J2ME — Building Java Mobile Games Under 128 kB

The article recalls professional J2ME game development under strict 64–256 kB size limits, detailing techniques for minimizing asset sizes. Key methods included using indexed-color PNG palettes with reduced bit depths, stripping optional PNG chunks with tools like PNGOUT, swapping palette chunks for color variations, and optimizing sprite sheet layouts for better compression. Developers also built custom tools to split images, reuse animation elements, and merge assets into single archives for improved ZIP compression.