HTML Flash WebGL Tutorial [Guide] Improving Load Times and Performance for Browser-Based Games

[theuniquebob]

Optimization Guide: Faster Loading for Web Games​

As web-based games become more complex, one of the biggest "player killers" is the initial loading time. If a user has to wait 30 seconds to see the landing page, you've already lost 50% of your traffic. Here are a few technical tips to optimize your assets and keep your players engaged.

1. Use Next-Gen Image Formats Stop using large PNGs or JPEGs for everything.

• WebP: Offers superior compression. You can often reduce file size by 70% with zero visible quality loss.
• AVIF: Even better than WebP, though support on very old browsers is limited.

Tip: Use tools like Squoosh.app to batch convert your assets.

2. Animation: Lottie vs. GIF GIFs are heavy and limited to 256 colors. For UI animations or simple characters:

• Use Lottie (JSON) or DotLottie. They are vector-based, look crisp at any resolution, and weigh only a few KB.
• They run smoothly on the user's GPU, saving CPU cycles for your game logic.

3. Implement Lazy Loading Don't load all your game assets at once.

 // Simple example for images <img src="high-res-scene.webp" loading="lazy" />

Load only what is necessary for the current scene. If your game is divided into "chapters," use a manager to fetch assets in the background while the player is reading.

I hope this helps some of the upcoming devs here! If you have questions about specific libraries or performance bottlenecks, feel free to ask below.​