Optimization 2 — Soar: Pillars of Tasneem Steam update #156193

As mentioned during the last optimization pass, the bulk of Soar's performance problems stem from inefficiently loading in the overworld & poor foliage optimization. Sharp-eyed players will have noticed lag spikes as they approach Fadh-as-Sayl, Shajara, and the trapped Whale. These are areas where, for one reason or another, large chunks of the overworld are loaded in all at once. Unlike most performance problems- which are tied to the GPU or CPU- streaming is limited by storage and RAM speed; which is why these issues can affect even high end systems. The solution is very simple- turn down the streaming distance, and use HLODs to fill in the now-empty world. We've avoided doing this because HLODs are very intensive to generate- they lock up a given machine for up to an hour, and on top of that they need multiple passes to get right. For our small team, that's a massive amount of develop...