What do you get when you give a Guinness World Record holder for game development a healthy dose of competition? Authentic exploration in Unreal Engine 5.5.
Epic Games is a household name in the gaming community, primarily due to their classic game engine, Unreal Engine. As an engine “made by developers, for developers,” the latest version of this software doesn’t deviate from that promise. In fact, it goes one step further. Mobile developers and gamers have a lot to look forward to here, as new optimizations bring the world of mobile gaming one step closer to the world of console versions.
Epic Games promises to revolutionize game development through unprecedented features in 5.5. Let’s take a look at what you can expect from Unreal Engine v5.5.
Unreal Engine 5.5 features and what they mean for MMO mobile
We’re making the world of mobile gaming more realistic than ever before. It “pushes the boundaries of high-fidelity 3D experiences and AAA-grade content.” Before we get into the features, let’s clarify how to get the most out of the update. If you don’t already have one, you’ll need a VPN to build and play your games within their intended security and efficiency.
Creating high-end multiplayer games on mobile and PC requires a machine with great speed and security. When testing MMO mobile games, a VPN is essential to protect your operating system while connecting with unknown users to avoid the risk of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. These attacks are designed to overwhelm server access, and since VPNs mask your IP address, any attacks are redirected to the VPN supplier. A private network protects your system so you can work on the latest game development with peace of mind.
immersive mega light
Megalights in Unreal Engine 5.5 allow users to develop spectral-scale environments that mimic the real world with more lights than ever before (exponentially more lights instead of just a few) You will be able to do it. All lights are movable and dynamic, so they can light up an area as you move and focus on it, or even remain stationary while you explore.
Use realistic area shadows and light volume fog to set an unprecedented atmosphere and make your expedition thrilling. In the 5.5 demo at Unreal Fest Seattle, the team showed off a scene in which 1,000 shadow-casting lights illuminate a hero’s path in real time.
Achieve realism with the Lumen Rendering System
The Lumen rendering system was introduced in Unreal Engine 5. This allows for fully dynamic global illumination and reflections, a huge step towards realism. Unreal Engine 5.5 takes things a step further with a new denoiser for ray tracing. This greatly improves lighting and reflections, resulting in more realistic environments and visually appealing scenes.
We’re not there yet, but Epic Games is aiming to achieve 60fps ray tracing. This level essentially brings cinematic quality lighting and visuals to the world of real-time mobile gaming. It may only take a few more iterations to achieve a fully immersive and visually consistent experience.
automatic character interaction
Unreal Engine 5.5 includes a new Mutable plugin for character creation. Now the character’s behavior and skin are even more realistic. The shirt is actually tucked into the pants and the hair is hidden under the helmet. Unreal Engine 5.5 simplifies your workflow by automatically handling these interactions. The Mutable plugin also optimizes performance by merging mesh sections and textures and reducing draw calls.
Content samples are readily available so independent developers can get started right away. While this is a great advancement, the main driver of this feature is to streamline character creation. Developers can focus on the creative side and leave the technical hurdles to the software.
Nanite Skeletal Meshes: Advances in Character Creation and Animation
The last update to Nanite technology was made in Unreal Engine 5. Epic Games’ virtual geometry system introduced an internal mesh format and rendering technology to achieve incredible object detail. It shows only the surface details you can see and no more details, improving loading speeds and fine-grained streaming.
Unreal Engine 5.5 introduces nanite skeletal meshes, providing nanite-enabled rendering for characters. In 5.5, without sacrificing performance:
Linear Blend Skinning with Dynamic Displacement Improved Character Rendering Large Number Rendering
This nanoscale scalable mesh system, combined with the introduction of real-time deformers, also significantly improves animation capabilities. Developers can animate faster with more realistic and responsive characters in Unreal Engine 5.5.
Mobile optimization
If you’re a mobile developer or gamer, there’s even more to prepare for with the release of Unreal Engine 5.5 in November. You can expect the following:
UI visualization tools for cross-platform development Performance and speed improvements Improved MetaSound support for enhanced audio
These features help bridge the gap between mobile and console performance and complexity. With mobile gaming becoming more popular than ever, this is a welcome development for many developers and gamers alike.
Unreal Engine 5.5: A new era of game development and mobile gaming
When placed next to its main competitor, Unity 6, Unreal Engine 5.5 shines a little brighter.
Many of the latest features do the heavy lifting for developers. Streamline time-consuming technical tasks and give yourself more room for creativity. For gamers, mega lights, rendering, and skeletal mesh create an immersive experience that feels incredibly real.
5.5 also pays homage to the once-ignored and now-growing community of mobile gamers. With mobile optimization that brings console-quality games to handheld devices, the possibilities made possible by Unreal Engine 5.5 are waiting to be discovered.
The launch is scheduled for November of this year, so stay tuned for updates from Epic Games regarding the future of game development.
