The Potato Project (Performance Booster)
v1.4.2
This is NOT a miracle mod. If you have a small colony, you probably will not notice much.
This mod is built for large colonies, long running saves, and big mod lists.
The Potato Project is a stability first performance mod for RimWorld.
The goal is simple: reduce wasted work without breaking AI, jobs, or normal gameplay behavior.
I made this because I got tired of performance mods that either do nothing, are outdated, or boost performance by breaking the game in subtle ways. I wanted something that actually helps late game colonies without causing pawn stuttering, job delays, or weird AI bugs.
This mod focuses on safe optimizations and works well with other up to date performance mods.
No aggressive tricks. No risky shortcuts. If something would break the game, it does not get used.
It is called The Potato Project because I named it after having potatoes for dinner.
I really like potatoes.
What this mod does
- Pawn Tick Throttling
Reduces how often pawns update when nothing important is happening. Pawns still react immediately when needed. No frozen AI, no delayed jobs, no weird behavior
- UI Cache System
Stops the game from recalculating the same UI data over and over. Helps menus and screens feel smoother, especially in busy colonies
- Frame Time Monitoring
Tracks performance for debugging only. Does not change FPS limits, VSync, graphics settings, or Unity timing
- Smart Compatibility System
Detects other performance mods and automatically disables overlapping features to prevent conflicts, freezes, or crashes
- Clear Diagnostic Logs
Simple log messages that show what systems are active, what is disabled, and why
- Backwards Compatibility
Works with RimWorld 1.4, 1.5, and 1.6 automatically!!
The mod detects your game version and adjusts features safely in the background
How it works
The mod runs automatically in the background. No setup required.
It uses safe optimizations that:
- reduces unnecessary calculations
- keeps AI and gameplay behavior correct
- avoids skipping important simulation ticks
- cooperates with other performance mods
- provides useful debug info when something goes wrong
Aggressive optimizations were tested. It did not go well...at all, it causes broken AI, pawn stuttering, and unreliable behavior...but atleast I got triple the fps with hundreds of pawns moving! Sure they couldn't do anything anymore but we always like to see that fps display go up
Compatibility
- Designed to work with other mods instead of fighting them
- Compatible with Dubs Performance Analyzer
( Diagnostics are automatically limited so profiler data stays accurate )
- Compatible with RocketMan
( Pawn tick optimizations are reduced automatically )
- NOT compatible with RimThreaded.
- Built to stay compatible with future performance mods through capability detection.
When conflicts are detected, The Potato Project disables overlapping systems automatically instead of letting things break
Game Speed Awareness
- The mod detects game speed in real time.
Normal, fast, ultra fast (and maybe dev speed, I forgot to check before updating), or paused
- Debug info shows how game speed affects performance and load. This helps explain why things feel slower at higher speeds
What to expect
Results depend on your system and mod list, but many players report:
- smoother FPS in large colonies
- less hitching during busy moments
- better UI responsiveness
- stable AI and job behavior
- easier troubleshooting when something goes wrong
Best results in long running colonies with large mod lists
Debug tools v1.4.2
Optional tools to make support easier:
- one click debug info copy to clipboard
- automatic issue detection
- clean formatted output for comments and forums
- real time performance stats including game speed
- RimWorld version and compatibility mode display
Enable through Options, Mod Options, The Potato Project, Debug Mode.
Load order
- Place after Harmony and HugsLib. It can be at the bottom, don't worry. It's a bottom, unlike me
- Auto sort works fine
- Safe to add or remove mid save
- Multiplayer compatible
- Does not change game balance
Support
- I read the comments and they help improve the mod for everyone! If something feels off, use the debug tools and post the info. It helps way more than a vague report OR A RANDOM NEGATIVE REVIEW WITHOUT FEEDBACK.
I am fine
Built to be stable, predictable, and boring in the best way. I'm boring, deal with it
Performance Mod Compatibility
- Works standalone and designed to work well with other performance mods
Standalone:
- Stability-first approach for large colonies and long saves
- Reduces wasted work without aggressive tricks
With Other Mods:
- Generally safe and beneficial
- Results depend on your system, colony size, and modlist
Performance Optimizer:
- Compatible
- Different focus areas, safe to use together
Butter++:
- Compatible
- Butter++ = UI smoothness, this mod = backend performance
- No interference between them
Dubs Performance Analyzer:
- Compatible
- Diagnostic tool, safe to combine
Note: NO guaranteed universal gains. RimWorld performance is HIGHLY situational.
