X-Factor Optimization 1.0.8

[!IMPORTANT]

Required launcher setup

X-Factor 1.0.8 requires the following JVM arguments for the intended configuration:
-XX:+UseZGC --enable-native-access=ALL-UNNAMED -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions -XX:+EnableJVMCI -XX:+EnableDynamicAgentLoading -XX:+AlwaysPreTouch --add-modules=jdk.incubator.vector
4 GB of allocated memory is recommended, the same as X-Factor 1.0.7.

Do not skip the JVM arguments when testing or reporting performance problems. They are part of the intended X-Factor 1.0.8 configuration.

X-Factor Optimization 1.0.8 is a rendering-stack rebuild, compatibility, and long-distance rendering update built on top of the frame-time and world-processing work introduced in 1.0.7.

This release keeps the lightweight, client-focused optimization goal of X-Factor, but changes the rendering architecture again. The previous Meshelium-centered setup has been replaced with a Sodium + Vitrail configuration, with a specially tuned Distant Horizons setup and MakeUp Ultra Fast shaderpack included directly in the pack.

Distant Horizons and shaders are both included but disabled by default so the standard installation remains lightweight and predictable. Users who want the extended visual setup can enable them in-game.

Highlights

Rebuilt rendering stack around Sodium 0.9.2
Added Vitrail 0.11.0-beta for shader support on the Vulkan-oriented rendering setup
Added and specially tuned Distant Horizons 3.3.0
Included a tuned MakeUp Ultra Fast 9.5e shaderpack
Distant Horizons and shaders are off by default
Simple opt-in setup: enable Distant Horizons in-game, then enable shaders in-game
Removed the 1.0.7 Meshelium-centered terrain-rendering configuration
Added VectorX support and the required incubator Vector API JVM module
Restored a broader set of targeted rendering, culling, networking, loading, and world-processing optimizations
Retains the recommended 4 GB memory allocation

New Rendering Stack — Sodium + Vitrail

X-Factor 1.0.8 changes the primary rendering stack from the 1.0.7-era combination of:

Minecraft 26.2 Vulkan backend
Meshelium 1.5.2

to:

Sodium 0.9.2
Vitrail 0.11.0-beta
Minecraft 26.2 Vulkan backend

This is the main architectural change in X-Factor 1.0.8.

X-Factor 1.0.7 focused heavily on replacing the previous Sodium/Iris/RenderSnap chain with a simpler Meshelium-centered terrain renderer. Further testing and development moved 1.0.8 toward a more flexible rendering stack that can combine strong normal-distance performance with optional Distant Horizons and shader support.

The intended rendering path is now roughly:

Minecraft terrain rendering
        ↓
Sodium
        ↓
Vitrail when shaders are enabled
        ↓
Optional Distant Horizons LOD rendering
        ↓
Optional MakeUp Ultra Fast shaderpack

The goal is to keep the base configuration efficient while giving users a pre-tuned path to much longer view distances and shaders without requiring a separate modpack setup.

Distant Horizons 3.3.0 — Specially Tuned, Off by Default

X-Factor 1.0.8 includes:

Distant Horizons 3.3.0

Distant Horizons has been configured specifically for X-Factor instead of being included with stock settings.

Important supplied tuning includes:

LOD render-distance radius: 128 chunks
Worker threads: 2
Worker runtime ratio: 0.5
Generation plan: SURFACE_THEN_CHUNKS

The goal is to preserve the long-distance benefit of Distant Horizons while preventing its background generation and LOD work from unnecessarily competing with normal gameplay rendering.

Distant Horizons is disabled by default

This is intentional.

Users who prefer the normal lightweight X-Factor experience do not need to use Distant Horizons at all. Users who want the extended setup can enable it directly in-game.

To enable the supplied long-distance setup:

Launch X-Factor 1.0.8
        ↓
Open the Distant Horizons settings in-game
        ↓
Enable Distant Horizons rendering
        ↓
The supplied X-Factor DH configuration is used

No additional Distant Horizons configuration download is required.

MakeUp Ultra Fast 9.5e — Included and Tuned

X-Factor 1.0.8 includes a built-in copy of:

MakeUp Ultra Fast 9.5e

The shaderpack is included as part of the X-Factor visual-performance setup and is intended to pair with the supplied Distant Horizons configuration.

Shaders are disabled by default.

