balrond better build

Balrond Better Build

Build with a choice of structural rules in Valheim. Balrond Better Build offers a simpler support mode, a more forgiving vanilla-style mode, and an experimental mode that distributes a building’s own weight.

The mod is designed to reduce the cost of structural calculations in large builds. The improvement you see depends on your world, hardware, and other mods; a specific FPS increase is not guaranteed.

Installation

1. Install BepInEx for Valheim.
2. Place BalrondBetterBuild.dll in BepInEx/plugins/BalrondBetterBuild/. Replace the previous version and remove duplicate copies.
3. Start the game once to create the configuration file.
4. Close the game before editing the file.

For multiplayer, install the mod on the server and every connecting client. Use the same version throughout. Do not enable Fysik alongside this mod.

Back up your world before changing structural rules. Try FramePhysics on a copy of your world first: this mode is experimental.

Quick start

Open:

BepInEx/config/balrond.astafaraios.BalrondBetterBuild.cfg

These settings are the recommended starting point:

[0 General]
Lock Configuration = true
Integrity Mode = Replace
Structural Model = VanillaFlexible

[3 Materials]
Material Balance Preset = VanillaCompatible
Flexible Loss Multiplier = 0.9

New configurations enable the replacement system by default. Updating the mod preserves your saved choices. If you previously disabled it, set Integrity Mode = Replace to enable it again. Restart the game or server after editing the configuration.

Choose your building mode

Set Structural Model in [0 General] to one of these values:

| Value | What to expect | |---|---| | Fast | Simpler support rules focused on lower calculation cost. Opposite-side supports are not combined, so some bridges and unusual spans may need additional supports. | | VanillaFlexible | Familiar support-based building with adjustable, more forgiving limits. The default choice for regular play. | | FramePhysics | Experimental rules that distribute a structure’s own weight and consider bending, tension, and compression. Building behaviour differs substantially from vanilla. |

Changing modes can make existing buildings unstable. Choose your rules before starting a large project, and test changes on a world backup.

Enable or disable the replacement system

Integrity Mode is separate from the building model:

| Value | Behaviour | |---|---| | Replace | Use the selected building model. | | Vanilla | Disable the replacement system and use Valheim’s original support rules. | | Observe | Keep original support rules while enabling comparison features. Not needed for normal play. |

Returning to Vanilla can cause buildings that relied on more forgiving rules to collapse.

Make VanillaFlexible more forgiving

In [3 Materials], Flexible Loss Multiplier controls how quickly support decreases with distance in VanillaFlexible:

| Value | Effect | |---|---| | 1.0 | Use the selected material preset’s normal support losses. | | 0.9 | Slightly more forgiving spans and heights; the default. | | 0.75 | More forgiving support losses. |

The accepted range is 0.25 to 1.0. This setting does not affect Fast or FramePhysics. Use a decimal point in configuration values.

Material Balance Preset offers additional choices for Fast and VanillaFlexible:

| Value | Effect | |---|---| | VanillaCompatible | Use the game’s material support values as the starting point. | | Forgiving | More forgiving support limits. | | Generous | Greater building freedom. | | Custom | Use the custom multipliers below. |

In VanillaFlexible, the flexibility multiplier also applies to the selected preset. Choosing VanillaCompatible alone does not remove the default flexibility adjustment.

With Custom, adjust these settings in [3 Materials]:

| Setting | Effect | |---|---| | Custom Max Support Multiplier | Higher values increase available support. | | Custom Minimum Support Multiplier | Lower values make the minimum support requirement more forgiving. | | Custom Horizontal Loss Multiplier | Lower values allow longer spans. | | Custom Vertical Loss Multiplier | Lower values allow taller structures. |

Start at 1 and change one setting at a time. These presets do not calibrate FramePhysics; use its own settings instead.

FramePhysics settings

FramePhysics is an early experimental alternative. It considers building self-weight, but does not include player, cart, inventory, or snow loads. Stone joints and piece shapes are simplified, so results should not be treated as realistic engineering or as equivalent to Fysik.

Settings are in [5 Frame Physics]:

| Setting | Default | Guidance | |---|---:|---| | Strength Multiplier | 1 | Increase to make materials stronger; decrease for weaker materials. | | Weight Multiplier | 1 | Increase to make structures heavier; decrease for lighter structures. | | Maximum Bodies | 5000 | Maximum pieces in one connected structure calculation. Keep the default until you have tested your builds. | | Maximum Iterations | 2000 | Calculation limit. Leave unchanged for initial testing. | | Maximum Worker Milliseconds | 2000 | Calculation time limit. This is not a target frame time or FPS setting. |

If a calculation fails or exceeds its limits, the mode retains previous support and protects newly loaded pieces until a successful calculation or reload. This can temporarily stop expected collapses. If this happens repeatedly, preserve a world backup and report the problem with your log and configuration.

Multiplayer configuration

With Lock Configuration = true, the server controls the building model and synchronized gameplay settings. Clients follow the server’s rules. In a solo world, you choose the rules locally.