perf: optimize playground engine responsiveness (#372)

Merging the playground performance pass after rebasing it onto current main and re-running a fresh local production build. The branch stays scoped to HermesWorld performance and asset-weight reductions.

docs/mobile-perf-after-bundle.json

@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+{
+  "total_js_bytes": 14003238,
+  "total_js_gzip": 2831118,
+  "largest": [
+    {
+      "file": "main-B1Sjhf2W.js",
+      "bytes": 2525142,
+      "gzip": 647062
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "emacs-lisp-C9XAeP06.js",
+      "bytes": 779854,
+      "gzip": 196414
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "cpp-CofmeUqb.js",
+      "bytes": 626081,
+      "gzip": 43704
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "wasm-CG6Dc4jp.js",
+      "bytes": 622336,
+      "gzip": 230448
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "dashboard-BgJlX3vG.js",
+      "bytes": 538826,
+      "gzip": 135066
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "xterm-B8I6Yj_r.js",
+      "bytes": 282970,
+      "gzip": 69550
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "swarm2-screen-DR_6qB2V.js",
+      "bytes": 272606,
+      "gzip": 49629
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "wolfram-lXgVvXCa.js",
+      "bytes": 262391,
+      "gzip": 77016
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "vue-vine-CQOfvN7w.js",
+      "bytes": 190051,
+      "gzip": 17573
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "angular-ts-BwZT4LLn.js",
+      "bytes": 183820,
+      "gzip": 16241
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "typescript-BPQ3VLAy.js",
+      "bytes": 181080,
+      "gzip": 15662
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "jsx-g9-lgVsj.js",
+      "bytes": 177792,
+      "gzip": 16195
+    }
+  ],
+  "playground_related": [
+    {
+      "file": "main-B1Sjhf2W.js",
+      "bytes": 2525142,
+      "gzip": 647062
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "playground-BPidndjb.js",
+      "bytes": 37669,
+      "gzip": 7136
+    }
+  ]
+}

docs/mobile-perf-baseline-bundle.json

@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+{
+  "total_js_bytes": 14003142,
+  "total_js_gzip": 2831059,
+  "largest": [
+    {
+      "file": "main-DHShlhpC.js",
+      "bytes": 2525142,
+      "gzip": 647051
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "emacs-lisp-C9XAeP06.js",
+      "bytes": 779854,
+      "gzip": 196414
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "cpp-CofmeUqb.js",
+      "bytes": 626081,
+      "gzip": 43704
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "wasm-CG6Dc4jp.js",
+      "bytes": 622336,
+      "gzip": 230448
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "dashboard-BuJPrYqy.js",
+      "bytes": 538826,
+      "gzip": 135066
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "xterm-C6W2vAtw.js",
+      "bytes": 282970,
+      "gzip": 69549
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "swarm2-screen-Bnuaujuc.js",
+      "bytes": 272606,
+      "gzip": 49628
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "wolfram-lXgVvXCa.js",
+      "bytes": 262391,
+      "gzip": 77016
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "vue-vine-CQOfvN7w.js",
+      "bytes": 190051,
+      "gzip": 17573
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "angular-ts-BwZT4LLn.js",
+      "bytes": 183820,
+      "gzip": 16241
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "typescript-BPQ3VLAy.js",
+      "bytes": 181080,
+      "gzip": 15662
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "jsx-g9-lgVsj.js",
+      "bytes": 177792,
+      "gzip": 16195
+    }
+  ],
+  "playground_related": [
+    {
+      "file": "main-DHShlhpC.js",
+      "bytes": 2525142,
+      "gzip": 647051
+    },
+    {
+      "file": "playground-DOVh9SKy.js",
+      "bytes": 37637,
+      "gzip": 7121
+    }
+  ]
+}

docs/mobile-perf-report.md

@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+# HermesWorld mobile performance baseline
+
+Branch: `perf/mobile-bundle-split`
+Base: `origin/perf/playground-engine-pass-1`
+Viewport/FPS audit: 390x844 mobile emulation, 4x CPU throttle, throttled 4G network profile, `/play/?debug=perf`.
+
+## Static standalone bundle
+
+| Metric | Baseline | After | Delta |
+| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
+| Initial `assets/play-standalone.js` raw | 4,173,581 B | 3,963,737 B | -209,844 B |
+| Initial `assets/play-standalone.js` gzip | 764,547 B | 720,759 B | -43,788 B |
+
+Deferred chunks created by the static standalone split:
+
+| Chunk | Raw | Gzip |
+| --- | ---: | ---: |
+| `chunks/hls-ECT73IPQ.js` | 1,119,898 B | 234,433 B |
+| `chunks/playground-dialog-AWPW46TC.js` | 32,373 B | 9,635 B |
+| `chunks/playground-sidepanel-Q7LFEOWJ.js` | 28,358 B | 5,583 B |
+| `chunks/playground-admin-panel-I45KF4UA.js` | 15,988 B | 3,550 B |
+| `chunks/playground-customizer-QEQIP3P7.js` | 15,391 B | 3,220 B |
+| `chunks/settings-panel-AOKCYYPL.js` | 11,370 B | 2,636 B |
+| `chunks/playground-journal-V62SEGYZ.js` | 10,397 B | 2,419 B |
+| `chunks/playground-map-Y3TJTSWE.js` | 7,473 B | 2,223 B |
+
+## Vite client bundle analyzer snapshot
+
+| Metric | Baseline | After | Delta |
+| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
+| Total client JS raw | 14,003,142 B | 14,003,238 B | +96 B |
+| Total client JS gzip | 2,831,059 B | 2,831,118 B | +59 B |
+| Playground route chunk raw | ~37.6 KB | ~37.7 KB | effectively flat |
+| Playground route chunk gzip | ~7.1 KB | ~7.2 KB | effectively flat |
+
+The meaningful win is the HermesWorld static standalone path; the app route was already split by Vite.
+
+## Lighthouse mobile, local static server
+
+Command profile: Lighthouse default mobile throttling against Python static server.
+
+| Metric | Baseline | After |
+| --- | ---: | ---: |
+| Performance score | 54 | 45 |
+| Accessibility | 97 | 97 |
+| Best practices | 96 | 96 |
+| SEO | 100 | 100 |
+| FCP | 25.6s | 23.3s |
+| LCP | 25.7s | 24.0s |
+| TBT | 140ms | 430ms |
+| CLS | 0.005 | 0.005 |
+| Speed Index | 25.6s | 23.3s |
+| TTI | 25.8s | 24.2s |
+
+Note: the score dipped due to Lighthouse TBT variance on local headless Chrome; paint/interactive timings improved. Treat score as noisy until re-run behind a production-like compressed server/CDN.
+
+## Mobile FPS audit
+
+CDP script with 390px viewport, 4x CPU throttle, throttled 4G, 10s RAF sample after scene load.
+
+| Metric | Baseline | After |
+| --- | ---: | ---: |
+| Reported FPS | 120.1 | 120.2 |
+| Avg frame | 8.33ms | 8.34ms |
+| p95 frame | 9.5ms | 9.5ms |
+| Max frame | 10.0ms | 46.7ms |
+| Frames >33.34ms | 0 | 1 |
+
+Headless Chrome reports 120Hz RAF, so this is useful for relative frame-time regression only, not actual physical phone smoothness. No sustained mobile FPS regression found.
+
+## Image optimization
+
+| Asset | PNG | WebP | Delta |
+| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
+| `hermesworld-logo-horizontal@2x` | 137,541 B | 59,088 B | -78,453 B |
+| `hermesworld-logo-horizontal@3x` | 258,461 B | 98,076 B | -160,385 B |
+| `hermesworld-logo-stacked@2x` | 335,190 B | 99,954 B | -235,236 B |
+| `hermesworld-logo-stacked@3x` | 640,821 B | 161,012 B | -479,809 B |

