fixed_timestep_game_loop

A fixed timestep game loop decouples simulation from rendering by accumulating elapsed time and consuming it in fixed-size ticks. This prevents unstable physics, tunneling, and input loss caused by variable delta time updates.

The spiral-of-death occurs when simulation takes longer than the elapsed frame time, causing an ever-growing backlog of ticks. It is prevented by clamping frame time and limiting the maximum number of ticks processed per frame to recover gracefully under load.

Deterministic replay and rollback networking require identical simulation results across machines. A fixed timestep loop achieves this through fixed-point math, ordered collections, seeded randomness, and state hashing to validate and synchronize game logic updates.

Yes, an accumulator-based game loop integrates with an ECS scheduler by fitting fixed tick simulation execution alongside per-frame rendering and presentation work. This maintains stable physics while allowing flexible entity-component system management.

Input buffering collects inputs once per frame before processing them in fixed simulation ticks. Multiple time domains are handled by supporting separate UI versus simulation timing, allowing pause and slow motion without breaking deterministic updates.