1) Make it per tile, instead of per space. That way, even though it's a 512x512 map, if you're only using 500 different tiles, you're only using a few K of memory. In my experience it's very rare to have 2 different attributes for the same tile picture.

2) if the attrib structs are read-only (never modified in the game), how about this: Each block on your grid has a pointer to an attrib struct... at load-time (or even better, at save-time in your tile editor), you check each block. If they've got the same attributes, you set their pointers to the same struct, thus avoiding the wasted memory associated with the duplicate struct.

I've never tried #2, but I've found that #1, combined with a VERY small set of flags for each space on the map (say, 2 bytes each), seems to work well.

And finally, a shameless advertisement. If you need a 256 color tile editor, check out MapMaker 5, at www.spin-studios.com/products/mm5.asp. Full color printing, unlimited parallax/tiles, post-it notes, and more.

Hope it helps...

Mason McCuskey
Spin Studios
www.spin-studios.com

Anyway, good luck with the game.

------------------
Visit the homepage of my (soon to be 'net multiplayer) Tank Game at http://members.home.net/chris-man

[This message has been edited by Cromulus (edited September 28, 1999).]

You have given me much to think about.
Mason, I like idea #2, it may be the most viable solution.

As for the map size, perhaps that is large. I wont really know for sure until I put something on that canvas we call a direct draw surface
I am trying to create an RPG world. I guess I could take a the same approach used in Baldur's Gate where they had smallish sections connected to each other by a "cloth" map.. Or string sections togheter, that might work.

Thanks again for all the help.
-OberonZ

BTW: This is why I love GD. The interaction between game-devs and game-dev hopefulls that is otherwise difficult to achieve. To those that created it, you rock my world.

I have a structure in my game that represents a tile. These "blocks" (original, ain't it? ) are defined as such

code:

typedef struct tagBlock{DWORD dwFlags;WORD  wTileIndex;WORD  wObjectIndex;WORD  cxObjPos, cyObjPos;} BLOCK, * PBLOCK;

A little explenation:
dwFlags = user defined flags, denote if the block is impassable, a trigger or whatnot.
w*Index are indecies (sp?) in a tile list
c?ObjPos are the x,y coordinates of the object in the tile.

This is 96 bytes. In a map 512x512 this is a wopping 24MB! This seems a tad much. Even on a smaller map, say 320x320 it's over 9MB. Maybe my understanding of memery management under Windows it tenuous (it is), but is there a better way?

I could have an insanely small map, that then it wouldn't be much fun, as for the struct, I need all that data.

Thanks,
-OberonZ