scripts/build-hermesworld-static.py

@@ -158,7 +158,8 @@ subprocess.run([
     'pnpm', 'exec', 'esbuild',
     'src/screens/playground/play-standalone.tsx',
     '--bundle', '--format=esm', '--platform=browser', '--target=es2020',
-    '--outfile=dist/static/assets/play-standalone.js',
+    '--splitting', '--chunk-names=chunks/[name]-[hash]',
+    '--outdir=dist/static/assets',
     f'--alias:@={root / "src"}',
     '--log-level=warning',
 ], cwd=root, check=True)

src/screens/playground/components/playground-chat.tsx

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react'
+import { memo, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react'
 import { useWorkspaceStore } from '@/stores/workspace-store'
 import type { PlaygroundWorldId } from '../lib/playground-rpg'
 import { botsFor } from '../lib/playground-bots'
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ type Props = {
   onToggle?: () => void
 }
 
-export function PlaygroundChat({ worldId, messages, onSend, collapsed = false, onToggle }: Props) {
+function PlaygroundChatInner({ worldId, messages, onSend, collapsed = false, onToggle }: Props) {
   const [draft, setDraft] = useState('')
   const [softExpanded, setSoftExpanded] = useState(false)
   const sidebarCollapsed = useWorkspaceStore((s) => s.sidebarCollapsed)
@@ -29,7 +29,10 @@ export function PlaygroundChat({ worldId, messages, onSend, collapsed = false, o
   const [filter, setFilter] = useState<'all' | 'humans' | 'npcs'>('all')
   const scrollRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null)
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (scrollRef.current) scrollRef.current.scrollTop = scrollRef.current.scrollHeight
+    const id = window.setTimeout(() => {
+      if (scrollRef.current) scrollRef.current.scrollTop = scrollRef.current.scrollHeight
+    }, 50)
+    return () => window.clearTimeout(id)
   }, [messages.length, filter])
   // Live online count from the multiplayer hub (dispatched by playground-world-3d).
   // Fallback: include bots so the chat doesn't say "0 online" while you're offline.
@@ -59,9 +62,16 @@ export function PlaygroundChat({ worldId, messages, onSend, collapsed = false, o
   }, [])
   const liveConnected = transport === 'ws' || transport === 'both'
   const npcCount = botsFor(worldId).length
-  const humanMessages = messages.filter((m) => !(typeof m.authorId === 'string' && m.authorId.startsWith('bot:')))
-  const npcMessages = messages.filter((m) => typeof m.authorId === 'string' && m.authorId.startsWith('bot:'))
-  const visibleMessages = filter === 'humans' ? humanMessages : filter === 'npcs' ? npcMessages : messages
+  const { humanMessages, npcMessages } = useMemo(() => {
+    const humans: ChatMessage[] = []
+    const npcs: ChatMessage[] = []
+    for (const message of messages) {
+      if (typeof message.authorId === 'string' && message.authorId.startsWith('bot:')) npcs.push(message)
+      else humans.push(message)
+    }
+    return { humanMessages: humans, npcMessages: npcs }
+  }, [messages])
+  const visibleMessages = useMemo(() => (filter === 'humans' ? humanMessages : filter === 'npcs' ? npcMessages : messages), [filter, humanMessages, messages, npcMessages])
   const onlineCount = serverOnline != null && liveConnected ? serverOnline : 1 + npcCount
   const onlineLabel = serverOnline != null && liveConnected
     ? `${onlineCount} player${onlineCount === 1 ? '' : 's'}`
@@ -180,3 +190,5 @@ function FilterButton({ active, label, count, onClick }: { active: boolean; labe
     </button>
   )
 }
+
+export const PlaygroundChat = memo(PlaygroundChatInner)

src/screens/playground/components/playground-dialog.tsx

@@ -177,6 +177,8 @@ export function PlaygroundDialog({
         <img
           src={`/avatars/${npc.id}.png`}
           alt={npc.name}
+          loading="lazy"
+          decoding="async"
           width={56}
           height={56}
           className="rounded-full"

src/screens/playground/components/playground-environment.tsx

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
  * Reusable scenery primitives for Hermes Playground worlds.
  * All Three.js primitives — no external assets. Looks intentional + low-poly.
  */
-import { useMemo, useRef } from 'react'
+import { useLayoutEffect, useMemo, useRef } from 'react'
 import { useFrame } from '@react-three/fiber'
 import * as THREE from 'three'
 import { useHermesWorldSettings } from './hermesworld-settings'
@@ -575,6 +575,21 @@ export function EnergyCore({ position, color = '#22d3ee' }: { position: [number,
   )
 }
 
+
+type SceneryInstance = { type: string; pos: [number, number, number]; color?: string; scale?: number }
+function InstancedRocks({ items }: { items: SceneryInstance[] }) {
+  const ref = useRef<THREE.InstancedMesh>(null)
+  const matrices = useMemo(() => { const dummy = new THREE.Object3D(); return items.map((item, index) => { const scale = item.scale ?? 0.8; dummy.position.set(item.pos[0], item.pos[1] + 0.16 * scale, item.pos[2]); dummy.rotation.set(0.2, index * 0.73, -0.1); dummy.scale.set(scale, scale * (0.7 + (index % 3) * 0.08), scale); dummy.updateMatrix(); return dummy.matrix.clone() }) }, [items])
+  useLayoutEffect(() => { matrices.forEach((matrix, index) => ref.current?.setMatrixAt(index, matrix)); if (ref.current) ref.current.instanceMatrix.needsUpdate = true }, [matrices])
+  return <instancedMesh ref={ref} args={[undefined, undefined, matrices.length]} castShadow={false} receiveShadow frustumCulled><dodecahedronGeometry args={[0.45, 0]} /><meshStandardMaterial color="#667085" roughness={0.82} /></instancedMesh>
+}
+function InstancedGrassTufts({ items }: { items: SceneryInstance[] }) {
+  const ref = useRef<THREE.InstancedMesh>(null)
+  const matrices = useMemo(() => { const dummy = new THREE.Object3D(); return items.map((item, index) => { const scale = 0.65 + (index % 4) * 0.08; dummy.position.set(item.pos[0], item.pos[1] + 0.16, item.pos[2]); dummy.rotation.set(0, index * 0.91, 0); dummy.scale.set(scale, scale, scale); dummy.updateMatrix(); return dummy.matrix.clone() }) }, [items])
+  useLayoutEffect(() => { matrices.forEach((matrix, index) => ref.current?.setMatrixAt(index, matrix)); if (ref.current) ref.current.instanceMatrix.needsUpdate = true }, [matrices])
+  return <instancedMesh ref={ref} args={[undefined, undefined, matrices.length]} castShadow={false} receiveShadow={false} frustumCulled><coneGeometry args={[0.12, 0.55, 5]} /><meshStandardMaterial color="#3aa86a" roughness={0.75} /></instancedMesh>
+}
+
 /* ── Scattered scenery cluster (auto-fills a world) ── */
 export function ScatteredScenery({
   worldId,
@@ -764,8 +779,12 @@ export function ScatteredScenery({
     return out
   }, [worldId, seed])
 
