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<blockquote data-quote="Steel_Wind" data-source="post: 3403661" data-attributes="member: 20741">Large areas don't increase lag to any great degree on their own. (Unless you have really low system memory.) The big issue is that they simply increase load times for the area - a lot.&nbsp; Sometimes, area load can take so long that it really interrupts gameplay and breaks immersion.When there is a lot of potential movement in and out of buildings in the area (as there appears to be here) that's where the problems can start.&nbsp; Good area design means that you don't make a village in a 32x32 area.&nbsp; That was true in 2002, it's true in 2007 - and it will be true in 2009 as well.Hard drive access times are not measurably improving by leaps and bounds. Tech improvements will not get you out of that issue.Generally speaking, if you are going to employ large areas, you should do so in the &quot;wild&quot; with few ways in and out of that area.&nbsp; That ensures that when it loads, the player won't be spending a great deal of time doing it again - and will spend his or her time playing in it, instead.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Steel_Wind, post: 3403661, member: 20741"] Large areas don't increase lag to any great degree on their own. (Unless you have really low system memory.) The big issue is that they simply increase load times for the area - a lot. Sometimes, area load can take so long that it really interrupts gameplay and breaks immersion. When there is a lot of potential movement in and out of buildings in the area (as there appears to be here) that's where the problems can start. Good area design means that you don't make a village in a 32x32 area. That was true in 2002, it's true in 2007 - and it will be true in 2009 as well. Hard drive access times are not measurably improving by leaps and bounds. Tech improvements will not get you out of that issue. Generally speaking, if you are going to employ large areas, you should do so in the "wild" with few ways in and out of that area. That ensures that when it loads, the player won't be spending a great deal of time doing it again - and will spend his or her time playing in it, instead. [/QUOTE]

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