Epic bumps Unreal up to 4.6 with a host of new features

Epic Games has updated Unreal Engine to 4.6, upgrading and expanding the toolset while fixing a host of issues and incorporating some work from its community of developers. The company details many of the most significant changes to the engine in a blog post published today, and of course UE subscribers already get incremental updates and live source code access whenever they want. Still, it's interesting to note that the latest version of Unreal Engine includes a new video capture system ("Network Replay Capture") capable of recording gameplay footage and playing it back at varying speeds; this makes it easier for devs to do a number of things, including sharing playtest footage and showcasing their work on Twitch's dedicated game development section. Unreal developers will also now be able to use the engine's Blueprint visual scripting system (rather than relying on code) to manage multiplayer via LAN and Steam, and preview how their work will look on mobile devices without having to leave the editor. Over 80 of the upgrades, fixes, and features were contributed by developers outside of Epic as the company continues to emphasize the "community-driven relationship between the supplier of software and the users of the software" that founder Tim Sweeney idealized while making the case for Unreal Engine 4 to Gamasutra in March.