View Distance And Target FPS Auto Throttle

Client View-Distance and Target-FPS Auto-Throttle (Adaptive View Distance)

Source-verified 2026-06-21 against master 0139a346. Paths relative to Missions/[55-2hc]warfarev2_073v48co.chernarus/ unless noted. Arma 2 OA 1.64.

A three-function client feature that gives every player both manual view-distance control and an automatic mode that chases a target framerate by raising/lowering view distance. The player drives it with the custom action keys User18/User19/User20, and the on/off state plus target FPS persist to the profile so the choice survives map changes and reconnects. A separate WASP dialog (FPSPicker) wraps the same mission variables in a menu.

The three functions are:

Function	Source	Role
Common_AdjustViewDistance	Common/Functions/Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf	KeyDown handler. Toggles auto mode (User18); steps target FPS (auto) or raw view distance (manual) on User19/User20.
Common_AdjustViewDistanceTimerScript	Common/Functions/Common_AdjustViewDistanceTimerScript.sqf	0.75 s debounce: only the last manual key-press in a burst actually commits the view distance.
Common_AutomaticViewDistance	Common/Functions/Common_AutomaticViewDistance.sqf	FPS-band control loop: each client tick nudges view distance to hold FPS inside target ±4.

Authors per file headers: Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf — Miksuu, contributor Marty (Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:4-5); Common_AutomaticViewDistance.sqf — Marty, contributor Miksuu (Common_AutomaticViewDistance.sqf:2-3).

Mission variables and constants

All state lives on missionNamespace (runtime) with two values mirrored to profileNamespace (persistent). Note the original triple-O spelling TOOGLE is the real variable name — do not "correct" it.

Variable	Namespace	Default / source	Meaning
TOOGLE_AUTO_DISTANCE_VIEW	mission	false at client start (Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf:207)	Master on/off for auto mode.
AUTO_DISTANCE_VIEW_TARGET_FPS	mission	60 (Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf:29)	The FPS the auto loop chases.
SAVED_VIEW_DISTANCE	mission	set to current viewDistance when auto turns ON (Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:28)	Restored when auto turns OFF so the screen does not jump.
newViewDistance	mission (global)	0 (Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf:266)	Pending manual value awaiting the debounce; 0 means "nothing pending".
timerInstanceCount	mission (global)	0 (Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf:265)	Monotonic counter that lets a newer debounce instance cancel older ones.
WFBE_TOOGLE_AUTO_DISTANCE_VIEW	profile	restored at Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf:209-211	Persisted on/off choice (BOOL).
WFBE_TARGET_FPS	profile	restored at Client/Init/Init_ProfileVariables.sqf:19-24	Persisted target FPS (SCALAR).
WFBE_C_ENVIRONMENT_MAX_VIEW	mission const	5000 (Common/Init/Init_CommonConstants.sqf:776)	Hard cap on manual view distance increases.

Two fixed step sizes are declared locally in the key handler: _adjustViewDistanceBy = 1000 and _adjustTargetFpsBy = 1 (Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:10-11).

Key bindings (User18/19/20)

The handler is compiled and attached to the main display once at client init:

Step	Source
Compile to keyPressedForAdjustingViewDistance	Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf:272
Attach as KeyDown on findDisplay 46	Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf:273,276

On every KeyDown the function reads _key = _this select 1 (Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:8) and tests it against the engine-mapped action keys, so the actual physical keys are whatever the player has bound to User18/19/20 in the control options:

Action key	Test	Behavior summary
User18	_key in (actionKeys "User18") (Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:17)	Toggle auto mode on/off.
User19	_key in (actionKeys "User19") (Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:36)	Decrease: target FPS −1 (auto) or view distance −1000 (manual).
User20	_key in (actionKeys "User20") (Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:55)	Increase: target FPS +1 (auto) or view distance +1000 (manual).

The function always returns false (Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:73) so the KeyDown is not swallowed from other handlers.

Toggle behavior (User18)

Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:19-32:

• Turning OFF (was ON): set TOOGLE_AUTO_DISTANCE_VIEW=false, group-chat "Automatic view distance is now OFF", play autoViewDistanceToggledOff, then restore SAVED_VIEW_DISTANCE via setViewDistance (Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:21-25).
• Turning ON (was OFF): snapshot current viewDistance into SAVED_VIEW_DISTANCE, set TOOGLE_AUTO_DISTANCE_VIEW=true, group-chat "Automatic view distance is now ON", play autoViewDistanceToggledOn (Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:28-31).

Note the toggle itself does not persist WFBE_TOOGLE_AUTO_DISTANCE_VIEW — only the FPSPicker dialog does (see below). So a key-driven toggle is per-session, while restore-at-start uses the last value the picker saved.

Manual vs auto stepping (User19/User20)

The decrease (User19) and increase (User20) branches are mirror images; each first checks TOOGLE_AUTO_DISTANCE_VIEW.

