Hauke Thiessen
@haukethiessen.bsky.social
Tech Artist @Deck 13, previously Limbic Entertainment
Gamedev Tools Enthusiast
📝 Blog: https://haukethiessen.com/
🖼️ Portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/haukethiessen
Also on Mastodon: @haukethiessen@mastodon.gamedev.place
Gamedev Tools Enthusiast
📝 Blog: https://haukethiessen.com/
🖼️ Portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/haukethiessen
Also on Mastodon: @haukethiessen@mastodon.gamedev.place
Pinned
Hauke Thiessen
@haukethiessen.bsky.social
· May 19
I use my Steam Deck regularly on long train rides, so I'm very aware of how games can impact its battery life🪫.
I looked into ways to improve the energy efficiency of games and wrote a list of helpful techniques (not just for the Steam Deck): www.artstation.com/blogs/hauket...
#gamedev
I looked into ways to improve the energy efficiency of games and wrote a list of helpful techniques (not just for the Steam Deck): www.artstation.com/blogs/hauket...
#gamedev
My Energy Saving Plugin for Unreal is now also on Fab:
www.fab.com/listings/05b...
Submission took slightly longer than I'd hoped for, because apparently I really suck at filling out forms😅.
#Unreal #Gamedev
www.fab.com/listings/05b...
Submission took slightly longer than I'd hoped for, because apparently I really suck at filling out forms😅.
#Unreal #Gamedev
Energy Saving Plugin
This plugin for Unreal helps you to reduce your game's power consumption by adjusting several settings if no input gets detected over some time.What does the plugin do?Every frame, the plugin checks h...
www.fab.com
February 4, 2026 at 7:40 AM
My Energy Saving Plugin for Unreal is now also on Fab:
www.fab.com/listings/05b...
Submission took slightly longer than I'd hoped for, because apparently I really suck at filling out forms😅.
#Unreal #Gamedev
www.fab.com/listings/05b...
Submission took slightly longer than I'd hoped for, because apparently I really suck at filling out forms😅.
#Unreal #Gamedev
I rarely felt so seen while reading a game description:
February 3, 2026 at 6:08 PM
I rarely felt so seen while reading a game description:
Reposted by Hauke Thiessen
I'm finally writing up how Nanite Tessellation works. The first few blogs posts are up. More will be coming.
graphicrants.blogspot.com/2026/02/nani...
graphicrants.blogspot.com/2026/02/nani...
Nanite Tessellation
Nanite Tessellation, aka Nanite Dynamic Tessellation, aka Nanite Dynamic Displacement was the next major feature I worked on after Nanite it...
graphicrants.blogspot.com
February 2, 2026 at 2:40 AM
I'm finally writing up how Nanite Tessellation works. The first few blogs posts are up. More will be coming.
graphicrants.blogspot.com/2026/02/nani...
graphicrants.blogspot.com/2026/02/nani...
Getting nostalgic, I really like the way Gothic 2 culls interiors when you're outside: Beyond a certain distance, interiors fade to black and are then culled completely. #gamedev
February 1, 2026 at 8:41 PM
Getting nostalgic, I really like the way Gothic 2 culls interiors when you're outside: Beyond a certain distance, interiors fade to black and are then culled completely. #gamedev
Reposted by Hauke Thiessen
New blog post!
Game Development, no matter the engine was always a very windows-focused industry. But in recent years, things started to change, with more and more tools offering native Linux support, even Unreal.
So I finally decided to give it a try:
#ue5 #gamedev larstofus.com/2026/01/31/i...
Game Development, no matter the engine was always a very windows-focused industry. But in recent years, things started to change, with more and more tools offering native Linux support, even Unreal.
So I finally decided to give it a try:
#ue5 #gamedev larstofus.com/2026/01/31/i...
I tried to use Unreal on Linux… it’s rough
Like most game developers, I am mainly a Windows user. Not so much by choice, but just because it is the default that most tools and basically all the games are developed for. That being said, I al…
larstofus.com
February 1, 2026 at 11:39 AM
New blog post!
