Ideal Game Length

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Psychii
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Ideal Game Length

Post by Psychii »

So I thought I saw a post that mentioned something like this briefly before but I really couldn't find it again, so apologies if this is a repeated topic. I was wondering what the ideal length (in frames) each game/part of a series should be. I've always thought it would have to be less than 1000 frames to run properly.

I've seen many different ways of going about this. Some people tend to break up their cases into individual investigation and trial sections of each day. Then of course there's incorporating both into the same game by day. Then you get some truly bold people who say screw it and put an entire case, if not multiple cases into singular game.

I get it. Few people want to copy all of their assets from one game into another but when exactly does ending a chapter/game and moving on to another become a must? What's realistically the ideal place to aim for here?
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Enthalpy
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Re: Ideal Game Length

Post by Enthalpy »

As far as I've observed, the length of a trial has no impact on performance in the player, but longer trials do slow down the editor. How severe the slowdown is depends on your browser and your computer. So there is no point at which breaking a trial becomes "a must" for anybody. It depends on how much you're willing to tolerate slow loadtimes and just how slow the loadtimes are given your machine.

Personally, if a single part goes above 3500 frames, I would break it up. Trials above 5000 frames are extremely difficult for me to edit.
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Jofe
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Re: Ideal Game Length

Post by Jofe »

In French section I have published a trial with 4900 frames and at least one player has experienced multiples crashes of his navigator (Firefox, more precisely). So even there is no problem on your side, it is better to think of those who have less efficient PCs.

My PC is an entry-level PC, and loadtimes become longer above 2700 frames in the editor. I think you can go up to 2000 frames without issues for everyone.
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Enthalpy
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Re: Ideal Game Length

Post by Enthalpy »

Ooh, crashes of Firefox are bad.

I'll keep an eye out for performance issues in the player, then.
[D]isordered speech is not so much injury to the lips that give it forth, as to the disproportion and incoherence of things in themselves, so negligently expressed. ~ Ben Jonson
Esrom
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Re: Ideal Game Length

Post by Esrom »

Enthalpy wrote:As far as I've observed, the length of a trial has no impact on performance in the player, but longer trials do slow down the editor. How severe the slowdown is depends on your browser and your computer. So there is no point at which breaking a trial becomes "a must" for anybody. It depends on how much you're willing to tolerate slow loadtimes and just how slow the loadtimes are given your machine.

Personally, if a single part goes above 3500 frames, I would break it up. Trials above 5000 frames are extremely difficult for me to edit.
I have noted, too, that trials that have lengthy investigations and trial sequences all within one part tend to run slower. I personally would break things up at the natural moments we would expect the 'to be continued' text to appear in the canon games. For example, when an investigation's ending and it's time to go to the court room, or when the court calls for recess after a development calls for a new witness or for calling the lab to analyze evidence and such. And when a court session ends and another investigation begins. Or when some new twist comes along that causes the protagonist to internally ask a lot of questions... that sort of thing.

I'm assuming, however, that those who put it all in one segment go to the 6000 frames and beyond range. As a result, when I play those cases, sometimes they tend to run slow. Sometimes text, sprites, and so forth slow down.

3500 or less frames in a single part seems reasonable. Enough there for, say, a good investigation segment where you can present lots of evidence and profiles to everyone and get additional dialogue and Easter eggs. But I'm hardly one to talk, as the only trial I've completed to date didn't go that far beyond 1000 frames counting Easter eggs. (it was pretty much an all-courtroom trial with no investigation segments).
Mr. Judgment
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Case Frame Limit

Post by Mr. Judgment »

Does anyone know how many frames you can have in one case? I'm trying to figure out that number so I can decide ahead of time when to split the case into multiple parts? I'm trying to attempt something very different from other cases and need to know how bulky it's gonna be.
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Enthalpy
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Re: Ideal Game Length

Post by Enthalpy »

Please see the other posts in this topic.
[D]isordered speech is not so much injury to the lips that give it forth, as to the disproportion and incoherence of things in themselves, so negligently expressed. ~ Ben Jonson
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