
- Fixed construction terrain visual glitch on linux, mac and some Intel GPUs fixed
- Fixed FPS Limiter value save/load
- Fixed crash when loading (one way stops flags misused)
- Fixed vehicles are turning around at stations even when no valid path exists
There are some other updates close to be released, stay tuned ;)
Best,
Jan