Performance - Guide - UNITAF Force Manual (FM)




Performance
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Current Version (17 days ago)

Guide
FM/BG-776.V2.00 - Performance
Guide

The single most important aspect of your role as a Zeus is to ensure both a playable experience for the players and exceptional server performance. Achieving this requires careful resource management, particularly regarding objects and AI. The simplest way to maintain good performance is to minimize objects and AI that are not visible or within the effective range of players. Here's how and why:

In Eden Editor:

  • Use simple objects and remove simulation from objects that players will not interact with (walls/set pieces),
    • Simulating physics and interactions for every object in the game world consumes resources unnecessarily. Non-interactive objects don’t need to react to player actions or physics, so disabling simulation reduces the server load without impacting gameplay.
  • Limit general object count if and when possible,
    • Every object in the game world requires processing power, even if players don’t interact with it. Fewer objects mean better performance, especially in high-stress scenarios.
  • Avoid using repeatable scripts where possible,
    • Scripts that loop or execute repeatedly over time consume processing power. This can slow down the server, particularly when multiple scripts are running simultaneously. Consider alternative solutions, such as static or one-time triggers.
  • Avoid using dynamic simulation if the ORBAT uses assets with high-powered optics, such as CAV and Air. This is because dynamic simulation works best when player view distance is very limited. 
    • Dynamic simulation works by disabling simulation for distant objects, making them "inactive" to save resources. However, players using high-powered optics can see objects far beyond the dynamic simulation range, causing immersion-breaking behaviour (e.g., objects disappearing/reappearing) and reducing the effectiveness of the simulation.

In-game:

  • If possible, place AI gradually and not all at once,
    • Spawning large groups of AI at the same time causes sudden spikes in server load, which can result in lag or desynchronization. Gradual placement ensures smoother transitions and maintains server stability.
  • Always wait for the AI to transfer over to an HC, unless there is an urgent emergency,
    • HC offloads AI processing from the main server, significantly improving performance. Skipping this step can lead to unnecessary strain on the main server, especially in larger missions.
  • Delete weapons from downed enemies and once the players move on, delete AI bodies,
    • Weapons and dead bodies are still processed by the server as physical objects, even if they’re no longer relevant to gameplay. Deleting them reduces the burden on the server and keeps performance consistent.
  • Minimize the amount of AI groups, as every group drains resources. As such, do not have 20 individual AI guarding a place, but group them into 2-3 groups.
    • Each AI group has its own set of commands and scripts, which drain server resources. For instance, 20 individual AI groups are significantly more demanding than two groups of 10 units. Grouping AI reduces the number of commands the server must handle while maintaining the same number of enemies.
  • Try to maintain a set number of enemy AI alive at any time and don't exceed 2x the player force under any circumstances,
    • Too many AI units active simultaneously can overwhelm the server, causing lag and performance drops. Limiting their numbers ensures a balanced load while still providing a challenge for players.
  • Minimize the use of fragmenting assets, especially AI-controlled ones, such as automatic grenade launchers or autocannons.
    • Fragmentation calculations from explosions (e.g., grenades, autocannons) create a massive strain on the server. This is especially true for AI-controlled assets, as they often fire continuously and generate numerous fragments.
  • Minimize the number of mobile scripts, such as sound scripts attached to a moving object - scripts, tank performance by a substantial margin.
    • Mobile scripts continuously track the movement and state of objects, which significantly taxes the server. Minimizing their use ensures smoother gameplay and prevents unnecessary performance degradation.
Last major change:

Added justification

Published by SSG Vyqe on 28/01/2025 at 22:00

Previous Versions

Guide
FM/BG-776.V1.00 - Performance
Guide

The single most important aspect of your role is to ensure both a playable experience and exceptional server performance. This can be done in several ways, but the simplest way to ensure good performance is to minimize objects and AI that are not visible or in an effective distance of players.

In Eden Editor:

  • Use simple objects and remove simulation from objects that players will not interact with (walls/set pieces),
  • Limit general object count if and when possible,
  • Avoid using repeatable scripts where possible,
  • Avoid using dynamic simulation if the ORBAT uses assets with high-powered optics, such as CAV and Air. This is because dynamic simulation works best when player view distance is very limited. 

In-game:

  • If possible, place AI gradually and not all at once,
  • Always wait for the AI to transfer over to an HC, unless there is an urgent emergency,
  • Delete weapons from downed enemies and once the players move on, delete AI bodies,
  • Minimize the amount of AI groups, as every group drains resources. As such, do not have 20 individual AI guarding a place, but group them into 2-3 groups.
  • Try to maintain a set number of enemy AI alive at any time and don't exceed 2x the player force under any circumstances,
  • Minimize the use of fragmenting assets, especially AI-controlled ones, such as automatic grenade launchers or autocannons.
  • Minimize the number of mobile scripts, such as sound scripts attached to a moving object - scripts, tank performance by a substantial margin.
Published by SSG Vyqe on 10/12/2024 at 22:54
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