perf(network): Improve performance by refactoring loop logic and removing unused static variables by Caball009 · Pull Request #2659 · TheSuperHackers/GeneralsGameCode

Caball009 · 2026-04-28T18:47:17Z

This PR makes modest performance improvements:

Improves loop logic in a couple of places (early breaks and keep track of the current index to avoid restarting inner loops).
Removes unused static variables.

See commits for cleaner diffs.

TODO:

Verify everything works ok.

stephanmeesters · 2026-04-28T22:48:27Z

I think it would be nice if we can change the signature of NetPacket from class NetPacket : public MemoryPoolObject to struct NetPacket. The memory pooling right now doesn't really get used, especially with your change? By the looks of it this would mostly need changes around NetPacket::ConstructBigCommandPacketList

Caball009 · 2026-04-29T10:08:36Z

I think it would be nice if we can change the signature of NetPacket from class NetPacket : public MemoryPoolObject to struct NetPacket. The memory pooling right now doesn't really get used, especially with your change? By the looks of it this would mostly need changes around NetPacket::ConstructBigCommandPacketList

Perhaps I can just put the relevant logic from Connection::sendNetCommandMsg in a callback and pass that to NetPacket::ConstructBigCommandPacketList.

Caball009 · 2026-06-02T20:27:34Z

I think it would be nice if we can change the signature of NetPacket from class NetPacket : public MemoryPoolObject to struct NetPacket. The memory pooling right now doesn't really get used, especially with your change? By the looks of it this would mostly need changes around NetPacket::ConstructBigCommandPacketList

I think it's best to do this in a separate pull request because it involves another set of changes.

greptile-apps · 2026-07-09T19:06:26Z

Greptile Summary

This PR makes modest performance improvements across four network files by adding early break statements when an empty buffer slot is encountered, replacing MAX_MESSAGES literals with ARRAY_SIZE(...), converting while iterator loops to range-for style, and removing two unused static debug counters from ConnectionManager::doRelay().

Early-break optimization — safe because both fill paths maintain a no-gap invariant in m_inBuffer, so the first empty slot reliably marks the end of valid packets.
bufferIndex carry-over in doRecv() — avoids restarting the inner slot-search loop from index 0 for every packet within a single call; the counter is shared between m_delayedInBuffer and m_inBuffer, which is safe only while m_useLatency does not toggle mid-call.
Re-enabled DEBUG_ASSERTCRASH — the assert that was previously commented out is now active, which may crash debug sessions under burst traffic.

Confidence Score: 5/5

Safe to merge. All changes are non-latency-path production code with no correctness impact; concerns are limited to debug-build behaviour.

The early-break optimization is correct: the no-gap invariant in m_inBuffer is maintained by both the fill and clear paths. The only notable changes are confined to #if defined(RTS_DEBUG) or debug-counter removal, meaning release behaviour is unaffected. The re-enabled DEBUG_ASSERTCRASH and the shared bufferIndex are potential debug-build annoyances rather than production defects.

Transport.cpp deserves a second look for the re-enabled DEBUG_ASSERTCRASH and the shared bufferIndex across the latency and non-latency receive paths.

Important Files Changed

Filename	Overview
Core/GameEngine/Source/GameNetwork/Transport.cpp	Introduces bufferIndex to avoid restarting inner loops, removes static counters, and re-enables a DEBUG_ASSERTCRASH that was previously commented out. The bufferIndex is shared between m_delayedInBuffer (latency path) and m_inBuffer (normal path), which could misplace packets if m_useLatency toggles mid-call.
Core/GameEngine/Source/GameNetwork/ConnectionManager.cpp	Removes two unused static debug counters, converts while loops to range-for, and adds an early break on empty m_inBuffer slots. The early break is safe because the buffer invariant is maintained by the write/clear ordering.
Core/GameEngine/Source/GameNetwork/LANAPI.cpp	Replaces MAX_MESSAGES with ARRAY_SIZE and adds an early break on empty slots. The existing LANbuttonPushed guard is preserved in the loop condition.
Core/GameEngine/Source/GameNetwork/NAT.cpp	Replaces MAX_MESSAGES with ARRAY_SIZE and adds an early break on empty slots. Minimal, low-risk change consistent with the rest of the PR.

