perf: recording performance optimizations — round 2

[fank]

Summary

Follows PR #83. Further reduces CPU and extension overhead in the capture loop and supporting functions.

• Cache ACE function existence checks: Three isNil "ace_..." string checks that ran per unit per frame are now cached once at init, since ACE presence can't change at runtime. Also caches objectParent to avoid duplicate calls.
• Vehicle state deduplication: Same pattern as the unit dedup from PR perf: recording performance optimizations #83 — uses a frame placeholder at index 5 so comparisons ignore frame number, skips :VEHICLE:STATE: extension calls for unchanged vehicles (parked/static).
• Skip turret lookup for unarmed vehicles: Caches hasTurret per vehicle at init using weaponsTurret. Skips CBA_fnc_turretDir for unarmed vehicles, eliminating CBA warning log spam for civilian cars etc.
• Replace count-for-side-effects with forEach: Three locations used { ... false } count purely for side effects — replaced with idiomatic forEach.
• Cache getClass results: Hashmap cache keyed by vehicle typeOf eliminates redundant config lookups for vehicles of the same type.
• Replace BIS_fnc_inString with native in: Drops scripted function overhead in handleMarkers and getUnitType — HEMTT linter confirmed in is faster than find.
• Accumulate global telemetry counts: Sums per-side accumulators instead of re-iterating all arrays for global counts, eliminating 4 redundant full-array passes.

Test plan

• hemtt build passes (verified locally, zero warnings)
• Run a mission with mixed armed/unarmed vehicles — verify turret data still recorded for armed vehicles
• Run a mission with parked vehicles — verify reduced extension call volume
• Check RPT logs — CBA turret warnings should no longer appear for unarmed vehicles
• Verify ACE medical data still recorded correctly when ACE is loaded
• Verify marker filtering still works correctly
• Verify telemetry global counts match expected values

[gemini-code-assist]

Summary of Changes

Hello, I'm Gemini Code Assist¹! I'm currently reviewing this pull request and will post my feedback shortly. In the meantime, here's a summary to help you and other reviewers quickly get up to speed!

This pull request focuses on a second round of performance optimizations for the recording system. The changes aim to reduce CPU and extension overhead by caching frequently accessed data, deduplicating state transmissions for units and vehicles, and streamlining data collection loops. The overall impact is a more efficient and less resource-intensive recording process.

Highlights

• ACE Function Existence Checks Cached: The pull request caches the existence checks for several ACE functions (e.g., ace_common_fnc_isAwake, ace_medical_status_fnc_hasStableVitals) once at initialization. This eliminates redundant isNil checks that previously ran per unit per frame, significantly reducing CPU overhead.
• Vehicle and Unit State Deduplication: Introduced logic to deduplicate :SOLDIER:STATE: and :VEHICLE:STATE: extension calls. Unit and vehicle data are now compared against their last recorded states, and transmissions are skipped if no significant changes have occurred. A frame placeholder is used to ensure comparisons ignore the frame number itself.
• Turret Lookup Optimization for Unarmed Vehicles: The hasTurret status is now cached per vehicle during initialization. This allows the system to skip CBA_fnc_turretDir calls for unarmed vehicles, preventing unnecessary processing and eliminating CBA warning log spam for civilian vehicles.
• Exclusion List Caching: Configuration settings for excluding certain kinds, classes, and markers from recording are now parsed once at initialization and stored in global variables. This avoids repeated parsing of these settings within loops, improving performance.
• Telemetry Loop Optimization: The telemetry data collection loop has been optimized by replacing multiple select and count operations with more efficient direct iteration and counter increments. This reduces the overhead associated with gathering statistics for units, dead men, groups, and vehicles.

Changelog

• addons/recorder/fnc_captureLoop.sqf
  • Implemented weapon state tracking for units to reduce getUnitType calls.
  • Introduced player score state tracking for units to avoid redundant data transmission.
  • Replaced direct isNil checks for ACE functions with cached global variables.
  • Modified unit data recording to use a frame placeholder and deduplicate identical state transmissions.
  • Cached objectParent to prevent repeated function calls.
  • Added caching for hasTurret status per vehicle to optimize turret data collection.
  • Updated vehicle data recording to use a frame placeholder and deduplicate identical state transmissions.
• addons/recorder/fnc_handleMarkers.sqf
  • Initialized and utilized a cached global variable for marker exclusion lists to improve performance.
  • Replaced repeated parseSimpleArray calls with the cached exclusion list.
• addons/recorder/fnc_init.sqf
  • Initialized global variables for caching ACE function existence checks.
  • Initialized global variables for caching vehicle kind, class, and marker exclusion lists.
• addons/recorder/fnc_isKindOfApc.sqf
  • Refactored the isKindOf check for APCs to use findIf for improved readability and potential performance.
• addons/recorder/fnc_telemetryLoop.sqf
  • Optimized telemetry data collection by replacing multiple select and count operations with single forEach loops and direct counter increments for units, dead men, groups, and vehicles.

Activity

• This pull request continues the performance optimization efforts initiated in PR perf: recording performance optimizations #83.
• The author has outlined several remaining planned tasks for future improvements, indicating ongoing development.
• A detailed test plan has been provided to ensure the changes function as expected and verify performance gains.

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[gemini-code-assist]

Code Review

This pull request introduces several significant performance optimizations to the recording loop, primarily by caching frequently accessed data and reducing redundant computations. The changes include caching ACE function existence checks, vehicle and unit state deduplication to minimize extension calls, and optimizing lookups for vehicle turrets and entity exclusion lists. The refactoring in fnc_telemetryLoop.sqf to use forEach instead of multiple select calls is a particularly impactful improvement. My review found one minor opportunity to improve code readability in the new turret direction logic, but overall the changes are well-implemented and align with the stated goals of the pull request.

[fank]

/gemini review

[gemini-code-assist]

Code Review

This pull request introduces several excellent performance optimizations to the capture loop and supporting functions. Caching ACE function checks, vehicle state deduplication, and using native operators are all great improvements.

However, I've found a correctness issue in the optimization for telemetry global counts. The new logic undercounts entities by only considering the four main sides, which will lead to inaccurate telemetry. I've left a detailed comment with a suggestion to revert that specific part of the change to ensure data correctness.

Overall, great work on improving performance. Once the telemetry issue is addressed, this will be a solid contribution.