PS1 Performance: Graphics, Animation, and Sound
As I brought graphics, scripts, collision, animation, and audio together in Polygon Engine, I needed to look at the work they perform as a whole. Counting a scene's polygons helps explain part of that workload, but leaves out many operations needed to run the game.
Even a small room can contain scripts running continuously, animated objects, lights, and several active sounds. Some surfaces may also overlap and cover much of the screen. To decide what to optimize, I needed to understand the cost of each system and how those costs add up.