Sequence Diagram

%%{init: {'theme': 'neutral'}}%%
sequenceDiagram
    participant UDP as UDP Socket
    participant TR as Transport::doRecv()
    participant IB as m_inBuffer[]
    participant DIB as m_delayedInBuffer[]
    participant CM as ConnectionManager::doRelay()
    participant LAN as LANAPI::update()
    participant NAT as NAT::connectionUpdate()

    UDP->>TR: Read(packet)
    TR->>TR: bufferIndex starts at 0 (local)
    alt "m_useLatency == true (DEBUG only)"
        TR->>DIB: fill at bufferIndex, ++bufferIndex
        Note over TR,DIB: bufferIndex shared with m_inBuffer path
    else "m_useLatency == false"
        TR->>IB: fill at bufferIndex, ++bufferIndex
    end
    Note over TR,IB: Early break added: readers stop at first empty slot
    CM->>IB: "iterate i=0..N, break on length==0"
    IB->>CM: process packet, clear slot
    LAN->>IB: "iterate i=0..N, break on length==0"
    IB->>LAN: process packet, clear slot
    NAT->>IB: "iterate i=0..N, break on length==0"
    IB->>NAT: process packet, clear slot

%%{init: {'theme': 'base', 'themeVariables': {"darkMode": true, "background": "#0d1117", "primaryColor": "#21262d", "primaryTextColor": "#e6edf3", "primaryBorderColor": "#8b949e", "lineColor": "#8b949e", "textColor": "#e6edf3", "edgeLabelBackground": "#161b22", "actorBkg": "#21262d", "actorBorder": "#8b949e", "actorTextColor": "#e6edf3", "actorLineColor": "#8b949e", "signalColor": "#8b949e", "signalTextColor": "#e6edf3", "noteBkgColor": "#373320", "noteBorderColor": "#d4a72c", "noteTextColor": "#f0e6c0", "labelBoxBkgColor": "#21262d", "labelBoxBorderColor": "#8b949e", "labelTextColor": "#e6edf3", "loopTextColor": "#e6edf3", "activationBkgColor": "#30363d", "activationBorderColor": "#8b949e"}}}%%
sequenceDiagram
    participant UDP as UDP Socket
    participant TR as Transport::doRecv()
    participant IB as m_inBuffer[]
    participant DIB as m_delayedInBuffer[]
    participant CM as ConnectionManager::doRelay()
    participant LAN as LANAPI::update()
    participant NAT as NAT::connectionUpdate()

    UDP->>TR: Read(packet)
    TR->>TR: bufferIndex starts at 0 (local)
    alt "m_useLatency == true (DEBUG only)"
        TR->>DIB: fill at bufferIndex, ++bufferIndex
        Note over TR,DIB: bufferIndex shared with m_inBuffer path
    else "m_useLatency == false"
        TR->>IB: fill at bufferIndex, ++bufferIndex
    end
    Note over TR,IB: Early break added: readers stop at first empty slot
    CM->>IB: "iterate i=0..N, break on length==0"
    IB->>CM: process packet, clear slot
    LAN->>IB: "iterate i=0..N, break on length==0"
    IB->>LAN: process packet, clear slot
    NAT->>IB: "iterate i=0..N, break on length==0"
    IB->>NAT: process packet, clear slot

_{Reviews (4): Last reviewed commit: "Used '>' and '<=' instead of '==' and '!..." | Re-trigger Greptile}

xezon

This pull does a number of things.

xezon · 2026-07-11T08:28:03Z

 				m_transport->m_inBuffer[i].length = 0;
 			}
+		} else {
+			break;


Alternatively could do early breaks in the loops. But its ok either way.

xezon · 2026-07-11T08:33:58Z

 		}
+		else
+		{
+			break;


So there cannot be non-zero buffer after a zero buffer, yes?

