Hello together,
this week there was a lot of restructuring but no big appearance changes. This week was completely in the spirit of memory and calculation management. But let's start all over again. As I mentioned before, the client of Summer Islands is based on a Javascript engine called createJS. An engine that is really outstanding in terms of HTML5. It's not a grinding advertisement but the efficiency and freedom is really great. On the server side we use NodeJS which is perfect with speed. The problem with a HTML5 game is mostly the browser's limitations in terms of security. So you don't want the Javascript in the browser of a website to simply access your own files in the computer. Thus any creation/access of files must come from the server. This week we have put the focus on the creation of the exe. This means that we have files that should not be stored in the Exe and when loading the reference must be loaded from the server to the Client. So we have reduced the loading time of the Exe strongly. Because everyone who wants to play has no desire to wait long for it.
To sum it up you have to say that the most important thing in a HTML5 game like Summer Islands is the architecture. You also have to constantly make new efficiency changes and optimize storage space.
For example, we have exchanged arrays and maps that you use by default in INT8Arr. You have to make some architecture changes but you can improve the memory usage by 95%. With such ideas you are always busy to get a constant 60 fps.
I am a bit embarrassed but I found the Javascript declaration let in the last week. If you have learned to program with Java then you are already automatically set that the location of a declaration of a variable is at the same time the definition whether the variable allows a local or global access. To avoid mistakes we now change all variables to let!
An additional increase in efficiency we have managed with the Minimap. Before that, the client painstakingly created each pixel and stored it in the cache. When opening the minimap for the first time in the game, you often had to wait longer due to the size of the map. Because all pixels had to be displayed from the cache to the screen for the first time. An alternative that we are now using comes from the server. The server already creates an image of the map during the map generation which we can reload in the client. Thus we have no more waiting time with the client.
But now also to a few further textures which we have integrated. As you saw a few days ago in the last tweet we integrated a cinema.
The cinema belongs to the attractions and earns a little more money than other attractions. It doesn't have any special features regarding the location. So a building that always brings money in.
A souvenir shop was created as a smaller shop. This is small, not expensive and always runs well with tourists. A must for every holiday island.
The car business was not new but reworked. The quality as a more upscale building for the luxury segment has remained the same.
We hope you also enjoy seeing Summer Islands come together in good steps. We could see that on Steam already about 1000 people have Summer Islands on their wish list. That makes us really happy to see so many people interested in Summer Islands. We are working hard towards early access.
Update Log:
-Executable: Data outsourcing with reference
-Executable: faster loadingtimes
-SERVER: create Minimap image
-Server/CLIENT: efficiency improvements