balrond core optimizer

Balrond Core Optimizer

Client-side CPU, presentation and query optimization for Valheim

Current documentation target: Balrond Core Optimizer 0.2.0

Balrond Core Optimizer (BCO) reduces repeated CPU work that Valheim performs for visual state, equipment presentation, lights, effects, audio and frequently queried world-object lists. It is designed primarily for large bases, dense modded worlds and scenes containing many active components.

BCO follows a conservative rule: do not change gameplay authority just to gain frames. It avoids combat, AI, networking authority, structural integrity, dropped-item physics and production timing. When a result is already known and unchanged, BCO skips redundant presentation/query work. More invasive cadence and scheduler replacements are separated behind Conservative Mode.

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What does BCO optimize?

Static and network-backed visuals

• Armor Stand visual revision gate — skips repeated ArmorStand.UpdateVisual reconstruction while the relevant network-backed data revision is unchanged.
• Item Stand visual revision gate — avoids rebuilding the same attachment visual when its network-backed state has not changed.
• Ward / PrivateArea status visual gate — avoids repeated SetActive and emission writes while preserving vanilla flash re-arming.
• Portal stable emission gate — portal transitions remain full-rate; once the fade reaches a stable endpoint, BCO stops rewriting the same emission color every frame.

Aggressive optional static optimization

• Armor Stand cloth throttling — replaces the vanilla every-frame cloth-distance decision with a throttled squared-distance check.

This feature is blocked by default while Conservative Mode = true.

Character presentation

• VisEquipment equipment signature gate — avoids repeated equipment reconstruction checks when equipped-item state is unchanged.
• VisEquipment color signature gate — avoids repeated skin/hair material color writes when colors, model and generated visual instances are unchanged.

The color gate treats a player model change as an invalidation event, so unchanged RGB values are still re-applied to a newly selected model.

Aggressive optional character optimization

• VisEquipment whole-player revision gate — can skip the entire UpdateVisuals pass while the player visual revision is unchanged, avoiding UpdateBaseModel plus nested equipment/color work.

This feature is blocked by default while Conservative Mode = true.

Production presentation

• Smelter visual-state gate — caches only presentation/animation state. Fuel, ore, roof checks, smoke simulation and production remain vanilla.
• Fireplace visual-state gate — skips stable visual tiers while preserving the vanilla wet-owner toggle/RPC path when it can run.
• Cooking Station visual signature gate — caches slot/status/fire/fuel-visible presentation. Cooking timers and fuel consumption remain vanilla.

Aggressive optional station optimization

• Crafting Station idle dormancy — vanilla CustomUpdate always executes first. Only after the vanilla timers reach their idle thresholds may BCO remove a fully idle station from the CraftingStation updater source. PokeInUse and extension queries wake it again.

This feature is blocked by default while Conservative Mode = true.

Continuous presentation and effects

The conservative profile keeps low-risk endpoint/no-op gates available:

• Cart/Vagon idle tether gate — a detached cart whose tether is already hidden can skip redundant LateUpdate work, with periodic vanilla reconciliation.
• EffectFade stable-endpoint gate — the component stays enabled; BCO skips terminal no-work frames and periodically lets vanilla reconcile.
• MaterialFader stable-endpoint gate — the component stays enabled; direct field changes from other mods remain observable on the next frame.
• ZSFX idle fast gate — ZSFX instances remain registered in Valheim's updater. BCO only skips terminal