To enable the complete visual setup:

Enable Distant Horizons in-game
        ↓
Open shader settings in-game
        ↓
Enable shaders
        ↓
Select/use the supplied MakeUp Ultra Fast configuration

The pack already includes the shader files and X-Factor's supplied configuration, so users do not need to separately install a shaderpack to use the intended setup.

The default state remains conservative because shader performance varies heavily by GPU, resolution, driver, and target framerate.

Conservative Defaults, Optional High-Visual Setup

X-Factor 1.0.8 deliberately separates the normal performance baseline from the optional long-distance/shader setup.

Default behavior:

Distant Horizons rendering = OFF
Shaders = OFF

Optional X-Factor visual setup:

Distant Horizons rendering = ON
Shaders = ON
MakeUp Ultra Fast = supplied

This means users are not forced to pay the GPU, VRAM, CPU, and world-generation cost of features they do not want.

At the same time, users who do want those features receive an already tuned starting configuration instead of needing to build their own compatibility setup.

VectorX and JVM Vector API Support

X-Factor 1.0.8 includes VectorX and enables its intended vectorized runtime path.

The supplied VectorX configuration uses:

backendForcedScalar = false

The required JVM arguments therefore now include:

--add-modules=jdk.incubator.vector

This allows compatible VectorX code paths to use Java's incubating Vector API instead of being forced into scalar-only execution.

The complete required argument set for 1.0.8 is:

-XX:+UseZGC --enable-native-access=ALL-UNNAMED -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions -XX:+EnableJVMCI -XX:+EnableDynamicAgentLoading -XX:+AlwaysPreTouch --add-modules=jdk.incubator.vector

The old Meshelium-specific JVM property from 1.0.7 is no longer part of the required argument set.

Required JVM Configuration

Use the following arguments exactly as part of the instance JVM configuration:

-XX:+UseZGC --enable-native-access=ALL-UNNAMED -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions -XX:+EnableJVMCI -XX:+EnableDynamicAgentLoading -XX:+AlwaysPreTouch --add-modules=jdk.incubator.vector

4 GB of allocated memory remains the recommended baseline.

Allocated memory: 4 GB recommended
Java: 25
JVM arguments: required

Allocating substantially more RAM is not automatically faster. For comparable testing, keep the memory allocation and JVM arguments consistent between runs.

New Rendering Defaults

The supplied Minecraft configuration uses:

preferredGraphicsBackend:"vulkan"
renderDistance:8
simulationDistance:6
VSync:false

The lower normal render distance is intentional in a release that can optionally use Distant Horizons for far-distance terrain.

When Distant Horizons is disabled, Minecraft uses the normal supplied rendering configuration. When Distant Horizons is enabled, the tuned LOD system extends visibility beyond the normal terrain boundary.

Performance will continue to vary heavily by:

CPU
GPU and graphics driver
Resolution
Normal render distance
Distant Horizons state and LOD radius
Shader state
World geometry
Chunk generation workload
Multiplayer server conditions
Background workload

Compared With X-Factor 1.0.7

Major additions / returns

Sodium 0.9.2
Vitrail 0.11.0-beta
Distant Horizons 3.3.0
MakeUp Ultra Fast 9.5e
VectorX 0.1.1
ImmediatelyFast 1.16.5
Krypton 0.3.1
Chloride 1.8.1
EntityCulling 1.10.5
GPUBooster 1.3.0
FastPackLoad 1.2.0
Fast Barriers
ZFastNoise 1.1.0-beta.6

Major rendering-stack change

1.0.7:
Minecraft 26.2 Vulkan backend
→ Meshelium 1.5.2

1.0.8:
Minecraft 26.2 Vulkan backend
→ Sodium 0.9.2
→ Vitrail 0.11.0-beta when shaders are enabled
→ optional Distant Horizons 3.3.0
→ optional MakeUp Ultra Fast 9.5e

Configuration changes

Distant Horizons is supplied with X-Factor-specific tuning
Distant Horizons rendering is OFF by default
Shaders are OFF by default
MakeUp Ultra Fast is supplied with the pack
Normal render distance set to 8
Simulation distance set to 6
VectorX scalar forcing disabled
Java Vector API module added to required JVM arguments
Meshelium-specific JVM property removed

No longer part of the supplied 1.0.8 architecture

Meshelium 1.5.2
C2ME 0.4.2-alpha.0.43

Existing Optimization Stack

X-Factor 1.0.8 continues to combine multiple targeted optimization layers. The supplied pack includes components such as:

