If you are going to make a new wonderful map you should also consider how fast it is to download and access to start playing. A general thumb rule is the shorter the download, the better it is as you get faster playing. But you shouldn't decrease the download time if it means decrease in fun or even in visual atmosphere(a map with just a few different things.)

- 100kb takes to download about a minute in tt(this is threw from a hat... _{correct me if you know better)}

Typical new map uses four different textures that is ~449kb huge file = five minutes download
Five textures map is ~521kb
Six textures map is ~576kb
Three textures map is ~385kb
Two textures map starts to be visually ugly

(Okay, the sizes were pretty much threws too, but way giving.)

- If you're going to use four new textures, total size of ~400kb, on your map = four minutes more
- Maybe you got some new objects such as trees, rocks, skies... = x minutes more

Total download time = Zzzz.....

What could be changed?
So the map would download faster?

Honestly if every single new thing on your map is needed not much.

- Rightly used textures(four is my favourite) makes the map nicer looking than just having one or two different texture. Thus the map choice is not a thing where you could shrink the download size.
- If all the different looking new textures are needed, neither from there.
- rocks, trees and other similar objects... If has to be used... Can't much to be done, but no need to create new folders for the same things over and over again. I have noticed few times downloading same objects again as some smart guy decided place the same files to a different location.
- But for nearly all the objects: trees, rocks, skies, textures... You could use.JPG images instead of.PNG images which are only needed for transparent objects(to my knowledge) and the same image as.jpg is ~2-3 times smaller than the png version. What a download time save when there are mutiple new images! A jpg image and a png image looks exactly the same in tt imo.
- if you're using four different textures on your map you need only four different textures. There is no need to have every images different ehm... Saving modes..., eg: texture.png, texture.jpg, texture.gif... Just one is enough to get the texture work.

Majority of new images are png files which takes longer to download, but there is no point to change the already existing to jpgs as it would just mean more download.

But for the new images choose good jpg instead of bad png!

- I also point out that when joining to some people maps you download bunch of non-needed red f textures and detail1 textures to multiple different location: game, data and missions folders usually.

...

 

Good points Triv.

Looks like png and ping are both bad! :)

Test: I choose randomly two png textures from the highplains folder. One big and one small by size.

First is big one.

PNG = 172 KB

JPG = 76,7 KB

Second is small one.

PNG = 43,0 KB

JPG = 26,3 KB

My thoughts: The positive effect of JPG smallness shows with the big files. JPG seems to be nearly half smaller than PNG.
The lighting/colour changed a tiny bit between the two different image formats, but I think that change is non-existant in the game. (Can't notice it)

If the server hoster would have two same image files on his A texture folder, but with different formats. If you would be missing the textures... The game would download both of the textures to your A texture folder. If you would already have the other one of the textures, I think, it would download the other one to your computer too. But if the PNG would be deleted it would just download the JPG.

But if you would have the PNG image beforehand on your computer and then download the JPG. And later on you would host a map using THAT same texture. Someone joins he would have to download the PNG and the JPG.

Nice cycle.

PS. The terrain files are linked to what textures(name) they use and from where(location). Not what format the texture should be.

Last edited: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 at 7:16:02 PM