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onion-mc/analysis/client-perf/research/r8-sweep-content-mobs.md
T
logan 611a1a5952 docs: client-perf analysis, bench harness and work journal 
Everything the next agent needs to run the Phase 2 optimisation loop on a
machine that can launch the client:

- analysis/client-perf/: LEVERS (ranked levers + corrections), BENCH-MATRIX
  (world, scenes, config IDs, blocks B0-B14 with decision rules),
  PLAYER-TUNING, SPAWN-TUNING, research briefs, the jar scanner and its
  output, observed default configs, and proposed-configs/ (build.py
  generates tiers and bench variants and fails on unknown keys;
  apply_variant.py applies a variant and merges options.txt).
- analysis/client-perf/bench/onion-bench/: bench-world datapack (scene
  teleports, Create grid, mob pen, sound storm, 120 s teleport tour).
- analysis/audit/: the static recipe/dependency audit, including gen_fixes.py,
  which generates the shipped Paxi datapack and was never tracked.
- phase0/: per-machine measurement harness (Steam Deck, 7700K/1060,
  6700K/1080 Ti).
- .pi/journal.md: running work log; read it first.

All of it is packwizignored, so nothing here ships to players.
2026-10-14 18:15:32 -04:00

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# Research: Client-side performance sweep — content/mob mods (Onion MC, 1.21.1 / NeoForge 21.1.251)
Scope: client-side only (frame time, client tick, RAM/VRAM, startup). All pinned versions are 1.21.1 NeoForge. Every claim is tagged **VERIFIED** (primary source directly states it), **DOCUMENTED** (official changelog/wiki/README), **COMMUNITY** (user reports, issue trackers, forums), or **INFERENCE** (my reasoning from the sources).
## Summary
The content/mob mods are individually cheap, but the *stack* has three real client-side risk patterns: (1) **entity-count inflation** — Alex's Mobs (unofficial port), Fowlplay and Critters and Companions all have open reports of over-spawning, which directly increases client render + tick work; (2) **animation cost multipliers** — Fresh Animations / EMF-ETF make every animated modded mob far more expensive to render, and EMF has a documented blow-up with many mobs on screen; (3) **a handful of specific offenders** (Ars Nouveau brand-new mirrorweave/SkyWeave rendering, Apotheosis loot beams, Citadel entity tracking) that are either already fixed in the pinned versions or have config levers. Most mods in this list have **no known client perf issues at all**.
---
## Per-mod table
Legend for **cost type**: frame = render-thread cost; c-tick = client tick; RAM/VRAM; startup; none-known.
| Mod (pinned) | What it does | Client cost type | Known perf issues (URL + fixed?) | Perf-relevant config levers (exact keys only if seen) | Judgement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Alex's Mobs unofficial port 1.22.17** | 85+ animated new mobs | **frame**, c-tick, RAM (models/textures) | • Raguto port #62 "tons of monsters constantly spawn when mod is enabled" ramps up *vanilla* monster spawns → more entities to render — **OPEN** on 1.21.1 ([#62](https://github.com/Raguto/AlexsMobs-1.21.1/issues/62)) **COMMUNITY**<br>• Original mod reputation: "notoriously bad for performance… noticeable increase in lag caused by all the spawning" ([Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/feedthebeast/comments/1sjfen3/is_alexs_mobs_really_that_bad_performancewise/)) **COMMUNITY**<br>• Over-spawning lobsters/catfish/flyfish/terrapins breaking beds/boats ([SteamPunk #83](https://github.com/LunaPixelStudios/SteamPunk/issues/83)) **COMMUNITY**<br>• Fabric port: vertex explosions/tearing with Sodium+Iris shaders, all shaderpacks ([Alexs-Mobs-Fabric #121](https://github.com/astryxion/Alexs-Mobs-Fabric/issues/121), Sep 2026, **OPEN**, Fabric build not our port) **COMMUNITY**<br>• Leafcutter-ant tick lag was server-side TPS ([#382](https://github.com/Alex-the-666/AlexsMobs/issues/382)) | Per-mob spawn probability lives in the `alexsmobs` config folder (Fandom *Configuration* page, per-mob spawn probabilities) **DOCUMENTED** — exact keys not read (page returned 403). | **tune** — keep, but cap spawn rates |
