Thanks — !

Your answer helped a lot: I was referring to the initial load, so I'll try your method. Hopefully it will help.

The preloader/unloader will definitely help-especially with NG+. The endgame scenes use a lot of highres images, which for some reason still seem to be clogging up the RAM when going back to the title screen layout, killing performance. So the possibility to unload all assets from the RAM and choose only those for the first few initial layouts will help greatly. Not to mention RAM is not unloading between certain layout so the possibility to control this manually sounds great. I'll be making the purchase shortly. Thanks!

Hi —

I am looking for a plugin which would help me control the amount of currently used RAM. Seems like this one is a Godsend! I just sent you an email with my query in detail, here is the TLDR;

Is there any way this plugin would work from the initial boot? As in, does your plugin allow to decide which assets are initially preloaded? The initial scene in my game takes 220mb RAM (the largest scene 500), but with Construct2's initial RAM loadup, where all assets load into the RAM(and there is a lot of them) and take a whopping 1,5GB RAM once the splash screen loads up.

Thanks!

Wow Gigatron ! This is some truly amazing work! Just found this post. Your plugins and effects are frickin' amazing! Really appreciate your hard work and sharing your experience with the rest of the community

Bumping this post, for other newbies such as myself

I will be releasing Sand is the Soul in the near future on Steam and have been fighting with the Splash issue for some time. Maybe someone here has a viable solution? The splash is imperative in my case-on slower hdd's the unpacking of package.nw takes a while and many players will probably take this as the games fault/lockup. Obviously unpacking the package.nw would help, but then all the assets would be in the plain open:/

Already have my game in Steam and tried these options:

-enigma virtual box: boots the C2 loader at once, however Steam does not like it at all. Game stutters and has constant fps drops, outside of steam is smooth as silk

-various combinations of the loader layout setting. It seems it only loads after the package.nw is unpacked.

-latest solution: I created a batch file (I'll most likely be sharing it here, since it could prove usefull for non Steam projects) to first run a nwjs export with a splash screen and the main game export. On main project loaded all instances of the nwjs splash are killed and all would be well, if not for the fact that the Steam overlay doesn't work with this solution After the batch is killed, the game is not recognised as running in Steam. Tried this with adding /wait in the batch, this keeps the batch alive in the backround whilst the game is active- achievements unlock, but the overlay is not visible and cannot be brought up, take screenshots. So this soltuon is also far from ideal :/

-----

Anybody here have experience with larger C2 projects on Steam and found a workaround or solutions to this issue?

UPDATE: RESOLVED. The whole lowdown is in the updated Original Post. Adding it also below:

Switched to nwjs27.2 and Ram usage went down by circa 40%

This is really bugging me. My problems with the project started when I started messing around with different nwjs versions. The game was working flawlessly up until January-I was showing it at expos and tradeshows, with the export running non stop for multiple hours every day. Sometimes it would throttle/get slowdowns/start to stutter but that would be usually after at least 4-5 hours of extensively playing the build.

Then I added the Steam4C2 plugin. Up unitl then the project was exported with nwjs 15. To get the newest version of the plugin I had to update nwjs(to nw 27). And that's when "the fun" started. I seriously doubt I added a performance killing event(I did however add many new animations to existing enemies and the hero-however, the estimated memory use stayed the same). After that, exports would get the stutter/slowdown after 20 minutes of gameplay. Reverted to nwjs 15 and it would be better but for around 1 hour(instead of the previous minimum of 4-5 hours). What's even more bizzare-I suddenly started having the black flickering issue (mentioned in the nwjs roundup) which was non present before and had to use the --disable directcomposition arg. Went down to 13-2, performance was even better, but as noted in the topic at hand, RAM usage went up. This is a bit puzzling

Thanks for the info guys!

Kyatric: Thanks for the link. I checked it a while ago. I don't think this is the case, since I am not using the image compression on project export (image compression set to none). If I got something wrong here, I'd appreciate being corrected Also, I have set downscaling to "low" and "preload sounds" to "no" in project settings(had to do this early on, since the prevs in C2 would often go haywire, as well as set "dont show unique icons")

ome6a1717: I think this might be the more probable cause. Window size of the game is 640x400 but set to fullscreen(fullscreen scaling high quality). Currently checked with 3000x2000 for the 1.5GB splash->2GB title screen RAM values. This is with the newest build which has undergone some optimisation. A few weeks ago, during test on a desktop in 1080p the older build took around 1.7GB RAM. Will have to check current build with different resolutions and get back with an update.

