Optimization Techniques for Nethercore ZX

WASM Optimization

Cargo.toml Settings

[profile.release]
lto = true           # Link-time optimization
opt-level = "z"      # Optimize for size
codegen-units = 1    # Better optimization
panic = "abort"      # Smaller than unwind
strip = true         # Strip symbols

Post-Build

wasm-opt -Oz game.wasm -o game.wasm

Typical savings: 20-40%

Texture Optimization

All textures use BC7 compression (4:1 ratio):

Original	Compressed
256×256 RGBA (256 KB)	64 KB
512×512 RGBA (1 MB)	256 KB

Resolution targets:

• UI elements: 256×256
• Characters: 256-512
• Environment: 128-256

Mesh Optimization

Format	Size/Vertex
Position only	12 bytes
Pos + UV	20 bytes
Pos + UV + Normal	32 bytes
Full	40 bytes

Poly targets:

• Background props: 50-200
• Interactive props: 100-500
• Characters: 500-2000

Audio Optimization

• Sample rate: 22050 Hz (engine limit)
• Channels: Mono only
• Use XM modules for music (95% savings vs WAV)

State Size Reduction

// Use compact types
struct Position { x: f32, y: f32 }  // 8 bytes
struct Position { x: i16, y: i16 }  // 4 bytes (fixed-point)

// Fixed arrays, not Vec
entities: [Entity; 64],  // Known size

Quick Wins Checklist

• LTO and opt-level = "z" in Cargo.toml
• wasm-opt -Oz on final binary
• Texture resolutions at 256×256 default
• Music as XM format
• Fixed arrays instead of Vec