Optimisation is the key to creating a great mobile game without compromising on gameplay and visuals.

Art assets created, animated and converted to pixel art, there was still a need to reduce and optimise filesize.

The limitations were such that if the optimisation techniques listed below were not thought of and applied, the game would end up having 2 opponents instead of 6; 1 level instead of 3 and so on.The game couldn't have become what it was conceptualised to be, if it were not for the optimisation techniques.

Following are the optimisation techniques used for Van Damme Kickboxing....

Body Part Technique
Limitation of file size is always a concern for the mobile platform though the latest high-end phones do make allowance for bigger file size, additional features and freedom to use high-quality graphics. Van Damme Kickboxing, however was to be designed keeping in mind limitations of weaker handsets without losing its appeal. Therefore, one of the main tasks at hand was file size optimisation.

`The game was designed with about 6-7 characters. However, if the conventional method was used, it would have allowed creation of only two characters at the maximum for the basic handsets. This was tackled by identifying common moves of body parts, like torso, hands and legs. So, to reduce the file size, common body parts were used for different moves of the same character, as well as different characters. For instance, Van Damme and Shadow, an enemy character, share the same torso.

For applying the body-part technique the art and the coding team had to follow a meticulous procedure. That of :

1. Splitting each of the 6 characters into different body parts
2. Splitting these body parts into layers and naming the layers
3. Animating the body parts, making sure the animation and movement is smooth and life-like
4. Building reference files for each move of each character
5. Giving the programming team the exact ‘x’ and ‘y’ coordinates for each move, for each body part

Whew! Check out these for visual reference

Varied poses & postures (Library split according to body parts)
JCVD Heads	JCVD Chest	JCVD Hands	JCVD Legs1	JCVD Legs2

The above procedure worked well as an optimizing technique and was made even more efficient by creating a plugin for the entire process.

Naming conventions and  X'Y cordinates x, y coordinates are respectively the horizontal and vertical addresses of any pixel or addressable point on a display screen.
There was a good reason why the simple process of naming became a laborious task and was to be carried out with extra precision.

· The game had 7 characters.
· Every character had 6-7 moves each.
· Each move comprised 10-11 frames.
· Each frame had 6 body parts.
· All of these required exact ‘x’ and ‘y’ coordinates to fill up the arrays.

This would have required the same time as the development of a character itself! Therefore, a plugin was imperative to cut down on time. This was important since the game had to be developed within a tight framework of deadlines by the client.

The Tiling software
Though games sport a variety of backgrounds, due to restriction of screen and file sizes on the mobile platform, it becomes challenging to create the desired background. For example, if there's a wall in the background, conventionally it is created as a single huge block running through the game. This, however, can increase the file size significantly.

Therefore, for Van Damme Kickboxing, a single tile was created and replicated to give the effect of a constant background. This helped to reduce the file size considerably. Usually, this is done manually and is a tedious process, but for Van Damme Kickboxing, the art team at Paradox created an application to make the process simpler.

	Optimising meant that micro assets were created and tiled to create entire Backgrounds by adding in a few other elements

This application allowed to drag and drop tiles, provided the exact ‘x’ and ‘y’x, y coordinates are respectively the horizontal and vertical addresses of any pixel or addressable point on a display screen.  co-ordinates and created an executable Java code for the programmers to follow, making it possible to create seamless backgrounds using 32x32 pixel images.

Symmetry Technique
Since file optimisation was a key concern, even the objects were designed to achieve the same objective. This was done by using symmetrical objects and creating only one half of the object, flipping it, and combining the two to form a single image. This was applied as much as possible without compromising the look and feel of the game. (This means that by creating symmetrical scapes, half the scape would have to be loaded onto the handset whereby reducing filesize. This half would later through code be duplicated, flipped and displayed)

Back Ground1 One part of Symmetrically created assets used Left cliff Right Rock Mountains

Screen space saving techniques
Van Damme Kickboxing is an intensive beat ‘em up. This means that the characters have a volley of movements while facing each other. There was a need to devise a technique that could help show their movements in full grace even in the restricted screen space. To do this, two techniques were employed:

1. As far as relevant, the same frames were used for different positions. For e.g., the frame just before a flying kick could be used for the frame just before landing.

2. The characters, after making the move, landed on the almost the same area they had begun from. This helped minimise a scroll.

Quite a lot goes into a mobile game isn't it?

We were'nt joking when we likened Mobile game creation to engraving the Mahabharata on a grain of rice. Anyways there's still a lot more to be done. Time for the coding and AI.

*(Animation 'xpress case studies are now enabled with Text Tips. Hover your mouse over a technical term to read its definition. All Text Tips are highlighted)