TFA Base Optimized

What it is

A trimmed down and cleaned up version of TFA Base focused on stability and performance: fewer unnecessary hook calls, network operations, and allocations, cleaner module loading, and explicit early returns on heavy code paths.

Key features

• Compact loader (lua/tfa/framework/tfa_loader.lua): single loadFolder, global cache, deterministic load order for modules/enums/external code.
• Ordered ConVars and commands (lua/tfa/modules/tfa_commands.lua): EnsureReplConVar and CreateReplConVar helpers eliminate dozens of repeated checks, default clip updates are moved into a dedicated callback.
• Optimized hooks (lua/tfa/modules/tfa_hooks.lua): cached LocalPlayer/active weapon, early returns if the weapon is not TFA, less work in PlayerTick and PreRender.
• Safer netcode (lua/tfa/modules/tfa_netcode.lua): localized net.*, player/weapon validity checks before doing anything.
• Scope rendering (lua/tfa/modules/tfa_rendertarget.lua): runs only for TFA weapons, reuses materials/RTs, correctly resets bones.
• Sound management (lua/tfa/modules/tfa_functions.lua): shared addSound helper, sound patching without duplication, localized references to math/string/sound.
• Attachments (lua/tfa/modules/tfa_attachments.lua): load order is "base -> everything else", cached inheritance, ProtectedCall around TFAAttachmentsLoaded.
• Particles and effects (lua/tfa/modules/tfa_particles*.lua): does not re-add already loaded PCFs, does not recompute offsets without a valid weapon, fewer unnecessary allocations.
• Backend (lua/tfa/modules/tfa_backend.lua): removed HTTP calls to Steam, no-op callbacks instead of network timeouts.
• M9K converter (lua/tfa/modules/tfa_m9conversion.lua): careful owner/data checks, cached math/string, sane defaults without hard assumptions.

Behavior changes (good to know)

• Steam group check removed: functions in tfa_backend.lua return immediately. If you need the old group check, you will have to reintroduce it manually.
• Automatic resource precache removed: tfa_precache.lua keeps a directory cache and does not fire off heavy recursion. If needed, call TFA.PrecacheDirectory from your own code.
• Scope rendering now runs only for TFA weapons. If you piggybacked a custom SWEP on this logic, you will need to adapt it.

What the optimization gives you

• Fewer global lookups and allocations thanks to localized APIs and shared helpers.
• Early exits on heavy paths (hooks, rendering, precache) so you do not burn frames for no reason.
• No more potential stalls from network or disk operations (Steam HTTP, massive startup precache).
• Cleaner module structure that is easier to maintain and extend.

Quick integration guide

1. Copy the entire tfa base optimized folder as an addon (the folder name can be anything, for example tfa_base_optimized).
2. Make sure there is no other TFA Base version in addons. The loader will stop if it detects conflicting versions.
3. If your server needs specific ConVars, add them to your config - most of them are already created automatically.
4. For manual precache, when needed, use TFA.PrecacheDirectory(path, type) (type: mat / mdl / snd or empty for auto detection).

Support and extensions

• If you want to bring back Steam group network checks or auto precache, add them in surgically so you do not lose performance in the rest of the code.
• When extending functionality, stick to the principles of this build: localize your APIs, validate early, and avoid blocking operations in hooks.