Suggestion to reduce memory limitations

[Ixillicus]

As I have heard many many complaints about the lack of originality in each new update, we found out that PL is running in to limitations that so much memory is used by all textures and items in the game. I was thinking about a way that maybe the amount of stuff could be efficiently reduced to allow more growth in new areas of the game.

My main focus is the amount of "junk items" in the game. Grays, yellows and green items that don't have any value are quite numerous in each campaign.

To lower the amout of memory they use:
Get rid of them! Consolidate them in to basic items... (heres an example:)
Instead of having 10 different Green level 5 robes, just have one... call it "Basic Cloth Robe" and it has basic level 5 stats. (Call the yellow ones "Cheap Cloth Robe")
Instead of having 10 different green level 10 robes, just have one... call it "Basic Cloth Robe" and it has basic level 10 stats.
Do this at all levels to drastically reduce the amount of junk in the game.

The majority of these items are liquidated immediately and don't add value. This would presumably reduce a large amount of load from the game. If all "Basic Cloth Robes" looked the same, it would be a smaller amount of unique textures. Also, it would reduce the complaints about how all of these "different" items are recycled.

I propose that pinks be unique (which they already are, for the most part. maybe scale back the amount of them in AO, Skeller, Swamps) and that purples have a little more variety, but maybe scaled back to, in some campaigns.

I think that this reduction in items would also help new players distinguish good items from junk, by being able to simply identify which items are junk.

If you might think that too many "of the same" item would then drop from bosses, then maybe we could program bosses/minis to have a gold drop (not a huge amount of gold, just the equivalent of what the liquidation price would be for a cheap item).

I think that most people would be onboard with this if it meant that new content would be more original and reduce the games footprint.

[undertheradar]

I would have to disagree with you. Although this could be helpful, a part of the value of these items is the time it takes to collect them.

[JaytB]

I always wondered if it really is the case that PL would be running towards its limits of textures. Sure, I've seen posts about it before, but was this really confirmed by a dev?

I mean, when I look at other mobile MMO's (I will refrain from naming them here), there are seemingly endless amounts of textures, environments and items that are in them. Sure, the file size is a lot bigger, but it still runs fine, even on my (retired) iPad1 with its limited system memory.

If anybody could find a quote from a dev about this, I'd really like to see that. I simply can't understand how it would be possible that no new textures for new levels/items would be possible. Isn't it so that every 'instance' is loaded in to memory the moment you enter it? What would be the point to load every texture in game in your devices' memory anyway? Maybe I'm looking at it the wrong way, I'm by no means a 3D game-engine expert. But if there really is a limit, wouldn't we just start to see rehashes of old levels from here on? I remember devs stated sometime they intended to go all the way to lvl100 at some point in the future. Will that mean everything will start to look the same? I certainly hope not.

I wish someone, preferably a dev, could explain why exactly there would be a texture limit, because with my limited brain capacity I simply can't understand it. Especially when looking at other games that don't seem to have this 'problem'.

To be clear, this is not a rant in any way, it's a question that's been in my mind for a long time :)

[Cahaun]

No no no. Cutting out the gear will not make the game much better. Look at SL. PL has waaay more variety and that's the way I want to keep it.
(Go to the swamps and look around at the drops. They are all creative and neat to have. Cutting out lots of it will just degrade previous campaigns)

[Ixillicus]

@ jay


Also, just for perspective, we are running into technical limitations with Pocket Legends. There is a LOT there for PL now already and we run into size and space limitations when adding on to it (that we aren't hitting with Star Legends right now). That's why we currently are best served by re-using existing textures and audio assets (the boss sound effects, for example). We know we need to improve that if we want to continue to push what we can offer up.

This is what everyone (I assume) is basing their opinions of the memory limitations on. I believe that limitation mostly relates to what can be accessed over a 3G connection as opposed to other games that will only run on Wi-fi.

[JaytB]

@ jay



This is what everyone (I assume) is basing their opinions of the memory limitations on. I believe that limitation mostly relates to what can be accessed over a 3G connection as opposed to other games that will only run on Wi-fi.

Thanks for that quote ixi :)

Just some food for thought, all these so called wifi only games that I had in mind, can (with a simple trick) be played on 3G networks as well. And they work rather well too.

Maybe, as Sam said himself in that quote, they need to make some modifications to allow more diverse environments/sounds... I can imagine that it wouldn't be easy to achieve, but it isn't impossible either. If they'd like to keep people interested, they should start focusing on that first IMO. But who knows, they might be doing that right as we speak :D

[Swimmingstar]

Thanks for that quote ixi :)

Just some food for thought, all these so called wifi only games that I had in mind, can (with a simple trick) be played on 3G networks as well. And they work rather well too.

Maybe, as Sam said himself in that quote, they need to make some modifications to allow more diverse environments/sounds... I can imagine that it wouldn't be easy to achieve, but it isn't impossible either. If they'd like to keep people interested, they should start focusing on that first IMO. But who knows, they might be doing that right as we speak :D

They could turn it to wifi only, and the trick to get 3g and 4g I'm pretty sure. (do not try this without unlimited data on any large games) Is to turn wifi, leave it scanning, and turn on 3g or something.

[DerSchuetze]

Make game larger, add 20-50 mb. Room for 1000 new textures. That simple. Games envolve, gamers need to see that. And peoples phones envolve too. Well maybe iphone 2 and itodtoich 1g might lagg but all other devices are fine IF the memory case issue is really an issuel

[mackjack]

I think it's more of a load-time issue than a memory issue.

A game can have gigabytes worth of textures and game data on the Flash, but the GPU needs them to be in the system memory in order to make use of them. Since system memory is typically 512 MB or less, the game engine will have to load/unload textures and game data from system memory as necessary.

More textures/less system memory = more time spending loading/unloading them = longer wait before entering towns and dungeons.

I have no idea how much storage PL's textures and game data are taking up, but based on what I've read, I'm under the impression that STS is taking the easy way out and simply trying to keep the textures small enough as to keep the load times acceptable.

Anyway, I remember this discussion coming up before, and Sam was supposed to try and get more technical details from asommers.

[Appleisaac]

No no no. Cutting out the gear will not make the game much better. Look at SL. PL has waaay more variety and that's the way I want to keep it.
(Go to the swamps and look around at the drops. They are all creative and neat to have. Cutting out lots of it will just degrade previous campaigns)
Is it "creative and neat to have" blue robe, green robe, and black robe from forest haven?

[XghostzX]

Ah, I found a quote somewhere and I'll try to find it. Yes, the devs are gradually running out of space but they talked about how the IOS store is almost "giving" away more space, or adding on to it. I'll try to find it.

[Cahaun]

No no no. Cutting out the gear will not make the game much better. Look at SL. PL has waaay more variety and that's the way I want to keep it.
(Go to the swamps and look around at the drops. They are all creative and neat to have. Cutting out lots of it will just degrade previous campaigns)
Is it "creative and neat to have" blue robe, green robe, and black robe from forest haven?
Yes

[Rare]

@ jay



This is what everyone (I assume) is basing their opinions of the memory limitations on. I believe that limitation mostly relates to what can be accessed over a 3G connection as opposed to other games that will only run on Wi-fi.

I've played a number of games that download content to your phone. Over 150 mb. So even if there is a limitation there is a way around it.

Btw, i completely agree with you about the junk items.

[Rare]

Yes

Lol

So you'd rather have that than gear that's new and actually useful.