Hello Hatchlings!!! The time has come once again for me to share with you all the things happening in the world of Reqweki and Tirsy's adventures. So lets dive right in shall we, and I don't just say that because we've fixed the Path of the Dragons map and you can dive in the water while there. Things have been rough and slow going but we've finally broken out of that mud that was holding our progress back, so we're back on track and Tirsy's Tale has never looked better! With Unreal Engine 5, the game's lighting and overall environments are far more immersive and just look so much better than before, putting the game "in a new light" if you would. This has improved overall performance as well with the use of Lumens and Nanite from Unreal Engine 5, making the issues many have encountered, a thing of the past. So lets get into the details of what's been going on in the game world!

Added

• Added new lighting system using UE5 Lumens to help bring better environmental lighting to each level 
•  Added various trees that are less resource intensive to several of the forest-like maps 
•  Added the new Path of the Dragons level as the final Story level 
•  Added over 40 new collectibles to be found throughout the game 
•  Added 4 hidden areas to Ulgarr Swamp, Ketek Canyon, Traqlium Gate, and the Cryoburr Pass levels 
•  Added a new type of gem collectible to unlock minigame type areas based on how many you have 
•  Added 5 new npcs to interact with Added 3 new enemy creatures 
•  Added a new cutscene to the Cryoburr Pass to explain why no gliding there 
•  Added footstep dust poofs to Tirsy as she runs around 
•  Added more interactions with Smoulder in various levels 
•  Added Smoulder hidden overwatching certain areas 
•  Added new save and load system (this has fixed the previous saving issue) 
•  Added better navigation tracking on moving objects and physic objects (should cut the lag caused) 
•  Added better audio to the Tempest Valley 
•  Added better audio to the Cryoburr Pass 
•  Added light shafts to the lighting in certain levels to bring them more life Added AOE style attacks for each element 
•  Added frontal wave style attacks for each element 
•  Added various puzzles that require each element for a new way to explore each level 
•  Added dialogue for using elemental attacks on the Companions 
•  Added animations and interactions for when hitting Smoulder with an elemental attack 

  Removed

• Removed the Resume button from the main menu (This did not work with new save/load system) 
•  Removed various flora objects in the Tower of Amagrodahn to help reduce the frame loss 
•  Removed unoptimized trees in various levels, replacing them with new ones 
•  Removed bad lighting objects in various levels which caused flickering 
•  Removed duplicated NPCs that was causing major lag spikes when interacting with them 
•  Removed various obstacles that previously blocked the routes to the hidden unfinished areas 
•  Removed water plane duplicates that caused lag in the Tempest Valley and Ketek Canyon levels 
•  Removed an accessory that wasn't working well with Tirsy's tail 
•  Removed 2 enemy creatures that would fall through the map causing bad lag due to them hitting kill box 
•  Removed several broken physics objects, replacing them with more optimized versions 
•  Removed the old load system entirely, it now works from the same system as saving to reduce resource usage 
•  Removed navigation data from the elevators and mystical platforms, which caused really bad lag in all maps that have those 

  Changed

• Changed the way saving/loading works to work from 1 system rather than 2 
•  Changed how the game is saved to be a more localized method which has proven to work better 
•  Changed how interactions with the spirit guide npcs work to better reduce lag 
•  Changed how snow works in the Cryoburr Pass to further reduce lag 
•  Changed how water interacts with the player to further reduce lag 
•  Changed how the rain in the Tempest Valley works to further reduce lag 
•  Changed the way lighting effects each level to give it a more immersive experience 
•  Changed the way fog works to use height fog maps which makes it look much better than before 
•  Changed how enemy creatures detect the player 
•  Changed how far Tirsy's roar effects creatures 
•  Changed the way enemy creatures move around the level 
•  Changed navigation data to exclude moving platforms enemy creatures will never use 
•  Changed various npc dialogue lines to better reflect the situation they are in 
•  Changed the way quest rewards work 
•  Changed how some environmental assets react to elemental attacks 
•  Changed how NPCs react to elemental attacks

  Fixed

• Fixed all of the main issues causing bad lag for some players 
•  Fixed various issues with level teleports 
•  Fixed several issues with creature navigation which was causing lag 
•  Fixed an issue with the main menu not loading properly 
•  Fixed an error with the level skip pillars when the code was entered correctly 
•  Fixed an error with snow not working in Cryoburr Pass 
•  Fixed an error with Tirsy's animations freezing up making her slide instead of walk 
•  Fixed all issues which previously was making swimming stop midway while in water 
•  Fixed an issue where gliding wasn't working in the Tempest Valley 
•  Fixed an issue with enemy creature's tracking the player properly 
•  Fixed the collision for several plants which would make the player get stuck if jumped on 
•  Fixed crystal collision to better reflect their shape 
•  Fixed the collision on the mystical platforms 
•  Fixed an error with lighting in the Ketek Canyon 
•  Fixed the Path of Dragons teleport from the Windweaver Cove 
•  Fixed the bear enemy's attack damage, it should now calculate properly 
•  Fixed the pause menu preventing hud from updating player heart values 
•  Fixed an issue with the water in the Syra Meadows 
•  Fixed the way the skylight works in each level 
•  Fixed fog not showing in some levels 
•  Fixed an error that caused spirit npcs to clone upon level start 
•  Fixed several lag related issues with physic objects and Companion animations 
•  Fixed level transition locations not saving 
•  Fixed the lag in the transition shrine between each level
• Fixed the ground not rendering in the Windweaver Cove

There's a good amount of stuff here for sure, but overall most of our work was aimed at greatly improving overall performance of the game for all players. The other major thing was fixing that broken save system so now that that is out of the way, we'll be able to move on to the more fun stuff again! We hope you all enjoy the new light that we've given to the world of Reqweki and all the fun new things to do during Tirsy's Tale! Until the next one, keep on soaring little hatchlings, and be the dragon you always wanted to be!