thanks

Jon88 wrote:

Ease wrote:

It is rather large, but not too bad. On anything better than a 56k modem, that kind of download is almost unnoticed! Most people could download that in a minute or two. People with 56k modems will notice that it takes a while longer, say about 5 - 15 minutes, but they are normally used to that kind of waiting time (I know I am!).

That is, of course, if they're downloading it at their connection's maximum download speed(or near to it). If the server that the file is being downlaoded from doesn't have as much upstream bandwidth as the client's downstream speed, the download will go at about the speed of the server's upstream bandwidth. With many people downloading at once, the server would need even more.

so say if the host has cable and its about 1mb away from being as fast as t1 and about 10-20 people are dling would that take a large ammount of time and cause major ammounts of lag?

there are no sounds but it has about 13 .bmps which are 1.29 MB combined.

Yikes. That explains it. Here's some things you might want to consider:

First of all, if its at all possible, get a program that lets you save as PNG. PNGs can be several times smaller than BMPs. For example, one large image in BMP format is 770k, while its only 190k in PNG format. So use PNG whenever possible.

Second, Garthor posted something on BYONDscape about compressing sound files that you might be interested in. Since its not especially convenient to find on BYONDscape, I'll just post it here and hope nobody gets on my case for posting copyrighted material :P

BWS stringer report by Garthor

BYOND has limited support for sound: you can play one midi file and 8 wav files. It does not support any other formats, and since every user connecting will have to download the entire game, sounds can suck up large amounts of bandwidth. However, there is still hope! While BYOND only supports wav and midi files, it also recognizes compressed wav files.

The trick is, of course, compressing them. However, Windows comes with a tool that can do this for you: the Sound Recorder. You can find it by going to Start -> Program Files -> Accessories -> Entertainment -> Sound Recorder. Open up the .wav file you wish to compress with this program. Then, go to File... Properties... and there is a drop-down menu there, in the "format conversion" box. Make sure "all formats" is selected there, and click the "Convert Now..." button.

You now have three drop-down menus. The first, at the top, is for saved compression presets. The second is for the compression type. Select this and go to MPEG Layer-3, more commonly known as MP3. The third drop-down is for the compression quality. For starters, let's set it at 32 kBits/s, 24000 Hz, Mono. It shows an approximation of how large the file will be per second. Click the "OK" button, and your sound file will be converted. Click "OK" to close the properties window, and listen to your compressed file.

If it sounds okay, then you can save it (or use save as). It will have the compression of an MP3 file, but will have a .wav extension, and it's still recognized by BYOND and most other Windows programs! If, however, the quality of the sound is not suitable, you can go to File... Revert, and it will reset it. You can then select another compression quality to use. A quick warning, however: I have found that some settings can crash the Sound Recorder, so be careful! None of them that I have found will do any more damage than that, however. I hope this information will help people put some more sound into their games.

Very likely, yes. Especially if they're all downloading it at once. The cable connection's upstream bandwidth would have to be split between everyone.

Vash_616 wrote:

So 1.92 MB is pretty average for a byond game or not?

That's fairly high. You should consider ways of avoiding sending .png files until they're needed.

Lummox JR

Second, Garthor posted something on BYONDscape about compressing sound files that you might be interested in. Since its not especially convenient to find on BYONDscape, I'll just post it here and hope nobody gets on my case for posting copyrighted material :P

Dear Mr. F. Oomer,

It has come to our attention that you have been distributing copyrighted BYONDscape.com content on the public BYOND.com forums. This message serves as your notification that you must immediately cease and desist, stand and deliver, nip and tuck, duck and cover, lather and rinse, shuck and jive, and control, alt, and delete your infringing activities immediately. Failure to comply with this request within 2 (two) business days may result in heart-touching human drama.

Intimidatingly,
East, Bound, and Down, Truckers at Law