| **Citadel port 2.7.6** (Alex's Mobs lib) | Shared models/AI/entity-data library | frame, RAM | • "Alex's Mobs X Citadel: Slow Chunk loading" — chunk-generation lag; user reports setting Citadel's *track entities* option to false helped slightly ([Citadel #156](https://github.com/AlexModGuy/Citadel/issues/156), closed "completed" 2025-06-25, still reported persisting Dec 2024) **COMMUNITY**<br>• Historic memory leak 609 MB (`registeredEntityData` / `WeakIdentityHashMap`), 1.16.3, ([Citadel #12](https://github.com/Alex-the-666/Citadel/issues/12)) — very old, assumed long fixed **COMMUNITY** | Issue cites `citadel-common.toml` entity-**tracking** toggle (exact key not verified — do not invent) | **keep** |
| **Mowzie's Mobs 1.8.2** | Boss-tier animated enemies (GeckoLib) | frame | • #30 "Performance issues, outdated file structures" on **1.21.1 / NeoForge 21.1.219 / MM 1.8.1** — spark showed mowziesmobs structure processing; owner: "I believe I have fixed the issue… next mod patch" ([#30](https://github.com/BobMowzie/MowziesMobs-Public/issues/30), closed 2026-03-13); our **1.8.2 presumably contains it** **INFERENCE**<br>• Elokosa leap checks tick cost ([#38](https://github.com/BobMowzie/MowziesMobs-Public/issues/38), [#59](https://github.com/BobMowzie/MowziesMobs-Public/issues/59)) — server/tick side **COMMUNITY**<br>• Old Frostmaw FPS drop ([Crackpack-3 #101](https://github.com/DarkPacks/Crackpack-3/issues/101), 1.12-era) **COMMUNITY** | none known | **keep** |
| **Adorable Hamster Pets 3.7.0** | Tiny animated pet hamsters (genetics/NBT heavy) | frame, c-tick, RAM/NBT | • 3.6.1 changelog: "Resolved… pathfinding and AI issues where tamed hamsters following the player would sometimes experience **server-tick lag spikes**… with a lot of hamsters [following] at once" — **fixed in 3.6.1**, therefore present in 3.7.0 **DOCUMENTED** ([Modrinth](https://modrinth.com/mod/adorable-hamster-pets/version/QitZ5fVO))<br>• 3.6.0: moved genome tracking to IntArray NBT "without lagging the player entity" **DOCUMENTED** | "Wander Mode" radius; a config fallback for auto-guidebook delivery ([changelogs](https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods/adorable-hamster-pets/files/7969762)) — exact keys not read | **keep** |
| **Doggy Talents Next 1.19.1** | Skill-tree/accessory overhaul of vanilla wolves | frame (custom dog models/skins) | No dedicated client-FPS issue found. Related: CarryOn #684 progressive instability/stall ([CarryOn #684](https://github.com/Tschipp/CarryOn/issues/684)) **COMMUNITY**. Wiki: creative dog beds "randomly generated to a certain limit… to avoid performance issues" ([FAQ](https://doggytalentsnext.wiki.gg/wiki/FAQ)) **DOCUMENTED** | Skin enable/disable per client (CurseForge file notes) **DOCUMENTED** | **keep** |
| **Better Dogs X DTN 1.2.2** | Replaces DTN dog models/skins | frame (slightly heavier models) | No perf issue found ([Modrinth](https://modrinth.com/mod/better_dogs_x_doggy_talents_next)) | none known | **keep** |
| **Icy's Better Horses 2.1.0.1** | Horse AI/progression/traversal tweaks | none-known | No perf issue. One **client crash** with another mod (#31, Fabric 1.20.1, fixed in next jar) — not perf ([#31](https://github.com/Icywhenhot/Icy-s-Better-Horses/issues/31)) **COMMUNITY** | none known | **keep** |
| **Friends&Foes 4.0.27** | Mob-vote mobs (Copper Golem, Crab, Glare, Moobloom, Iceologer, Rascal, Tuff Golem, Wildfire…) + structures | frame (few new mobs), worldgen | **No known client perf issues found.** Tracked issues are crashes/compat (e.g. startup `MixinExtrasBootstrap` crash [#418](https://github.com/Faboslav/friends-and-foes/issues/418)) **COMMUNITY** | YACL-based config exists (mod requires YetAnotherConfigLib — Modrinth dependency listing) **DOCUMENTED**; no perf keys read | **keep** |