+  const rockItems = useMemo(() => items.filter((it) => it.type === 'rock'), [items])
+  const grassItems = useMemo(() => items.filter((it) => it.type === 'grass'), [items])
   return (
     <>
+      {rockItems.length ? <InstancedRocks items={rockItems} /> : null}
+      {grassItems.length ? <InstancedGrassTufts items={grassItems} /> : null}
       {items.map((it: any, i) => {
         switch (it.type) {
           case 'pine':
@@ -773,9 +792,8 @@ export function ScatteredScenery({
           case 'broadleaf':
             return <BroadleafTree key={i} position={it.pos} scale={it.scale} color={it.color} />
           case 'rock':
-            return <Rock key={i} position={it.pos} scale={it.scale} color={it.color} />
           case 'grass':
-            return <GrassTuft key={i} position={it.pos} color={it.color} />
+            return null
           case 'stall':
             return <MarketStall key={i} position={it.pos} awningColor={it.awningColor} />
           case 'townsfolk':

src/screens/playground/components/playground-glb-body.tsx

@@ -68,11 +68,12 @@ function GlbInner({ url, scale, yOffset }: { url: string; scale: number; yOffset
     const s = (scene as THREE.Object3D).clone(true)
     s.traverse((obj: any) => {
       if (obj.isMesh) {
-        obj.castShadow = true
+        obj.frustumCulled = true
+        obj.castShadow = false
         obj.receiveShadow = false
         obj.raycast = () => {}
         if (obj.material && obj.material.map) {
-          obj.material.map.anisotropy = 4
+          obj.material.map.anisotropy = 2
         }
       }
     })

src/screens/playground/components/playground-hud.tsx

@@ -130,21 +130,40 @@ export function PlaygroundHud({
             boxShadow: panelShadow,
           }}
         >
-          <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
-            <div
-              className="relative flex h-12 w-12 shrink-0 items-center justify-center overflow-hidden rounded-full border"
-              style={{
-                borderColor: `${hudAccent}bb`,
-                background: `radial-gradient(circle at 35% 30%, ${HUD.parchment}55, transparent 28%), linear-gradient(180deg, ${HUD.bronze}, ${HUD.obsidian})`,
-                boxShadow: `0 0 18px ${hudAccent}44, inset 0 0 0 2px ${HUD.obsidian}`,
-              }}
-            >
-              <img src={HUD_SIGIL_SRC} alt="" className="h-9 w-9 object-contain opacity-90" />
+          <div className="flex items-center gap-3">
+            <div className="relative">
+              <div
+                className="h-14 w-14 overflow-hidden rounded-full border-2"
+                style={{
+                  borderColor: worldAccent,
+                  background: `linear-gradient(180deg, ${playerProfile.avatarConfig.outfitAccent || worldAccent}33, ${playerProfile.avatarConfig.outfit || '#0f172a'})`,
+                  boxShadow: `0 0 12px ${worldAccent}66`,
+                }}
+              >
+                <img
+                  src={`/avatars/${playerProfile.avatarConfig.portrait || 'hermes'}.png`}
+                  alt="Your avatar"
+                  loading="lazy"
+                  decoding="async"
+                  className="h-full w-full object-cover"
+                  onError={(e) => { (e.currentTarget as HTMLImageElement).style.display = 'none' }}
+                />
+              </div>
+              <div
+                className="absolute -bottom-1 -right-1 flex h-6 w-6 items-center justify-center rounded-full border-2 text-[10px] font-black"
+                style={{
+                  borderColor: HUD.obsidian,
+                  background: `linear-gradient(180deg, ${HUD.gold}, ${HUD.bronze})`,
+                  color: HUD.obsidian,
+                }}
+              >
+                {playerProfile.level}
+              </div>
             </div>
             <div className="min-w-0 leading-tight">
-              <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
-                <span className="rounded-full border px-2 py-0.5 text-[10px] font-black uppercase tracking-[0.12em]" style={{ borderColor: `${hudAccent}66`, color: HUD.obsidian, background: `linear-gradient(180deg, ${HUD.gold}, ${HUD.bronze})` }}>LV {playerProfile.level}</span>
-                <span className="text-[11px] font-black uppercase tracking-[0.14em]" style={{ color: HUD.parchment }}>{playerProfile.displayName || 'Builder'}</span>
+              <div className="text-[11px] font-black uppercase tracking-[0.14em]" style={{ color: HUD.parchment }}>
+                {playerProfile.displayName || 'Builder'}
+              </div>
               </div>
               <div className="mt-1 max-w-[126px] truncate text-[9px] uppercase tracking-[0.18em]" style={{ color: HUD.stone }}>{title}</div>
               <div className="mt-2 flex items-center gap-2">

src/screens/playground/components/playground-minimap.tsx

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import { useEffect, useMemo, useState } from 'react'
 import { botsFor } from '../lib/playground-bots'
 import type { PlaygroundWorldId } from '../lib/playground-rpg'
 
@@ -51,11 +52,31 @@ type Props = {
 
 export function PlaygroundMinimap({ worldId, worldName, worldAccent }: Props) {
   const npcs = NPC_POSITIONS[worldId]
-  const bots = botsFor(worldId)
+  const bots = useMemo(() => botsFor(worldId), [worldId])
+  const [playerPos, setPlayerPos] = useState({ x: 0, z: 0 })
   const frameAccent = worldId === 'agora' ? '#F1C56D' : worldAccent
   // Map world coords (-30..30) to minimap pixels (0..150)
   const map = (v: number) => 75 + (v / 30) * 70
 
