Due to lots of requirements from Google and the new release of Unreal 5.6.1 which supports 16kb Page Size (SailSim is available on Mobile as well as PC) i did the dive and updated to the latest engine. This update is all about optimization, visuals and performance although i did fix things along the way and added more content.
Scalability - Quality
If you ever get a chance to look into the "Device" windows for optimizing an Unreal project, you could say that your hair would stand up :) There are so many options to adjust that at times you just feel like you're completely lost.
I tried to optimize the graphics so they are somewhere in the middle and can be still visually appealing even on lower end systems. Hopefully everything looks OK for everyone. If not, please let me know. I can adjust things pretty fast and it wouldn't be much of a hustle.
Size
One very noticeable thing you shall find with this update is that SailSim is almost half in size yet i actually added more materials and objects to the levels. Due to optimization, lots of the things were unnecessary and were integrated into a single object or material. In general the simulator is better yet smaller.
30 FPS
I capped SailSim to 30fps. It seemed like the right thing to do. SailSim is a sailing simulator and uses dynamic water and forces to make a vessel float and sail. I noticed that with unlimited FPS the simulation was uncontrollable in some cases or unpredictable. Newer and stronger devices were working way to fast and weaker systems just couldn't keep up. This way the environment is far more predictable and stable. Racing within SailSim was a bit unfair since users with a stronger system would actually sail a bit faster due to the physics being calculated faster.
Reflections
This is a painful subject to me at this point. The whole rendering and Reflection / Refraction situation is a big deal for me as we are spending all of our time in the water in SailSim. I don't know why but i am always trying to make the water look better. Its not easy as SailSim is available on 4 different systems (Windows, Linux, iOS and Android). Android for some reason is always being the most problematic due to limitations and just the shear amount of different devices out there. I did few changes in how the water is being displayed. Hopefully you won't notice anything or if you do it is for the best :)
Visuals
I increased the detail in a lot of places within SailSim. Things like Islands, Trees (still am trying to make it better), Foliage and lighting. You could spend days tweaking each one but i do have to stop at some point and publish an update from time to time ːsteamhappyː
Generally the re were a lot of changes and with any change there is unpredictability. If you do find something out of place or something you don't think looks right, please let me know. I enjoy working on SailSim and would be glad to make the adjustment.