The open source C# powered game engine Stride just released version 4.2. The first major release since Stride 4.1 all the way back in August of 2022. There are several new features in Stride 4.2, but the highlight features are no doubt the support for .NET 8 and C# 12, although two other .NET languages have been supported, F# and VB.net.
Details of the 4.2 release:
- .NET 8 Integration: Stride 4.2 is now fully aligned with .NET 8, harnessing its performance improvements and efficiency gains for game development. This means faster execution times, reduced memory footprint, and access to the latest C# features, making your development smoother and more efficient.
- C# 12 Features: With C# 12, Stride users can write cleaner, more concise code thanks to new language features. These improvements reduce boilerplate and enhance readability.
- Changed Assimp Binding to Silk.Net.Assimp: This update transitions the asset compiler’s binding from C++/CLR to Silk.Net.Assimp, a move that not only simplifies the codebase but also paves the way for asset compilation on non-Windows systems, broadening Stride’s accessibility.
- Migration NET6+ and More gettextnet#2: Stride’s commitment to staying current with .NET versions continues, ensuring compatibility and leveraging the stability and features of the latest .NET environment across all aspects of the engine.
- Enable Multiple Profiler Consumers and Add a Timeline/Tracing Profiler: This enhancement introduces a profiler with chrome://tracing output format, significantly improving the debugging and performance tuning process by allowing for a more granular analysis of game performance.
- Feature: Add Support for F# and VB Project Types: Stride now welcomes developers using F# and Visual Basic, offering support for code-only projects in these languages. This opens up Stride to a broader audience.
- Stride Diagnostics Analyzer: This new tool provides immediate feedback within your IDE, identifying potential compatibility issues with Stride’s serialization system. It’s about making your development process smoother and helping you catch and resolve issues faster.
- OpenVR Handle Custom Resolution Specified by the User Through VR Settings: Enhancing VR development, this update allows developers to specify custom resolutions for VR projects, optimizing performance and visual quality for various VR devices.
- Editor Enhancements:
- Dynamic Snapping for Selected Objects: This feature introduces dynamic snapping while transforming objects, improving precision and workflow efficiency within the Stride Editor.
- Animation Stack Selection for FBX Imports: Stride now allows you to select specific animations from a stack when importing FBX files, giving you more control over the assets you bring into your projects.
- Automatic Asset Copying to Resources Directory: To streamline asset management, the editor can now automatically copy imported assets to the project’s Resources directory, ensuring your assets are always where they need to be.
Key Links
Stride for Unity Developers on GameFromScratch
You can learn more about the Stride 4.2 release in the video below.