Game Development, no matter the engine was always a very windows-focused industry. But in recent years, things started to change, with more and more tools offering native Linux support, even Unreal.
So I finally decided to give it a try:
#ue5 #gamedev larstofus.com/2026/01/31/i...
Game Development, no matter the engine was always a very windows-focused industry. But in recent years, things started to change, with more and more tools offering native Linux support, even Unreal.
So I finally decided to give it a try:
#ue5 #gamedev larstofus.com/2026/01/31/i...
I already released the energy saving plugin for Unreal a few weeks ago, and really wanted to give some info on how it works and the motivation behind it, so here's a new blog post:
haukethiessen.com/introducing-...
#gamedev #Unreal
haukethiessen.com/introducing-...
#gamedev #Unreal
January 28, 2026 at 9:43 PM
I already released the energy saving plugin for Unreal a few weeks ago, and really wanted to give some info on how it works and the motivation behind it, so here's a new blog post:
haukethiessen.com/introducing-...
#gamedev #Unreal
haukethiessen.com/introducing-...
#gamedev #Unreal
First time releasing a code plugin on Fab! Not happy with the experience so far, though.
I literally have to copy the folder 4 times, adjust the engine version in the uplugin file, and upload all 4 versions separately. If the plugin wouldn't need at least 5.3, I'd need to create 7 versions. #Unreal
I literally have to copy the folder 4 times, adjust the engine version in the uplugin file, and upload all 4 versions separately. If the plugin wouldn't need at least 5.3, I'd need to create 7 versions. #Unreal
January 21, 2026 at 7:13 PM
First time releasing a code plugin on Fab! Not happy with the experience so far, though.
I literally have to copy the folder 4 times, adjust the engine version in the uplugin file, and upload all 4 versions separately. If the plugin wouldn't need at least 5.3, I'd need to create 7 versions. #Unreal
I literally have to copy the folder 4 times, adjust the engine version in the uplugin file, and upload all 4 versions separately. If the plugin wouldn't need at least 5.3, I'd need to create 7 versions. #Unreal
The repository is now mirrored on Codeberg, so if you prefer using open source platforms, please give it a try;
codeberg.org/HaukeThiesse...
#gamedev
codeberg.org/HaukeThiesse...
#gamedev
Started writing an Unreal plugin that helps to save some energy:
github.com/HaukeThiesse...
Inspired by Epic's whitepaper about energy saving in Fortnite, but with improvements and additional features as well.
Still early days, but I'm very happy with the progress so far. #Unreal #gamedev
github.com/HaukeThiesse...
Inspired by Epic's whitepaper about energy saving in Fortnite, but with improvements and additional features as well.
Still early days, but I'm very happy with the progress so far. #Unreal #gamedev
GitHub - HaukeThiessen/EnergySavingPlugin: Unreal plugin to save energy by reducing max fps and screen percentage when no input is detected or the window loses focus. Based on https://cdn2.unrealengin...
Unreal plugin to save energy by reducing max fps and screen percentage when no input is detected or the window loses focus. Based on https://cdn2.unrealengine.com/reducing-fortnites-power-consumpti...
github.com
January 6, 2026 at 5:40 PM
The repository is now mirrored on Codeberg, so if you prefer using open source platforms, please give it a try;
codeberg.org/HaukeThiesse...
#gamedev
codeberg.org/HaukeThiesse...
#gamedev
Started writing an Unreal plugin that helps to save some energy:
github.com/HaukeThiesse...
Inspired by Epic's whitepaper about energy saving in Fortnite, but with improvements and additional features as well.
Still early days, but I'm very happy with the progress so far. #Unreal #gamedev
github.com/HaukeThiesse...
Inspired by Epic's whitepaper about energy saving in Fortnite, but with improvements and additional features as well.
Still early days, but I'm very happy with the progress so far. #Unreal #gamedev
GitHub - HaukeThiessen/EnergySavingPlugin: Unreal plugin to save energy by reducing max fps and screen percentage when no input is detected or the window loses focus. Based on https://cdn2.unrealengin...
