Optimal Tileset Length

[TeiRaven]

(I waffled if this belonged in "tutorials" or "maker-specific"--please move if necessary, mods!)

So I've only been using RMXP for thirteen years or so and I really ought to know this by now, but is there an optimal tileset length for XP? Of course they can go on forever, but I've read that longer tilesets can slow things down. Is there a rule of thumb for how long is "too long," or does it depend as much on the player's computer as on the game itself?

For example, the tilesets I'm working with all fit the same formula of pieces (ie, four floor tiles, two wall types, two bed types, two blanket types, two table types, more-or-less the same kind of table clutter, and so on.) To help me keep track of them while I work, they're currently all in one document, about 2500px long. Is it generally preferable to have a smaller number of tilesets for the program to keep track of, or more tilesets with less information on each?

I've been deliberately holding off on mapping anything (besides color tests) so it's not like I'll have to redo any maps--but if I don't have to split it into half a dozen different sets that are 50% similar table clutter anyways, that would be delightful.

 

[KK20]

Yeah, mileage varies per user's computer, specifically CPU and RAM. This really isn't something I have ever experimented with myself either. I will hypothesize that it's less of an issue these days and doesn't apply so much as it did nearly 15 years ago. Would be cool if you could share your findings and have others test/confirm for themselves.

 

[TeiRaven]

Ha! Well, I guess this is indeed my cue to do some experimenting.

I'll put together some similarly-sized demo tilesets (one big one vs four small ones), and make visually-identical maps in separate projects. I'll post download links here, and anyone who cares to try them out can share their results! For science!

(Links forthcoming, I'll edit this post when I have it ready.)