Suggestions for best practices using AC???

sonicjoy

I'm developing my first Unity point-and-click game using Adventure Creator and I'd like some advice for best practices regarding memory usage for 2D games.

I have developed one scene which contains a large background graphic (wide-shot of a room), with inventory items and other graphics (furniture, like a desk) above it. The user can click on a hotspot on the desk to interact with it. Since the user will need to see the desk close up and in more detail, I used a Camera-Switch action to change the view to another large background graphic of the desk close-up with drawers, etc. I have several of these large background graphics in the scene, each with its own camera focused on it.

My question is: When the user needs to interact with the close-ups should I be changing scenes instead, or using the Camera-Switch action as I have now? I'm concerned that there might be memory issues since there are several large background graphics in my scene (close-up of the desk, close-up of the TV, close-up of a cabinet). I started using this method to save the user from having to wait between scene changes but maybe this isn't a good method.

Any suggestions from seasoned developers would be greatly appreciated!

ChrisIceBox

Most best practices regarding memory usage will be the same for all Unity games, not just those that rely on AC.  There are plenty of threads on Unity's own forums as well as pages in Unity's manual with good general tips.  The import settings of your texture assets are a good first port-of-call for managing your memory usage.

Decisions such as whether to split or scenes etc need to account for your target platform, which you haven't stated.  If you do separate each background into their own scene, you can rely on the Scene: Switch Action's Preload only? option to preload the next scene in advance - which can help reduce load times.

The AC Manual's "Performance and optimisation" chapter covers AC-specific tips on boosting your game's performance, but a lot of them are tweaks that apply once you have your game up and running.