GDC Talk: Smooth Sailing: Using Asset Health Metrics to Optimize 'Voyagers of Nera'

​In this session, Eoin O'Grady, Technical Director at Black Shamrock, explores the benefits brought by our asset validation tool in Voyagers of Nera, which gave visibility on the state of assets, leading to targeted optimizations and ensuring a stable early access release of the game.

Join this demonstration on how our tool reviews assets for optimal configuration, elevates visibility on sub-optimal assets, and fixes content en masse. We break down the key features that every asset validation tool should have and how these support optimization efforts for all types of content. Finally, we share details on some of the specific rules we implemented for Nanite static meshes, skeletal meshes, textures, blueprints, and other assets, as well as how this tool impacted the development team's efficiency and the game's performance.

​Takeaway

• ​The value of monitoring the health of your assets.

• ​How to automate monitoring a project's asset health and make it highly visible.

• ​The benefits of using tools to alter assets and enforce the health standards for your assets.

​Speakers

​Eoin O'Grady - Technical Director at Black Shamrock

​Eoin is a game developer with 17 years of experience in the games industry, primarily working on AAA console titles. They have extensive experience with Unreal Engine from UE3 through UE5, and have worked at studios including Black Shamrock (a Virtuos Studio), Splash Damage, and DIGIT Games. Their credits include The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice, Gears of War 4, Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, and Batman: Arkham Origins, as well as the highly successful Unity mobile title Star Trek Fleet Command. With a strong passion for optimization and developer tooling, Eoin O'Grady focuses on building systems that improve performance, content quality, and team efficiency across large-scale productions.

​*Please note that a GDC pass is required to attend this talk.