Builders of Egypt 1.5 - Now Live on Main Branch!

Version 1.5 has now officially left the test branch and is LIVE on the main branch for everyone!
This is a major milestone for Builders of Egypt, as the entire game now runs on Unreal Engine 5.6.

IMPORTANT: From this version onward, Builders of Egypt requires a graphics card supporting DirectX 12. If your hardware does not support DX12, please use the legacy branch (details below).

What’s new in version 1.5?

Version 1.5 is the result of a complete migration to Unreal Engine 5.6, bringing a wide range of improvements.

Highlights include:

• Better LOD handling - smoother transitions, no more abrupt "popping" or missing detail.
  
• Lighting powered by Lumen - more natural and dynamic global illumination. Shadows are sharper, light bounces from surfaces, and scenes look more cohesive.
  
• Resource savings thanks to Nanite - extremely detailed 3D models at a fraction of the cost, reducing GPU load, especially in large cities and complex maps.
  
• Virtual Textures - all materials in the game now use virtual textures, resulting in significant VRAM savings.
  
• Enhanced object culling - better scene management, smoother gameplay.
  
• Selected textures updated and refined.
  
• Numerous bugfixes and performance optimizations.
  

This update also introduced support for DLSS, which may provide a performance boost on supported hardware. While it doesn’t solve every bottleneck (some are still rooted in code logic rather than graphics), it can help especially on weaker GPUs.

Installation & Save Games

Please note: Due to the scale of this update, some players may need to reinstall the game to avoid technical issues.
Your Save Games from earlier versions should work, but this cannot be fully guaranteed because of the engine migration. We recommend making a backup of your save files before continuing.

Legacy branch - Unreal Engine 4.25

The previous version of the game, based on Unreal Engine 4.25, has now retired to a dedicated legacy branch.
This option is available for players who, for any reason, cannot or do not want to switch to UE 5.6 (for example, due to lack of DX12 support).

To switch to the legacy version:

1. Right-click on Builders of Egypt in your Steam library.
   
   
2. Select Properties, then go to the Betas tab.
   
   
3. In the dropdown, select: legacy_4_25_4
   
   
4. Steam will download and install the previous version.
   

The legacy branch will remain available indefinitely, but will no longer receive updates or fixes.

What’s next?

With the engine migration complete, our main focus will be on:

1. fixing smaller bugs that may still appear after the transition,
   
   
2. optimizing NPC performance, which has been one of the most demanding areas.
   

In the old engine, optimization options were extremely limited. Now, with UE 5.6, we already reduced frame creation cost from several dozen ms to just ~1 ms in crowded cities during test builds. This is very promising, but it requires a full rework of NPC systems.

Currently, performance drops are most noticeable when there is a high concentration of inhabitants in advanced cities. I already have a solution in mind, which I hope to implement with the next update. This will be a complex but crucial step toward making large settlements run much smoother.

Known issues and the road ahead

While the migration to Unreal Engine 5.6 has solved many longstanding problems and opened up new possibilities, there are still areas requiring optimization, especially in the game’s core logic and systems. Your feedback is invaluable in tracking down and resolving these lingering issues, so please continue to share your experiences on the forums.

This update marks a huge milestone for Builders of Egypt, and sets the stage for bringing the game up to contemporary standards, with new features and improvements coming in the near future.

Thank you for your patience, your support, and for being part of the BoE community!
See you on the Nile!