Direct answer

The feature is aimed at the cost of checking entities inside blocks, especially when large numbers of entities are present. It does not change collision processing globally or cure all entity lag, and Pufferfish warns of possible small gameplay differences.

How to check it

  1. Check whether your generated pufferfish.yml includes enable-suffocation-optimization.
  2. Reproduce a crowded-entity situation and identify whether suffocation checks contribute meaningful cost.
  3. Test entity damage near blocks and mechanisms that rely on suffocation, not just total MSPT.

What to change

In the documented Pufferfish config the toggle is top-level:

enable-suffocation-optimization: true

If a suffocation-driven farm or game mechanic behaves differently, repeat the exact scenario with the feature disabled; do not change unrelated AI settings at the same time.

Compatibility and safety

This option may alter the timing of a game mechanic. The Pufferfish Host guide is a historical reference; check the generated file for support in the exact version running.

Software and version notes

The Pufferfish Host knowledgebase is historical configuration documentation. Check current pufferfish.yml and the changelog of your exact Pufferfish build before applying example values.

Verify the result

Measure the relevant profiler cost and verify expected damage behavior. Keep the old config and revert if gameplay is affected.

References