You could store the map in strings representing, say, 16x16 tiles each. You'll have to replace the entire string when a tile changes, but that shouldn't be a bi

You could store the map in strings representing, say, 16x16 tiles each. You'll have to replace the entire string when a tile changes, but that shouldn't be a big deal if they are only 256 chars. And you might be able to pack multiple tiles in a single char. Or just use an array of ints, if you can be sure that they are stored as primitives.