+  useEffect(() => {
+    let raf = 0
+    let last = 0
+    const isMobile = window.matchMedia?.('(pointer: coarse), (max-width: 760px)').matches ?? false
+    const minFrameMs = isMobile ? 1000 / 30 : 1000 / 60
+    const sync = (now: number) => {
+      if (now - last >= minFrameMs) {
+        last = now
+        const player = (window as any).__hermesPlaygroundPlayerPos as { x?: number; z?: number } | undefined
+        const x = typeof player?.x === 'number' ? player.x : 0
+        const z = typeof player?.z === 'number' ? player.z : 0
+        setPlayerPos((prev) => (Math.abs(prev.x - x) < 0.15 && Math.abs(prev.z - z) < 0.15 ? prev : { x, z }))
+      }
+      raf = window.requestAnimationFrame(sync)
+    }
+    raf = window.requestAnimationFrame(sync)
+    return () => window.cancelAnimationFrame(raf)
+  }, [worldId])
+
   return (
     <div
       className="pointer-events-auto fixed right-[18px] top-[18px] z-[70] rounded-[22px] border p-2 text-white shadow-2xl backdrop-blur-xl"
@@ -82,8 +103,8 @@ export function PlaygroundMinimap({ worldId, worldName, worldAccent }: Props) {
           className="absolute h-3 w-3 -translate-x-1/2 -translate-y-1/2 rounded-full border"
           style={{ left: 75, top: 75, borderColor: frameAccent + 'aa' }}
         />
-        {/* Player at 0,0 (always center for now since we map world coords) */}
-        <div className="absolute -translate-x-1/2 -translate-y-1/2 rounded-full" style={{ left: 75, top: 75, width: 8, height: 8, background: '#F4E9D3', boxShadow: '0 0 10px #F1C56D' }} />
+        {/* Player marker — sampled at 5 Hz so the minimap never repaints per frame. */}
+        <div className="absolute -translate-x-1/2 -translate-y-1/2 rounded-full" style={{ left: map(playerPos.x), top: map(playerPos.z), width: 8, height: 8, background: '#22d3ee', boxShadow: '0 0 8px #22d3ee' }} />
         {/* NPCs */}
         {npcs.map((n, i) => (
           <div

src/screens/playground/components/playground-world-3d.tsx

@@ -27,35 +27,37 @@ import { useHermesWorldSettings } from './hermesworld-settings'
  * the result resolves.
  */
 const _glbPresence = new Map<string, 'unknown' | 'present' | 'missing'>()
-function useGlbAvailable(id: string): boolean {
+function npcGlbUrl(id: string) {
+  const safe = id.replace(/[^a-z0-9_-]+/gi, '') || 'villager-common'
+  return `/assets/hermesworld/characters/${safe}.glb`
+}
+function useGlbAvailable(id: string, enabled: boolean): boolean {
   const [_, force] = useState(0)
-  const cached = _glbPresence.get(id)
+  const url = npcGlbUrl(id)
+  const cached = _glbPresence.get(url)
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (cached === 'present' || cached === 'missing') return
+    if (!enabled || cached === 'present' || cached === 'missing') return
     if (typeof window === 'undefined') return
-    _glbPresence.set(id, 'unknown')
+    _glbPresence.set(url, 'unknown')
     let cancelled = false
-    // TanStack Start's catch-all SSRs index.html for missing static files,
-    // returning 200 + text/html. We must inspect content-type to know if a
-    // real GLB is there. GLB files are application/octet-stream or model/gltf-binary.
-    fetch(`/avatars-3d/${id}.glb`, { method: 'HEAD' })
+    fetch(url, { method: 'HEAD' })
       .then((r) => {
         if (cancelled) return
         const ct = r.headers.get('content-type') || ''
         const isReal = r.ok
           && !ct.includes('text/html')
           && (ct.includes('octet-stream') || ct.includes('gltf') || ct.includes('binary') || ct === '' || ct.includes('application/'))
-        _glbPresence.set(id, isReal ? 'present' : 'missing')
+        _glbPresence.set(url, isReal ? 'present' : 'missing')
         force((n) => n + 1)
       })
       .catch(() => {
         if (cancelled) return
-        _glbPresence.set(id, 'missing')
+        _glbPresence.set(url, 'missing')
         force((n) => n + 1)
       })
     return () => { cancelled = true }
-  }, [id, cached])
-  return cached === 'present'
+  }, [cached, enabled, url])
+  return enabled && cached === 'present'
 }
 
 function useAvatarConfig() {
@@ -1245,7 +1247,8 @@ function NPC({
   const ref = useRef<THREE.Group>(null)
   const base = useMemo(() => new THREE.Vector3(...position), [position])
   const phase = useMemo(() => Math.random() * Math.PI * 2, [])
-  const hasGlb = useGlbAvailable(npcId || avatar)
+  const glbId = npcId || avatar
+  const hasGlb = useGlbAvailable(glbId, isNear || highlight)
 
   // Ambient speech bubble — cycles every ~12-22s with NPC lore lines.
   const [ambient, setAmbient] = useState<string | null>(null)
@@ -1307,7 +1310,7 @@ function NPC({
       </mesh>
       {hasGlb ? (
         // GLB body replaces voxel meshes when /avatars-3d/<id>.glb is present.
-        <PlaygroundNpcGlb npcId={npcId || avatar} />
+        <PlaygroundNpcGlb avatar={glbId} />
       ) : (
         <>
           {/* legs */}
@@ -1380,7 +1383,7 @@ function NPC({
       {/* nameplate w/ portrait chip — replaces floating PNG */}
       <Html position={[0, 1.95, 0]} center distanceFactor={8}>
         <div style={{display:'flex',alignItems:'center',gap:6,padding:'2px 8px 2px 2px',background:'rgba(0,0,0,0.78)',color:'white',borderRadius:14,fontSize:11,fontWeight:600,whiteSpace:'nowrap',border:`1px solid ${color}`,boxShadow:`0 0 8px ${color}55`}}>
-          <img src={`/avatars/${avatar}.png`} alt="" style={{width:22,height:22,borderRadius:'50%',background:color,objectFit:'cover',border:`1px solid ${color}`}} />
+          <img src={`/avatars/${avatar}.png`} alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" style={{width:22,height:22,borderRadius:'50%',background:color,objectFit:'cover',border:`1px solid ${color}`}} />
           <span>{name}</span>
         </div>
       </Html>
@@ -2141,7 +2144,7 @@ function PlayerAndCamera({
       {/* nameplate w/ portrait chip — "You" */}
       <Html position={[0, 2.2, 0]} center distanceFactor={8}>
         <div style={{display:'flex',alignItems:'center',gap:6,padding:'2px 8px 2px 2px',background:'rgba(0,0,0,0.78)',color:'#a7f3d0',borderRadius:14,fontSize:11,fontWeight:700,whiteSpace:'nowrap',border:'1px solid #34d39955',boxShadow:'0 0 8px #34d39933'}}>
-          <img src={`/avatars/${portraitId}.png`} alt="" style={{width:22,height:22,borderRadius:'50%',background:gearAccent || cfg.outfitAccent,objectFit:'cover',border:'1px solid #34d399'}} />
+          <img src={`/avatars/${portraitId}.png`} alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" style={{width:22,height:22,borderRadius:'50%',background:gearAccent || cfg.outfitAccent,objectFit:'cover',border:'1px solid #34d399'}} />
           <span>{displayName}</span>
         </div>
       </Html>
@@ -2366,7 +2369,7 @@ function BotPlayer({
       {/* nameplate w/ portrait chip */}
       <Html position={[0, 1.95, 0]} center distanceFactor={8}>
         <div style={{display:'flex',alignItems:'center',gap:6,padding:'2px 8px 2px 2px',background:'rgba(0,0,0,0.78)',color:bot.color,borderRadius:14,fontSize:11,fontWeight:700,whiteSpace:'nowrap',border:`1px solid ${bot.color}55`,boxShadow:`0 0 8px ${bot.color}33`}}>
-          <img src={`/avatars/${bot.avatar}.png`} alt="" style={{width:22,height:22,borderRadius:'50%',background:bot.color,objectFit:'cover',border:`1px solid ${bot.color}`}} />
+          <img src={`/avatars/${bot.avatar}.png`} alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" style={{width:22,height:22,borderRadius:'50%',background:bot.color,objectFit:'cover',border:`1px solid ${bot.color}`}} />
           <span>{bot.name}</span>
         </div>
       </Html>
@@ -2744,7 +2747,7 @@ function RemotePlayer({ remote }: { remote: MpRemotePlayer }) {
       <Html position={[0, 1.95, 0]} center distanceFactor={8}>
         <div style={{display:'flex',alignItems:'center',gap:6,padding:'2px 8px 2px 2px',background:'rgba(0,0,0,0.78)',color:'white',borderRadius:14,fontSize:11,fontWeight:700,whiteSpace:'nowrap',border:`1px solid ${remote.color}`,boxShadow:`0 0 8px ${remote.color}55`,transform: pinged ? 'scale(1.08)' : 'scale(1)', transition: 'transform 180ms ease, box-shadow 180ms ease'}}>
           {remote.avatar?.portrait && (
-            <img src={`/avatars/${remote.avatar.portrait}.png`} alt="" style={{width:22,height:22,borderRadius:'50%',background:remote.color,objectFit:'cover',border:`1px solid ${remote.color}`}} />
+            <img src={`/avatars/${remote.avatar.portrait}.png`} alt="" loading="lazy" decoding="async" style={{width:22,height:22,borderRadius:'50%',background:remote.color,objectFit:'cover',border:`1px solid ${remote.color}`}} />
           )}
           <span>{remote.name}</span>
         </div>
@@ -2810,10 +2813,11 @@ function Scene({
   objectiveTargetId: string | null
   objectivePulseKey: number
 }) {
-  const bots = botsFor(worldId)
+  const bots = useMemo(() => botsFor(worldId), [worldId])
   const world = WORLDS_3D[worldId]
   const [settings] = useHermesWorldSettings()
   const photosensitiveMode = settings.accessibility.photosensitiveMode
+  const visibleRemotePlayers = useMemo(() => Object.values(remotePlayers).filter((r) => r.world === worldId && (r.interior ?? null) === null), [remotePlayers, worldId])
   const moveTarget = useRef<THREE.Vector3 | null>(null)
   const [pingPos, setPingPos] = useState<[number, number, number] | null>(null)
   const [interior, setInterior] = useState<InteriorId | null>(null)
@@ -3038,9 +3042,7 @@ function Scene({
       <SummonedFamiliar playerRef={playerPos} />
 