That's right. Transport::doRecv should handle that correctly.

xezon · 2026-07-11T08:37:50Z

-	for (Int i = 0; i < MAX_MESSAGES; ++i) {
-		if (m_transport->m_inBuffer[i].length != 0) {
+	for (size_t i = 0; i < ARRAY_SIZE(m_transport->m_inBuffer); ++i) {
+		if (m_transport->m_inBuffer[i].length > 0) {


Status quo: Compares with > 0, != 0

Expectation:

> 0, <= 0

or

== 0, != 0

I've split this off to a separate commit. I do think this is the right comparator, though, as long as length is still signed.

The original code already does it this way here:

GeneralsGameCode/Core/GameEngine/Source/GameNetwork/LANAPI.cpp

Line 347 in ca9358f

if (m_transport->m_inBuffer[i].length > 0)

GeneralsGameCode/Core/GameEngine/Source/GameNetwork/NAT.cpp

Line 329 in ca9358f

if (m_transport->m_inBuffer[i].length > 0) {

I can change the == 0 cases to <= 0 if you like.

Caball009 · 2026-07-11T18:17:32Z

This pull does a number of things.

I can put the loop logic in another PR and put #2866 in here to replace all memory pooled uses of NetPacket (either with a single dynamic allocation or stack allocation if possible).

xezon · 2026-07-12T08:29:57Z

Whatever makes most sense.

Caball009 added Minor Severity: Minor < Major < Critical < Blocker Performance Is a performance concern Network Anything related to network, servers labels Apr 28, 2026

Caball009 changed the title ~~perf(network): Improve performancy by reducing packet allocations and improving loop logic~~ perf(network): Improve performance by reducing packet allocations and improving loop logic Apr 28, 2026

Caball009 force-pushed the perf_network branch 2 times, most recently from 7ebd8f1 to a2267a1 Compare April 28, 2026 20:41

Caball009 force-pushed the perf_network branch 2 times, most recently from 3fe1916 to d4f75e9 Compare June 2, 2026 20:59

Caball009 force-pushed the perf_network branch from d4f75e9 to 78a1f7f Compare July 9, 2026 18:40

Caball009 mentioned this pull request Jul 9, 2026

refactor(network): Remove dynamic allocations for NetPacket #2866

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Caball009 marked this pull request as ready for review July 9, 2026 18:59

greptile-apps Bot reviewed Jul 9, 2026

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Comment thread Core/GameEngine/Source/GameNetwork/LANAPI.cpp Outdated

Caball009 changed the title ~~perf(network): Improve performance by reducing packet allocations and improving loop logic~~ perf(network): Reduce packet allocations and improve loop logic Jul 9, 2026

xezon reviewed Jul 11, 2026

View reviewed changes

Caball009 marked this pull request as draft July 13, 2026 13:13

Caball009 added 3 commits July 13, 2026 16:21

Removed unused static (packet and command count) variables.

f951621

Refactored while loops to for loops.

720a3e7

Improved loop logic performance.

404327d

Caball009 force-pushed the perf_network branch from 35667ec to 0e779b8 Compare July 13, 2026 15:04

Caball009 changed the title ~~perf(network): Reduce packet allocations and improve loop logic~~ perf(network): Improve performance by refactoring loop logic and removing unused static variables Jul 13, 2026

Caball009 marked this pull request as ready for review July 13, 2026 15:13

Used '>' and '<=' instead of '==' and '!='.

1fb6e39

Caball009 force-pushed the perf_network branch from 0e779b8 to 1fb6e39 Compare July 14, 2026 13:39

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Caball009 commented Apr 28, 2026 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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TODO:

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stephanmeesters commented Apr 28, 2026

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Caball009 commented Apr 29, 2026

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greptile-apps Bot commented Jul 9, 2026 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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Greptile Summary

Confidence Score: 5/5

Important Files Changed

Sequence Diagram

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Caball009 commented Apr 28, 2026 •

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