FiveM is a popular modification framework for GTA V, enabling players to create custom multiplayer servers with mods, scripts, and maps. Among the customization possibilities, MLOs (Map Loader Objects) stand out, allowing users to create intricate custom interiors for buildings and other locations. While MLOs can transform a server’s visual appeal, they can also lead to significant performance issues if not optimized effectively.
In this blog, we will explore the best practices for optimizing FiveM MLO to ensure your server runs smoothly and provides the best gaming experience for players. Whether you’re a server owner or a developer, these tips will help you maintain high performance while using custom interiors in FiveM.
Understanding MLOs and Their Impact on Performance
What Are MLOs?
In FiveM, MLO refers to Map Loader Objects, a type of interior map used to add new buildings, rooms, or hidden areas within the game. Unlike traditional static props, MLOs are more dynamic, often including multiple rooms, interactive doors, and complex geometry. They enable players to create custom interiors in areas like:
- Apartments
- Police stations
- Nightclubs
- Garages
- Banks
Because MLOs bring a higher level of detail and interactivity, they are more resource-intensive than exterior map modifications. This increased complexity can cause performance issues like lag, low FPS (frames per second), and even crashes if not optimized properly.
Why Optimization Is Critical
While MLOs can enhance the visual appeal of a server, they also increase the load on client and server resources, particularly GPU, CPU, and RAM. The higher the detail in an MLO, the more textures, polygons, and interactive objects that need to be processed. Without proper optimization, players may experience lag, texture loading issues, and significant drops in FPS.
Therefore, optimizing MLOs is crucial for maintaining server performance, improving player experience, and ensuring stability. Here are some practical tips to help you optimize your FiveM MLOs for better performance.
Tips for Optimizing FiveM MLO Performance
1. Optimize Textures and Materials
One of the most important factors in MLO performance is how textures and materials are handled. If textures are too large or unnecessarily complex, they can significantly degrade performance.
Use Lower Resolution Textures
While high-resolution textures may look impressive, they are one of the biggest causes of lag and FPS drops in FiveM. Whenever possible, use lower resolution textures, ideally 512×512 or 1024×1024. Larger textures like 4K can bog down the system, causing longer loading times and higher GPU usage.
Compress Textures
To further reduce the load on memory, use tools to compress textures without sacrificing too much quality. Tools like DXT5 compression in Photoshop or OpenIV can help reduce texture sizes and improve rendering speed. Just be cautious about over-compressing, as it may result in a noticeable loss of quality.
Limit the Number of Materials
Using a large number of different materials and textures in an MLO can slow down the rendering process. Try to reuse textures wherever possible, and avoid having too many materials for individual objects. Keeping the number of materials low reduces the workload for the GPU.
2. Simplify Geometry and Object Count
Another major factor in MLO performance is the number of objects and complexity of geometry. Overly detailed interiors with complex structures can overwhelm both the server and client.
Reduce Polygon Count
The more polygons a model has, the more computational resources are required to render it. Simplifying models by reducing the polygon count can significantly improve performance without compromising much on the visual quality. Most players won’t notice the difference if non-essential details are cut back.
For large objects like walls, floors, and ceilings, ensure they are built with low-poly geometry. You can always add detail using textures and normal maps rather than relying on complex shapes.
Use LODs (Levels of Detail)
To optimize MLOs, take advantage of LODs (Levels of Detail). LODs allow models to display varying levels of detail based on their distance from the camera. When an object is far away, a simplified version with fewer polygons is shown, while a high-poly version is rendered when close up.
Creating proper LODs for your objects can drastically reduce the load on the client’s GPU, especially in high-traffic areas.
Reduce Object Count
Avoid using too many small props and objects inside your MLO. Each object requires separate draw calls, which can impact the overall performance. Try to consolidate props where possible, and remove unnecessary clutter that doesn’t add much to the environment’s feel. Fewer objects mean fewer calculations for the engine.
3. Optimize Lighting and Shadows
Lighting plays a big role in the atmosphere of any MLO, but improper use of lighting can lead to performance problems.
Minimize Dynamic Lighting
Dynamic lights, especially those that cast shadows, are resource-intensive. Wherever possible, reduce the number of dynamic lights and use baked lighting instead. Baked lighting is pre-calculated and stored in textures, reducing the amount of real-time computation required during gameplay.
Optimize Shadow Settings
If your MLO contains shadows, ensure that they are optimized by using lower resolution shadow maps. Avoid casting shadows for objects that don’t need them, such as small props. If shadows are critical to the ambiance of your MLO, consider using static shadows, which are less resource-intensive than dynamic ones.
4. Properly Stream MLOs
MLOs need to be loaded and streamed efficiently to avoid causing lag or crashes, especially on servers with many custom maps and objects.
Break Large MLOs into Smaller Parts
Instead of having one large, monolithic MLO, split it into smaller parts. This reduces the burden on the server when streaming it to players. Splitting an MLO into smaller chunks ensures that players only load the parts of the map they need to, rather than having the entire map load all at once.
Use YTD Files Efficiently
FiveM uses YTD files to store textures. To ensure optimal performance, keep these files as small as possible. Avoid packing too many large textures into one YTD file, as it can increase loading times and cause issues when players attempt to download or load the MLO.
Optimize Asset Streaming
Use asset streaming to ensure that only necessary assets are loaded into memory at any given time. Streaming ensures that players only load the assets they need, depending on their location in the world. This minimizes the memory footprint and helps avoid crashes caused by overloaded systems.
5. Test and Monitor Performance
Once you’ve implemented optimization techniques, it’s crucial to test the performance of your MLO thoroughly. This will help you catch any potential issues early on and ensure the MLO performs well on a variety of systems.
Use Performance Monitoring Tools
FiveM MLO offers several tools to help monitor performance, including resmon and Profiler. Use these tools to track resource usage and identify any areas where performance can be improved. Look for signs of high CPU or GPU usage, memory leaks, and FPS drops.
Test on Multiple Systems
To ensure that your MLO is optimized for a wide audience, test it on a variety of systems with different hardware specifications. What might run smoothly on a high-end system could cause problems on lower-end PCs. Get feedback from beta testers to identify any performance bottlenecks.
Use Debugging Tools
Take advantage of debugging tools to identify any issues with the MLO, such as unoptimized textures, misplaced props, or broken LODs. Debugging tools like CodeWalker can help you visualize and troubleshoot your MLO before going live.
Conclusion
Creating custom interiors using MLOs can elevate the experience of a FiveM server, offering players unique environments and enhancing gameplay. However, these detailed modifications can quickly lead to performance problems if not optimized correctly.
By following the tips outlined in this guide—optimizing textures, reducing polygon counts, managing object counts, improving lighting, streaming assets effectively, and thoroughly testing—you can ensure that your FiveM server runs smoothly and delivers an enjoyable experience to players.