Unreal plugin to save energy by reducing max fps and screen percentage when no input is detected or the window loses focus. Based on https://cdn2.unrealengine.com/reducing-fortnites-power-consumpti...
github.com
January 5, 2026 at 9:30 PM
Started writing an Unreal plugin that helps to save some energy:
github.com/HaukeThiesse...
Inspired by Epic's whitepaper about energy saving in Fortnite, but with improvements and additional features as well.
Still early days, but I'm very happy with the progress so far. #Unreal #gamedev
github.com/HaukeThiesse...
Inspired by Epic's whitepaper about energy saving in Fortnite, but with improvements and additional features as well.
Still early days, but I'm very happy with the progress so far. #Unreal #gamedev
Reposted by Hauke Thiessen
Watch this. Watch again.
"This incredible thing last night... We have to do it again [in other countries]. We can do it again, too. Nobody can stop us."
"This incredible thing last night... We have to do it again [in other countries]. We can do it again, too. Nobody can stop us."
January 4, 2026 at 12:18 AM
Watch this. Watch again.
"This incredible thing last night... We have to do it again [in other countries]. We can do it again, too. Nobody can stop us."
"This incredible thing last night... We have to do it again [in other countries]. We can do it again, too. Nobody can stop us."
The Mip Explorer is now also on Codeberg, an open-source alternative to GitHub: codeberg.org/HaukeThiesse...
Migrating the repository, including the complete commit history and metadata, was a matter of minutes, can highly recommend👍 #gamedev
Migrating the repository, including the complete commit history and metadata, was a matter of minutes, can highly recommend👍 #gamedev
Mip-Explorer
A tool to display how texture information is distributed between mips, using a Laplacian Pyramid
codeberg.org
December 30, 2025 at 5:56 PM
The Mip Explorer is now also on Codeberg, an open-source alternative to GitHub: codeberg.org/HaukeThiesse...
Migrating the repository, including the complete commit history and metadata, was a matter of minutes, can highly recommend👍 #gamedev
Migrating the repository, including the complete commit history and metadata, was a matter of minutes, can highly recommend👍 #gamedev
Lego The Incredibles is a nice example of how to use old-school blob shadows to communicate information to the player. Flying characters have a blob shadow directly below them, helping the player to understand where exactly the character is is, regardless of the lighting setup. #gamedev
December 30, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Lego The Incredibles is a nice example of how to use old-school blob shadows to communicate information to the player. Flying characters have a blob shadow directly below them, helping the player to understand where exactly the character is is, regardless of the lighting setup. #gamedev
Procrastimization
[proh-kras-tuh-muh-zey-shuhn]
When you have to fix some big, complicated issuesin your code, but you don't have the energy for that, so you play around with Visual Studio's memory layout view, hoping that saving 2 bytes by re-ordering some variables will fix all your problems.
[proh-kras-tuh-muh-zey-shuhn]
When you have to fix some big, complicated issuesin your code, but you don't have the energy for that, so you play around with Visual Studio's memory layout view, hoping that saving 2 bytes by re-ordering some variables will fix all your problems.
December 19, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Procrastimization
[proh-kras-tuh-muh-zey-shuhn]
When you have to fix some big, complicated issuesin your code, but you don't have the energy for that, so you play around with Visual Studio's memory layout view, hoping that saving 2 bytes by re-ordering some variables will fix all your problems.
[proh-kras-tuh-muh-zey-shuhn]
When you have to fix some big, complicated issuesin your code, but you don't have the energy for that, so you play around with Visual Studio's memory layout view, hoping that saving 2 bytes by re-ordering some variables will fix all your problems.
