Direct answer
Paper offers ELLIPSOID and CYLINDER for the geometry used by spawn-despawn range checks. This does not change entity tracking distance or render distance.
How to check it
- Check
spawning.despawn-range-shapeand the corresponding vertical/horizontal soft and hard despawn ranges for the affected mob category. Test a farm with vertically separated floors and record despawn behavior. - Record the original configuration or test conditions, capture a profile or a repeatable observation, and identify the affected world or player group.
- Make the measurement under the same player count and workload you will later use to verify the change.
What to change
Under ELLIPSOID, horizontal and vertical distance work together in a three-dimensional shape; CYLINDER treats the horizontal radius and vertical range differently. Use the mode required by your intended farm behavior, not an assumed universal TPS gain.
Changing the shape can alter where mobs disappear in stacked farms and tall builds. Verify gameplay first.
Software and version notes
Check the active version and generated configuration before copying paths or values. Different forks and mod loaders may implement this behavior differently.
This article is written for Paper / compatible servers. Configuration keys and defaults can move between versions. The source material checked for this page includes Paper world configuration. If your server is Folia, Leaf, Purpur, Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, or another fork/loader, do not assume a Paper-only setting exists or behaves identically.
Verify the result
Repeat the same test with the same software build, player count and world activity. Compare the targeted symptom and any spark measurements, then check that intended game mechanics still work. If the change does not produce a reproducible improvement, revert to the recorded baseline.