Memory/sound issues
Lately I've been concerned that I won't be able to finish the game. Certainly not because I don't want to, but because I'm afraid as the game gets larger my computer will no longer be able to run it. So far, I've tried to upgrade my computer and it hasn't helped, although the upgrade itself proved problematic.
I did, however, learn a couple of things recently. For one thing, the sound files I was using in the game were MUCH too big! I can't believe I had a sound effect that was 400K in size and never thought of making it smaller. I went through most of the sounds and changed a lot of them, and now the game's file size is 1.3 megs smaller than the last version! Considering I added quite a few new graphics since that version, this is a big difference. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have fixed the annoying bug I often experience when the game stops playing sound effects. I think it does load and save considerably faster, though.
I also discovered an intriguing function which removes a sound effect from memory. This could theoretically be very useful, but I'm not quite sure yet about the best way to use it.
I have a feeling the problems I'm experiencing are due to my using Windows 98. It seems to manage memory very poorly, and that causes a lot of trouble with GM. It would probably be in my best interests to switch to XP if I can get the necessary computer upgrades/money.
I did, however, learn a couple of things recently. For one thing, the sound files I was using in the game were MUCH too big! I can't believe I had a sound effect that was 400K in size and never thought of making it smaller. I went through most of the sounds and changed a lot of them, and now the game's file size is 1.3 megs smaller than the last version! Considering I added quite a few new graphics since that version, this is a big difference. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have fixed the annoying bug I often experience when the game stops playing sound effects. I think it does load and save considerably faster, though.
I also discovered an intriguing function which removes a sound effect from memory. This could theoretically be very useful, but I'm not quite sure yet about the best way to use it.
I have a feeling the problems I'm experiencing are due to my using Windows 98. It seems to manage memory very poorly, and that causes a lot of trouble with GM. It would probably be in my best interests to switch to XP if I can get the necessary computer upgrades/money.