Does Filesize matter on Desktops?

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  • If i am targeting Desktops / Laptops only for my games / interactive book apps, can i feel free to use large background images (1024x768)x 32 scenes, and will i have any issues with large animated sprites 200x200 plus?

    I know that iPad memory is improving all the time too and i would like to target that device assuming Safari browser could handle C2 creations.

    Thanks

  • I think you should still be aware of memory limitations, and try to target the lowest common denominator in terms of system specs. Obviously if a game runs badly on a medium-spec PC, you're forced to target a smaller audience.

    So, I'd say that you can definitely be more free on desktop than on mobile/tab, but don't completely ignore optimisation, and always test as you go on a range of devices.

  • Perfomance and memory aside, remember it will also have implications on download time.

  • Agree with angeleyes. Depends on game and how much they want it. Desire + Game type x willingness X internet bandwidth + speed = size of game.

    Call of duty: Ghosts is rumored to be 50 gigs unpacked. And people won't think twice.

    Tetris: 40mb (Nobody will download it - period) unless it has something unbelievable, but chances are no one will waste bandwidth.

  • The OP seems confused between file size and memory use. They're not the same thing.

    I doubt file size is much important for anyone on broadband these days. Steam regularly delivers games in the gigabytes.

    However memory use is always important - if you completely ignore it you can design a game so badly it won't even run on a high-end desktop. 32 images at 1024x768 all on the same layout is about 100mb of texture usage alone - not including the rest of the game - which is probably enough to rule out some low end systems already.

  • Thanks for replies folks.

    Ashley, i do understand the difference between file size and memory use. What i don't get is why a reasonable mid range PC or Mac should choke on it. I've done some research on the app store and many interactive kids book apps are way over 100mb and targeted for iPads, and they get rave reviews. I also know many are being developed in Cocos2d(Objective C) and Cocos2D-X(C++). I come from a design and web dev background with some exp of Flash too. As much as i'd love to code with AS 3.0 for AIR and use something like Starling for GPU accelerated performance, C2 seems such an easier option. It has all i need and the only question hangs on my original question. Is it the users PC ram or graphics card that determines performance with a C2 created game / app?

    Thanks

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  • Performance, as in the framerate, is largely unrelated to the filesize/memory use and depends on other factors such as quality of the Javascript engine, CPU speed and memory bandwidth.

    Whether or not the game will run out of memory depends on the system. Mobile devices use a different memory architecture to some PCs: they share RAM between the CPU and GPU. So textures are stored in the same memory as everything else. However and old desktop machine, or a system with a low-end dedicated chip, might have 128mb of dedicated video memory (VRAM). In that case textures are stored in VRAM for better performance. Sometimes images can also be stored in RAM as well, but I'm not sure about the specifics - I think some systems don't support that. So if you have 2GB of RAM and 128mb of VRAM on your graphics card, you might only have 128mb of memory to use for images. Compare that to a tablet with 1GB of shared memory, 256mb of which is free - you can use all 256mb for images.

    So in some cases a low-end desktop might have less image memory available than a mobile device, because it has limited discrete VRAM for textures. I think most modern desktop systems either share RAM with the GPU like mobiles do, or have ridiculous amounts of VRAM (2GB+). So in practice you'll probably be fine, but it's best practice to keep image memory down to ensure old systems don't run out of VRAM, and to improve performance (since any images spilling over to RAM will render slower than those in the faster VRAM).

  • Wow! I'm speechless. And I didn't even ask the question. That was very very informative.

  • Many thanks Ashley. Got it!

    <img src="smileys/smiley17.gif" border="0" align="middle" />

  • I am with DUTOIT. Ashley that was an incredible response, thank you. Now I need to go and see if that is why my machines runs like a snail.

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