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Adjusting View Distance and Max Players

View distance and max players are two critical server settings that directly impact performance and gameplay experience. Understanding how to configure these settings properly can help optimize your server’s performance while maintaining a good player experience. ⚙️

⚙️ Understanding View Distance

View distance determines how far players can see in the game world. This setting affects:
  • Server Performance - Higher view distance requires more processing power
  • Client Performance - Affects how much data clients need to render
  • Network Usage - More data needs to be sent to players
  • Memory Usage - More chunks loaded in memory
Server TypeView DistanceUse Case
Survival/Creative8-12Balanced performance and visibility
PvP/Arena6-8Focused gameplay, better performance
Modded Servers4-8Reduced for mod complexity
Low-End Hosting4-6Minimal resource usage

⚙️ Understanding Max Players

The max players setting determines how many players can join your server simultaneously. This affects:
  • Concurrent Connections - How many players can join simultaneously
  • Resource Allocation - More players = more server resources needed
  • Performance Impact - Each player consumes CPU, memory, and bandwidth

⚙️ Calculating Optimal Max Players

Basic Formula:
Max Players = (Available RAM - Reserved RAM) / RAM per Player
Recommended RAM per Player:
  • Vanilla Server - 100-200 MB per player
  • Modded Server - 200-400 MB per player
  • Heavy Modpacks - 400-800 MB per player