Fairer world updates

Vanilla Valheim waits 0.05 seconds, then handles one connection (peer) per update-loop cycle until everyone gets a turn.

The problem is that every additional player makes the wait until someone's next turn longer.

Network replaces this with an evenly paced adaptive round-robin scheduler:

• 1-10 players: targets 30 send passes/sec each.
• 11-14 players: smoothly decreases from 30 to 20.
• 15+ players: targets 20 send passes/sec each.
• Each player is handled at most once per update-loop cycle.
• Network cannot run faster than the server's update loop.

Each send pass allows Network to send one chunk (ZDO batch) of changed world data to one player.

If little or nothing has changed, that batch can be small or empty.

Why does vanilla slow down?

Using a server running at 30 update-loop cycles/sec:

A headless dedicated server still runs Valheim's update loop even though it does not render graphics.

The 30/sec example above refers to server processing speed, not your monitor refresh rate or graphical FPS.

Better nearby-object checks

Valheim normally updates a player's server-side reference position every two seconds.

That reference position is used when deciding which nearby world objects should be sent to that player.

Network instead reads the player's live character ZDO position before building the send list.

In other words, it checks around where you are now, rather than potentially checking around where you were up to two seconds ago.

Moving things first

Network gives additional send priority to important moving objects.

The priority order is:

1. Players
2. Ships
3. Creatures

Valheim's normal ownership, distance, and staleness rules still participate in the final decision.

Network does not permanently starve scenery or override Valheim's normal networking rules. Older world state still gets its turn to catch up.

Smarter Steam settings

Network removes Valheim's low Steam send limit while still allowing Steam Networking Sockets to reduce its rate when a connection is struggling.

The default pending-data buffer is 4 MB.

This gives the connection room to absorb temporary bursts without allowing an enormous queue of old reliable updates to build up during congestion.

Network also uses separate configurable:

• Connection timeout
• Send rate ceiling
• Send rate floor
• Send buffer size

Raising these values does not automatically make a bad connection faster.

Crossplay / PlayFab

Network works on crossplay servers.

When the connection uses PlayFab, the Steam-specific connection settings are skipped because that connection is not using Steam Networking Sockets.

The rest of Network's improvements still apply.

Smooth public map markers

Normally, remote public player positions can appear to jump between updates on the map.

When enabled:

• The server sends public player positions every 0.5 seconds.
• Network clients smoothly interpolate movement between those positions.
• Private player positions remain private.
• Large jumps such as teleports snap immediately instead of sliding across the map.

This requires Network on both the server/host and the client viewing the markers.

Early connection guard

Network also includes protection for world data (ZDOData) arriving unusually early during connection setup.

It keeps early data separate for each connection until that client's ZDO peer exists.

This catches data that arrives before ZDOMan.AddPeer has registered Valheim's normal handler, which can happen when another mod changes connection timing.

Classic Network

This disables the newer networking improvements and leaves only Network's original behavior active:

• Steam send-limit removal
• Early ZDOData connection guard

The following are disabled:

• Adaptive scheduling
• Live peer positions
• Larger ZDO batches
• Actor priority
• Improved Steam settings
• Smooth map markers
• Patch conflict warnings

The connection timeout remains vanilla.

[1 - General]
Enable Networking Improvements = Off

Balanced Bandwidth

Use this if the server or host has limited upload bandwidth or starts dropping packets in busy areas.

[2 - ZDO Sending]
Send Interval = 0.1
Increase Batch Size = Off

This targets approximately 10 send passes/sec per player with vanilla-sized batches.

At 15 players and 30 server update-loop cycles/sec, that is still more than five times vanilla's per-player send rate.

If the server still struggles, you can also set:

Max Peers Per Frame

to approximately half the active player count.

When testing changes, compare performance with:

• The same number of players
• In the same area
• Under approximately the same server load

Otherwise, the comparison may not mean much.

Keep better selection and priority, but use vanilla scheduling

If you want Network's live position checks and send priority without its adaptive scheduler:

[2 - ZDO Sending]
Adaptive ZDO Scheduler = Off
Increase Batch Size = Off
Refresh Peer Interest Position = On

[3 - Send Priority]
Prioritize Players And Creatures = On

Config values are not synchronized.

Change them separately on each server, host, or client where Network is installed.

The tables below use these labels:

• Server/Host - Dedicated server or player hosting the world.
• Client - Each player's game.
• This installation - Applies locally wherever Network is installed.

Every optional feature below also requires:

Enable Networking Improvements = On

1 - General

2 - ZDO Sending

A ZDO is one of Valheim's internal representations of saved/networked world state.

For example:

• Player
• Creature
• Ship
• Door
• Dropped item
• Other synchronized world objects

Send Interval and Max Peers Per Frame require the adaptive scheduler.

Batch Size requires Increase Batch Size.

3 - Send Priority

4 - Steam

These settings affect Steam sockets only.

They do nothing while improved Steam settings are disabled.

5 - Map Markers

The last two settings do nothing while Smooth Player Markers is disabled.