NIGHTSTAR: Alliance — Unreal Engine 5.8 Update
Commanders,
The long dark has ended...
We're bringing NIGHTSTAR: Alliance forward from its original Unreal Engine 4.20 foundation to Unreal Engine 5.8.
This update focuses on modern VR compatibility, smoother transitions, and fixing problems uncovered during the upgrade—while preserving the ship building, combat, and controls that define Alliance.
Modern VR foundation
- Upgraded the game to Unreal Engine 5.8.
- Migrated VR integration to OpenXR and updated supporting plugins.
- Updated controller mappings and grip handling for modern controller profiles.
- Adjusted the default BOP angle for new Quest 3 settings to 25%. Existing saved angle preferences are preserved.
Tested upgrades for Quest series headset but upgraded bindings and settings should work generically.
Performance and bug fixes
- Fixed a major scene-transition hitch that appeared when entering scenes containing large capital ships. Repeated headset tests confirmed the affected transitions were smooth after the fix.
- Added safeguards against a physical-animation timing issue encountered during migration.
- Fixed startup audio errors when an audio device is unavailable.
- Restored compatibility for legacy VR resolution and anti-aliasing settings in the upgraded engine.
Safer startup and Steam compatibility
- Added a headset-neutral startup check. If a VR connection cannot be established, the game displays instructions and closes before entering gameplay.
- Updated the Steam integration as it was 5 years old.
In our next update we will introduce a weapon / upgrade testing range and lay the ground work for the final mission to "The Core"
Onward and Upward
Tiny Leviathan Studios