Efficiently drawing a grid map

[Gunroar:Cannon()]

Hello all, I've made a grid map that draws images next to each other and I was wondering whether there's any way to make it faster, like using imagedata to store how each tile looks and then drawing it as 1 image then changing the graphics of the image when needed.
Will this work, any details. Thnx.

[pgimeno]

A texture atlas is the way to speed it up. SpriteBatch is made mostly for this kind of usage, and requires a texture atlas.

[Gunroar:Cannon()]

A texture atlas is the way to speed it up. SpriteBatch is made mostly for this kind of usage, and requires a texture atlas.

Thnx, now I know it's possible, but how?
1)Any pointers/references on the use for this type of thing?
2)Will it make the game faster?

[pgimeno]

A texture atlas is the way to speed it up. SpriteBatch is made mostly for this kind of usage, and requires a texture atlas.

Thnx, now I know it's possible, but how?
1)Any pointers/references on the use for this type of thing?
2)Will it make the game faster?

1) https://love2d.org/wiki/Tutorial:Effici ... _Scrolling
2) It depends on how you're doing it currently, and whether you're hitting a bottleneck.

[Gunroar:Cannon()]

I just draw the pictures with a for loop

Code: Select all

for x=... do
    for y=... do
        draw(map[x][y])
    end
end

Something like that. I kind of use bump to get all the tiles in a certain view then loop through the result and draw them.
I'm not hitting a bottleneck, just done with the map, so now I'm thinking on optimization...
1)So will it be faster?

2)Oh, and the reference you gave me was nice, but wondering if I could do it with images that aren't in tilesets, but in different image files.

[pgimeno]

I'm not hitting a bottleneck, just done with the map, so now I'm thinking on optimization...

Planning on using a texture atlas in advance would have saved you some work. Don't believe the tale about "premature optimization blah blah". Misuse of that adage is the root of all evil.

1)So will it be faster?

Most probably.

2)Oh, and the reference you gave me was nice, but wondering if I could do it with images that aren't in tilesets, but in different image files.

No, batches require a single image. In Löve, using different images implies using different GL draw calls. In GL, draw calls have a cost in performance. Starting with version 11, Löve has the capability of auto-batching, that is, it automatically generates the equivalent of a SpriteBatch in order to save draw calls, but that's only possible while drawing from the same image. When you draw a different image, the current batch is flushed and drawn, and a new batch is started.

Bottom line is, if you use different images, there's nothing that can be done to save draw calls, making the performance suffer.

By the way, I think that creating the sprite batches yourself still results in a performance improvement over letting Löve auto-batch, but I'm not 100% sure of that, and I don't know how much of an improvement it may bring.

[togFox]

When you draw a different image, the current batch is flushed and drawn, and a new batch is started.

If you had a dungeon crawler that doesn't scroll very fast, would it help to draw all the floor tiles first then all the walls then all the doors etc? In other words, don't blindly draw left to right and causing a lot of swapping?

Sprite sheets and batches will always be faster but if one must use images then would that technique reduce the 'swapping' of images?

[pgimeno]

If you had a dungeon crawler that doesn't scroll very fast, would it help to draw all the floor tiles first then all the walls then all the doors etc? In other words, don't blindly draw left to right and causing a lot of swapping?

If you have all floor tiles in a single texture atlas, all the walls in another, and all the doors in another, then yes, drawing all stuff that is in a single image together would save draw calls, potentially improving performance (if you don't do anything in between that forces a flush, that is).

The scroll speed is irrelevant, by the way.

[Gunroar:Cannon()]

How about if I have on big ImageData then when a tile is made add the image's data, relative to the pos of the tile, to the image data. Then I just draw the one image...?

[pgimeno]

You can certainly generate the atlas at load time, if that's what you're asking. Even a canvas would work.