From 3b1bbbc02ce9797cc387137bb78dc5d63c8a86a9 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: DualFroz <me@dualfroz.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2026 21:47:13 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] feat(core): add chunk load/unload radius streaming

---
 core/include/vf/Streaming.h | 59 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 core/src/Streaming.cpp      | 51 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 110 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 core/include/vf/Streaming.h
 create mode 100644 core/src/Streaming.cpp

diff --git a/core/include/vf/Streaming.h b/core/include/vf/Streaming.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..15aad4d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/include/vf/Streaming.h
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+#pragma once
+
+#include <cstdint>
+#include <unordered_set>
+#include <vector>
+
+namespace vf {
+
+// A chunk column address (x, z); a column owns the full vertical stack of chunks.
+struct ColumnCoord {
+    int x = 0;
+    int z = 0;
+    bool operator==(const ColumnCoord& o) const { return x == o.x && z == o.z; }
+};
+
+struct ColumnCoordHash {
+    std::size_t operator()(const ColumnCoord& c) const {
+        std::uint64_t h = 1469598103934665603ull;
+        h ^= static_cast<std::uint32_t>(c.x); h *= 1099511628211ull;
+        h ^= static_cast<std::uint32_t>(c.z); h *= 1099511628211ull;
+        return static_cast<std::size_t>(h);
+    }
+};
+
+struct StreamingConfig {
+    int loadRadius = 8;     // columns within this circle are kept resident
+    int unloadRadius = 10;  // columns are only evicted past this larger circle
+};
+
+struct StreamDelta {
+    std::vector<ColumnCoord> load;    // to generate, nearest-to-player first
+    std::vector<ColumnCoord> unload;  // now beyond the unload ring
+};
+
+// Tracks which chunk columns are resident around a moving centre. The load and
+// unload rings differ (hysteresis) so a player pacing across a boundary does not
+// thrash the same columns in and out every step.
+class ChunkStreamer {
+public:
+    explicit ChunkStreamer(StreamingConfig config = {}) : config(config) {}
+
+    // Recomputes residency around `centre`, mutating the resident set and
+    // returning the columns that entered (to load) and left (to unload).
+    StreamDelta update(ColumnCoord centre);
+
+    bool isLoaded(ColumnCoord column) const { return resident.count(column) != 0; }
+    std::size_t loadedCount() const { return resident.size(); }
+    const StreamingConfig& settings() const { return config; }
+
+private:
+    StreamingConfig config;
+    std::unordered_set<ColumnCoord, ColumnCoordHash> resident;
+};
+
+// Columns whose centre lies within `radius` of (0,0), sorted nearest first.
+// Distance is Euclidean so the loaded area is a disc, not a square.
+std::vector<ColumnCoord> columnsInRadius(ColumnCoord centre, int radius);
+
+} // namespace vf
diff --git a/core/src/Streaming.cpp b/core/src/Streaming.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4cfc766
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/Streaming.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+#include "vf/Streaming.h"
+
+#include <algorithm>
+
+namespace vf {
+
+namespace {
+
+long long distanceSquared(ColumnCoord a, ColumnCoord b) {
+    long long dx = a.x - b.x;
+    long long dz = a.z - b.z;
+    return dx * dx + dz * dz;
+}
+
+} // namespace
+
+std::vector<ColumnCoord> columnsInRadius(ColumnCoord centre, int radius) {
+    std::vector<ColumnCoord> columns;
+    long long limit = static_cast<long long>(radius) * radius;
+    for (int dz = -radius; dz <= radius; ++dz) {
+        for (int dx = -radius; dx <= radius; ++dx) {
+            ColumnCoord column{centre.x + dx, centre.z + dz};
+            if (distanceSquared(column, centre) <= limit) columns.push_back(column);
+        }
+    }
+    std::stable_sort(columns.begin(), columns.end(),
+                     [&](ColumnCoord lhs, ColumnCoord rhs) {
+                         return distanceSquared(lhs, centre) < distanceSquared(rhs, centre);
+                     });
+    return columns;
+}
+
+StreamDelta ChunkStreamer::update(ColumnCoord centre) {
+    StreamDelta delta;
+
+    for (ColumnCoord column : columnsInRadius(centre, config.loadRadius)) {
+        if (resident.count(column) == 0) delta.load.push_back(column);
+    }
+
+    long long unloadLimit = static_cast<long long>(config.unloadRadius) * config.unloadRadius;
+    for (ColumnCoord column : resident) {
+        if (distanceSquared(column, centre) > unloadLimit) delta.unload.push_back(column);
+    }
+
+    for (ColumnCoord column : delta.load) resident.insert(column);
+    for (ColumnCoord column : delta.unload) resident.erase(column);
+
+    return delta;
+}
+
+} // namespace vf