„You Are a Legend!” Manor Lords Dev Earns Player Respect with Promise of Careful Unreal Engine 5 Transition

As a dedicated fan of strategy games and someone who has been following the development of Manor Lords since its early access release, I am thrilled to see Grzegorz Styczen’s commitment to bringing UE5 features to the game while ensuring compatibility with weaker PCs.


Grzegorz Styczen, the creator behind Manor Lords, plans to upgrade to Unreal Engine 5 in the future. Yet, he is committed to avoiding any compatibility issues for users with less powerful computers.

As a gamer, I can tell you that I’m always on the lookout for a seamless gaming experience. And when it comes to the developer of X, I know that he shares my sentiment. He mentioned in a comment that he approaches enabling new Unreal Engine 5 features with caution, as he understands the importance of maintaining optimal performance for us gamers. However, he couldn’t help but express his admiration for the Virtual Shadow Maps system’s resolution and sharpness. In other words, even though he’s mindful of potential performance hiccups, he recognizes the allure of this advanced feature.

In simpler terms, this function in UE5 generates high-resolution shadow maps for intricate object and character models, providing better shadow quality than before. Despite the improved visuals, these new shadow maps demand more resources than their predecessors but manage to keep performance levels acceptable.

You can see what it will look like in Manor Lords in the screenshot below:

Source photo: Grzegorz Styczen

As someone who has spent countless hours immersed in the gaming world, I can relate to the concerns raised by players regarding the complexity of this new solution. The thought of having to deal with something more demanding than what we’re used to can be daunting, especially when it comes to our cherished pastimes.

As a gamer, I find Grzegorz Styczen’s approach to be satisfying. With Unreal Engine 5 boasting impressive features, it’s disappointing that games developed using this engine can struggle with performance issues. This is particularly relevant for Manor Lords since many strategies in this game don’t demand high-end hardware (although there are exceptions like Factorio, Cities: Skylines, Anno 1800, or games from the Total War series that can put a strain on even the most powerful PCs). As fans of strategy games, we appreciate accessibility and inclusivity. Therefore, it’s crucial for developers to optimize their games for a wider range of hardware to ensure as many players as possible can enjoy the experience.

In April 2023, Manor Lords entered early access exclusively for PC users. You can buy this game not just on Steam but also on GOG.com and the Epic Games Store. Additionally, PC Game Pass subscribers have the opportunity to play it at no extra cost.

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2024-07-17 13:32