/godot-auditor

Aurelius Protocol: Game Loop Time Trial NEVER List

• NEVER use OS.get_ticks_msec() for ultra-precise race timing — Millisecond resolution is too coarse for high-end racing games. Use Time.get_ticks_usec() for microsecond precision.
• NEVER rely exclusively on _process() for finish line triggers — Visual frames can skip during lag. Always evaluate physical overlaps in _physics_process() to guarantee detection within the fixed physics step.
• NEVER evaluate Area3D overlaps immediately after instantiation — The physics server requires at least one physics frame to synchronize. await get_tree().physics_frame before checking for players.
• NEVER scale a CollisionShape3D on a checkpoint non-uniformly — This breaks the underlying SAT collision math. Always scale the internal shape resource (e.g., BoxShape3D.size) instead.
• NEVER use TCP (reliable) for syncing positions in multiplayer racing — Congestion algorithms cause huge spikes. Use ENetMultiplayerPeer with TRANSFER_MODE_UNRELIABLE for high-frequency position updates.
• NEVER trust client-side finish line/lap crossing — Always validate triggers on the authoritative server using multiplayer.is_server() to prevent cheating.
• NEVER use standard float equality (==) for record lap times — Use is_equal_approx() to account for precision loss in accumulated time variables.
• NEVER hardcode input checks without flushing the buffer — For frame-perfect boost/stop responses, call Input.flush_buffered_events() to ensure the engine has processed the latest raw input.
• NEVER allocate new Vector3 arrays inside fast path-following loops — This triggers the garbage collector. Use PackedVector3Array to maintain a contiguous memory block.
• NEVER use dynamic string paths ($"../Checkpoint") in tight loops — Lookups are slow. Use @onready to cache node references during initialization.
• NEVER record the whole player object for ghosts — Only record core transforms (position/rotation). Recording the whole object is memory-intensive and unnecessary for visual ghosts.
• NEVER give the ghost collision — It should be a purely visual indicator (e.g., semi-transparent) to avoid disrupting the player's line.
• NEVER neglect checkpoint sequencing — Don't just check if the player hit the finish line. Verify they passed every intermediate checkpoint in the correct order.
• NEVER use Area3D without monitoring optimization — Checkpoints should only look for the Player physics layer to minimize the number of physics overlap calculations.
• NEVER use standard lerp for ghost rotation — Use slerp() or Quaternion.slerp() to avoid gimbal lock and ensure smooth rotation interpolation.