RPG Maker MV web building

So, with pirate jam 15 coming up and requiring ONLY web builds, I decided to see what it would have taken to make this game work on web -- Because during the jam I couldn't figure that out.

https://darkscream.itch.io/asqwebdemo

Well, we figured it out! Sort of. To get it to work I had to cut out most of the combat animation files, and delete a bunch of placeholder/WIP maps. But it also forced me to identify a bunch of extra files that didn't really need to be in the package, so that helps the main project too.

But I learned some things about web builds I thought it would be helpful to share:

It worked OK, It even worked on my phone's browser! But.. there are 2 limits to know about itch.io web builds: 1GB file size, and 1000 files. 1GB limit was no issue but, I actually struggled a bit to get under 1k files. It seems RMMV makes a lot of files, and also, a lot of silly things you can avoid with these tips!..

• FOLDERS- Every folder counts as 1 file. Easy to forget about the folders. They count. So try to avoid making extra folders, use the existing ones when possible.
• MAPS- Every map you make is a file. So, best practice is to make max size maps (256x256) - Even if this means different "areas" with the same tileset live on that map file. Also remove unused ones, and maybe avoid using dummy maps as folders/containers for other maps.
• PLUGINS- Leftover, unused plugins may get deployed with your project, even if "turned off" or removed in the plugin menu. If they're in your plugin folder, it will get deployed. Cleanup any you know you won't use.
• TEXT FILES- This is also true of random text files, readme pdfs etc that come with asset packs. If they're in your project folder, they might get deployed, so nuke em. 
• ENEMIES/ANIMATIONS- These usually allow a colour shift inside RMMV, so rather than adding lots of extra files, Don't be afraid to make good use of colour swaps on the same base assets to save file count/filesize.
• SOUND- Same idea for sound effects/music - You can shift the pitch to reuse a track or sound, Also combine BGM with BGS for a different vibe, or use different SE in combination with different timings. The RTP assets can really go a long way if you mix em up a bit.
• DEPLOYMENT(Exclude Builds)- Unfortunately many plugins don't "check in" files properly, thus, you may have to manually copy some back into your folders after deploying the build but before uploading, or "mark" them somewhere else in an event or corner of map, etc.

What I found interesting about all this is it does sorta mirror how old school games were often made - cramming maps or sprite sheets together on the back end that you might not think go together, but for whatever reason it was more efficient or technically sound. Dealing with the limitations of the tech at the time was part of the art of game making. I suppose that's still true, a little bit.

If you're a #piratejam person thinking about RPG Maker for PJ15, Or anyone else new to RM web builds on itch, I hope these tips help!