Just submitted the latest update to the Mip Explorer🥳. It can now calculate the information density per axis. Very helpful to reduce the size of anisotropic textures without losing critical details!
github.com/HaukeThiesse... #gamedev
github.com/HaukeThiesse... #gamedev
December 15, 2025 at 7:32 AM
Just submitted the latest update to the Mip Explorer🥳. It can now calculate the information density per axis. Very helpful to reduce the size of anisotropic textures without losing critical details!
github.com/HaukeThiesse... #gamedev
github.com/HaukeThiesse... #gamedev
Reposted by Hauke Thiessen
Valve has now rejected my complaint, confirming that "I don't like muslims" is a valid reason to leave a negative review on a game on Steam
This is where we're at now.
This is where we're at now.
December 10, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Valve has now rejected my complaint, confirming that "I don't like muslims" is a valid reason to leave a negative review on a game on Steam
This is where we're at now.
This is where we're at now.
Pixels don't have to be square. For anisotropic textures, it can make sense to use different resolutions for the x-axis and the y-axis.
With the next update, the Mip explorer will display the information density per axis, allowing to scale down textures along the axis with less information.
#gamedev
With the next update, the Mip explorer will display the information density per axis, allowing to scale down textures along the axis with less information.
#gamedev
December 7, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Pixels don't have to be square. For anisotropic textures, it can make sense to use different resolutions for the x-axis and the y-axis.
With the next update, the Mip explorer will display the information density per axis, allowing to scale down textures along the axis with less information.
#gamedev
With the next update, the Mip explorer will display the information density per axis, allowing to scale down textures along the axis with less information.
#gamedev
It's great for players as well, but I can't stop thinking about how much easier this change makes things for developers.
I don't know Arrowhead's internal pipeline, but copying 154GB from the server every time you want to test the build has to be excruciating😬.
www.pcgamer.com/games/action...
I don't know Arrowhead's internal pipeline, but copying 154GB from the server every time you want to test the build has to be excruciating😬.
www.pcgamer.com/games/action...
Helldivers 2 just shaved 131 GB off its install size in a beta you can join
And now I need to know how many of the other storage-hogs on my hard drive could do this.
www.pcgamer.com
December 3, 2025 at 6:32 PM
It's great for players as well, but I can't stop thinking about how much easier this change makes things for developers.
I don't know Arrowhead's internal pipeline, but copying 154GB from the server every time you want to test the build has to be excruciating😬.
www.pcgamer.com/games/action...
I don't know Arrowhead's internal pipeline, but copying 154GB from the server every time you want to test the build has to be excruciating😬.
www.pcgamer.com/games/action...
Kinda funny to see Tim Sweeney claiming that AI is going to be part of 'nearly all' future games, while at the same time, AI-generated code is bad enough for Epic Games to have a strict No-AI stance when it comes to Unreal pull requests.
www.gamesindustry.biz/epics-sweene...
www.gamesindustry.biz/epics-sweene...
November 27, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Kinda funny to see Tim Sweeney claiming that AI is going to be part of 'nearly all' future games, while at the same time, AI-generated code is bad enough for Epic Games to have a strict No-AI stance when it comes to Unreal pull requests.
www.gamesindustry.biz/epics-sweene...
www.gamesindustry.biz/epics-sweene...
Reposted by Hauke Thiessen
Good news! Epic submitted a fix for this issue!
The even better news is that they didn't just merge my proposed fix but wrote a better one, which can even handle arbitrary tooltip types, not just text-only ones.
Much better outcome than I could have hoped for 🥳
The even better news is that they didn't just merge my proposed fix but wrote a better one, which can even handle arbitrary tooltip types, not just text-only ones.
Much better outcome than I could have hoped for 🥳
There are a lot of reasons why starting the Unreal editor can be slow. In my latest blog post I fixed 38,000 of them.
#ue5
#gamedv
larstofus.com/2025/09/02/s...
#ue5
#gamedv
larstofus.com/2025/09/02/s...
Speeding up the Unreal Editor launch by … not spawning 38000 tooltips?
If there is one thing the Unreal Engine doesn’t suffer from, it is it’s lack of features. Over the past years it has been transformed from “just” a game engine into an ̵…
larstofus.com
November 22, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Good news! Epic submitted a fix for this issue!
