Req: Un-cache entity+sprites from memory via script?

[MatMan]

I asked this ages ago and I'm not sure if it was resolved.

Is there a way to unload a entity via script or even something that would unload them at the end of a stage.

[utunnels]

loadmodel(name, unload);


If you want to unload a model after the level, use loadmodel("yourmodelname", 1)

[MatMan]

loadmodel(name, unload);

Thats freaking awesome.

If you want to unload a model after the level, use loadmodel("yourmodelname", 1)

Does this work even if you loaded the entity in a previous stage? (usefull to know but not important)

[Plombo]

loadmodel(name, unload);

Thats freaking awesome.

If you want to unload a model after the level, use loadmodel("yourmodelname", 1)

Does this work even if you loaded the entity in a previous stage? (usefull to know but not important)

It should.

[utunnels]

Yes, but that doesn't help much if you want to gain more memory since the sprites are not freed.

[MatMan]

Yes, but that doesn't help much if you want to gain more memory since the sprites are not freed.

Just tried "loadmodel("yourmodelname", 1)" and as mentioned it doesn't free memory up.

Is there please a possibility of adding this feature as this would give me  a very usefull capability of adding a rather important and big feature to my game that would let me do so much more (including console support) with the game.

Freeing memory from sprites would let me add this feature in (which has been finished coded by me today but needs the free feature)....
Major change to the "Generator", Now you can set a limit to the Variaty of Enemies at a time.(This was made to be very easy because UTunnels made array variables possible. Big Thanx UT!!!!!!)
What this means is.......
..Can run MixMasters on lower memory systems. You set the limit to your liking
..Can have an unlimited amount of enemies, boss's in MixMasters. I've been waiting for this a long time
..Future versions can have custom lists such as spawn "Capcom only Enemies", "Street Fighter only Enemies",  "Stage/Chapter Specific Enemies" or "Female only Enemies" etc.
..Now is capable of playing on console systems like psp (Doesn't work on them yet)
....Still needs work to lower memory some more.
....Anybody can do this easily with OpenBorStats (although I still need to organise my entity types better though).
....Things like background animations can have lower animations frame counts and especially Flash's and fireballs etc...

[utunnels]

I think you can store some animations in arrays using loadsprite and free them after you've done using them.
As for the models, it is still hard to do because of the sprites sometimes use references of each other (like you load a frame with different offset, and the sprite handle is shared among the two sprites). It is not impossible, but someone needs a fairly long time to code the feature and test it.

[Damon Caskey]

This request is one of those that just isn't as simple as it sounds. SX and I have discussed it at length before.

The problem is how sprite indexing works. OpenBOR uses a dynamic sprite table, which is why it can have an unlimited number of sprites and also run as optimally as it does.

Remove an item from the table and you either a) have to leave a space in place to maintain indexing, meaning you don't get your memory back anyway, or b) every entry after the removed sprites is reassigned a new index - but everything calling back to said index is not. Obviously at that point the whole module falls apart. At best, every single animation whose resources were in a position after the deleted subjects would display the wrong sprites. More likely, the module would simply crash.

DC

*Edit*: Ninja'd by UT.

[utunnels]

Oh, speaking the animations, I recall there's an spritea property coded by DC a while back that can be accessed via get/changeentityproperty, where you replace the sprite_map slot with a new sprite or free the old one.

So I think there can be trick to do that if you know what you are handling though it is not safe.

[MatMan]

......after the removed sprites is reassigned a new index.....

Ooooooooooo. I can understand how much work that will be in the long run for a feature that most probably is unlikely to be used by most modders.

Anyhow, I won't be able to use the spawn limiter in the way i wanted to but there are a few other ideas on how I can compensate.

Thanx for the info guys. 

[Fightn Words]

There's another way you can save memory yourself but it's involved. Shave off the excess unneeded background area around your entity's and make the level graphics tiles.

[BeasTie]

sometimes backgrounds can have a lot of unneeded shades in the palette, using photoshop or similar, convert the bg to RGB mode then back to indexed color mode, chose palette 'exact' and no forced options.  This will reduce the palette to just what's needed, I wouldnt of thought it would of made much diff on a PC but i noticed it ran smoother afterwards, of course you would have to be in 16-bit color mode or the backgrounds need the entire master palette.