[Suggestion] Multiple tilemaps per tilemap object

So we've been building our levels with Tiled and the TMX Importer using sprite objects acting as tiles as Ashley & Rexrainbow suggested...but now that we have so many tilesets we're running into all kinds of problems - very long preview times, freezing when loading levels, poor performance, etc. So the only thing I can think of doing is replacing the sprite objects acting as tiles with tilemap objects (which didn't exist at the time we built most of the levels).

Well, unfortunately that's not possible with the tilemap object's limitations - namely how you can only use one tilemap per tilemap object.

Our own problem aside...Working with multiple tilemap objects on multiple layers is VERY cumbersome.

So, It'd be fantastic if we could store multiple tilemaps in one tilemap object (using a frame system or new menu in the property bar), and place tiles from any of them on the tilemap canvas. This way you only need 1 tilemap object per layer and can use any tiles you wish, and you can use Tiled & the TMX Importer without having to use sprite objects acting as tiles.

Bump (and edited OP)

Agree. +1

[post redacted]

Dear Construct 2 community:

THIS IS A

BIG PROBLEM FOR US.

Our game is 100% pixel-based, with tilemaps. The game is getting big. So big that when we preview the game it takes 20-30 seconds each time. That's minutes of sitting there and waiting each time you want to test if something worked - be it AI, gameplay, level design, ANYTHING regarding the game.

20+ second preview times is UN-BE-LIEVE-A-BLE. Anyone in the game industry would facepalm at the mention of this, considering how "small" our game is. We're seriously working with 8x8px tiles here, folks. Some of our enemies are only 16x16px! No joke!

If some kind of fix is not financially feasible for C2 in a timely fashion, what kind of workarounds would you offer? We're listening.

Well, they don't care at all, they wouldn't allow about how they did develop games for NES in C2. If you post a .capx about it takes 20 second preview it would be considered as evidence.

Otherwise, You have to hack the game design and the game development to get it working.

How big your tiles are doesn't matter at all I think. However the size of tilemaps overall and especially the image that you use for the tilemap can increase the loading time a lot. How big are they, pixel wise?

For instant in my game I use 12 tilemaps on the same layout with a size of 4000, 4000, however the images for the tilemaps are just 320x320.

Stats:

Memory: 29.2 mb

FPS: 60

CPU: 44%

But the map doesn't take more than a few seconds to starts. Which is not really the tilemaps fault, but because I generate a collision map for each of the 62500 tiles on the map. Which I would consider a CPU demanding task. So to get up to 20-30 seconds you must do a lot of things?

Again, I am using sprite objects acting as tiles (animations as tilesets, frames as tiles) as Ashley & Rexrainbow suggested. This was fine at first, but now that we have many tilesets there's A LOT to load, causing preview times to be upwards of 20 seconds.

My solution was to no longer use sprite objects acting as tiles and instead use the tilemap object (which didn't exist at the time we built most of our levels) but it's impossible to get that working with TMX Importer due to the tilemap object's limitations (one tilemap per tilemap object, etc.).

So, again, if we could just have the tilemap object support multiple tilemaps, and the ability to place any of those tiles on a single canvas, problem solved! I'm not really sure how Ashley expected 1 tilemap per object to be enough in the first place!