DDSS2 NetGuard

DDSS2 NetGuard is a lightweight networking optimization mod developed specifically for my modpack DDSS2 for Minecraft 1.16.5.

With more than 330 mods installed, some older 1.16.5 mods can generate excessive amounts of repetitive synchronization traffic. NetGuard selectively rate-limits known high-frequency Forge SimpleChannel packets that do not need to be transmitted every tick.

This helps reduce unnecessary network throughput, packet-processing overhead and client allocation pressure during long multiplayer sessions. In DDSS2 this also helps mitigate packet-spam issues that could otherwise contribute to increasing memory usage, lag spikes and eventual client Out of Memory (OOM) crashes.

Changes in NetGuard Version 1.4

Version 1.4 completely reworks the internal throttling system with a much safer multiplayer architecture.

Packet throttling is now applied independently to each actual network connection, ensuring that one player’s traffic can no longer consume or interfere with another player’s throttle window.

The previous reflection-based player detection has been removed entirely. NetGuard now follows the original Forge SimpleChannel message to its encoded network packet and performs the final rate-limit check directly at the corresponding NetworkManager connection.

Additional safety improvements include exact packet-instance verification, protection against nested or unrelated packet sends, automatic fail-open behavior when a packet cannot be safely identified, and proper cleanup of per-connection throttle state when players disconnect.

Configuration values are also now documented correctly as 50 ms wall-clock intervals rather than Minecraft ticks.

The result is a much more precise and defensive network optimizer that reduces unnecessary repetitive mod traffic without globally throttling multiplayer synchronization.

Feel free to use and test NetGuard in your own 1.16.5 modpacks! =)