News Stuff!
So, I've been learning some new things in Renpy's code to try and make the experience for everyone better overall. Today, I learned something HUGE. It might not make as much of an impact for you guys, as it will for me though. The big upside to what I learned is a way to possibly cut the file size of EA in half. It might help me with uploading to Patreon again without dealing with external links and those thigns breaking on everyone. On top of that, it'll make my life a lot easier in coding while I continue to work. Big plus there!
On the downside to this... It will take a lot of time to re-code what I've already done. For now, I'm starting small. Dozer and Darius are easy for me to handle, since I've only done 4 days of their routes. Super easy to handle. Everyone else.... Not as much. Spencer's update is coming this time around, and I've already made it bigger than intended (lots of choices to go through). We might hit some filler in the meantime, since I'm going to be putting in some extra work in getting this new method of coding put into place.
The clarify what I'm doing... Right now, in EA, each character sprite is made up of 1 image. If you count all the character images I have in the game right now, there's around 300+. Each image is small, but they really start to add up when I have so many. Today, I learned how to build the character sprite by just combing parts of the image together to make the full character image. So, let's say Spencer has 5 expressions and 5 shirts and 5 pairs of shorts... That's 125 possible images for just Spencer.
With this new Method, I'd use a grand total of 16 images. A base model for Spencer, then an image of each piece of clothing which I use code to combine to make 1 image.
I'm going to try keep my updates normal, but the sooner I get this changed, the easier my life will be for coding, and it'll make things faster for me in the long run, meaning more content for you guys overall!
Comments (14)
Huh. I already thought things worked by having a base image and putting clothes images ontop of them. I didn't know you had THAT many images to work with, jesus christ. You've been working really hard.
It's quite the chore at times! But yeah, I'm currently using a ton of images, but now... it won't be quite like that. It'll be more code than anything.
It's amazing to consider how much time and effort goes into a project like this. The technical aspects are well beyond my limited understanding of computers, but still the dedication that this surely requires is admirable. I look forward to seeing where you go from here.
There really is a lot that goes into it. I've put a ton of time into learning what seems like just.. simple things, but it's totally paying off so far! And, I really enjoy learning new things ;D
I love learning more efficient ways to do something mid-project. Keep up the amazing work!
I wish I could have found out sooner, but it's better late than never! I shall do what I can, thanks!
Wow, Renpy is a powerful tool given that is it free to access/use for everyone. And I don't think most people will mind the fillers in the upcoming updates if the goal is a better project and better coding experience for you overall! I wish you the best of luck in coding the new sprites for everyone and I look forward to that Spencer update!! :D
Yeah, Ren'Py is an amazing tool! It's easy to use, free, and the forums are pretty active too, so finding the answers I need is normally not THAT bad. I'm hoping to not resort to filler, since I'm spending time outside my normal work routine to solve this stuff ;D
hmm, I guess my internet connection is fast, so i never really paid any mind to the file size but at one of my friends place it takes like 3 hours to download a half a gig. So some people might really see the difference and anything that allows you to work easier and faster is great. At least you discovered this coding method before getting more than half way through the VN. Speaking of which i'v been meaning to ask for awhile now. How long will all the routes be, 3 weeks, a whole month, a couple of months? If you do not care to share that info now or am just not sure how long they will be at the moment than that's fine to. Keep up the great work though. You seem to always be thinking of ways to make your VN better and stand out from the rest.
The file size isn't too big of a deal for most people, I think, but Patreon seems to have changed the file size attachment to a maximum of 100MB, and EA is running about 200MB zipped. I've eliminated part of the problem already, and reducing the amount of images I use will bring it down even more. Hopefully, I can get under that limit! I haven't fully decided on how long I wanted each route yet. My goal is between 3-4 weeks, currently. I think it more depends on the ideas I get!
Whyyyy i can't survive a computer class... Just gonna stick with writing.
I just wish I'd have figured this out sooner!
This technique will also allow you to program a dressing room! Not that I'm hinting at any possible donation goals with that comment. >_>
I kiiiinda did a dress-up thing already, but it's so broken and buggy.... Hum, I didn't think of that other idea though~ That's rather enticing.... I'd have fun with that myself.