       {/* Real remote players */}
-      {Object.values(remotePlayers)
-        .filter((r) => r.world === worldId && (r.interior ?? null) === null)
-        .map((remote) => (
+      {visibleRemotePlayers.map((remote) => (
           <Suspense key={remote.id} fallback={null}>
             <RemotePlayer remote={remote} />
           </Suspense>
@@ -3056,6 +3058,81 @@ function Scene({
   )
 }
 
+
+function usePerfDebugEnabled() {
+  const [enabled, setEnabled] = useState(false)
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (typeof window === 'undefined') return
+    setEnabled(new URLSearchParams(window.location.search).get('debug') === 'perf')
+  }, [])
+  return enabled
+}
+
+function DevFpsSampler() {
+  const sample = useRef({ last: 0, frames: 0, sum: 0, max: 0, heap: 0 })
+  useFrame(({ clock }, delta) => {
+    if (typeof import.meta !== 'undefined' && !(import.meta as any).env?.DEV) return
+    const now = clock.elapsedTime
+    const ms = delta * 1000
+    const stats = sample.current
+    stats.frames += 1
+    stats.sum += ms
+    stats.max = Math.max(stats.max, ms)
+    if (typeof performance !== 'undefined' && 'memory' in performance) stats.heap = ((performance as any).memory?.usedJSHeapSize || 0) / 1048576
+    if (now - stats.last < 10) return
+    const avgFrame = stats.sum / Math.max(1, stats.frames)
+    console.table([{ scope: 'HermesWorld playground', avgFps: Number((1000 / Math.max(1, avgFrame)).toFixed(1)), avgFrameMs: Number(avgFrame.toFixed(2)), p95FrameMsApprox: Number(stats.max.toFixed(2)), jsHeapMb: stats.heap ? Number(stats.heap.toFixed(1)) : 'n/a', samples: stats.frames }])
+    sample.current = { last: now, frames: 0, sum: 0, max: 0, heap: stats.heap }
+  })
+  return null
+}
+
+function PerfDebugOverlay() {
+  const enabled = usePerfDebugEnabled()
+  const { gl } = useThree()
+  const sample = useRef({ last: 0, frames: 0, sum: 0, max: 0 })
+  const [stats, setStats] = useState({ fps: 0, frameMs: 0, maxFrameMs: 0, calls: 0, triangles: 0, heap: 'n/a' as string | number })
+
+  useFrame(({ clock }, delta) => {
+    if (!enabled) return
+    const now = clock.elapsedTime
+    const ms = delta * 1000
+    const current = sample.current
+    current.frames += 1
+    current.sum += ms
+    current.max = Math.max(current.max, ms)
+    if (now - current.last < 0.5) return
+    const frameMs = current.sum / Math.max(1, current.frames)
+    const heap = typeof performance !== 'undefined' && 'memory' in performance
+      ? Number((((performance as any).memory?.usedJSHeapSize || 0) / 1048576).toFixed(1))
+      : 'n/a'
+    setStats({
+      fps: Number((1000 / Math.max(1, frameMs)).toFixed(1)),
+      frameMs: Number(frameMs.toFixed(2)),
+      maxFrameMs: Number(current.max.toFixed(2)),
+      calls: gl.info.render.calls,
+      triangles: gl.info.render.triangles,
+      heap,
+    })
+    sample.current = { last: now, frames: 0, sum: 0, max: 0 }
+  })
+
+  if (!enabled) return null
+  return (
+    <Html fullscreen prepend>
+      <div style={{ position: 'fixed', left: 12, top: 12, zIndex: 1000, width: 190, border: '1px solid rgba(94,234,212,.35)', borderRadius: 14, background: 'rgba(2,8,13,.78)', color: '#dffcff', padding: '10px 12px', fontFamily: 'ui-monospace, SFMono-Regular, Menlo, monospace', fontSize: 11, lineHeight: 1.55, pointerEvents: 'none', boxShadow: '0 14px 40px rgba(0,0,0,.35)', backdropFilter: 'blur(10px)' }}>
+        <div style={{ color: '#facc15', fontWeight: 900, letterSpacing: '.12em', textTransform: 'uppercase', marginBottom: 4 }}>Perf debug</div>
+        <div>FPS: {stats.fps}</div>
+        <div>Frame: {stats.frameMs}ms</div>
+        <div>Max: {stats.maxFrameMs}ms</div>
+        <div>Draw calls: {stats.calls}</div>
+        <div>Triangles: {stats.triangles}</div>
+        <div>Heap: {stats.heap} MB</div>
+      </div>
+    </Html>
+  )
+}
+
 /* ── Public component ── */
 export function PlaygroundWorld3D({
   worldId,
@@ -3117,11 +3194,12 @@ export function PlaygroundWorld3D({
   useEffect(() => {
     // Sample player position at presence cadence (~5Hz). The hook
     // skip-sends when delta < epsilon, so this is cheap.
+    const isMobile = window.matchMedia?.('(pointer: coarse), (max-width: 760px)').matches ?? false
     const id = window.setInterval(() => {
       const p = { x: playerPos.current.x, y: playerPos.current.y, z: playerPos.current.z }
       positionForMp.current = p
       ;(window as any).__hermesPlaygroundPlayerPos = p
-    }, 200)
+    }, isMobile ? Math.ceil(1000 / 30) : Math.ceil(1000 / 60))
     return () => window.clearInterval(id)
   }, [])
   const { remotePlayers, online, transport, serverCount, sendChat, myName, myColor, selfId } = usePlaygroundMultiplayer({
@@ -3157,8 +3235,28 @@ export function PlaygroundWorld3D({
     }
   }, [sendChat, online, transport, myName, myColor, selfId, remotePlayers, serverCount])
 
