Optimizations

Supported platforms:

When you're ready to optimize your game, this page can be helpful.

Luau

You can take advantage of Luau new features added to Gideros:

• Integer Divide Operator
• Larger and Smaller Operators
• Mutation Operators
• Native Code Generation
• Trigonometry Conversion Operators
• Type Checking

Various Functions

Distance

-- distance (based on simple functions test timer by @antix)
local distance, random, sqrt = math.distance, math.random, math.sqrt

local x1, y1, x2, y2 = random(-10000, 10000), random(-10000, 10000), random(-10000, 10000), random(-10000, 10000)

-- classic (boring!)
local dx, dy
-- with vectors
local p1, p2 = vector(x1, y1), vector(x2, y2)

-- init
local dist = distance(x1, y1, x2, y2)
print("")
print("*** POINT A: "..x1, y1, "POINT B: "..x2, y2)
print("*** DISTANCE:      "..dist)

dist = #(p2-p1)
print("*** VECTORS DIST.: "..dist)
print("")

-- tests
local data = {
	{
		"sqrt                           ",
		function()
			dx, dy = x2-x1, y2-y1
			dist = sqrt(dx*dx + dy*dy)
		end, -- 50ms
	},
	{
		"exponent                       ",
		function()
			dx, dy = x2-x1, y2-y1
			dist = (dx^2 + dy^2)^0.5
		end, -- 37ms
	},
	{
		"multiply/exponent              ",
		function()
			dx, dy = x2-x1, y2-y1
			dist = (dx*dx + dy*dy)^0.5
		end, -- 40ms
	},
	{
		"multiply/exponent without power",
		function()
			dx, dy = x2-x1, y2-y1
--			dist = dx*dx + dy*dy
			dist = dx^2 + dy^2
		end, -- 36ms but wrong result!
	},
	{
		"math.distance                  ",
		function()
			dist = distance(x1, y1, x2, y2)
		end, -- 53ms
	},
	{
		"Luau VECTORS                   ",
		function()
			dist = #(p2-p1)
		end, -- 24ms => this is our WINNER (Gideros 2024.11+)
	},
}
 
-- run all functions
for i = 1, #data do
	local block = data[i]
	local func = block[2]
	local start = os.timer()
	for i = 1, 1000000 do -- 1 million repetitions!
		func()
	end
	local elapsed = math.floor((os.timer() - start) * 1000)
	print(block[1].." ("..elapsed.."ms)", "", "distance: "..dist)
end

--[[ RESULTS

*** POINT A: -4709	7129	POINT B: 5172	7263
*** DISTANCE:      9881.908570716489
*** VECTORS DIST.: 9881.908520118976

sqrt                            (50ms)		distance: 9881.908570716489
exponent                        (37ms)		distance: 9881.908570716489
multiply/exponent               (40ms)		distance: 9881.908570716489
multiply/exponent without power (36ms)		distance: 97652117
math.distance                   (53ms)		distance: 9881.908570716489
Luau VECTORS                    (24ms)		distance: 9881.908520118976]]

Sprite Sorting

-- sprite sorting (based on simple functions test timer by @antix)
local random = math.random

local sprites = {}

for i = 1, 64 do
	sprites[i] = {}
	sprites[i].spr1 = Pixel.new(0x0, 1, 64, 64)
	sprites[i].spr1:setPosition(random(1, 640), 48) -- 48, 96
	stage:addChild(sprites[i].spr1)
	sprites[i].spr2 = Pixel.new(0xff0000, 1, 64, 64)
	sprites[i].spr2:setPosition(random(1, 640), 64)
	stage:addChild(sprites[i].spr2)
end

local spr1y, spr2y = 0, 0

-- tests
local data = {
	{
		"swap",
		function()
			for _, v in pairs(sprites) do
				if v.spr1:getY() < v.spr2:getY() then
					spr1y, spr2y = v.spr1:getY(), v.spr2:getY()
					stage:swapChildren(v.spr1, v.spr2)
				end
			end
		end, -- 816ms (much better than addChildAt)
	},
	{
		"addChildAt",
		function()
			for _, v in pairs(sprites) do
				if v.spr1:getY() < v.spr2:getY() then
					spr1y, spr2y = v.spr1:getY(), v.spr2:getY()
					stage:addChildAt(v.spr1, stage:getChildIndex(v.spr2))
				end
			end
		end, -- 1272ms
	},
	{
		"async swap",
		function()
			local function fun()
				for _, v in pairs(sprites) do
					if v.spr1:getY() < v.spr2:getY() then
						spr1y, spr2y = v.spr1:getY(), v.spr2:getY()
						stage:swapChildren(v.spr1, v.spr2)
					end
				end
			end
			Core.asyncCall(fun) -- profiler seems to be faster without asyncCall (because of pairs traversing?)
		end, -- 29ms (the best but has some glitches!)
	},
}
 
-- run all functions
for i = 1, #data do
	local block = data[i]
	local func = block[2]
	local start = os.timer()
	for i = 1, 25000 do func() end -- 12500
	local elapsed = math.floor((os.timer() - start) * 1000)
	print(block[1].." ("..elapsed.."ms)", spr1y, spr2y)
end

More to come, God's willing!

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