The even better news is that they didn't just merge my proposed fix but wrote a better one, which can even handle arbitrary tooltip types, not just text-only ones.
Much better outcome than I could have hoped for 🥳
The even better news is that they didn't just merge my proposed fix but wrote a better one, which can even handle arbitrary tooltip types, not just text-only ones.
Much better outcome than I could have hoped for 🥳
Very excited to be at the Graphics Programming Conference in Breda next week! www.graphicsprogrammingconference.nl
Anyone else there? If yes, I'd happy to meet up!
Anyone else there? If yes, I'd happy to meet up!
Graphics Programming Conference
The Graphics Programming Conference is a conference for graphics programmers, from student to industry veteran, taking place in November in Europe.
www.graphicsprogrammingconference.nl
November 14, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Very excited to be at the Graphics Programming Conference in Breda next week! www.graphicsprogrammingconference.nl
Anyone else there? If yes, I'd happy to meet up!
Anyone else there? If yes, I'd happy to meet up!
Waiting for the inevitable Microsoft ad campaign announcing that the upcoming Steam Machines are, in fact, also Xboxes.
November 12, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Waiting for the inevitable Microsoft ad campaign announcing that the upcoming Steam Machines are, in fact, also Xboxes.
The Mip Explorer now also works on Linux🐧🥳
There was never a good reason for it to be Windows-exclusive to begin with, and today I finally had some time to fix this.
Tested on Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS, but it should work with basically every distribution out there.
github.com/HaukeThiesse...
#gamedev
There was never a good reason for it to be Windows-exclusive to begin with, and today I finally had some time to fix this.
Tested on Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS, but it should work with basically every distribution out there.
github.com/HaukeThiesse...
#gamedev
GitHub - HaukeThiessen/Mip-Explorer: A tool to display how texture information is distributed between mips, using a Laplacian Pyramid
A tool to display how texture information is distributed between mips, using a Laplacian Pyramid - HaukeThiessen/Mip-Explorer
github.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:05 PM
The Mip Explorer now also works on Linux🐧🥳
There was never a good reason for it to be Windows-exclusive to begin with, and today I finally had some time to fix this.
Tested on Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS, but it should work with basically every distribution out there.
github.com/HaukeThiesse...
#gamedev
There was never a good reason for it to be Windows-exclusive to begin with, and today I finally had some time to fix this.
Tested on Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS, but it should work with basically every distribution out there.
github.com/HaukeThiesse...
#gamedev
With many games nowadays reaching sizes of 100GB or more, this is really a critical update. Not sure why it took so long, but I'm just happy that it's finally there!
store.steampowered.com/news/app/167...
store.steampowered.com/news/app/167...
Steam Deck - Display-Off Downloads - Steam News
Steam Deck now has a display-off low-power download mode
store.steampowered.com
November 6, 2025 at 10:30 AM
With many games nowadays reaching sizes of 100GB or more, this is really a critical update. Not sure why it took so long, but I'm just happy that it's finally there!
store.steampowered.com/news/app/167...
store.steampowered.com/news/app/167...
Most people don't know this, but before he founded a city in the Forgotten Realms, Baldur had a successful restaurant in Germany.
November 5, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Most people don't know this, but before he founded a city in the Forgotten Realms, Baldur had a successful restaurant in Germany.
Reposted by Hauke Thiessen
Do you want to improve the performance of your il2cpp Unity projects, without changing your code or your assets? My il2cpp build processor cpp2better is now officially available (on request). Reach out to me, details here: blog.s-schoener.com/2025-11-04-c...
cpp2better, an il2cpp postprocessor | Sebastian Schöner
It’s been a while since I last talked about cpp2better. Time for an official “here it is” post. What is cpp2better? cpp2better is a tool that hooks into your build pipeline for Unity to achieve better...
blog.s-schoener.com
November 4, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Do you want to improve the performance of your il2cpp Unity projects, without changing your code or your assets? My il2cpp build processor cpp2better is now officially available (on request). Reach out to me, details here: blog.s-schoener.com/2025-11-04-c...