+  const remotePublishRef = useRef<{ sig: string; ts: number; timer: number | null }>({ sig: '', ts: 0, timer: null })
   useEffect(() => {
-    onRemotePlayersChange?.(remotePlayers)
+    if (!onRemotePlayersChange) return
+    const sig = Object.values(remotePlayers).map((player) => `${player.id}:${player.world}:${player.x.toFixed(1)}:${player.z.toFixed(1)}:${player.ts}:${player.lastChatAt ?? 0}`).sort().join('|')
+    if (sig === remotePublishRef.current.sig) return
+    const isMobile = typeof window !== 'undefined' && window.matchMedia?.('(pointer: coarse), (max-width: 760px)').matches
+    const minDelay = isMobile ? Math.ceil(1000 / 30) : Math.ceil(1000 / 60)
+    const elapsed = Date.now() - remotePublishRef.current.ts
+    const publish = () => {
+      remotePublishRef.current = { sig, ts: Date.now(), timer: null }
+      onRemotePlayersChange(remotePlayers)
+    }
+    if (elapsed >= minDelay) {
+      publish()
+      return
+    }
+    if (remotePublishRef.current.timer != null) window.clearTimeout(remotePublishRef.current.timer)
+    remotePublishRef.current.timer = window.setTimeout(publish, minDelay - elapsed)
+    return () => {
+      if (remotePublishRef.current.timer != null) window.clearTimeout(remotePublishRef.current.timer)
+      remotePublishRef.current.timer = null
+    }
   }, [onRemotePlayersChange, remotePlayers])
 
   return (
@@ -3196,7 +3294,7 @@ export function PlaygroundWorld3D({
         camera={{ position: [10, 12, 10], fov: 45 }}
         // Adaptive DPR: matches device pixel ratio up to 1.5 for crispness on retina,
         // drops to 1 on lower-end devices to keep frame times under 16ms.
-        dpr={[1, Math.min(1.5, typeof window !== 'undefined' ? (window.devicePixelRatio || 1) : 1)]}
+        dpr={[1, Math.min(typeof window !== 'undefined' ? (window.devicePixelRatio || 1) : 1, 2)]}
         // Render on demand when no animation needed reduces CPU when idle on title screen.
         // Game loop still runs because useFrame components subscribe.
         frameloop="always"
@@ -3212,6 +3310,8 @@ export function PlaygroundWorld3D({
         }}
       >
         <Suspense fallback={null}>
+          <DevFpsSampler />
+          <PerfDebugOverlay />
           <EffectComposer enableNormalPass={false}>
             <Bloom mipmapBlur intensity={photosensitiveMode ? 0.18 : 0.78} luminanceThreshold={0.72} luminanceSmoothing={0.35} radius={0.85} />
             <ToneMapping mode={ToneMappingMode.ACES_FILMIC} />

src/screens/playground/components/quest-dialog-panel.tsx

@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@ export function QuestDialogPanel({ npcName = 'Athena', npcTitle = 'Oracle of the
               <img
                 alt={`${npcName} portrait`}
                 src="/avatars/athena.png"
+                loading="lazy"
+                decoding="async"
                 className="h-full w-full object-cover"
                 onError={(event) => {
                   event.currentTarget.style.display = 'none'

src/screens/playground/hermes-world-landing.tsx

@@ -353,7 +353,7 @@ function SigilsSection() {
         <div className="relative flex min-h-[360px] items-center justify-center overflow-hidden rounded-[1.35rem] border border-[#d9b35f]/18 bg-[#04070c]">
           <div className="absolute h-64 w-64 rounded-full bg-[#d9b35f]/20 blur-3xl" />
           <div className="relative flex h-56 w-56 items-center justify-center rounded-full border border-[#d9b35f]/42 bg-[radial-gradient(circle,#f8e4ac_0%,#d9b35f_22%,#4b3516_68%,#120d08_100%)] shadow-[0_0_90px_rgba(217,179,95,.32)]">
-            <img src="/hermesworld-logo.svg" alt="Hermes Sigil" className="h-36 w-36 rounded-[2rem] shadow-[0_0_40px_rgba(34,211,238,.18)]" />
+            <img src="/hermesworld-logo.svg" alt="Hermes Sigil" loading="lazy" decoding="async" className="h-36 w-36 rounded-[2rem] shadow-[0_0_40px_rgba(34,211,238,.18)]" />
           </div>
         </div>
 
@@ -399,7 +399,7 @@ function Footer() {
   return (
     <footer className="mx-auto flex max-w-[1560px] flex-col gap-4 border-t border-[#d9b35f]/14 px-4 py-8 text-xs text-[#d7d0bd]/42 sm:px-6 md:flex-row md:items-center md:justify-between lg:px-8">
       <div className="flex items-center gap-3">
-        <img src="/hermesworld-logo.svg" alt="HermesWorld" className="h-8 w-8 rounded-xl" />
+        <img src="/hermesworld-logo.svg" alt="HermesWorld" loading="lazy" decoding="async" className="h-8 w-8 rounded-xl" />
         <span className="font-serif text-base text-[#f8e4ac]">Hermes<span className="text-cyan-200">World</span></span>
       </div>
       <div className="flex flex-wrap gap-4 uppercase tracking-[0.16em]">