Auto mode — step the target FPS:

Direction	Operation	Source
Decrease	target = (target - 1) max 30	Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:38
Increase	target = (target + 1) min 240	Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:57

After stepping, both branches persist the new value if the profile setter exists: if !(isNil 'WFBE_CO_FNC_SetProfileVariable') then {['WFBE_TARGET_FPS', _target] Call WFBE_CO_FNC_SetProfileVariable} (Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:39,59), write it back to AUTO_DISTANCE_VIEW_TARGET_FPS (Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:40,58), and group-chat the resulting band, e.g. "Target FPS has been set to be min. <target-4> max <target+4>" (Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:41,60) — the same ±4 band the auto loop uses.

Manual mode — step the raw view distance:

Both branches first resolve the working value: if newViewDistance == 0 (nothing pending) start from current viewDistance, else continue from the pending newViewDistance (Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:43-47, 62-66). Then:

Direction	Operation	Source
Decrease	newViewDistance = _base - 1000 max 1	Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:48
Increase	newViewDistance = _base + 1000 min WFBE_C_ENVIRONMENT_MAX_VIEW	Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:67

It then group-chats "Setting view distance to: <newViewDistance>" and fires the debounce timer: execVm "Common\Functions\Common_AdjustViewDistanceTimerScript.sqf" (Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:49-50, 68-69).

A2 operator-precedence note: SQF binary operators are left-to-right with equal precedence, so _base - 1000 max 1 parses as (_base - 1000) max 1 and _base + 1000 min WFBE_C_ENVIRONMENT_MAX_VIEW as (_base + 1000) min WFBE_C_ENVIRONMENT_MAX_VIEW — i.e. the floor/cap is applied to the already-stepped value, which is the intended clamp (Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:48,67).

Debounce timer (Common_AdjustViewDistanceTimerScript)

Because each User19/User20 press writes a new newViewDistance and spawns a fresh timer script, spamming the key would otherwise call setViewDistance many times. The debounce makes only the final press commit (Common_AdjustViewDistanceTimerScript.sqf):

Step	Line	Detail
Claim an instance id	:3-4	timerInstanceCount = timerInstanceCount + 1; _timerInstance = timerInstanceCount
Window length	:8	_timerDuration = 0.75 seconds
Wait loop	:17-31	while {_elapsedTime < _timerDuration}; sleeps 0.01 s per pass for accuracy (:30)
Cancel if superseded	:19	if (timerInstanceCount != _timerInstance) exitWith {_changeTheViewDistance = false} — a newer press bumped the global counter
Commit	:33-38	If still the latest instance: setViewDistance newViewDistance, group-chat the applied value, then reset newViewDistance = 0

So if you tap increase four times quickly, four timer scripts start, the first three each see a higher timerInstanceCount and self-cancel, and only the fourth survives 0.75 s of quiet to call setViewDistance once with the accumulated value. Resetting newViewDistance = 0 (:38) returns the system to "nothing pending" so the next press starts from live viewDistance.

Automatic FPS-band loop (Common_AutomaticViewDistance)

This is the closed-loop controller. It is compiled once and driven from the per-tick client FSM:

Step	Source
Compile to AutomaticViewDistance	Client/FSM/updateclient.sqf:33
Per-tick gate + call	Client/FSM/updateclient.sqf:111-115 — reads TOOGLE_AUTO_DISTANCE_VIEW; if (_toggle_auto_distance_view && !visibleMap) then { call AutomaticViewDistance }

Note the !visibleMap guard: the loop does not run while the player has the map open (Client/FSM/updateclient.sqf:112), avoiding view-distance thrash on a screen where FPS is unrepresentative.

Each invocation reads the target and the live state, then makes a single bounded adjustment (Common_AutomaticViewDistance.sqf:6-39):

Quantity	Value	Source
Target	AUTO_DISTANCE_VIEW_TARGET_FPS	:6
Lower band edge	target - 4 (_min_fps_targeted)	:8
Upper band edge	target + 4 (_max_fps_targeted)	:9
View-distance ceiling	6000 (_max_distance_view)	:10
View-distance floor	500 (_min_distance_view)	:11
Measured FPS	diag_fps	:13
Current view distance	viewDistance	:14

Decision logic:

Condition	Adjustment	Source
fps < target-4 (too slow)	view distance −200 m, then max 500, setViewDistance	Common_AutomaticViewDistance.sqf:16-22
fps ≥ target-4 and viewDistance < 6000 and fps > target+4 (headroom to spare)	view distance +300 m	Common_AutomaticViewDistance.sqf:25-30
fps ≥ target-4 and viewDistance < 6000 and target-4 ≤ fps ≤ target+4 (in band)	view distance +50 m	Common_AutomaticViewDistance.sqf:31-34
fps ≥ target-4 and viewDistance ≥ 6000	no change (cap reached)	Common_AutomaticViewDistance.sqf:25 (the if (_player_view_distance < _max_distance_view) guard fails)

After an increase the result is clamped min 6000 before setViewDistance (Common_AutomaticViewDistance.sqf:35-36). The asymmetry is deliberate: it drops fast (−200) to recover FPS quickly, but climbs cautiously (+50 in-band) — only sprinting (+300) when FPS is comfortably above the target. There is no internal sleep; cadence is entirely set by how often updateclient.sqf ticks. The two systemChat debug lines are commented out (Common_AutomaticViewDistance.sqf:21,37).