EDIT UPDATE: just checked with a different resolution on my current spec (surface book2, i7, 16 GB RAM,win10), tried running export in 1920x1080 and 1920x1200 instead of 3000x2000. Same results: Splash takes 1.5GB RAM and between 2GB on title screen load. Yet, as mentioned on my old desktop, an older less optimised build with the same amount of assets with win7, 8GB RAM, the game takes 1.6GB RAM on title screen load

As much as I love working with C2, the lack of changing the screen resolution ingame/project is a serious bummer, especially for larger, more taxing projects. Slightly off main topic, but if anybody would have a workaround for this issue, I'd appreciate a link or suggestions etc.

Hello All,

Anybody here also noticed very high RAM usage in their nwjs exports?

The export weighs in at circa 900Mb. The moment the assets unpack and the game loads, it at once takes up 1,5 GB RAM and that's on the splash/loader screen, which has only 2 events (on start of layout exec javascript to kill/disable rightmouse and f12 context/dev menus). Then when the title screen load it takes 2GB of RAM The estimated RAM for largest scene/layout in the project is 400MB.

Is this normal? Would appreciate input and feedback regarding this matter

Cheers!

UPDATE! Resolved

Switched to nwjs27.2 and Ram usage went down by circa 40%

This is really bugging me. My problems with the project started when I started messing around with different nwjs versions. The game was working flawlessly up until January-I was showing it at expos and tradeshows, with the export running non stop for multiple hours every day. Sometimes it would throttle/get slowdowns/start to stutter but that would be usually after at least 4-5 hours of extensively playing the build.

Then I added the Steam4C2 plugin. Up unitl then the project was exported with nwjs 15. To get the newest version of the plugin I had to update nwjs(to nw 27). And that's when "the fun" started. I seriously doubt I added a performance killing event(I did however add many new animations to existing enemies and the hero-however, the estimated memory use stayed the same). After that, exports would get the stutter/slowdown after 20 minutes of gameplay. Reverted to nwjs 15 and it would be better but for around 1 hour(instead of the previous minimum of 4-5 hours). What's even more bizzare-I suddenly started having the black flickering issue (mentioned in the nwjs roundup) which was non present before and had to use the --disable directcomposition arg. Went down to 13-2, performance was even better, but as noted in the topic at hand, RAM usage went up. This is a bit puzzling

Bumping this topic. I would also like to know if this is possible. Ever since the last updates on Steam, I have noticed a significant impact on my project. Currently trying to rule out the culprit-reverting to older nwjs (nw 15-the one the project was build in till late dec 2017). Reverting the nwjs helped a bit, but performance is still noticeably worse than it was before.

edit: forgot to add some info which might prove handy for others: ie I started having the black flicker bug in January 18-it's gone if I use the json flag in the NWJs roundup by TheRealDanyyy (many Kudos btw) scirra.com/forum/updated-05-09-2017-the-big-nw-js-roundup-tips-amp-tricks_t184449. But the issue remains: it was not there before. Also, in the moments of the black flickering, slowdowon and stuttering occurs. As mentioned, the json flag removes the black flashes, but the stuttering remains. It's noticeable in nw 15, but significantly worse in nw 27-28

Hello everyone,

Thought I'd give a heads up on my recent experience and issue with C2 nwjs export and the overall importance of the nwjs version. My game (Sand is the soul) is pretty big, but up until 2018 ran flawlessly on desktops, even older ones (ie with a GTX 260) in hiresmode. After purchasing the Steam4C2 plugin and installing it in early january, I upgraded nwjs to 027 to correspond with the latest Steam4C2 version. My workstation(surface pro) is mainly for working, yet it is strong enough to test the game perfectly in lowres mode. And everything was fine, until I did an export to record materials in hires mode on my desktop. And that's when the trouble started.

The game would start getting micro stuttering, refresh issues a few minutes in. They wouldn't be that distracting though and the game would mostly still keep a fluid framerate. But after 10-20 minutes certain scenes/layouts would verge on unplayable. There would be massive slowdown, stuttering issues (not limited to, but usually on events related with timescale and custom made dynamic zoom to the layout scale-both of with were working fine before ). So I checked through all the updates I added over the month (which was quite a bit due to a pretty intense crunch) and started making test builds to rule the issue out...

I tried:

-trimming the project of unused assets(deleting over 200mb), lowering the estimated RAM by circa 150

-removing the Steam4c2 plugin and all associated files

-removing all options added to the project since 2018 and related logic

and the problem still persisted. Lastly I reverted back to nwjs 015 and it seems to be back to normal. Granted, I tested it for only about 20 minutes, but in this time the previous builds would have already started acting out.

So summing up: if your game has been previously working fine and have recently come across issues with your nwjs export, I'd recommend first trying to revert to your previously tested and verfified version of nwjs.

Thanks for the compliment Steve! <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /> I think it is safe to say the game looks better now, since screens come from the Alpha version.