| **Flowery Mooblooms** (F&F addon) | One moobloom variant per flower | frame (variant count) | No perf issue found ([repo](https://github.com/Faboslav/friends-and-foes-flowery-mooblooms)) | none known | **keep** |
| **Critters and Companions** | Vanilla-style animals (otters, dragonflies, ferrets…) | frame + entity count, c-tick | • #91: lag from otters/dragonflies; no config file; "dragonflies… fly out of range and become unloaded… chunks full to the gills with dragonflies". Dev: dragonfly spawn weight reduced + Fabric config / Forge datapack override added, **Jul 2025** ([#91](https://github.com/bonsaistudi0s/CrittersAndCompanions/issues/91), closed) **COMMUNITY**<br>• Community: "always made servers… laggy… loading new chunks cause a lot of stuttering and CPU usage" ([Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/feedthebeast/comments/1bn2xip/carryon_and_critters_and_companions_causing_a_lot/)) **COMMUNITY** | No TOML keys; spawns are **data-file driven** → override via datapack (dev statement in #91) | **tune** via datapack, else candidate-remove |
| **Fowlplay 1.2.3** | Birds with realistic flight, natural spawning | **c-tick**, frame (entity count), RAM | • #214 ducks/birds spawn non-stop near rivers/oceans; F3 spawn cap "right under 400"; "almost 200 birds sitting in a single area" even after minimising group spawns — **OPEN, 1.21.1 NeoForge** ([#214](https://github.com/aqariio/Fowl-Play/issues/214)) **COMMUNITY**<br>• #196 `BirdEntity`/`GullEntity` recalculate **paths every tick** (`PathFinder.findPath()` per tick) — server-side but scales badly ([#196](https://github.com/aqariio/Fowl-Play/issues/196), open, 1.20.1 Forge) **COMMUNITY**<br>• #213 hawk AI crash with c2me async chunkloading ([#213](https://github.com/aqariio/Fowl-Play/issues/213)) **COMMUNITY** | Custom mob category; group-spawn settings exist (referenced in #214); no TOML keys read | **tune** (spawns) or **candidate-remove** if bird spam appears |
| **Wings of Fire 1.0** | 6 phoenix breeds as summoned mounts | frame (only while summoned) | **No known client perf issues found** ([Modrinth](https://modrinth.com/mod/wings-of-fire!)) **DOCUMENTED** | none known | **keep** |
| **Tiny Dragons (`rpg_companions_tiny_dragons`)** | Tameable tiny dragon companions | frame | **No known client perf issues found.** MCreator-generated mod ([MCreator page](https://mcreator.net/modification/113331/rpg-companions-tiny-dragons)) — MCreator mods are typically less optimised **INFERENCE** | none known | **keep** (low priority) |
| **Mermod 3.3.2** | Necklace → mermaid transformation/tail rendering | frame (player model when transformed) | **No known client perf issues found** — GitHub issue search for `lag OR fps OR performance OR memory` returned 0 results ([issues](https://github.com/ThatPreston/Mermod/issues?q=is%3Aissue+lag+OR+fps+OR+performance+OR+memory)) **VERIFIED** | none known | **keep** |
| **Artifacts 13.2.5** | Curio-slot utility trinkets | none-known (light client-tick) | **No known client perf issues found.** Old spawn-rate complaint about Mimics ([#3](https://github.com/ochotonida/artifacts/issues/3)) **COMMUNITY** | none known | **keep** |
| **Ars Nouveau 5.13.1** | Magic/spell system; client-side spell entities, particles, own skybox-style shaders | **frame** (particles/projectiles/shader blocks), c-tick, RAM | • SkyWeave/mirrorweave FPS drops (77→19 fps) — fixed by commit `640db2d` / PR #1714, Mar 2025 ([#1221](https://github.com/baileyholl/Ars-Nouveau/issues/1221)) → **already fixed in 5.13.1** (fix predates 5.9.1) **VERIFIED**<br>• Agronomic Sourcelink + AE2 growth acceleration spawns excessive visual entities → client <20 fps ([#1904](https://github.com/baileyholl/Ars-Nouveau/issues/1904), 5.9.1, closed 2026-06-08) **COMMUNITY**<br>• Storage Lectern massive **client** lag sorting 500+ Apotheosis-affixed items ([#1274](https://github.com/baileyholl/Ars-Nouveau/issues/1274), 1.19.2/3.23.0) **COMMUNITY**<br>• Planarium + Mekanism pipes → 1 fps ([#2108](https://github.com/baileyholl/Ars-Nouveau/issues/2108)) **COMMUNITY**<br>• Sylph particle spawner FPS tank (Optifine-era, fixed) ([#379](https://github.com/baileyholl/Ars-Nouveau/issues/379)) **COMMUNITY**<br>• A widely-reported "Ars projectiles drop FPS" case was traced to **Xaero's Minimap** ([Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/feedthebeast/comments/1o0yn4q/ars_nouveau_projectiles_dropping_fps_wildly/)) **COMMUNITY**<br>• Maintainer notes block-entity lookalike blocks (mirrorweave) "will always be more laggy than a normal static block"; recommends **EntityCulling** ([#1221 comment](https://github.com/baileyholl/Ars-Nouveau/issues/1221)) **VERIFIED** | none verified for particle budget | **keep**; watch the storage-lectern/automation entity-spam cases |
| **Apotheosis 8.8.0** | Affix items, gems, bosses/elites, loot beams | frame (loot-beam effects, boss glow), RAM | • #1191 perf issue (ShieldBreaker repeated capability comparisons) — **fixed in 7.3.2** (`cf0e2e8`), so **not present in 8.8.0** ([#1191](https://github.com/Shadows-of-Fire/Apotheosis/issues/1191), [changelog 7.3.2](https://github.com/Shadows-of-Fire/Apotheosis/blob/1.21/changelog.md)) **DOCUMENTED**<br>• Boss glow is cheap (glow duration 2 min, 20 s boss cooldown) **DOCUMENTED**<br>• Affix **loot-beam** in-world effects were *added* in 8.3.0 and are render-thread cost **DOCUMENTED** | Changelog 8.3.0: "These loot effects **can be disabled in the config file**" (exact key not read) | **keep**; disable loot beams if chasing frame time |
| **Too Many Bows** | ~38 bows with unique projectile effects | frame (only when firing) | **No known client perf issues found.** v2.1.0 changelog: "Updates: Logic and performance of bows" ([CurseForge file](https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods/too-many-bows/files/5932404)) **DOCUMENTED** | `/tmb reload bows` for registered bow settings ([wiki](https://wiki.pixeldreamstudios.net/mods/too-many-bows)) **DOCUMENTED** | **keep** |
| **Dungeon's Delight 1.5.1** | Farmer's Delight addon — cook/eat monsters | none-known | **No known client perf issues found.** 1.5.1 changelog is a compatibility/one-bug fix for FD 1.3.4 ([Modrinth 1.5.1](https://modrinth.com/mod/dungeons_delight/version/1.5.1)) **DOCUMENTED**. The task's "29 vanilla mixins" claim could not be verified — no source read (**UNVERIFIED**) | none known | **keep** |
| **Fisherman's Haven** | Fishing overhaul (rods, traps, bait, custom mobs, deco) | none-known | **No known client perf issues found** ([Modrinth](https://modrinth.com/mod/fishermans-haven)) | none known | **keep** |
| **Aquaculture 2** | Fishing expansion (30+ fish, rods) | none-known | • Loot-table calc lag (#113) was **server-side**, **fixed in Aquaculture 2.1.0** for MC 1.16.3 — long since fixed, not applicable to your 1.21.1 build ([#113](https://github.com/TeamMetallurgy/Aquaculture/issues/113)) **DOCUMENTED**<br>• Optifine bobber-render crash ([Optifine #3538](https://github.com/sp614x/optifine/issues/3538)) — irrelevant on Sodium **COMMUNITY** | none known | **keep** |
---
## Cross-cutting (apply to the whole content/mob set)
- **Fresh Animations + EMF/ETF is the single biggest animation multiplier.** EMF alone is not the problem, but stacking Fresh Animations with many mobs on screen is: a benchmarked case went **165→40 fps** (30 mobs, shaders on) and 400+→30-40 fps with 50 cows ([EMF #443](https://github.com/Traben-0/Entity_Model_Features/issues/443)) **COMMUNITY**. Maintainer: "you aren't going to be easily pushing past 200 fps with Fresh Animations on ever". Mitigation is config, not removal: EMF added an **"Animation LOD distance"** setting (skips animation frames beyond a distance) and a **"Retain LOD at low fps"** setting ([EMF changelog 1.3](https://github.com/Traben-0/Entity_Model_Features/blob/master/CHANGELOG.MD)) **DOCUMENTED**. Every animated content mod below multiplies this cost, so the animation settings should be tuned **before** removing content mods.
