I'm trying to make a grey goo-esque block that eats through plants. It works pretty well so far, but the massive amount of updates that happen every tick when it spreads to a thick forest cripples my FPS. How could I reduce this lag? I've tried disabling the particles, but that doesn't seem to help.

 

TileEntity class:

public class TileEntityLocust extends TileEntity implements ITickable
{
    private int counter = 0;
    private int food = 6;
    private IBlockState state;

    @Override
    public void update()
    {
        Random rand = new Random();
        counter++;
        state = worldObj.getBlockState(pos);

        if(counter >= 5 && !worldObj.isRemote)
        {
            for(int i = 0; i < 6; i++)
            {
                BlockPos target = pos.offset(EnumFacing.getFront(i));
                int newFood = food - 3;
                boolean didSpread = false;
                Block block = worldObj.getBlockState(target).getBlock();
                Material mat = block.getMaterial(worldObj.getBlockState(target));

                if(mat.equals(Material.LEAVES) || mat.equals(Material.PLANTS) || mat.equals(Material.VINE))
                {
                    newFood = food + 1;
                    worldObj.destroyBlock(target, !(block instanceof BlockCrops));
                    worldObj.setBlockState(target, state);
                    didSpread = true;
                }
                else if(worldObj.getBlockState(target).getBlock().equals(Blocks.AIR) && newFood >= 0)
                {
                    worldObj.setBlockState(target, state);
                    didSpread = true;
                }

                if(didSpread)
                {
                    NBTTagCompound tag = worldObj.getTileEntity(target).writeToNBT(new NBTTagCompound());
                    tag.setInteger("counter", 0);
                    tag.setInteger("food", newFood);
                    worldObj.getTileEntity(target).readFromNBT(tag);
                }
            }
            worldObj.setBlockToAir(pos);
        }

        worldObj.spawnParticle(EnumParticleTypes.SWEEP_ATTACK, (double)((float)pos.getX() + rand.nextFloat()), (double)((float)pos.getY() + rand.nextFloat()), (double)((float)pos.getZ() + rand.nextFloat()), (rand.nextDouble() - 0.5) / 5, (rand.nextDouble() - 0.5) / 5, (rand.nextDouble() - 0.5) / 5, new int[0]);
    }
    @Override
    public void readFromNBT(NBTTagCompound tag)
    {
        super.readFromNBT(tag);

        counter = tag.getInteger("counter");
        food = tag.getInteger("food");
    }

    @Override
    public NBTTagCompound writeToNBT(NBTTagCompound tag)
    {
        tag.setInteger("counter", counter);
        tag.setInteger("food", food);

        return super.writeToNBT(tag);
    }

    @Override
    public void onDataPacket(NetworkManager net, SPacketUpdateTileEntity packet)
    {
        this.readFromNBT(packet.getNbtCompound());
    }
}

you write/read to nbt on every update which is once a tik, which is 20 times a second. I think read and write to nbt should only be done on world load or unload...

 

Sadly there is not much of a way to do this, the only way is to limit how often the code is ran. This is also why not all TileEntities tick. An Idea would be to have it only happen with about a 10% chance? Maybe higher or lower.

you write/read to nbt on every update which is once a tik, which is 20 times a second. I think read and write to nbt should only be done on world load or unload...

 

He does this to copy the TileEntity data over. Though you are right he could just do a World#setTileEntity(this) then change the variables.

 

*Edit World#setTileEntity(pos, new TileEntityClass(then pass)) or similar.

Just dont run the code every second.

Create a TickHandler/Timer which counst the ticks and only if for example you reach 20 (second) you run your code.

 

Just dont run the code every second.

Create a TickHandler/Timer which counst the ticks and only if for example you reach 20 (second) you run your code.

You meant tick not second correct?

Just dont run the code every second.

Create a TickHandler/Timer which counst the ticks and only if for example you reach 20 (second) you run your code.

You meant tick not second correct?

 

2o ticks are one second(normally) so when you only run your code every 20 ticks it only runs every second

 

And yes i meant to not run it every tick

Having a 20% chance of spreading every 5 ticks seems to work well enough. It actually makes the movement feel more natural. Thanks.

Is there an underlying block that spreads with these locusts? Is the total data usage low enough that you could avoid using tile entities altogether? It could be a weird fluid that spreads only across vegetation, and whose spread can increase in depth depending on what it eats.