Epic has launched Preview 1 of the upcoming Unreal Engine 4.16 release, which brings all-new animation, audio and rendering features to the engine. Epic has also unveiled a brand new roadmap for Unreal Engine 4!
Read on below for details on the first preview of Unreal Engine 4.16, along with what developers can expect from the new roadmap, a preview of the 4 player co-op game Earthfall, information on today’s Twitch livestream featuring Blueprint nativization (the new Blueprint → C++ tool) and news on the latest Hero to join the Paragon lineup.
UNREAL ENGINE 4.16 PREVIEW 1 NOW AVAILABLE
This week, Epic Games launched the first preview of Unreal Engine 4.16 which introduces new core features in animation, physics, rendering, audio, VR, mobile and more. Pictured above is the fantastic new volumetric fog which has many developers jumping into Preview 1 now. Those interested in checking out the latest features can download the update through the Library section on the Epic Games launcher by selecting “Add Versions” and choosing Unreal Engine 4.16 Preview 1.
Learn more about Preview 1 here and see the full release notes list here.
MAJOR UPDATES TO THE UNREAL ENGINE ROADMAP
For years, the Unreal Engine roadmap has been public to provide the community with a look at what Epic is working on for future UE4 releases. Today, significant changes to the roadmap are being rolled out to refine how the Unreal Engine team presents information to the development community and to provide a clearer look at what is on the way.
Read about the changes to the roadmap on the announce blog and check out the new public roadmap here.
UNREAL ENGINE SHOWCASE: EARTHFALL
Earthfall is a new four-player co-op shooter by Holospark that pits players against a variety of hostile aliens. After a series of catastrophic meteor strikes, Earth is left vulnerable and has become the perfect target for alien invaders ready to take over a new planet. Earthfall is now available through Stream Early Access and includes a story-based campaign that lets players work together to uncover the truth behind the game’s events.
As part of the Unreal Engine Showcase, Holospark CEO Russell Williams explains Earthfall’s premise, along with the studio’s decision to use Unreal Engine 4 and community involvement in the development of the game. Read the full interview here.
TODAY ON TWITCH: BLUEPRINT NATIVIZATION
Today on the UE4 livestream, Senior Blueprint Programmer Mike Beach joins Community Manager Alexander Paschall on the livestream to share lots of information about Nativized Blueprints! When the cost of running Blueprints isn’t noticeable, the overhead can be an acceptable cost to bear; however, there are times when you’ll want your game to run as fast as possible and that’s when it’s time to nativize!
The broadcast airs today at 11am PST / 2pm EST / 7pm GMT and will be streamed to twitch.tv/unrealengine, youtube.com/unrealengine and facebook.com/unrealengine. More information can be found on the Unreal Engine forum here.
In case you missed this week’s training stream on getting started with VR development, you can watch it below:
NEW PARAGON HERO: REVENANT ROLLS INTO TOWN
Epic Games’ free-to-play MOBA Paragon has introduced its first Ranged Carry of 2017, Revenant. An unholy melding of malevolent spirit and vicious bounty hunter, Revenant relies on isolating targets and collecting bounties in order to snowball past the enemy carry. Revenant is now available for free. For a look at his abilities, check out his overview video below.
Paragon is available in free open beta for PC and PlayStation 4. For more information, visit www.paragon.com.