- **Entity-count inflation is the recurring theme.** Alex's Mobs port (#62), Fowlplay (#214) and Critters and Companions (#91) all have **open/community** over-spawn reports on or near 1.21.1. More entities = more render-list entries, more client-tick AI interpolation, more packet traffic. This is arguably the highest-leverage fix for the fleet, and it is all server-side spawn tuning rather than mod removal.
- **EntityCulling is recommended by Ars Nouveau's author** for the mirrorweave/SkyWeave block-entity case specifically ([#1221](https://github.com/baileyholl/Ars-Nouveau/issues/1221)) — you already ship EntityCulling 1.11.2, so that's covered **VERIFIED**.
- **Sodium/Iris + animated modded mobs is a known fragile combination.** Aside from the Fabric Alex's Mobs vertex-explosion report ([#121](https://github.com/astryxion/Alexs-Mobs-Fabric/issues/121)), the EMF #443 reports are all on the Sodium/Iris/Embeddium/Oculus stack. Worth a visual + frame-time check with shaders on vs off once benchmarking starts **COMMUNITY**.
- **Most mods in this sweep are clean.** Mermod, Wings of Fire, Tiny Dragons, Icy's Better Horses, Friends&Foes (+Flowery Mooblooms), Artifacts, Doggy Talents Next, Better Dogs, Too Many Bows, Dungeon's Delight, Fisherman's Haven, Aquaculture 2 have **no known client perf issues found** relevant to the pinned versions.
---
## Notable (the 3–5 that matter most)
1. **Alex's Mobs unofficial port is the top entity-count risk.** Raguto's 1.21.1 port has an **open** issue that it "ramps up vanilla monster spawn rates like crazy" ([#62](https://github.com/Raguto/AlexsMobs-1.21.1/issues/62)), on top of the mod's long-standing over-spawning reputation and Citadel's chunk-loading lag ([Citadel #156](https://github.com/AlexModGuy/Citadel/issues/156)). This is a *tune-spawns* lever, and per-mob spawn probabilities are exposed in the `alexsmobs` config folder (**DOCUMENTED** via Fandom Configuration, not read directly).
2. **Fowlplay's bird spawning is un-bounded in practice.** #214 (open, **1.21.1 NeoForge**) reports up to ~400 birds / ~200 in one area even after reducing group spawns, and #196 shows flight entities recompute pathfinding **every tick**. Even though the tick cost is server-side, hundreds of visible birds is a direct client frame + RAM cost, and this is the mod most likely to need spawn tuning or removal.
3. **Fresh Animations + EMF with many mobs is the largest measured FPS multiplier.** EMF #443 shows 4–8× FPS loss with 30–50 mobs on screen on the Sodium/Iris stack. Fixing this (EMF "Animation LOD distance" / "Retain LOD at low fps") is cheaper than removing content mods, and it compounds with every animated mob mod above.
4. **Ars Nouveau is mostly fine at 5.13.1, but has two known client hitches.** The mirrorweave/SkyWeave rendering FPS bug is **already fixed** (PR #1714, Mar 2025, well before 5.13.1), but the **Storage Lectern sorting Apotheosis-affixed items** (#1274, large client lag) and **Agronomic Sourcelink entity spam** (#1904, <20 fps) remain behaviour that a busy server can hit. Note it also flags EntityCulling as the mitigation — which you already run.
