Jojo_44 wrote:Thank you very much for this
I have seen in manialive that you use for the matchmaking plugin plain png pictures. Is there a reason ? I like the style of the blue metal, any chance to get the psd ?
Hello Jojo_44,
Actually the main difference between *.png and *.dds are the following :
*.PNG :
- It's a non-destructive image compression format : no glitch or alteration after compression, exactly the same as the original or uncompressed export.
- You can use any type of resolution (234*954, 124*755, 513*255...)
So, pretty convinient if your image is not using a classic ratio and you want to use it to align your text or buttons in it.
- Your picture file size is much smaller (if it's a simple picture, else prefer *.jpg though you can't have transparency in *.jpg) So it's convinient to use a smaller file if it has to be downloaded on each connexion like a webpage, or if you often update it when developping your mod (ex : for the matchmaking one of the picture is 50ko in *.png and 3mo in *.dds)
- After download, the picture is converted to a video format in order to be shown on the screen, when you use *.png, it's not compressed, it's has big as a *.tga file, so it takes a lot more video memory space than compressed format.
- You can use transparency (*.jpg pictures can't).
*.DDS :
- It's a destructive compression format (though the quality is quite good)
- You can NOT use other resolutions than x² resolutions (512*256, 1024*128, 32*32, etc.)
- Your picture file has the same size on disk (during download) than in video memory, it's in most of the case bigger than a *.PNG. Its size is resolution dependant, whereas for a *.png the size is more "complexity" depedant.
- You can also use transparency.
So mainly a *.PNG (or *.jpg) is smaller on disk, but 4 times bigger when used in game in the video memory. Better storage and download / BUT : in-game performance are less good.
How to do the math :
*.png on disk : you can't really know, as it depends on the type of picture (simple shapes with not too much color variations, or complicated realistic photos...)
*.png when used in-game (video memory) : same as a *.tga with alpha channel : (resolutionX * resolutionY) * 5.5
*.dds on disk AND used in game (video memory) : uncompressed size / 4
So Size = [(resolutionX * resolutionY) * 5.5]/4
Results in bytes, divided it by 1024 to have it in Kbytes, and another time by 1024 to have it in Mbytes.
To give you an idea of sizes when producing interfaces :
Let's take a really large resolution image file (2048*1024) wich would contain a simple back ground like for a score table.
DDS : Size on disk 2.7 mo | Size in the video memory 2.7 mo
en *.PNG : Size on disk 18 ko | Size in the video memory 11 mo
Best case scenario : the total video memory usage with your pictures interface, would be around 50 mo
or less. Critical maximum case would be around 100 mo. This video memory is reset everytime you change environnement, so this memory usage takes in account all pictures you will use in this title-pack, not only picture shown at the same time.
For example the lobby pictures has to be counted with the elite in-match pictures.
Picture that were never loaded won't be counted though.
Hope this helped
!
crap
Btw. you can generate the latest classes/attributes always from the ManiaPlanet.exe. W1lla always has a uptodate version in his signature: