At 07:53 PM 17/10/2002 +0100, you wrote:
Correct me if I'm getting confused but surely HL uses as much memory as needed and considering the sort of spec machines around nowadays and the capabilities of gfx cards then having several Mb of texture memory for each npc isn't such an issue. Or does the HL engine have internal limitations that hold it back in regards to assigning memory usage?
I don't think that HL has internal limitations that hold back it's memory usage, but no matter how powerful todays machines are, memory will be exhausted at some point. Many computers today have 128-256 meg of memory and 32-64meg of memory on the graphics card. The memory on the graphics card is not just being used by the textures, it is also being used by the models and maps and for all that graphics processing that the card does. Using textures that are 1meg big can add up very quickly. How many textures are used in the average map? Don't forget player models, v_models, p_models & w_models for every weapon, map models, monsters, sprites, decals, etc. That can quickly add up to 64 meg for textures alone.
Whatever the gfx card cannot handle, gets put in main memory, but that is limited too. Depending on the map, our mod uses around 125meg of memory and we keep our textures as small as is reasonably possible. DoD, CS and even HL are similar. Add to that the memory being used by the OS and services running on your computer. Right now, I only have a few programs open (not HL) and I am using 307 meg (damn windows wastage ;) ) of which 227 is not cached. So, if you use too much memory, you get delays as memory is swapped between main memory and graphics memory, then if you use way too much, you start getting major lag when stuff starts swapping to your HD. Not to mention how long it will take your level to load if all of your textures are 1meg (1024x1024). Also, like sluggo said, most models display at about 200 pixels in-game, do detail above about 256 pixels is a bit of a waste. The renders that your modelers do and you post on your web site will look great, but the players in-game will not be able to tell the difference. So, you should still be budgeting everything in your mod and expending memory where it will make the most difference (ie the most used weapon, a common map texture) and saving wherever you can. Today's machines have more memory, but it is not unlimited. Rob Prouse (Commando) Tour of Duty Mod http://www.tourofdutymod.com _______________________________________________ To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, please visit: http://list.valvesoftware.com/mailman/listinfo/hlcoders
