J2ME Game Optimization Secrets (part 1)
This article describes the role that code optimization plays in writing fast games for mobile devices. Using examples I will show how, when and why to optimize your code to squeeze every last drop of performance out of MIDP-compliant handsets. We will discuss why optimization is necessary and why it is often best NOT to […]
J2ME Game Optimization Secrets (part 2)
Where to Optimize – the 90/10 rule In performance-hungry games, 90 percent of a program’s execution time is spent running 10 percent of the code. It is in this 10 percent of the code that we should concentrate all of our optimization efforts. We locate that 10 percent using a profiler. To turn on the […]
J2ME Game Optimization Secrets (part 3)
Out of the loop? Code inside a for() loop will be executed as many times as the loop iterates. To improve performance, therefore, we want to leave as much code as possible outside of our loops. We can see from the profiler that our paint() method is being called 101 times, and the loop inside […]
J2ME Game Optimization Secrets (part 4)
Low-Level Optimization All programmers are familiar with the concepts of the sub-routine and the function – separate out common code to avoid duplicating it in several places around your app. Unfortunately, this commonly “Good” programming practice can impact performance because method calls involve a certain amount of overhead. The easiest way to reduce the amount […]
J2ME Game Optimization Secrets (part 5)
Other Techniques One technique I was unable to include in my example code was the optimal use of a switch() statement. Switches are very commonly used to implement Finite State Machines, which are used in game Artificial Intelligence code to control the behavior of non-player actors. When you use a switch, it is good programming […]