5. **Critters and Companions has no config file** — spawns are data-file driven, so the only lever is a **datapack override** ([#91](https://github.com/bonsaistudi0s/CrittersAndCompanions/issues/91)). If chunk-loading stutter or dragonfly pile-ups show up in profiling, that's the fix (or removal), not a TOML tweak.
---
## Sources
**Kept:**
- Raguto/AlexsMobs-1.21.1 issue #62 (spawn inflation, 1.21.1 NeoForge) — https://github.com/Raguto/AlexsMobs-1.21.1/issues/62
- Citadel issue #156 (chunk loading, entity tracking toggle, closed-completed 2025) — https://github.com/AlexModGuy/Citadel/issues/156
- Citadel issue #12 (historic 609 MB memory leak) — https://github.com/Alex-the-666/Citadel/issues/12
- Alexs-Mobs-Fabric issue #121 (Sodium/Iris vertex explosion, Fabric build) — https://github.com/astryxion/Alexs-Mobs-Fabric/issues/121
- Mowzie's Mobs-Public issues #30 / #38 / #59 (structure + Elokosa tick perf; #30 fixed next patch) — https://github.com/BobMowzie/MowziesMobs-Public/issues/30
- Adorable Hamster Pets changelogs (3.6.1 AI/tick fix, 3.6.0 NBT fix) — https://modrinth.com/mod/adorable-hamster-pets/version/QitZ5fVO
- Doggy Talents Next FAQ (beds capped to avoid perf issues) — https://doggytalentsnext.wiki.gg/wiki/FAQ
- Icy's Better Horses issue #31 (client crash, not perf; fixed) — https://github.com/Icywhenhot/Icy-s-Better-Horses/issues/31
- Critters and Companions issue #91 (over-spawn, datapack-only config) — https://github.com/bonsaistudi0s/CrittersAndCompanions/issues/91
- Fowl-Play issues #196 / #214 / #233 (per-tick pathfinding, bird over-spawn, spawn-mod incompat) — https://github.com/aqariio/Fowl-Play/issues/214
- Ars Nouveau issues #379 / #1221 / #1274 / #1904 / #2108 (particles, mirrorweave fixed, lectern, sourcelink, planarium) — https://github.com/baileyholl/Ars-Nouveau/issues/1221
- Apotheosis issue #1191 (perf fix in 7.3.2) + changelogs 1.21 (loot beams, glow, shield breaker) — https://github.com/Shadows-of-Fire/Apotheosis/blob/1.21/changelog.md
- Aquaculture issue #113 (loot-calc lag, fixed in 2.1.0) — https://github.com/TeamMetallurgy/Aquaculture/issues/113
- EMF issue #443 + EMF changelog (Fresh Animations FPS blow-up; Animation LOD settings) — https://github.com/Traben-0/Entity_Model_Features/issues/443
- Mermod issues search (0 perf results = negative evidence) — https://github.com/ThatPreston/Mermod/issues?q=is%3Aissue+lag+OR+fps+OR+performance+OR+memory
- Modrinth/CurseForge pages for Friends&Foes 4.x, Flowery Mooblooms, Wings of Fire, Dungeon's Delight 1.5.1, Fisherman's Haven, Too Many Bows, Artifacts, Mermod 3.3.2 — used for version/feature/bugfix confirmation.
**Dropped:**
- SteamPunk #83, Reddit r/feedthebeast Alex's Mobs threads — used only as corroboration for the over-spawn theme; individual player reports not weighted as fact.
- AlexsCaves #168 / #616 (Ray Cat FPS drop) — different mod (Alex's Caves), not in this pack.
- Optifine #3538 (Aquaculture bobber) — Optifine-specific, not applicable to Sodium.
- Crackpack-3 #101 (Frostmaw FPS) — 1.12-era, not applicable to 1.21.1.
- Various "performance mods" listicles/SEO pages — no primary evidence.
- Alex's Mobs Fandom Configuration page — returned HTTP 403; could not read exact config keys.
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