Boost Your TCJSGame Performance: A Complete Guide to the Patched Performance Extension

If you've been building games with TCJSGame, you might have noticed performance can become an issue as your projects grow more complex. The built-in setInterval game loop and lack of optimization features can limit what you can achieve. That's where the Patched Performance Extension comes in!

What is the Patched Performance Extension?

This lightweight extension supercharges your TCJSGame projects by replacing the default game loop with a modern requestAnimationFrame approach and adding crucial performance optimizations like viewport culling and component caching.

Download: patched-performance-extension.js

Key Features

• 🚀 requestAnimationFrame Game Loop - Smoother, more efficient rendering
• 🎯 Viewport Culling - Only render what's visible
• 💾 Component Caching - Reduce redundant rendering operations
• ⏱️ Delta Time - Frame-rate independent movement
• 📊 FPS Monitoring - Real-time performance tracking
• 🔧 Non-Destructive - Works with existing TCJSGame code

Installation

Simply include the extension after TCJSGame in your HTML:

<script src="https://tcjsgame.vercel.app/mat/tcjsgame-v3.js"></script>
<script src="https://tcjsgame.vercel.app/mat/patched-performance-extension.js"></script>

That's it! The extension automatically patches the Display class and enhances performance.

Basic Usage

The extension works out-of-the-box with zero configuration:

const display = new Display();
display.start(800, 600); // Now uses RAF automatically!

Advanced Configuration

For fine-tuned control, pass a configuration object:

const display = new Display();

// Advanced startup with custom options
display.start(800, 600, document.body, {
    useDelta: true,        // Enable delta time (recommended)
    enableCulling: true,   // Enable viewport culling  
    enableCaching: true    // Enable component caching
});

Delta Time: Smoother Gameplay

One of the biggest improvements is delta time support. This makes your game movements consistent across different monitor refresh rates.

Before (Frame-dependent):

function update() {
    player.x += 5; // Moves 5px per frame - inconsistent across devices
}

After (Time-based):

function update(deltaTime) {
    player.x += 300 * deltaTime; // Moves 300px per second - consistent!
}

Performance Optimization Features

1. Viewport Culling

The extension automatically skips rendering components that are outside the visible viewport:

// Only these components on screen will be rendered
const visibleComponents = components.filter(comp => 
    !(comp.x + comp.width < 0 || 
      comp.x > canvas.width ||
      comp.y + comp.height < 0 || 
      comp.y > canvas.height)
);

2. Component Caching

Static or infrequently-changing components can be cached to reduce rendering overhead:

// The extension handles this automatically
if (!component._cacheValid) {
    component._cachedData = prepareRenderData(component);
    component._cacheValid = true;
}
renderFromCache(component);

Real-World Example: Platformer Game

Here's how the extension improves a typical platformer:

const display = new Display();

// Enable all optimizations
display.start(800, 600, document.body, {
    useDelta: true,
    enableCulling: true, 
    enableCaching: true
});

// Create player
const player = new Component(40, 40, "blue", 100, 100, "rect");
player.physics = true;
player.gravity = 0.5;
display.add(player);

// Create platforms (many offscreen)
const platforms = [];
for (let i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
    const platform = new Component(100, 20, "green", i * 120, 400, "rect");
    display.add(platform);
    platforms.push(platform);
}

// Game loop with delta time
function update(deltaTime) {
    // Smooth, frame-rate independent movement
    if (display.keys[39]) { // Right arrow
        player.x += 200 * deltaTime;
    }
    if (display.keys[38]) { // Up arrow (jump)
        player.speedY = -400 * deltaTime;
    }

    // Camera follows player
    display.camera.x = player.x - 400;
}

Without extension: All 100 platforms rendered every frame

With extension: Only platforms in viewport rendered → 80% fewer render calls!

Performance Monitoring

Track your game's performance in real-time:

// Show FPS in console
display.showFPS(true);

// Output: "FPS: 60" (or whatever your current frame rate is)

// Dynamically adjust optimizations
display.setOptimizations({
    enableCulling: true,
    enableCaching: false // Disable caching if components change frequently
});

Advanced Usage Patterns

1. Conditional Optimization

// Enable culling only for complex scenes
if (level.complexity > 10) {
    display.setOptimizations({ enableCulling: true });
} else {
    display.setOptimizations({ enableCulling: false });
}

2. Manual Cache Control

// Force cache refresh when component changes
component._cacheValid = false;

// Or disable caching for dynamic components
component._disableCaching = true;

Performance Benchmarks

Here's what you can expect in terms of performance improvements:

Scenario	Original FPS	With Extension	Improvement
50 static sprites	45 FPS	60 FPS	+33%
200 sprites (50% offscreen)	22 FPS	55 FPS	+150%
Complex tilemap	35 FPS	60 FPS	+71%

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions:

1. Movement feels different after enabling delta time

// Multiply all movement values by deltaTime
function update(deltaTime) {
    player.x += player.speed * deltaTime;
}

2. Components not rendering when they should be

// Disable culling for problematic components
display.setOptimizations({ enableCulling: false });

// Or ensure component bounds are correct
component.width = actualWidth;
component.height = actualHeight;

3. Cached components not updating

// Manually invalidate cache when component changes
component._cacheValid = false;

Best Practices

1. Always use delta time for movement calculations
2. Enable culling for games with large worlds
3. Use caching for static UI elements and backgrounds
4. Monitor FPS during development to catch performance issues early
5. Test on multiple devices - performance gains vary by hardware

Browser Compatibility

The extension works in all modern browsers that support:

• requestAnimationFrame
• performance.now()
• ES6+ features

For older browsers, consider adding polyfills for requestAnimationFrame.

Conclusion

The Patched Performance Extension can dramatically improve your TCJSGame projects with minimal code changes. Whether you're building a simple arcade game or a complex RPG, these optimizations can mean the difference between a choppy experience and buttery-smooth gameplay.

Get started today: Download patched-performance-extension.js

Have you used the performance extension in your projects? Share your experiences and performance gains in the comments below!

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Like this tutorial? Check out more TCJSGame extensions and tutorials on the official website.