Character technology and world-region systems

A substantial portion of the update concerns internal technology changes intended to support both visual quality and performance. These changes affect character rendering, equipment handling, world streaming, and regional weather.

Reworked character system

The character system is described as having been rebuilt from scratch in several areas, including shaders and supporting systems for player characters and NPCs. The main goals are to support detailed modular equipment and to keep rendering efficient enough for large shared environments and eventual mobile support.

A key technical change is the reduction of character complexity at runtime. Earlier versions are described as relying on many separate meshes for visible equipment pieces. The revised system instead aims to unify the character into a far more efficient rendering setup.

According to the update, a fully equipped character can now be drawn in a highly consolidated way, with the presenters describing it as effectively one mesh and one material setup (with two textures noted in passing). This is presented as a major optimization step.

Shared armor fitting across races

The equipment pipeline is also said to avoid creating large numbers of race-specific duplicate meshes. Instead, armor pieces are fitted to different races through a shared system with attachments and adjustments, allowing the same base asset to be adapted across character types.

This is described as important both for performance and for keeping the game client size under control, especially because the game is still planned for mobile. The presenters explicitly reject the idea of an excessively large client footprint for that reason.

Material layers and recoloring support

The new armor system supports multiple material layers per piece. The example given is up to four layers for coloring and material treatment, such as iron, gold, and leather.

These values are said to be adjustable, including reflectivity. The update does not fully explain the intended downstream uses, but it strongly implies that the system is being built to support broader customization and variation.

Regional world system

On the world side, the team describes a regional architecture for the continent that allows large maps to be split into functional regions. This system is used to apply different weather conditions across different parts of the world.

The demonstration shows weather changing in a specific area from snow to rain and storm conditions. The presenters describe this as part of the server and client architecture rather than a purely visual trick.

Streaming and loading boundaries

The update also comments on loading behavior. Loading screens are said to be intended mainly for transitions between continents, with some possible exceptions for especially large dungeons that require separate optimization.

Smaller caves and minor dungeon-like spaces are described as intended to remain part of the open world rather than isolated instances. This is presented as part of the game's exploration philosophy.

Performance targets and optimization philosophy

The technical direction is repeatedly tied to accessibility. The presenters state that strong graphics are not useful if they require extremely expensive hardware, and they describe optimization as essential to the game's MMO purpose.

No final minimum specifications are promised, but the stated aim is for the game to run on as many PCs as possible while also remaining viable on mobile. The visual style is therefore positioned as stylized rather than photorealistic, partly as an artistic choice and partly as a practical one.

Source

• Recording: Live Gameplay, Game Expo, Undead Concepts | Scars of Honor Development Update - September 2024
• YouTube: Watch on YouTube
• Published: Thursday, September 5, 2024 at 10:18 PM UTC