update · March 17, 2025

The Last General Progress Update Details Unity 6 Engine Upgrade and Map Features

The Last General developer has detailed a major project upgrade to Unity 6 and HDRP alongside new military units, air support mechanics, and river networks. The strategy game now supports thousands of simultaneous units with custom lighting and audio solutions.

The developer of The Last General has shared a progress update covering two years of development, highlighting a transition to Unity 6 and a wide array of new tactical mechanics.

Engine Upgrade and Visuals

The project migrated from Unity 2022 and URP to Unity 6 and HDRP. This change enables advanced post-processing, shadow cascade fading, object motion blur, local volumetrics, and auto-exposure. Custom optimization solutions were built to handle thousands of map objects, including city lights and engine sounds, without performance loss.

Units, Hierarchy, and Air Support

New tactical options include armored personnel carriers, artillery, and light transport vehicles. The army hierarchy has been reworked to display companies, platoons, squads, and individual units using a mix of visual representations and NATO-inspired symbols. Players with sufficient reputation and living allies can call in air support, including missile strikes and aircraft.

Strategic Depth and Environment

Landmasses now feature rivers, streams, and bridges, creating choke points and tactical complexity. Hand-drawn attack orders are supplemented by additional strategic commands located on the bottom bar. AI pathfinding and behaviors are updated to support large-scale engagements efficiently.

Why this patch matters

The Last General progress update demonstrates significant technical and mechanical expansion, moving the grand-scale strategy title closer to a playable state with robust unit management and modern engine features.