Using a listen server setup. Trying to send some data (player color) from the client to the server, so then the server can replicate it back out to all other players via replicated variable.
Currently, my customization system works great in game. Players can join and then chose their colour (and a ton of other customization things) and all other players can see these changes happening. Works great. I am saving these customizations via Save game, so after they quite the game, next time the player joins a game, their player will automatically set up to have the same customizations when they join.
So I have that save data, and I am trying to apply it on the client’s character when that character is automatically spawned on join. But in OnBeginPlay, when I try and send an RPC from that client → server saying “these are my customizations I want to have immediately!” that RPC just never makes it to the server. However, if I put a DELAY 1.0s node before calling the RPC everything works fine (or if I manually trigger the RPC some other way any time after the 1.0s)
It seems that I am just trying to send data to the server, before the connection/something is all setup? Is there a better entry point to do this? Or some other issue that is causing this that I am just not aware of? Looking at the logs from the OnBeginPlay on my Client’s player, it does log this warning:
ogNet: Warning: UNetDriver::ProcessRemoteFunction: No owning connection for actor BP_Character_C_1. Function S_RPCTest will not be processed.
But I’m not sure how I resolve that
Additionally, I have tried using the “Event Receive Controller Changed” event, to wait for the server to assign the controller to the client/player, to ensure that the “connection is ready to go”, but I get even weirder issues there. In the below test I am not calling my RPC until both OnBeginPlay AND OnControllerChanged is called on the locally controlled actor, to ensure the Actor is ready to have visual changes happen AND the controller signaling it’s net-ready. But the lines marked with * leave me very confused.
Server Starts
Server Char0 OnControllerChanged called
Server Char0 OnBeginPlay called
Server Char0 Set Initial Customization Data, since server is the owner of Char0 player (success visually we see this working)
Client Starts
Server Char1 OnBeginPlay called
Server Char1 OnControllerChanged called
Server Char1 Does NOT set data, because server is not the owner/controller of Character1, the client is
Visually, we see Char0 on client window with the correct data
Client Char0 OnControllerChanged called (irrelevant, since Character0 is the server's player, we don't care about that as the client?)
Client Char0 OnBeginPlay called
*Client Char0 IS locally controlled??? But thats the servers player? (IsLocallyControlled and IsLocalPlayerController = true)
Client Char0 Set Initial Customization Data (RPC never makes it to the server still, but it shouldn't have been sent anyways since this is not our player!)
Client Char1 OnBeginPlay called
**Client Char1 OnControllerChanged NEVER gets called, and so never sends data to the server.
No more logs
Visually, the client sees both players with the correct data
The server sees themselves with the correct data, but NOT the clients character (missing customization data)
So I’m just very confused. What is the proper way to send client data to the server, so the server can have that as soon as possible after the client has connected/joined? Anyone have any advice or things for me to try? Seems like just “leaving a delay before calling the rpc” is a nasty hack that I’m worried won’t actually work in all network conditions.
Edit: Regarding the IsLocallyControlled confusion above, in OnBegnPlay, I found this thread from 10 years ago that says IsLocallyControlled is not yet setup properly in OnBeginPlay yet… assuming that is still the case. Is Locally Controlled returns True for remote players? - #3 by Ryan_Gerleve