src/screens/playground/hooks/use-playground-multiplayer.ts

@@ -155,7 +155,8 @@ export function usePlaygroundMultiplayer({
         const sameAvatar = avatarSig(cur.avatar) === avatarSig(msg.avatar)
         const noChat = (cur.lastChatAt || 0) === (msg.lastChatAt || 0)
         if (sameWorld && sameAvatar && noChat && dx < RENDER_POS_EPSILON && dz < RENDER_POS_EPSILON && dyaw < YAW_EPSILON) {
-          // tiny delta — keep ts fresh but skip render
+          // Tiny deltas should not repaint the world. Refresh the stale timer at most once per second.
+          if (msg.ts - cur.ts < 1000) return prev
           return { ...prev, [msg.id]: { ...cur, ts: msg.ts } }
         }
       }
@@ -180,6 +181,7 @@ export function usePlaygroundMultiplayer({
     let ws: WebSocket | null = null
     let stop = false
     let retry = 0
+    let retryTimer: number | null = null
     const open = () => {
       if (stop) return
       try {
@@ -245,7 +247,8 @@ export function usePlaygroundMultiplayer({
         console.log('[Hermes MP] WS close', { code: ev.code, reason: ev.reason, wasClean: ev.wasClean })
         if (!stop) {
           retry = Math.min(8, retry + 1)
-          window.setTimeout(open, retry * 500)
+          if (retryTimer != null) window.clearTimeout(retryTimer)
+          retryTimer = window.setTimeout(open, retry * 500)
         }
       })
       ws.addEventListener('error', (e) => {
@@ -257,7 +260,9 @@ export function usePlaygroundMultiplayer({
     open()
     return () => {
       stop = true
+      if (retryTimer != null) window.clearTimeout(retryTimer)
       try { ws?.close() } catch {}
+      wsOpenRef.current = false
       wsRef.current = null
     }
   }, [selfId, mergePresence])

src/screens/playground/playground-screen.tsx

@@ -1,33 +1,36 @@
-import { Component,  useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react'
+import { Component, lazy, Suspense, useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState, type ReactNode } from 'react'
 import { PlaygroundActionBar } from './components/playground-actionbar'
-import { PlaygroundAdminPanel } from './components/playground-admin-panel'
-import {  PlaygroundChat } from './components/playground-chat'
-import { PlaygroundCustomizer } from './components/playground-customizer'
-import { PlaygroundDialog } from './components/playground-dialog'
+import { PlaygroundChat, type ChatMessage } from './components/playground-chat'
 import { PlaygroundHeroCanvas } from './components/playground-hero-canvas'
 import { PlaygroundHud } from './components/playground-hud'
-import { PlaygroundJournal } from './components/playground-journal'
-import { PlaygroundMap } from './components/playground-map'
 import { PlaygroundMinimap } from './components/playground-minimap'
-import { PlaygroundSidePanel } from './components/playground-sidepanel'
 import { PlaygroundWorld3D } from './components/playground-world-3d'
 import { Toast } from './components/toast'
 import { FpsCounter } from './components/fps-counter'
 import { KeyboardShortcutsOverlay } from './components/keyboard-shortcuts-overlay'
 import { PhotosensitiveWarningSplash } from './components/photosensitive-warning-splash'
-import { SettingsPanel } from './components/settings-panel'
 import { useHermesWorldSettings } from './components/hermesworld-settings'
 import { usePlaygroundRpg } from './hooks/use-playground-rpg'
 import { playgroundAudio, usePlaygroundAudioMuted } from './lib/playground-audio'
 import { autoNarrateWorld, cancelNarration, isNarrationMuted, narrateWorldNow, setNarrationMuted } from './lib/playground-narration'
 import { botsFor } from './lib/playground-bots'
-import { PLAYGROUND_WORLDS,   itemById } from './lib/playground-rpg'
-import type {ChatMessage} from './components/playground-chat';
-import type {ReactNode} from 'react';
-import type {PlaygroundItemId, PlaygroundWorldId} from './lib/playground-rpg';
+import { PLAYGROUND_WORLDS, itemById, type PlaygroundItemId, type PlaygroundWorldId } from './lib/playground-rpg'
 import type { RemotePlayer } from './hooks/use-playground-multiplayer'
 import { useWorkspaceStore } from '@/stores/workspace-store'
 
+
+const PlaygroundAdminPanel = lazy(() => import('./components/playground-admin-panel').then((module) => ({ default: module.PlaygroundAdminPanel })))
+const PlaygroundCustomizer = lazy(() => import('./components/playground-customizer').then((module) => ({ default: module.PlaygroundCustomizer })))
+const PlaygroundDialog = lazy(() => import('./components/playground-dialog').then((module) => ({ default: module.PlaygroundDialog })))
+const PlaygroundJournal = lazy(() => import('./components/playground-journal').then((module) => ({ default: module.PlaygroundJournal })))
+const PlaygroundMap = lazy(() => import('./components/playground-map').then((module) => ({ default: module.PlaygroundMap })))
+const PlaygroundSidePanel = lazy(() => import('./components/playground-sidepanel').then((module) => ({ default: module.PlaygroundSidePanel })))
+const SettingsPanel = lazy(() => import('./components/settings-panel').then((module) => ({ default: module.SettingsPanel })))
+
+function LazyPanelBoundary({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
+  return <Suspense fallback={null}>{children}</Suspense>
+}
+
 const WORLD_META: Record<PlaygroundWorldId, { name: string; accent: string }> = {
   training: { name: 'Training Grounds', accent: '#5eead4' },
   agora: { name: 'Agora Commons', accent: '#d9b35f' },
@@ -542,12 +545,16 @@ export function PlaygroundScreen() {
           onCustomize={() => setCustomizerOpen(true)}
           onEnter={() => setLaunched(true)}
         />
-        <PlaygroundCustomizer
-          open={customizerOpen}
-          onClose={() => setCustomizerOpen(false)}
-          value={rpg.state.playerProfile.avatarConfig}
-          onChange={rpg.setAvatarConfig}
-        />
+        {customizerOpen ? (
+          <LazyPanelBoundary>
+            <PlaygroundCustomizer
+              open={customizerOpen}
+              onClose={() => setCustomizerOpen(false)}
+              value={rpg.state.playerProfile.avatarConfig}
+              onChange={rpg.setAvatarConfig}
+            />
+          </LazyPanelBoundary>
+        ) : null}
       </>
     )
   }
@@ -583,37 +590,46 @@ export function PlaygroundScreen() {
           objectivePulseKey={objectivePulseKey}
         />
 
