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Quick Recommendations

  • Small Survival SMP (≤ 15 players): view-distance=8, simulation-distance=6
  • Mid/Busy Survival (15–40 players): view-distance=8–10, simulation-distance=5–6
  • Events / Large Servers (40+ players): view-distance=6–8, simulation-distance=4–5
  • Mini-games / Lobby: view-distance=6–8, simulation-distance=4
  • Creative Build Server: view-distance=10–12, simulation-distance=6 (raise cautiously)
  • Modded (Forge/Fabric) / Heavy Redstone: start view-distance=8, simulation-distance=4–6 then tune
⚠️ Tip: Lowering simulation-distance cuts CPU load the most (mob AI, redstone, farms). Lower view-distance to reduce network/memory usage and exploration lag.

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What Each Setting Affects

  • view-distance — How many chunk rings are sent to players (visibility). Impacts memory and bandwidth.
  • simulation-distance — How many chunk rings are ticked (mob AI, crops, redstone). Impacts CPU the most.

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How to Set These Values

  1. Log in to the HostByte Game Panel.
  2. Open your Java server and click Stop.
  3. Go to File Manager → open server.properties.
  4. Set: 
    view-distance=8
simulation-distance=6
  5. Click Save, then Start the server and verify TPS.
View Distance

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Optional: Per-World Overrides (Paper/Spigot)

  • Paper: paper-world-defaults.yml (global) or <world>/paper-world.yml for per-world adjustments.
  • Spigot (older/legacy): some versions allow per-world tweaks in spigot.yml under world-settings.

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Suggested Profiles (Copy & Paste)

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Balanced Survival (small SMP)

# server.properties
view-distance=8
simulation-distance=6

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Performance Under Load (events/peaks)

# server.properties
view-distance=6
simulation-distance=4

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Creative/Building

# server.properties
view-distance=12
simulation-distance=6

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Modded / Heavy Redstone

# server.properties
view-distance=8
simulation-distance=5

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Validate & Tune

  1. Join the server at normal peak and run Paper timings: 
    /timings on
# wait 5–10 minutes of real play
/timings paste
  2. If CPU is the bottleneck, lower simulation-distance by 1 and re-test. If bandwidth/exploration is heavy, lower view-distance.
  3. Adjust one value at a time and keep notes.

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Common Pitfalls & Fixes

  • Farms stop working far away: Simulation too low. Increase by 1 or keep players closer when AFK farming.
  • Players complain they can’t see far: Raise view-distance gradually; keep simulation conservative for TPS.
  • No change after restart: Confirm you edited the correct server.properties; per-world files may override on Paper.
  • Lag during exploration: Pre-generate chunks with Chunky and keep view-distance moderate.

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Best Practices

  • Favor reducing simulation-distance first for CPU relief.
  • Pre-generate worlds to eliminate exploration spikes.
  • Revisit settings after big player or plugin changes.
  • Document final values for staff and future migrations.

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Getting Help

  • HostByte Documentation: See related Java guides (adjust distances, reduce lag, pre-generation).
  • Support Tickets: Join our discord server below to open a support ticket.
  • Discord: Join our community discord here: HostByte Discord.
  • Status Page: Check maintenance/outages: status.hostbyte.net.