Sure, if you'd like to take part in the Beta just priv me your email (the download will be via email verification). Should be ready in 2-3 weeks.

As for clips, sure there are a few. As mentioned at the end of the post, I can't seem to embed or add gifs. You can find some on the twitter or Facebook account. twitter.com/mgpstudios facebook.com/MGPStudiosDev Here are also a few links with gameplay impressions, only in Polish I'm afraid :/

gamerweb.pl/2016/10/23/widzielis ... -pga-2016/

polygamia.pl/najdorodniejsze-indyki-pga

lubiegrac.pl/news,gge-2017-sand ... gp-studios

There is also additional info on the presskit, although it hasn't been updated since the Alpha (circa November)

press.mgp-studios.com/sheet.php ... the%20Soul

I'm aiming to add a gameplay trailer soon. The majority of the game was made on a Surface pro 4 and recording gameplay on that device wasn't too reliable. Might take a while, this is a solo project and I am a bit overburdened with getting the Beta related tasks. Nonetheless, will of course post here as soon as its ready.

Hello Everyone,

I would like to share my first game made in Construct2, Sand is the Soul, a multiple ending/choice beatemup/aRPG hybrid.

Before I get started, I would like to thank the awesome Community here at Scirra. If it wasn't for tutorials and helpful posts I wouldn't have got a grasp of the engine so quickly. My current dev/crunch process is pretty brutal and hence don't have much free time, but I hope to share my gained knowledge on working with Construct2 and SitS when the given the chance.

Sand is the Soul started out as a simple side scrolling beatemup in the vein of FinalFight or GoldenAxe, to make a quick buck for my then Publisher. It quickly evolved into something much larger. I simply missed games like Guradian Heroes, River City Ransom, Scott Pilgrim vs the World and suicidally* decided to fill in that niche void.

The game features a distinct lore and no hand holding to the extreme. Besides a few vital button mechanics briefly displayed in the background during the opening scenes, the player is chucked in the deep end from the getgo is practically given complete freedom from the start to achieve 1 of 14 endings.

How you accomplish your mission (or not) is up to you. Be it by abandoning your assigned task and returning home, getting addicted to the Sand (the golden mean of the lore) and ending up as one of the many junkies in the streets, joining a conspiracy to overthrow the government, or simply being a boy scout and saving the day.

i.imgur.com/ajJnbqw.gifv

Or have a relationship with woman or man, or be a complete jerk and reap the benefits, learn new combat styles, rob the shops... This and much much more awaits you and it's all up to the player.

The map is divided into 2 main areas: the Frontier and the Township of CrossHill, more than 300 locations altogether. Additionally custom made lighting effects and a dedicated Sountrack on par with the Sinless OST, which will hopefully give each seen its desired mood. There game also features a few moral systems, sanity system, crime rates, various combat styles and weapons and various paths to obtaining goals. There are many possibilities and to discover them all would take at least a few playthroughs- NG plus is already implemented which will add certain changes to the time corrupted lore.

I have been crunching on the game for the past year. It's currently in Beta and am aiming to release by the end of the year.

If anyone would have any questions, I'll be happy to answer

PS. Since I'm new here, I can't seem to find a way to upload images from the current Beta from my drive so adding Alpha version screenshots from the presskit for now. Also had an issue adding gifs, hence only links for animations. [edit] which don't seem to work. So in case anyone would like to see gameplays gifs, there's quite a bit on twitter twitter.com/mgpstudios [/edit]

Howdy Everyone!

Nice to meet you all. Name's Charlton from Poland and making games at MGP studios-already made/released 2 games Sinless(niche cyberpunk vibed visual novel/cypunk mix, love letter to games like "Rise of the Dragon"etc) and Roll'd (mainstream arcade casual endless runner). First released self published on mobiles, then rereleased via publisher (Forever Entertainment) for Steam and mobiles. Previous projects were made in Cocos2dx (except Roll'd for Steam which was ported to Unity). Due to gamedev being the rough business it is and despite pretty good sales, the games didn't turn in a profit so I was forced to start the new project -Sand is the Soul- solo(couldn't afford working with my programmers:(). And that is when I found Construct2 and I fell in love almost instantly! Of course minus the standard feeling of being overwhelmed when being introduced to any new interface

Been frequenting the forums for the last year or so ever since I got a hold of Construct2. Loving the community, very helpful- I learned a lot through the excellent tutorials and active community. You guys rock! So I thought it is night time I created an account- maybe I'll be able to share some knowledge of my own. Wish I had done this sooner, but I was seriously overburdened by work over the last year (still am:() most of the time crunching 7 times a week.

Anyways, looking forward and hope to be an active member of the community-as much as time and focus will allow- and hope to share some info on Sand is the Soul soon!