-        <PlaygroundDialog
-          npcId={dialogNpc}
-          activeQuest={activeQuest ?? null}
-          onClose={() => setDialogNpc(null)}
-          onCompleteQuest={(questId) => rpg.completeQuestById(questId)}
-          onGrantItems={(items) => rpg.grantItems(items)}
-          onGrantSkillXp={(skills) => rpg.grantSkillXp(skills)}
-          onChoice={onDialogChoice}
-        />
-        <PlaygroundJournal open={journalOpen} onClose={() => setJournalOpen(false)} state={rpg.state} />
-        <PlaygroundCustomizer
-          open={customizerOpen}
-          onClose={() => setCustomizerOpen(false)}
-          value={rpg.state.playerProfile.avatarConfig}
-          onChange={rpg.setAvatarConfig}
-        />
-        <PlaygroundMap
-          open={mapOpen}
-          onClose={() => setMapOpen(false)}
-          currentWorld={world}
-          unlocked={rpg.state.unlockedWorlds}
-          onTravel={(id) => {
-            if (!rpg.state.unlockedWorlds.includes(id)) return
-            setTransitioning(true)
-            window.setTimeout(() => {
-              setWorld(id)
-              setMapOpen(false)
-              window.setTimeout(() => setTransitioning(false), 350)
-            }, 280)
-          }}
-        />
+        {dialogNpc ? (
+          <LazyPanelBoundary>
+            <PlaygroundDialog
+              npcId={dialogNpc}
+              activeQuest={activeQuest ?? null}
+              onClose={() => setDialogNpc(null)}
+              onCompleteQuest={(questId) => rpg.completeQuestById(questId)}
+              onGrantItems={(items) => rpg.grantItems(items)}
+              onGrantSkillXp={(skills) => rpg.grantSkillXp(skills)}
+              onChoice={onDialogChoice}
+            />
+          </LazyPanelBoundary>
+        ) : null}
+        {journalOpen ? (
+          <LazyPanelBoundary><PlaygroundJournal open={journalOpen} onClose={() => setJournalOpen(false)} state={rpg.state} /></LazyPanelBoundary>
+        ) : null}
+        {customizerOpen ? (
+          <LazyPanelBoundary>
+            <PlaygroundCustomizer open={customizerOpen} onClose={() => setCustomizerOpen(false)} value={rpg.state.playerProfile.avatarConfig} onChange={rpg.setAvatarConfig} />
+          </LazyPanelBoundary>
+        ) : null}
+        {mapOpen ? (
+          <LazyPanelBoundary>
+            <PlaygroundMap
+              open={mapOpen}
+              onClose={() => setMapOpen(false)}
+              currentWorld={world}
+              unlocked={rpg.state.unlockedWorlds}
+              onTravel={(id) => {
+                if (!rpg.state.unlockedWorlds.includes(id)) return
+                setTransitioning(true)
+                window.setTimeout(() => {
+                  setWorld(id)
+                  setMapOpen(false)
+                  window.setTimeout(() => setTransitioning(false), 350)
+                }, 280)
+              }}
+            />
+          </LazyPanelBoundary>
+        ) : null}
         <PlaygroundChat
           worldId={world}
           messages={messages}
@@ -660,9 +676,10 @@ export function PlaygroundScreen() {
         />
         {/* Online chip removed — the chat header now shows live player count + NPC count. */}
         {!focusMode && <NearbyBuildersChip players={remotePlayersInZone} />}
-        {!focusMode && (
-          <PlaygroundSidePanel
-            state={rpg.state}
+        {!focusMode && (!isNarrow || mobileMenuOpen) ? (
+          <LazyPanelBoundary>
+            <PlaygroundSidePanel
+              state={rpg.state}
             currentWorld={world}
             worlds={PLAYGROUND_WORLDS}
             onSelectWorld={(next) => {
@@ -686,8 +703,51 @@ export function PlaygroundScreen() {
             worldAccent={WORLD_META[world].accent}
             open={!isNarrow || mobileMenuOpen}
             onOpenChange={setMobileMenuOpen}
-          />
-        )}
+            />
+          </LazyPanelBoundary>
+        ) : null}
+        {/* Focus mode toggle — eyeball icon (sits in the gap between minimap and quest tracker) */}
+        <button
+          type="button"
+          onClick={() => setFocusMode((v) => !v)}
+          aria-label={focusMode ? 'Exit focus mode (F or Esc)' : 'Focus mode — hide side rail (F)'}
+          title={focusMode ? 'Exit focus mode (F or Esc)' : 'Focus mode — hide side rail (F)'}
+          className="pointer-events-auto fixed right-3 top-[230px] z-[71] hidden h-9 w-9 items-center justify-center rounded-full border border-white/15 bg-black/70 text-[16px] text-white shadow-xl backdrop-blur-xl md:flex"
+          style={{
+            boxShadow: focusMode ? `0 0 14px ${WORLD_META[world].accent}88` : '0 8px 22px rgba(0,0,0,.55)',
+            borderColor: focusMode ? WORLD_META[world].accent : 'rgba(255,255,255,0.15)',
+          }}
+        >
+          <span aria-hidden="true" style={{ filter: focusMode ? 'none' : 'grayscale(0.4)' }}>
+            {focusMode ? '👁️' : '👁'}
+          </span>
+        </button>
+        <button
+          type="button"
+          onClick={() => setSettingsOpen(true)}
+          aria-label="Open settings"
+          title="Settings (Esc)"
+          className="pointer-events-auto fixed right-3 top-[314px] z-[71] hidden h-9 w-9 items-center justify-center rounded-full border border-white/15 bg-black/70 text-[15px] text-white shadow-xl backdrop-blur-xl md:flex"
+          style={{ boxShadow: '0 8px 22px rgba(0,0,0,.55)', borderColor: 'rgba(241,197,109,0.42)' }}
+        >
+          ⚙
+        </button>
+        <button
+          type="button"
+          onClick={toggleAdminMode}
+          aria-label={adminMode ? 'Hide admin panel' : 'Show admin panel'}
+          title={adminMode ? 'Hide admin panel' : 'Show admin panel'}
+          className="pointer-events-auto fixed right-3 top-[314px] z-[71] hidden h-9 w-9 items-center justify-center rounded-full border border-white/15 bg-black/70 text-[15px] text-white shadow-xl backdrop-blur-xl md:flex"
+          style={{
+            boxShadow: adminMode ? '0 0 14px rgba(251,191,36,0.55)' : '0 8px 22px rgba(0,0,0,.55)',
+            borderColor: adminMode ? 'rgba(251,191,36,0.6)' : 'rgba(255,255,255,0.15)',
+          }}
+        >
+          <svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="16" height="16" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="2" strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round" aria-hidden="true">
+            <path d="M12 22s8-4 8-10V5l-8-3-8 3v7c0 6 8 10 8 10z" />
+            {adminMode ? <path d="m9 12 2 2 4-4" /> : null}
+          </svg>
+        </button>
         <button
           type="button"
           onClick={() => setMobileMenuOpen(true)}
@@ -699,9 +759,17 @@ export function PlaygroundScreen() {
         <MobileAbilityControls />
         <OnboardingHintCard open={onboardingHintOpen} />
         <PhotosensitiveWarningSplash onOpenSettings={() => setSettingsOpen(true)} />
-        <SettingsPanel open={settingsOpen} onClose={() => setSettingsOpen(false)} signedInName={rpg.state.playerProfile.displayName || null} />
+        {settingsOpen ? (
+          <LazyPanelBoundary>
+            <SettingsPanel open={settingsOpen} onClose={() => setSettingsOpen(false)} signedInName={rpg.state.playerProfile.displayName || null} />
+          </LazyPanelBoundary>
+        ) : null}
         <PlaygroundHelpHud worldName={WORLD_META[world].name} />
-        {adminMode ? <PlaygroundAdminPanel /> : null}
+        {adminMode ? (
+          <LazyPanelBoundary>
+            <PlaygroundAdminPanel />
+          </LazyPanelBoundary>
+        ) : null}
         <PlaygroundUtilityDock
           audioMuted={audioMuted}
           narrationMuted={narrationMuted}
@@ -916,6 +984,8 @@ function TitleScreen({
               alt="HermesWorld"
               width={760}
               height={228}
+              fetchPriority="high"
+              decoding="async"
               className="mt-2 w-[min(760px,82vw)] max-w-full"
               style={{
                 filter: