Immortals of Aveum is pushing the limits of Unreal Engine 5.1, and giving that power to the players

As the highly anticipated release date of Immortals of Aveum draws near, Ascendant Studios has chosen to unveil the technological power behind the game’s visual and performance excellence. Leveraging the cutting-edge Unreal Engine 5.1, the studio has harnessed all of the engine’s tools to create an incredibly immersive experience for players.

We recently had the chance to talk with some of the team members about the innovative features behind Immortals of Aveum, with a spotlight on how PC players can take almost complete control over their gaming experience thanks to an impressive in-house tool. Keep reading to find out more about how the developers at Ascendant Studios managed to do so.

Nanite, Lumen, and Niagara: Elevating Visual Splendor

At the core of Immortals of Aveum lie some of the key features of Unreal Engine 5.1. One of these is Nanite, a revolutionary technology that adjusts object details based on player proximity. This allows for creating intricate, detailed 3D objects that captivate players whether viewed up close or from afar. This has allowed the team to design on an epic scale, one rarely seen in games. What this means is that, while there inevitably are some pre-rendered assets, these are almost indistinguishable from moment-to-moment gameplay, all without hogging up the entire memory budget of your console or PC.

Complementing Nanite is Lumen, a dynamic lighting system that infuses realism into the game’s environments. The synergy between these technologies facilitates the creation of visually stunning landscapes (or as we’ve seen now, colossal statues) that react organically to lighting conditions, which with the game being a magic-based FPS means that the lightning (or fire… or pure arcane energy) you shoot out of your hands impacts how the game looks. Additionally, Niagara empowered the developers to effortlessly craft visual effects like fire, smoke, and magic. The VFX team lead, Joe Hall, even revealed that they were able to go “all out” with their creativity when working with the engine.

Unreal Engine 5.1 is not only capable of creating a visual spectacle; it’s also good at making it run. Ascendant Studios made use of tools like Streaming Virtual Texturing, which optimizes memory usage for large, detailed textures. The One File Per Actor system revolutionizes collaborative development, enabling the team to work seamlessly on a single environment. World Partition ensures smooth gameplay by dynamically loading and unloading portions of the game world as needed, eliminating performance bottlenecks. These all helped to let the game work wonderfully on consoles, but most importantly to let those with powerful machines enjoy the title to its max on PC.

Empowering Players: Performance Budget Tool

One of the groundbreaking features that Immortals of Aveum introduces is the Performance Budget Tool. Tailored for PC players and created by the developers just before the game went gold, this tool empowers gamers to fine-tune their gaming experience based on their hardware capabilities.

Upon launching the game, the tool assesses the player’s system and assigns a performance budget for both the GPU and CPU for what it calculates is their best option.

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By managing these budgets, players can optimize their gaming experience, balancing frame rates with visual fidelity. With granular control over graphical settings, players can make informed decisions without resorting to trial and error, ensuring a personalized and optimized experience on PC.

Performance Prowess: PC and Console

Ascendant Studios has diligently fine-tuned Immortals of Aveum for both PC and console players. Rigorous testing has confirmed that the game achieves a smooth 60fps performance on specific hardware configurations. For PC enthusiasts, the game scales across a range of setups, from lower-end configurations that target a 1080p/30fps experience to the pinnacle of gaming hardware, boasting 4K at 120 frames per second. However, the game is also compatible with upscaling technology, both AMD’s FSR2.2.1 and NVIDIA’s DLSS3, meaning even older GPUs should be able to run the game as best as possible. For consoles, the game is optimized to deliver a consistent 60fps experience at the maximum resolution possible, ensuring a captivating adventure on any platform.

Unreal Engine 5.1 has enabled Ascendant Studios to sculpt Immortals of Aveum into an artistic and technological wonder. The integration of Nanite, Lumen, and Niagara sets new standards for visual excellence, while behind-the-scenes optimizations ensure a seamless and immersive gameplay experience. With the Performance Budget Tool, players are granted unprecedented control over their gaming experience, ushering in an era of personalized optimization. Ascendant Studios’ commitment to continuous enhancement promises a future where players can tailor their experiences further, cementing Immortals of Aveum as a benchmark for gaming innovation.

Immortals of Aveum releases on August 22, 2023, on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via EA App, Steam, and the Epic Games Store.