1.9 - Performance & Optimisation

Hey everyone!

A new update is now live, and it’s a big one under the hood!

Performance & Optimisation

• Creatures are dramatically cheaper to render. Previously, a creature could use hundreds of draw calls since each body part was rendered separately with its own submeshes. With the new mesh-baking system, an entire creature can now be combined into a single mesh! Creature Optimisation is still in testing, so it's opt-in from the settings menu for now, but it’ll be enabled by default everywhere very soon. Let me know if you run into any issues!

• Multiplayer netcode overhaul. Creature and world-item synchronisation has been optimised, reducing bandwidth usage and helping prevent hitches in busy online worlds.

• Scene optimisation. Foliage has been improved with distant tree billboards, tuned grass, and optimised shadows. The Farm map in particular has also received lots of smaller performance improvements.

• Smaller downloads and lower memory usage. Builds now use LZ4 compression and textures have been optimised.

• Smarter render distance. Creature visibility now scales based on your device instead of using a fixed distance. More powerful phones and PCs can see creatures from much further away while weaker devices can keep things running smoothly.

Fixes & Polish

• Fixed invisible creatures appearing in multiplayer.

• Fixed pets briefly spawning at the wrong scale.

• Fixed several minigame bugs.

• Fixed projectiles colliding with their own owner.

• Certain abilities (jumping, flapping, stomping, charging, breathing fire, and dancing) are now correctly blocked while diving.

• Creature ragdolls are now knocked back when killed by a charge or stomp.

• Various anti-cheat and security improvements.

• Cloud saving now includes your favourited creatures.

Cheers, Daniel