File Sizes

One thing game developers need to keep in mind is file size.  It’s much less of a concern for modern PC and console games than it used to be in the days of dial-up internet and CDs (or, for that matter, floppy disks and game cartridges).  So, when it comes to Aurora’s Nightmare, I’m currently more concerned with high quality image and sound files than I am about disk space.  After all, Aurora’s Nightmare is a visual novel so unless I add in full voice acting (which is a possibility, depending on budget and such), the file size shouldn’t be especially large.

That said, I’ve always planned an Android port after the Windows release and, for that, file size will be a much bigger issue.  Mobile devices have limited storage space and many users don’t want especially long download times either.  The trick is finding the right balance between quality and file size.  I’ll probably also need to adjust the aspect ration which will mean re-editing a lot of the in-game art as well.  That said, since I’m not currently planning a simultaneous launch, it’s not something I have to worry about until after the Windows version is finished.  Still, it is something I need to keep in mind for the future.