Croteam announce that Serious Sam 4 will use the Vulkan API

Croteam announce that Serious Sam 4 will use the Vulkan API

Croteam announce that Serious Sam 4 will use the Vulkan API

 
Croteam has announced that Serious Sam 4 will use the Vulkan API, with Vulkan and VR updates coming to Serious Sam 1-3 and The Talos Principle.
 
These updates will be changing all games in the Serious Fusion 2017 series into 64-bit titles with support for Multi-threaded rendering, multi-monitor support and offer many improved rendering features. All games will also be updated to offer mod support and support for Steam cloud saves and co-op support for both VR and Non-VR (flat) gamers. 
 
Using the Vulkan API all of these games will support Linux, SteamOS, OSX and Windows, offering the high-performance levels that modern graphical API’s offer and lacks the OS exclusivity that DirectX 12 provides. The Serious Fusion 2017 update will also remove the DirectX 9 code paths from the game, though all of these game already include OpenGL support for use with older hardware configurations. 
 

  

Croteam announce that Serious Sam 4 will use the Vulkan API

 

These new updates will be adding a significant amount of new content to these older titles, which will be released alongside updates for Serious Sam VR: The First Encounter and Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope. With Croteam also developing Serious Sam 4, these new/free updates will put the developer under a lot of strain, though it should hopefully open up their older titles to a new audience.

 

Below are just some of the promised features inCroteam’s future game updates

 

  • – Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope “Shanti” update is now finished and will become available right after internal testing. The update will include the new planet (Shanti), new weapons (one melee and one long ranged weapon), new feature (Sam’s personal shield) and a very scary new boss. Boo!
  • – Yes, there will be SSVR: The Second Encounter and Serious Sam 3 VR: BFE!
  • – Yes, there will be The Talos Principle VR!
  • – Yes, Serious Sam 4 is still happening and our core team remains hard at work on this, while two much smaller VR teams will continue to grow and work on more VR projects.
  • – No, we haven’t forgotten our “flat” games. We’re announcing Serious Sam Fusion 2017, a FREE update for all owners of Serious Sam games, both flat and VR versions. This update will be rolled out gradually, starting with The First Encounter, and then The Second Encounter and Serious Sam 3: BFE.
  • – Serious Sam Fusion 2017 update will bring a common workshop for cross-game mods support, as well as enable multiplayer between “flat” and VR versions of games, among other things. So, if you have Serious Sam VR: The First Encounter and your friend has The First Encounter HD, you can connect and play coop or versus with one another – using Fusion 2017.

 

Here’s the complete list of Serious Fusion 2017 update features that will become available in ALL of the games, for free:

  • – All games now support SteamOS/Linux/OSX!
  • – Split-screen!
  • – 64bit executables
  • – Support for Vulkan API (DirectX9 is now being removed; so long and thanks for all the bugs)
  • – Multithreaded rendering
  • – The new “lightweight” savegame system; savegames are now saved much faster, are very small and stored in the Steam cloud, and savegames still work even if a level is changed in a patch, or if a mod is updated
  • – Full support for all controllers including Steam controller, PS4 gamepads, all older DInput joysticks
  • – Proper multimonitor support
  • – Borderless window support
  • – Customizable sound outputs
  • – Proper 3D audio using a proprietary sound-mixer (the same approach as used in the old Classics games)
  • – Improved physics engine with better handling of character movement
  • – Texture streaming in all games
  • – Much better modding support with customizable weapons and items, improved scripting (including better support for scripting networked games)
  • – Lots of other improvements, optimizations and fixes
  • – And last but not the least – we will now be able to more easily ship updated code towards all these titles more regularly!

  
Croteam announce that Serious Sam 4 will use the Vulkan API

 

These new updated will deliver Croteam fans with a serious amount of new content and reasons to replay their older titles, especially if they own an HTC Vive or an Oculus Rift. Serious Sam 4 is still in active development, with the companies core development still working on finishing the title.   

 

You can join the discussion on Croteam dropping DirectX 9 support in favour of Vulkan on the OC3D Forums. 

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