Profile persistence and restore

Two values persist to profileNamespace; both are restored at client init.

Persisted var	Written by	Restored by
WFBE_TARGET_FPS	key handler (Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:39,59) and FPSPicker (WASP/actions/FPSPicker/FPSPicker_Open.sqf:52)	Client/Init/Init_ProfileVariables.sqf:19-24 → seeds AUTO_DISTANCE_VIEW_TARGET_FPS
WFBE_TOOGLE_AUTO_DISTANCE_VIEW	FPSPicker only (WASP/actions/FPSPicker/FPSPicker_Open.sqf:42)	Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf:209-211 → seeds TOOGLE_AUTO_DISTANCE_VIEW (and snapshots SAVED_VIEW_DISTANCE if restored ON)

The restore reads are type-guarded against profile hijacking: the FPS restore requires typeName _profile_var == "SCALAR" (Client/Init/Init_ProfileVariables.sqf:21) and the toggle restore requires the stored value typeName ... == "BOOL" (Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf:209). The setter itself is trivial — Common_SetProfileVariable.sqf:10-13 is just profileNamespace setVariable [_var,_value] with name/value taken from _this select 0/1; the sanitization lives at the read side. WFBE_CO_FNC_SetProfileVariable is the bound name for this function.

Client/Init/Init_ProfileVariables.sqf also restores a separate raw WFBE_PERSISTENT_CONST_VIEW_DISTANCE (:9-16) via setViewDistance, type-guarded as SCALAR and capped at WFBE_C_ENVIRONMENT_MAX_VIEW — this is the player's last manual view distance and is independent of the auto-throttle target.

FPSPicker dialog (alternate front-end)

WASP/actions/FPSPicker/FPSPicker_Open.sqf opens dialog WFBE_FPSPickerMenu (idd 28000) from the WF menu and drives the same mission variables, so the menu and the User18/19/20 keys are two views of one system. Behaviors:

Picker action	Effect	Source
Toggle (MenuAction 1)	flips TOOGLE_AUTO_DISTANCE_VIEW; on ON snapshots SAVED_VIEW_DISTANCE, on OFF restores it; persists WFBE_TOOGLE_AUTO_DISTANCE_VIEW	WASP/actions/FPSPicker/FPSPicker_Open.sqf:30-44
Pick FPS (MenuAction 2/3/4/5)	sets target to 45 / 50 / 60 / 30 (MenuAction 2→45, 3→50, 4→60 default, 5→30); persists WFBE_TARGET_FPS	WASP/actions/FPSPicker/FPSPicker_Open.sqf:47-54
Live label	shows current ON/OFF and `"Target FPS	VD now: m"`

The picker offers only the discrete presets 45/50/60, whereas the keys step by ±1 across the full 30..240 range — both write the same AUTO_DISTANCE_VIEW_TARGET_FPS / WFBE_TARGET_FPS. Default stays OFF by design (header note, Steff 2026, WASP/actions/FPSPicker/FPSPicker_Open.sqf:9).

Player feedback path

All on-screen text routes through GroupChatMessage (Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:22,30,41,49,60,68 and Common_AdjustViewDistanceTimerScript.sqf:36), which is compiled from Client\Functions\Client_GroupChatMessage.sqf at Client/Init/Init_Client.sqf:80. The two toggle sounds autoViewDistanceToggledOn/autoViewDistanceToggledOff are played via playSound (Common_AdjustViewDistance.sqf:23,31).

Consumers of the target FPS

Beyond the auto loop, the target FPS is surfaced by the performance-audit snapshot: Common/Functions/Common_PerformanceAudit.sqf:64 reads profileNamespace getVariable ["WFBE_TARGET_FPS", -1] so each audited client records the framerate target it was chasing.

Continue Reading

• Namespace, Profile and Diagnostic Utility Reference — catalogs WFBE_TARGET_FPS and the other profile variables this system persists.
• Performance Audit Analyzer — the RPT audit pipeline that logs each client's target FPS and view distance.
• Day-Night Cycle and Weather System — the other environment system whose fog/overcast interact with effective view distance.
• Client UI Systems Atlas — the client init/FSM context that compiles and drives these handlers.
• Hosted Server FPS Loop Sleep — the server-side framerate-governed loop counterpart to this client-side throttle.