Many scaled images, best implementation of

[jenny]

I am writing a VN. I have 5 characters, with an average of about 3 different images each, and each image shows up on average at about 3 different scales. That's 45 images.

What is the relative cost in CPU cycles and memory consumption for these two implementations? Does Ren'Py instantiate images during the init: block, only on the fly, or is there some caching strategy?

Thank you in advance,

Yours truly,
Jenny


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Choice A: Define an image at the top of the .py source, and use it later, like this:

init:
# compute tina_wpx and tina_hpx
image tina sitting = im.Scale("tinasitting.png", tina_wpx*1.0, tina_hpx*1.0, bilinear=True)
image tina sitting50 = im.Scale("tinasitting.png", tina_wpx*.50, tina_hpx*.50, bilinear=True)
image tina sitting33 = im.Scale("tinasitting.png", tina_wpx*.33, tina_hpx*.33, bilinear=True)

image tina kissing50 = im.Scale("tinakissing.png", tina_wpx*.50, tina_hpx*.50, bilinear=True)

# compute jenny_wpx and jenny_hpx
image jenny standing = im.Scale("jennystanding.png", jenny_wpx*1.0, jenny_hpx*1.0, bilinear=True)
image jenny standing50 = im.Scale("jennystanding.png", jenny_wpx*.50, jenny_hpx*.50, bilinear=True)
image jenny standing33 = im.Scale("jennystanding.png", jenny_wpx*.33, jenny_hpx*.33, bilinear=True)

image jenny kissed50 = im.Scale("jennykissed.png", jenny_wpx*.50, jenny_hpx*.50, bilinear=True)

image jenny surprised50 = im.Scale("jennysurprised.png", jenny_wpx*.50, jenny_hpx*.50, bilinear=True)

# [... later in the source ...]

label first_kiss:
scene bg our_place
show jenny standing50
show tina sitting50

t "\"I really like you.\""

scene bg our_place_hearts_n_flowers
show jenny kissed50
show tina kissing50

j "She kissed me ... What do I do now?"

scene bg our_place
show jenny surprised50
show tina sitting50

t "\"Really.\""

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Choice B: Scale and show the image in one place:

init:
# compute tina_wpx and tina_hpx
# compute jenny_wpx and jenny_hpx

# [... later in the source ...]

label first_kiss:
scene bg our_place
show image im.Scale("jennystanding.png", jenny_wpx*.50, jenny_hpx*.50, bilinear=True)
show image im.Scale("tinasitting.png", tina_wpx*.50, tina_hpx*.50, bilinear=True)

t "\"I really like you.\""

scene bg our_place_hearts_n_flowers
show image im.Scale("jennykissed.png", jenny_wpx*.50, jenny_hpx*.50, bilinear=True)
show image im.Scale("tinakissing.png", tina_wpx*.50, tina_hpx*.50, bilinear=True)

j "She kissed me ... What do I do now?"

scene bg our_place
show image im.Scale("jennysurprised.png", jenny_wpx*.50, jenny_hpx*.50, bilinear=True)
show image im.Scale("tinasitting.png", tina_wpx*.50, tina_hpx*.50, bilinear=True)

t "\"Really.\""

----------------

[PyTom]

They will both be treated identically when it comes from program performance. Ren'Py loads images a few screens before they are used, by reading forward in the program and predicting what is likely to run, and determining what images that code uses.

I would suggest that the first example is better, because the indirection used means that you don't have to repeat the complex use of im.Scale every time an image is used.

[jenny]

Thank you, that is the kind of answer I wanted to hear.