Sodium
Lithium
ImmediatelyFast
FerriteCore
ScalableLux
Async
AsyncParticles
EntityCulling
Chloride
ModernFix
Structure Layout Optimizer
Oxidizium Panama
VectorX
ZFastNoise
GPUBooster
Krypton
FastPackLoad
FastQuit
Fast Barriers
Tick Sync
Eslium
Audition
Immersive Optimization
Distant Horizons
Vitrail

Not every component targets average FPS directly. The stack also covers memory use, chunk/world processing, loading, networking, culling, rendering overhead, quitting/saving behavior, and frame-time consistency.

What 1.0.8 Is Trying to Improve

X-Factor 1.0.7 focused heavily on frame-time stability through a Meshelium-centered rendering architecture.

X-Factor 1.0.8 focuses on combining a fast normal-distance renderer with a more flexible optional long-distance and shader pipeline.

The intended setup now looks roughly like:

Launch X-Factor 1.0.8
        ↓
Sodium handles the normal rendering baseline
        ↓
Optional: enable Distant Horizons
        ↓
Optional: enable shaders / MakeUp Ultra Fast
        ↓
Use the supplied X-Factor tuning for the selected feature set

The goals are:

Strong performance with the visual extras disabled
A preconfigured Distant Horizons path for users who want extreme view distance
A preconfigured shader path without requiring separate downloads
Reduced manual setup
Better control over CPU time spent on LOD generation
A cleaner transition between base performance and optional visual quality
Continued Vulkan-oriented rendering support
Consistent launcher/JVM configuration for reproducible testing

Recommended Testing

For comparisons between X-Factor 1.0.7 and 1.0.8:

Use the same world or server.
Use the same resolution.
Keep VSync and FPS cap identical.
Use the same JVM arguments and 4 GB memory allocation.
Compare the base configuration with Distant Horizons and shaders disabled first.
Then enable Distant Horizons and repeat the same route.
Then enable the supplied shader setup and repeat again.
Test both already-generated terrain and fresh exploration.
Repeat each workload more than once.

For the optional visual configuration, test:

Base X-Factor
→ enable Distant Horizons
→ verify LOD generation and transitions
→ enable shaders
→ verify MakeUp Ultra Fast rendering
→ travel through cached terrain
→ travel into fresh terrain

Watch both average FPS and frame-time consistency. Distant Horizons and shaders can substantially change the workload, so results with them enabled should not be directly compared with the default configuration without noting that difference.

Updating From X-Factor 1.0.7

A clean launcher update is recommended because 1.0.8 changes the rendering architecture substantially.

If updating an existing instance:

Back up worlds, screenshots, and personal configuration changes.
Update the pack through the launcher.
Remove duplicate older mod versions if the launcher leaves them behind.
Do not keep stale Meshelium or old 1.0.7 rendering configuration files in the updated instance.
Apply the new required JVM arguments.
Keep the memory allocation at 4 GB unless you have a specific reason to change it.
Launch the pack once with Distant Horizons and shaders left disabled.
If desired, enable Distant Horizons in-game.
If desired, enable shaders in-game afterward.

Do not use a launcher-wide Update All Mods action on X-Factor.

The pack contains compatibility-sensitive rendering and optimization combinations that are tested together.

Compatibility

Minecraft: 26.2
Fabric Loader: 0.19.5
Mod loader: Fabric
Environment: Client-focused
Rendering: Sodium-based, Vulkan-preferred
Shaders: Vitrail + MakeUp Ultra Fast included, disabled by default
Distant Horizons: Included and tuned, disabled by default
Server installation: Not normally required
Recommended memory: 4 GB
Java: 25

Reporting Problems

When reporting an issue, include:

X-Factor version
Minecraft version
Fabric Loader version
Java version
CPU and GPU
Full latest.log
Exact reproduction steps
Singleplayer or multiplayer
Distant Horizons enabled/disabled
Shaders enabled/disabled
Resolution
Render distance
Simulation distance
FPS cap
VSync state

For Distant Horizons problems, also include whether the issue happens:

with shaders disabled
or
with MakeUp Ultra Fast enabled

For performance reports, note whether the tested terrain was already generated/cached or being generated for the first time.

Join the X-Factor Discord

X-Factor Optimization